Hammock Bug Net Cheap

I recently got into hammock camping about a year ago when I made my own hammock and wanted a bug net to go along with the hammock. I quickly discovered that the nets sold for hammocks are not cheap, so I started to research some DIY options. I found a few different designs and fabric suggestions on different hammock forums but there was nothing on instructables on the topic. In this instructable I will show you how to make a cheap (less than $15) tube style bug net for your hammock.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

Most of the materials you should be able to find at your local walmart.

1. 59" x 84" Sheer Voile Window Panels Qty: 2

2. 18' Bungee Cord

3. Bungee Cord Lock

4. 100% Polyester Thread

The window panels cost $5 each, the 18' of bungee cord cost $2 and a new spool of thread cost $2. I was not able to find the Bungee Cord locks at walmart but I'm sure they are at craft stores for cheap. I am temporarily using one I had lying around the house. I will update this when I track some down. The 18' of bungee cord is enough to make two of these bug nets. The window panels are a cheap alternative to bug net fabric. I was turned on to this after finding a youtube video by crypticCRICKET showing how he made a bug net. I used the same material but went with a different design. The holes in the panels are small enough that it should keep the no-see-ums out.

The tools I used are as follows:

1. Sewing Machine

2. Scissors

3. Tape Measure

4. Lighter

Step 2: Sewing the Two Panels Together

The first step is to sew the two panels together. Place one panel on top of the other and sew along the 84" edge. Use a Zig Zag stitch and be sure to lock the start and end of the stitch. Once completed you should have one big panel that is about 117" x 84".

Step 3: Cutting the Slant

Next fold the panel in half so that you have a rectangle that is 117" x 42". On the side that has the free edges (opposite the fold edge) measure in 30" along the long edge. On the same side measure 4" down from the folded edge. Cut a straight line from one mark to the other making sure to cut both layers. DO NOT REPEAT THIS STEP ON THE OTHER SIDE. Once this edge is sewn up it sits at the foot of the hammock. It allows a small hole for the suspension to come through. the opposite side is left uncut so that you can slide the net over yourself once you are in your hammock.

Step 4: Sewing the Bottom Edge

With the panel cut and still folded, align the two long free edges. leave about an inch unsewn on the side that was not cut. Again use a zig zag stitch and be sure to lock the start and end of the stitch.

Step 5: Sewing the Diagonal Edge

Again Use a zig zag stitch to sew the diagonal edges together leaving about an inch unsewn on the corner closest to the folded edge. Be sure to lock the start and end of the stitch.

Step 6: Hemming the Holes

At this point your panel should now be a tube with one large hole and one small hole. Fold the unsewn inch of fabric over and hem the holes. These hems are where the bungee cord will be placed to cinch the bug net up.

Step 7: Insert the Bungee Cord

Feed a loose end of the bungee cord into the hem of the small hole until it comes out the other side. Cut The bungee so that there is about an inch of bungee hanging out of each side of the hem. CAREFULLY use the lighter to singe the end of the bungee that was cut. Now cinch the small hole down so that its just large enough to fit your suspension and tie the bungee in an overhand knot.

Feed a loose end of the bungee cord into the hem of the large hole until it comes out the other side. Cut The bungee so that there is about an inch of bungee hanging out of each side of the hem. CAREFULLY use the lighter to singe the end of the bungee that was cut. Feed the two loose ends of the bungee into the bungee lock and tie an overhand knot on the other side. This bungee lock will be used to cinch the large hole shut once you are inside.

flip the entire tube inside out and you have completed your bug net.

Step 8: How to Use Your New Bug Net

Simply run the hammock suspension lines and ridge line through the two openings of the net when you hang your hammock. be sure to put the small hole at the end you would like your feet to be and bunch it all there. Once in your hammock pull the large hole up and over (similar to climbing into a sleeping bag) so that the net is all around you and the hammock. Finally tighten the draw string on the large hole to close yourself in!

Thanks for viewing! let me know what you all think.

Comments

[Tachyon]

In my neck of the woods we'd call these Bear Burritos, but they look like a great idea for regions without large carnivorous fauna.
However, this would be great for bug free afternoon naps or overnight sleep outs in the back yard.

[HikingDiva]

I backpack solo, with a hammock in bear country (black bears) frequently. Heard a noise one night, thought it was the pesky raccoon, then felt a big bump against my rump. There was a bear underneath, sniffing around... I hollered at it and turned on my light - I only caught a glimpse. Didn't bother me, I still use my hammock except in particularly cold weather.

I learned, the hard way, that the no-see-em mesh is not impermeable to chiggers though. (Cumberland Island)

[beamer.smith]

If you spray/soak your net with a pyrethrin spray the bad guys don't get a chance to get through.. Once the stuff is dry it's safe to use by humans..

[cdveltri]

I personally use it camping but to each their own. I hope you enjoyed the instructable, thanks for looking!

[vladivastok]

GOOD THINKING. IM SURE THE WIFE HAS SOME IN HER CURTIN COLLECTION. "FAMILY THING" "NEVER THROW AWAY CURTINS, CAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOUR GONNA NEED THEM" THANK'S [ VLAD ]

[cdveltri]

Haha the tricky part for me was always finding the stuff I hang on to. I hope it works out for you, Thanks!

[ToniRose]

I usually clear out unused stuff while looking for something else. Then a month later I need something I threw away, which is probably what happened to the stuff was looking for in the first place.

[S Connally]

Thanks, this is a great guide and it worked well for my hammock. For my husband, we bought a new hammock with a built-in mosquito net that can be zipped and unzipped. Got it here

[CatalinRO]

I always dreamed of sewing my own stuff for outdoor, some things are simple and if you have to buy them, are expensive. I start using a hammock like 2 years ago and I was lucky to buy one with the bugs net included. And the awesome part was that the manufacturing was in my city, I found a small shop and there are made a lot of interesting outdoor gear, they are shipping as well abroad. Somehow I witnessed the making off my own hammock and understood that indeed there is a lot of craftsmanship, skills and patience :). All the respect for your effort producing the hammock and this I'ble, it is inspirational that "we can" too :)

[bakdrft]

Step 5 has a flaw....The opening must be closed or your gonna wakeup with a few friends..aka Mosquitos. I made this too and found out they can get in in two places the bottom and where you feed the whoopies slings thru.

[dwray1]

I made the net exactly like Cryptic Cricket did. I ran into the same problem as you... so I decided to modify it. For the whoopie sling opening: I sewed a channel and threaded bungee cord through it. I sewed two channels, one on each end of the net. As for the bottom opening letting Mosquitoes in I haven't addressed yet, but I have done some research. It seems the best solution for that problem is to use a zipper on the side of the hammock. Another possible solution would be to just sew the net right onto the rip stop nylon hammock and use a zipper on the side of the net. A third possible solution that I will probably do is just take the sheer voile and sew the two panels together but not make any cuts. At the ends that the hammock goes through, sew a channel so that an elastic cord will go through them. That way when you want the bug net off all you have to do is pull it to the other side of the hammock. You will now be able to do that because the ends the hammock feeds through weren't cut to a smaller size.

[WachusettSky]

I was trying to decide between this tube design and Cryptic Cricket's open bottom design. The tube design seems simple enough - I just didn't like the idea of the bug net scraping the ground if I happen to hang my hammock too low to keep the netting off the ground. The picture made it look like you need a lot of clearance to keep the tube clear of the ground. So I ended up going with the open bottom design but I discovered a couple important tricks with that design that Cryptic Cricket doesn't mention. (1) Make sure you use shock cord around the hole on the bottom and then tighten it up as much as you can AFTER you get into the hammock with the bug net for the first time. How tight that is depends on how far out you attach the net ends to the ridge line and maybe also how heavy you are (the amount of sag matters). For me, I ended up with 65" of shock cord (unstretched) around the bottom hole after tightening up the hole. Once you've set the size of the hole with a cord lock, you shouldn't have to adjust it ever again (unless you change hammocks or hammock inhabitants). Then (2) YOU HAVE TO FUSS WITH THE NET to make sure the hole is centered around the bottom of the hammock. The net hangs and slides freely over the ridge line, and you are entering it from one of the sides, so it's going to end up off-center when you first get into the hammock. But that's easy to fix if you just reach down around the hammock from the other side and pull on the netting so the hole is really covering the bottom of the hammock. If you reach down on both sides, you can feel for the edges of the hole on each side, and then adjust it until it's nice and even. You can't see where the hole is when you're inside the hammock, but you can feel it. In his video, you can see Cryptic Cricket moving around and doing something right after he gets into the hammock - he just doesn't explain exactly what he's doing. I bet he's sliding the netting around to get it positioned correctly. I got a really good "seal" on the bottom once I figured out (1) and (2). Hope this helps.

[Jacobson_07]

Great instructable! I saw it and now I'm about to make my own. Thanks for sharing!

[dawncwoodworth]

Thank you very much for this. You did a fantastic job. Very easy to understand and very inexpensive. Nice sewing job. This stuff is super slippery and not easy to sew if you don't know what you're doing or haven't worked with it before. Again, beautiful job, thank you for your time. Happy cammping!

[SparkySolar]

I like your Instructable

Thank you so much for sharing

Rima

[Shadowwalker2551]

is it possible to just sew the netting to the hammock?

[hdmotorc]

I've made many camping hammocks. Only two have bug nets which I purchased for like $15. Kinda a pain to use since their intended purpose isn't a hammock net. I can't find those any more however, now I don't have too. Great design.

[cdveltri]

Yea all the hammock specific nets I found were really expensive, thats why I did this. Thanks for the feed back!

[jessyratfink]

This is such a good idea :)

[cdveltri]

Thank you!