How to Make a Hammock in The Rainforest

Knowing how to make a hammock is an important survival skill, whether you're out there exploring a rainforest or trying to live through a natural disaster. Learn how to make a hammock or at least set up one in this post!

Survival Shelter: How To Make A Hammock

A good ‘ole hammock is your best friend while you're in the rainforest camping, backpacking, or, in a worst-case scenario, trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. Just hang it on tree trunks and tree top branches and you'll have a decent survival shelter off ground. Boost your survival skills by learning how to make a hammock or at least set up one. Read on and enjoy!

Setting Up The Hammock

Gear up.

Make sure you have the complete gear before you venture out into the rainforest. To set up a hammock between trees, you would need a static rope, dynamic rope, polyester webbing straps, locking carabiner, throw line, harness, belay device, and of course, a hammock. Take note, these things must be durable enough to support your weight.

Find solid trees.

Scout the area for solid, sturdy trees. Hammocks are ‘traditionally' hung between two trees, which are around 12 to 15 feet apart. Sometimes, depending on the style of your hammock, you would need three trees. But you can also set your hammock on just one tree if it is solid enough and has strong branches.

Do the climb.

You don't need to climb a tree if you're thinking of setting the hammock just a little bit off the ground. But there are risks when you sleep in a rainforest and hanging your hammock on treetops is one way to avoid them. To ascend tall trees properly and safely, you would need to learn some climbing techniques first—like how to rig a tree and how to use the throw line.

Wrap protective straps around the trees.

The trees' health is affected when you use them to hang your hammock. To lessen friction and prevent any other kind of damage to the trees, you need to wrap their trunk or branches with protective straps. You can even use sticks between the trees' surface and the straps to avoid further friction.

Attach hammock rope to the straps.

After placing protective straps on the tree's surface, you can tie or attach the hammock rope to the webbing straps. Sometimes, you only need an S hook to connect the tree straps and the hammock's ropes. But if you set up your hammock on treetops, you must use strong knots and good quality carabiners to secure the hammock.

Secure the perfect sag.

Test the hammock and adjust it until you're comfortable. A 30-degree angle from the hammock rope to the tree is a pretty comfortable sag. When a hammock is hung too tightly, it becomes unstable. You would want to secure a deeper sag to decrease your chances of falling off the hammock.

Add tarp.

Protect yourself from rain, debris, and cold by placing a tarp over your hammock. Just simply add a ridge line by tying a rope on one end of the hammock to the other end. Then you pitch the tarp by hanging it on the ridgeline.

How To Make The Hammock

Use canvas.

Canvas, a very durable fabric, is popularly used to make sails and has also been used by sailors to make hammocks. That's why hammocks made from canvas are called naval hammocks. Making a naval hammock is not an overly complicated process and would be a relatively easy DIY project.

Use ripstop nylon.

Good quality ripstop nylon is a pretty durable fabric as well and makes a good material to create a hammock. Actually, it has been used to make much of the camping gear sold in stores. What's great about this fabric is its resistance to tearing. Even if the fabric does get ripped, the tear would not spread easily.

Use ropes or paracords.

Rope hammocks are more suitable for a warmer climate. They take longer to make, especially for beginners. But if you want to channel your creativity in making a hammock, this project would be great for you.

Watch this DD Hammocks video to learn more about hammocks:

If you have spare time, learn how to make a hammock. It's more than just a DIY project and a hobby. You're basically cultivating a skill which may come in handy any day during your lifetime.

Do you know how to make a hammock? Is there something you can add to this post? Don't hesitate to share your thoughts with us by writing a comment below!

 

from SurvivalLife https://survivallife.com/make-hammock-rainforest/