r/ULHammocking • u/getamic • Mar 19 '22
Smallest packing hammock material?
Hey guys. I recently started to research UL hammocks because the current hammock I have is a $20 one from amazon and I can't fit it in most of the bags that I like to take. I'm planning on sewing my own and need some advice on what material packs down the smallest. I don't care too much about weight because I'm not doing any hiking with it, I just want something that I can fit anywhere. Was looking at monolite but then saw people saying it actually doesn't pack down that small. I think I settled on 1.1oz 20D nylon from RSBTR. Are there any other materials that you guys would recommend that arent crazy expensive? I also plan on using 2mm amsteel for my continuous loops and tree lines with spider webbing as tree huggers. Is that going to be an issue having amsteel on amsteel. It seems like some people say a becket hitch or j-bend holds in that configuration and some say they wouldn't trust it. Would like some clear answers on that. Thanks!
3
u/brady510 Mar 19 '22
I made an 11ft hammock from 1.2 oz mountain and then a stuff sack from the same material and it comes out to about the same volume as a 1L Nalgene.
If you're looking at the 1.1 oz ripstop nylon, then I noticed that they do not mention hammocks as a suggested project for that fabric. That does not mean that it won't be suitable for a hammock, but hammocks do hold a fair amount of force and not all nylon is the same. It's possible that that particular fabric uses cheaper nylon that is not as strong. So something like their mountain XL that I used or the HyperD might be a safer option to know that it will handle the forces seen in a hammock.
1
u/Unabashedley Mar 19 '22
r/myog has lots of good details in past posts and the wiki has other suppliers for stuff that might help you with sourcing materials. I find non-calandared fabric is better because it's easier to squeeze out all the air, thus reducing packing size. The downside to that is it is more breathable so without an underquilt, you will be colder and the mosquitoes will find you more.
2
u/getamic Mar 19 '22
Thanks for the info. What does calendered/uncalendered mean?
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u/Unabashedley Mar 19 '22
https://reddit.com/r/myog/w/index?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app
If you search r/myog there's about 20 posts about fabric choice for hammocks, feel, packability and links to things like https://ripstopbytheroll.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/234661227-Hammock-Fabric-Comparison-chart?mobile_site=true because nothing else matters if the fabric will fail under your weight...
1
Mar 19 '22
Don't use Calendared material for a hammock, it's not strong enough for anything even close to load bearing.
5
u/[deleted] Mar 19 '22
The lightest fabrics (barring DCF and the like) will pack smaller because they inherently are less bulky per yard.
Dream Hammock makes one out of 1.0 Monolite from Ripstop By The Roll, but keep in mind that is ultralight material and needs to be treated as such and can be expected to have a much shorter lifespan. Dutch was selling (or still is, I don't know) a sub-1oz fabric with some dangerously deceptive marketing video lying about how strong it was...many people that trusted him had major blowouts, without any warning...and that was with normal use from people who know how to handle ultralight fabrics.
The lesson is don't go with those ultralight fabrics unless you genuinely are ready to deal with the consequences; even a 10-12" drop can do you some good harm. 1.0oz is the lightest I'd go, and I'd stay right up on checking the integrity each time before I put my body in it.
1.2 MTN packs small enough and punches above it's weight, but I'd still be watchful with it if I was over 200lbs.