Hammock       

Camping

 

The Complete Guide to Greater

Comfort, Convenience and Freedom

                                                 

 

 

How to

Make an 8X10 Rain Canopy

 

 

 

 

Ed Speer                

 

 

 

Chapter 6 

How To Make

Your Own Hammock

 

How to Make 8 X 10 Rain Canopy

 

 

Rain Canopy

The eight-by-ten foot rain canopy is made from 40-denier, 1.1 oz/yd2 silicone-coated ripstop nylon, which is extremely strong yet lightweight. Note that this fabric weighs approximately 1.3 oz/yd2 after the silicone coating has been applied. The material can be ordered from the fabric suppliers listed in the information box. When ordering, be sure you do not confuse this fabric with its heavier 1.9 oz/yd2 cousin.

 

As mentioned earlier, choosing the color of the rain canopy is extremely important; this is the most critical color decision you will have to make. With the canopy deployed over you, your camp will be constantly bathed in light that is filtered and tinted by the color of the canopy. Avoid the overly depressing dark or bright shades of non-natural colors; instead choose psychologically-uplifting colors, such as light muted shades of blue, tan, green, gray, or yellow.

 

The availability of suitable light shades of this fabric is limited and you may need to check several suppliers to find the right color.

 

You can generally use second-quality silicone-coated fabrics, which cost considerably less than first quality fabrics. Although unlikely, any short fall in the silicone coating can be easily mediated by treating the finished rain canopy with inexpensive spray-on silicone (see the section on "Waterproofing the Rain Canopy" below).

 

Since this fabric generally comes in five-foot widths, purchase 5 1/3 yards (16 feet) and cut two eight-by-five foot panels, which will be joined together to get the finished eight-by-ten foot size.

 

By sewing the two panels together, the canopy will have a central transverse seam as shown in the accompanying diagram. While the seam is reinforced and strong, it must still be sealed in order to make it fully waterproof (see instructions below). Note that about one inch on the outside edges of the pre-cut coated fabric generally has tiny perforation holes and lacks full silicone coating; these unsuitable edges should be trimmed off on the edges used to join the two panels to make the center seam. Otherwise, the central seam may not be waterproof.

 

The perforated and uncoated edges on the outer edges of the finished canopy are also not waterproof, however these edges will be hemmed anyway and will not adversely affect the finished rain canopy. Note that if your fabric is wider than five feet (60 inches), as some are, you could safely trim away all of these perforated and uncoated edges and still have a finished canopy of eight by ten feet.

 

It's easier to cut each fabric panel exactly eight-by-five foot, rather than trying to calculate seam and hem allowances. In other words, the finished rain canopy may be slightly less than eight-by-ten foot.

 

Most fabrics have visibly different textures on each side; i.e., they have a top and bottom, or a front and back; as commonly used in sewing terminology, these are the ''right" and "wrong" sides. If your fabric has obviously different sides, you will probably want to make sure the two panels being joined together have matching sides, hems and seams. The waterproof-ness of the finished tarp however, will not be compromised in any event, since the silicone treatment has soaked through the thin nylon fabric and is not restricted to the side it was originally applied to.

 

 

Rain Canopy Details

 

 

Join the two panels together along the central seam using the reinforced flat felled seam shown in the diagram. Additional help on suitable seams can be found in most sewing manuals or the sewing web sites listed earlier. With up to five layers of fabric, the reinforced center seam is strong, while it neatly secures the fabric edges from unraveling without the need for hemming or serging.

 

Now secure the outer edges of the 8X10 canopy by serging or by sewing 1/2" hems as suggested by the diagram and picture.

 

 

Hemming the Rain Canopy

 

 

Pull-Tabs

Pull-tabs for attaching the guidelines are made from one-inch Grosgrain Nylon Ribbon (order from the same fabric suppliers listed in the information box; choose a color that accents your rain canopy material; black always works). You will need four corner pull-tabs, four edge pull-tabs, and two ridgeline pull-tabs. See the earlier diagram for the correct position of the pull-tabs. The eight corner and edge pull-tabs should be two inches long, while the two ridgeline tabs should be four inches long (order 24 inches). Seal the cut ends of each pull-tab by melting them slightly in a small flame.

 

Attach each pull-tab by folding the ends together and placing it on the rain canopy as shown in the previous diagram; sew the three pieces together. Leave a one-half-inch open loop on the outer end of each pull-tab for attaching the guidelines. Sew at least three reinforcing stitches when attaching the longer ridgeline pull-tabs.

 

Grommets

You can greatly enhance the use of the rain canopy by setting 1/4" grommets into the ridgeline pull-tabs as shown in the picture. When set up on the ground as a tarp, the grommets accept the tips of your hiking poles (or the ends of sticks) and help keep them in place. See the "Use on the Ground" section in Chapter 2. Grommets and the necessary hand tool can be purchased at many fabric suppliers, including those listed earlier in this chapter.

 

 

 

 

 

Grommet Details and Hiking Pole Used as Tarp Support on the Ground

Waterproofing the Rain Canopy

While the silicone-coated rain canopy probably starts out waterproof, actual wilderness use can render it less than watertight. It can however, easily be retreated with spray-on silicone as needed. As mentioned in Chapter 3, inexpensive spray-on silicone treatments can be purchased at most outdoor and sporting goods stores. A single can is sufficient for several coatings. Follow directions on the can and allow the canopy to dry between coatings.

 

The central seam is not fully waterproof until it is sealed properly by using a silicone-based sealant; many outfitter stores carry this specialty product, but note that regular seam sealant will not adhere properly to this silicone-coated fabric.

 

An inexpensive sealant can easily be made from a 60/40 mixture of clear household silicone sealant or silicone caulking and a solvent such as gasoline. Any clear silicone sealant or silicone caulking from a hardware or home-improvement store works fine; it can generally be purchased in small squeeze tubes. The solvent can be automobile gasoline or camp stove gasoline; however, extreme caution is necessary when using these highly flammable substances. The solvent dissolves the normally thick silicone sealant or caulking and makes it much easier to spread on the seam, after which the solvent evaporates and leaves the silicone in place. The solvent is not in contact with the nylon fabric long enough to harm it. About 1/4 ounce of this mixture is all it takes to seal both sides of the central seam. Avoid breathing the solvent fumes by working in a well-ventilated area.

 

Mix the items in a small squeeze bottle using the head of a nail as a plunger/mixer.  If necessary, enlarge the spout's exit hole with a straight pin heated in a small flame; hold the hot pin with pliers and keep the flame away from the gasoline!  If a suitable squeeze bottle is not available, the items could be mixed on a paper plate and spread over the seam with a plastic picnic knife. Let the sealed seam dry 48 hours and then coat it with baby powder; otherwise it will continually stick to folds of the tarp when stowed away.

 

Any remaining sealant mixture can be used to protect the stitching on the rain canopy pull-tabs and the polypropylene hanging straps.

 

 

 

Solvent (Gasoline)

Squeeze Bottle w/ Spout

Large Nail for Mixing

Clear Silicone Sealant

Silicone Seam Sealant Materials

 

Guidelines

The rain canopy guidelines, like the bug net bug net support line, are made from one-sixteenth inch Spectra Pulse Line. It is bright orange, which makes it easy to see in low-light conditions when tripping over the guidelines is most likely. In addition to the strength, low-tangle, and safety color of the Pulse Line, it is also easy to untie compared to limp cords. This guideline cord can be ordered from the marine suppliers listed earlier in this chapter.

 

At least six guidelines are required to pitch the rain canopy: four corner guidelines and two ridge guidelines. The cut ends should be secured by slightly melting them in a small flame. Each guideline should be ten feet long for a total of 60 feet of the Pulse Line. The two ridge guidelines are excessively long for pitching the canopy over a hammock, but they are needed when the canopy is pitched like a tarp on the ground. Since all of the Pulse Line guidelines are low-tangle, I save time by leaving them attached to the rain canopy. I simply fold them up with the canopy when breaking camp.

 

For those times when one cannot hide from strong wind, four extra pull-tabs are attached to the rain canopy, two on each side. To stop the wild flapping caused by strong wind, extra guidelines can be attached to these pull-tabs and secured to the ground or nearby trees. Since these extra guidelines are seldom needed, I use lighter-weight limp line (twisted nylon line available at most hardware or department stores) that I carry separately, even though it tends to tangle easily.

 

Now attach the six guidelines to the rain canopy. To do this pass one end of the cord through a pull-tab on the canopy making a small loop, which is then tied with an overhand knot (see pictures below). This creates an open loop in the end of the guideline, which passes through the pull-tab.

 

 

   

 

A large rope is used here for demonstration

Tying Guidelines to Rain Canopy

 

Trucker's Hitch

The trucker's hitch is a handy way to tie off the guidelines to stakes, trees, roots, etc. It allows easy adjustment of the tension on each guideline. See the picture on the following page. It is tied by making a small loop in the standing line using an overhand knot as described above for attaching the guidelines to the rain canopy. Next, the bitter end is passed around the anchor support and then passed back through the loop in the standing line. Now pulling the bitter end backwards toward the anchor support easily sets the tension on the entire guideline. To complete the hitch, a simple quick-release slipknot is tied in the bitter end near the loop in the standing line. The slipknot will be easy to untie even with cold fingers when breaking camp in the morning. The overhand-loop knot in the standing line generally does not tighten excessively and can easily be untied and repositioned as often as necessary.

 

 

 

 

Tie a small loop at an appropriate spot along the guideline and pass the loose end around the anchor. Next pass the loose end through the small loop; adjust the tension and tie off the loose end with an easy-to-untie slipknot. A large rope is used here for demonstration

Tying Trucker's Hitch in Guidelines

 

 

Questions?

If you have any questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you.  Contact us at:

 

Speer Hammocks, Inc.

34 Clear Creek Roand

Marion, NC 28752-6407

828.724.4444

info@SpeerHammocks.com

http://www.SpeerHammocks.com

 

 

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Ed "Not To Worry" Speer



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