Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting My Latest DIY bow hunting UL shelter

Here is my latest UL shelter for hunting trips, when I don't feel the need for my UL sil-nylon tipi and UL wood burner. I did it all myself. Everything here I made except for the Black Diamond carabiners. This is 1.1 oz breathable ripstop, doubled for the hammock body. The tarp is 1.3 oz sil-nylon and is 10X12. The ridge line of the tarp is 12'. Tie downs on the tarp are every 2'. Ridge line suspension is 1/8" Amsteel and so are the tie outs to the tree hugger webbing. All suspension and tie out cords, are DIY whoopie slings. For those not aware of what a whoopie is, it is a rope that slides in itself and is the lightest and most adjustable knot free adjustment available. When weight is applied to the rope, it locks up much like a Chinese finger trap. Amsteel is the strongest rope known to man and the 1/8" diameter I used is rated for 2500 lbs. The tarp tie out cords are just made out of regular poly rope that I whoopied by removing the core that runs down the middle. I have done the same with parachute cord. Here are some various tarp setups I can do if I choose. I haven't weighed it, but it is light and the entire setup is seen here in my DIY stuff sack. Bug net installs and removes easily and is open and closed by simply cinching a drawstring on each end. The foot is kept drawed and you simply open the cinch near the head end, get in the hammock, and re draw the end. No bugs can get in and it is no seeum mesh. Now I am ready for an outing in it.













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I just got back from the Post Office and my entire setup weighs 3 lbs.8 oz. Pretty lightweight imo and no sleeping pad to carry.

I am pretty retarded when it comes to hammocks so please excuse my ignorance. But why do you not have to carry a sleeping pad?? Seems like it would be similar to sleeping on a cot which requires some sort of sleeping pad to insulate you from the cold air under the cot. A sleeping pad isn't so much for the comfort of sleeping on something warm nearly as much as to insulate you.

al, guys will use down under quilts for temps 50 and below. You don't lay on the down quilt, it is attached to the underside of the hammock. When sleeping on the ground, a sleeping pad is required whatever the temp is, as the ground is hard regardless of the temp. I will probably make a down under quilt for mine, just to have a complete setup. When it gets real cold though, I will probably be in my SL5 with my wood burner, unless these hammocks are just too good to give up on in the cold. I am planning on making a stove jacked A frame sil nylon tarp with closed ends that will house 2 hammocks though. I am a gear head, what can I say, and making it myself is very satisfying.

interesting
thanks for sharing

Ahh I see so you don't need a pad, but you need a down sleeping bag on the underside of the hammock right. Makes sense. Just seems like a 9 neo air pad inside your SL5 would be just as light as this setup with a down bag on the underside and provide better coverage in a storm. But hammocks seem like a cool setup and fun to try out. Just seems like there is no real weight savings.

I hope you have tried sleeping in one -to most people they seem great when they get in a hammock -a couple of hours later it's a different story.
I bought two different hammocks and borrowed a "lay-flat" hammock to try -all were horrible !
I loaned mine out not caring if i got them back -they came back and the report was the same as mine.
Of coarse everybody is different -so i wish you the best -great work building it also.

Yea, I have used many cheaper ones; I used to have one hanging on my cabin and it was all I slept in. I think hammocks are very comfortable to sleep in , but we all like different things. It wasn't near as nice as this one, nor did it have an adjustable suspension like this one. Many of the hammock guys, including myself, prefer a diagonal lay in the hammock. Thanks, it was a lot of work researching and making these, but the payoff is I won't be buying commercial made tents or tarps anymore. I will be making my own sil nylon pyramid in the future too, just to do it.

AL, that's where I came out when I investigated hammocks. No real weight savings in cooler temperatures due to the extra insulation you end up carrying to counteract being up off the ground. In warmer temps, that cooling effect becomes a boon. If I lived in hot humid country like the midwest or SE, I'd consider a hammock more seriously.

Here are some pics of a huge front sun porch setup. This is where these hammock/tarp setups shine imo, especially in warm weather, over a tent. You can setup so many variations and the hammock can be used as a chair to sit in for eating or just sitting in.

It might look cool in your front yard but i don't think it is very practical for any type of hunting, even hardcore BOW hunting.

And yes, we know you can make your own shelters, there are 3 threads on it already in the last 4 days and on many different fourms, we already know your awesome.

Lol,Big W, I will discard the idea of using these on hunts, due to your superior knowledge on the matter. All of the other guys using them are fools, and thankfully I didn't fall into the same trap as they did. I will also only post pics of anything on only one forum from now on. Thanks for blessing me with your valuable knowledge and wisdom. You are the man.

Pretty sweet setup... I've spent very little time in a hammock. What's your back feel like after sleeping a couple nights in it?

Most comfortable camping I have done. If I was single, I'd just sleep in it in the house and hang it from hooks in my living room or bedroom.

Nice... I guess it's worth a try.

I went out to a buddys timber, drank a few beers with the guys, bon fired it, and slept in my new setup Saturday night. VERY comfortable and very satisfying to sleep in my own DIY hammock/tarp setup; BUT I wished it had gear pockets, to hold a flashlight/headlight, wallet, cell phone, and my handgun, so tonight, I made pockets for each of our hammocks. They are 15" long, 12" tall, and start 27" from the gathered end of the hammock. I think pockets are a must and are going to be a nice feature.
Pics from this weekend. These are all cell phone pics, so sorry for the poor resolution.








I used IOWA Hawkeye material for the GF's.





Mine are just an off color green nylon to go with the environment

BTW, here is a guy that just made his own entire setup and kept it under a pound, so it can be done if you want to. I am not a gram weenie though.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20115

HCH,

I think you're awesome if it makes you feel any better. I've spent a couple nights down to 35 degrees in my ENO double nest with my Mountain Hardware foam pad under me and my sleeping bag used more like a quilt w/o freezing. Personally, I use the hammock a bunch more for quick summer overnight trips with my kids. My 7 year old is getting a bit too big for the two of us, so she'll have to start packing her own next year, but it's still pretty comfy w/ my 4 year old.

Where the hammock really shines for me is on short trips (usually w/ scouts) where level smooth campsites are scarce. I just need to find a couple of reasonable trees or boulders to tie off on and I'm happy hanging.

I don't see myself using one on any hunting trips soon, but I know better than to slam the guys that do.

take care,

Schmitty

BG, thanks, I am not awesome, but those guys/gals that taught me how to make my own gear on hammocks.com are. Hammock/tarp setups are not the end all to the camping/backpack hunting world, but they sure have their place. I like having lots of options and being able to make it myself only fuels the gear junkie in myself. No worries; There are a lot of juveniles on this site, and you have to put up with the good and the bad.