How to Make a Homemade Camping Hammock
If you want a place to stretch out and relax when you go camping, make a hammock that you can string between two trees. Make the hammock from durable but lightweight ripstop nylon, the fabric that many tents and gear bags are made from. The hammock can be tightly rolled for packing and then unfurled when you reach your destination. The hammock is wide in the center and decreases in width at the ends. Grommets inserted at the ends provide a secure method of attaching hanging apparatus.
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Things You'll Need
- 3 yards ripstop nylon
- Scissors
- Yardstick
- Chalk
- Thread
- Sewing machine
- Two 3-inch O-rings
- 10 grommets
- Grommet tool kit
- 1/4-inch utility cord
- Four D-rings
- 16 feet nylon webbing strap
Instructions
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1
Cut a 4-by-9 foot piece of fabric. On each short end of the fabric rectangle, make a 1/2-inch snip on the edge 12 inches in from the corners. On each long edge, make a 1/2-inch snip on the edge of the fabric 24 inches in from the corners. Lay a yardstick diagonally across each corner from one snip to the other. Draw a chalk line. Cut along these four lines.
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2
Fold over the fabric 1 inch twice along all sides. Stitch down.
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3
Insert five grommets evenly spaced along the short ends (see Resources for detailed instructions on how to insert grommets).
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4
Cut four 24-inch lengths of cord. Insert one section of cord into the first grommet hole on the end of the hammock and then across and into the grommet hole next to it. Put the cord through an O-ring and tie in a secure knot to create a loop. Insert the second piece of cord into the second grommet hole, across to the third hole and into the same O-ring. Knot. Repeat looping and knotting procedure across all grommet holes.
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5
Cut two 8-foot lengths of strap. Slip two D-rings onto the end of each length of strap. Fold 2 inches of strap over the D-rings and sew strap securely, creating a loop in which the D-rings are enclosed. Slip the end of the strap with the D-rings through the O-ring. Sew strap securely near the D-rings, creating a loop in which the O-ring is enclosed.
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6
Hang the hammock by wrapping each 8-foot length of strap around a tree and securing the strap by running it through the D-rings. Pull the straps to adjust to the needed length.
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