Philmandoo
Very Talkative
- Messages
- 89
- Points
- 430
Hi Folks
Being a bit of a tinkerer I can't stop messing with my gear and trying out new ideas. I love my hammocks and I'm totally happy with my set up ( a Warbonnet Blackbird XL and DIY underquilt). But while sniffing around the internet I kept hearing about Bridge hammocks". Hmmm.......
What is a bridge hammock and how is it different from a regular gathered-end hammock? You still need a couple of trees to hang it from but you insert a pole across the head and foot ends to spread the material out making a more natural lay and removing the squeezing you can sometimes get in a gathered end hammock. I had to try one but there's no maker in the UK and I can;t see myself ordering from the USA thanks to extortionate customs charges ( I ordered some fabric from Ripstop On The Roll in the US and the charges were half as much again as the flipping material!!!!). So I trawled the internet for plans - there's a few out there and kindly they have got Youtube vids on the build, so I got stuck in.
I made a template for the fabric (it has cat curve cuts along the sides) so I could accurately size the fabric. A soldering iron cuts ripstops quite cleanly and seals the ends. The long edges have some 15mm poly webbing sewn into them - roll the material around the webbing a couple folds and sew away. The ends get a seam and that's the sewing - simples. On my first version I didn't do anything clever with the ends, just put a bit of shock cord through it to keep it tight as I had read numerous differing opinions on how to finish the ends.
Next a little but of metalwork - I cut four pieces of aluminium out of some scrap and drilled two holes in each, one for the spreader bar and one for the suspension to go through. And finally drilled a few holes and filed them into a slot for the hammock webbing to attach to. Fairly simple to do with minimal tools. These pieces were then sewn onto the hammock (extra webbing being left at each end so I could feed it through the bracket and back along the hammock. I've also seen people use a separate piece of webbing and sew them on. That completes the sewing bit.
Next...suspension. each end has two lengths of cord which goes from the brackets to a jon together at a point for the suspension to attach too. This triangle moves the centre of gravity up making the hammock more stable and less "tippy" feeling. I used 3/16" dyneema to make mine putting fixed loops on each end. Larks head each piece onto the hammock ally plate and the other end affix your suspension of choice - I used cinch buckles. Again, larks head the two pieces onto the buckle and its ready to be fixed onto your tree straps.
Final piece is the spreader bars. The head end you have wider than the foot end (to suit your shoulders). Originally I used two pieces of dowel I had around the garage and put a screw on each end to poke through the remaining hole on the ally plates. Later I replaced this with ally tube.
So that's the build, I tested it out and was pretty darn happy. It's not quite as flat as a camp bed but to me much nicer than a gathered end hammock - I definitely sleep better in it. I made a simple underquilt from a sleeping bag and clipped it onto each corner, so much easier than trying to get an UQ to sit nicely on a gathered end hammock.
Final issue was bugs.....as summer approached the bugs love eating me so a net was needed. I was going to just drape one over my head but thought as I made the effort to make the hammock I might as well make a net to fit. Not as easy as I thought, the shape of the hammock changes as it is loaded so what dimensions were correct when empty are completely wrong when my fat butt is in it. I used velcro to attach along one side and made two triangles to cover the ends, again velcroed on. The side I get in I was going to add a zip but noticed a different approach some had used - I added a six inch flap of ripstop to the bottom of the net. When you get in you tuck the flap down the side on the hammock above the under quilt - after a few nights in it I can say it works perfectly! Quite surprised but it works
I've been so happy with it I built a MKII version with a little more attention to detail. I also made a down underquilt to suit so have a complete system I can use year round with a suitable sleeping bag (it's much easier to get into a sleeping bag with this style of hammock!).
Hope you like, any questions ask away.
Cheers
Phil
Being a bit of a tinkerer I can't stop messing with my gear and trying out new ideas. I love my hammocks and I'm totally happy with my set up ( a Warbonnet Blackbird XL and DIY underquilt). But while sniffing around the internet I kept hearing about Bridge hammocks". Hmmm.......
What is a bridge hammock and how is it different from a regular gathered-end hammock? You still need a couple of trees to hang it from but you insert a pole across the head and foot ends to spread the material out making a more natural lay and removing the squeezing you can sometimes get in a gathered end hammock. I had to try one but there's no maker in the UK and I can;t see myself ordering from the USA thanks to extortionate customs charges ( I ordered some fabric from Ripstop On The Roll in the US and the charges were half as much again as the flipping material!!!!). So I trawled the internet for plans - there's a few out there and kindly they have got Youtube vids on the build, so I got stuck in.
I made a template for the fabric (it has cat curve cuts along the sides) so I could accurately size the fabric. A soldering iron cuts ripstops quite cleanly and seals the ends. The long edges have some 15mm poly webbing sewn into them - roll the material around the webbing a couple folds and sew away. The ends get a seam and that's the sewing - simples. On my first version I didn't do anything clever with the ends, just put a bit of shock cord through it to keep it tight as I had read numerous differing opinions on how to finish the ends.
Next a little but of metalwork - I cut four pieces of aluminium out of some scrap and drilled two holes in each, one for the spreader bar and one for the suspension to go through. And finally drilled a few holes and filed them into a slot for the hammock webbing to attach to. Fairly simple to do with minimal tools. These pieces were then sewn onto the hammock (extra webbing being left at each end so I could feed it through the bracket and back along the hammock. I've also seen people use a separate piece of webbing and sew them on. That completes the sewing bit.
Next...suspension. each end has two lengths of cord which goes from the brackets to a jon together at a point for the suspension to attach too. This triangle moves the centre of gravity up making the hammock more stable and less "tippy" feeling. I used 3/16" dyneema to make mine putting fixed loops on each end. Larks head each piece onto the hammock ally plate and the other end affix your suspension of choice - I used cinch buckles. Again, larks head the two pieces onto the buckle and its ready to be fixed onto your tree straps.
Final piece is the spreader bars. The head end you have wider than the foot end (to suit your shoulders). Originally I used two pieces of dowel I had around the garage and put a screw on each end to poke through the remaining hole on the ally plates. Later I replaced this with ally tube.
So that's the build, I tested it out and was pretty darn happy. It's not quite as flat as a camp bed but to me much nicer than a gathered end hammock - I definitely sleep better in it. I made a simple underquilt from a sleeping bag and clipped it onto each corner, so much easier than trying to get an UQ to sit nicely on a gathered end hammock.
Final issue was bugs.....as summer approached the bugs love eating me so a net was needed. I was going to just drape one over my head but thought as I made the effort to make the hammock I might as well make a net to fit. Not as easy as I thought, the shape of the hammock changes as it is loaded so what dimensions were correct when empty are completely wrong when my fat butt is in it. I used velcro to attach along one side and made two triangles to cover the ends, again velcroed on. The side I get in I was going to add a zip but noticed a different approach some had used - I added a six inch flap of ripstop to the bottom of the net. When you get in you tuck the flap down the side on the hammock above the under quilt - after a few nights in it I can say it works perfectly! Quite surprised but it works
I've been so happy with it I built a MKII version with a little more attention to detail. I also made a down underquilt to suit so have a complete system I can use year round with a suitable sleeping bag (it's much easier to get into a sleeping bag with this style of hammock!).
Hope you like, any questions ask away.
Cheers
Phil
