Wool Blanket Hammock

   Yep  1/4'' mule tape has strength of 400lbs/square foot.   
            3/4'' mule tape has strength of 2500lbs/square foot. 
    Also comes in other sizes, and has many uses.

I have a blanket. I have sticks and I have rope. Now I have a hammock.

Not big on using a wool blanket, has anyone tried this with a canvas tarp? A good one 10 oz or heavier? Say a 9 x 12 ? I like the configuration if you happen to have two big trees . Thanks

My biggest concern with this is how strong the blanket is itself. Purpose made hammocks are going to be reinforced where needed and made from materials that will be sufficient to carry the load. I dont know enough about the strength of wool (which I assume directly depends on how its spun and how tight the weave is) to feel confident in doing it.

Another nice video Dave!

Dave I'm just a little bit worried on your behalf. If you just use the blanket alone, being 100% wool eventually your butt will go through the thing. I love what you do and that's the truth, but wool on it's own has no tensile strength. Where's the oilskin tarp you used to have, it would be perfect.  Not a critacism, just trying to help.

Excellent video and information!
Thanks Dave!

good

Great video bud I really enjoy what you do.

This dude rules and also looks like THE Dude. Is this the dude from dual survival?

path finder location for a 92 x 92 wool blanket ? a Queen size ? In my pass I had to have extra protection inside for / from the bugs (Florida) biting thro to get at my back side

Hey Dave, I'm not sure if you will ever see this but what gauge bankline do you use? I usually try to use para rope but that can get pricey. So I was wondering what it was brand and anything else you find important to let me know about it :] thanks
~James

when you wil do another video?

Ahoj, děkuju za tip jak využít vlněnou deku. Super. Paráda tohle by mne nenapadlo...Perfektní :)

I think Dave's on vacation. Or he's in class. But not making vids.

Anyone know where Dave went? This is his most recent video and it's over 2 weeks old... Just wondering if things are ok...

No videos in 2 weeks!!!! i hope nothing bad has happened and everything is all good and you're just busy.

Great job dave another great idea I'll be see ya at the gathering see ya soon !

Where you at brother Dave? Hope everything is good. I'm jonesing for your next video.

Much respect for your knowledge and abilities. Made a cold weather bag for my job based upon your teachings and reccomendations. Keep up the videos.

  Where's Dave? Haven't seen him since this video was posted almost 3 weeks ago. Hope everything's okay.

Does it have to be a wool blanket?

Hey man, i use a blanket of camelwool. Is way lighter than sheep and stronger. But i like the video.

Great vid. I've been making wool blanket hammocks for years. I've got a bad back so sometimes its impossible for me to sleep on the ground.

great idea, thank you so much.

Very informative video. Thanks for sharing.

Good job friend :-)

Incredibly useful, Thx Dave.

great idea!!!! beats forking out for those pricey polyester hammocks like you say the two sticks is all thats needed once you find your spot?
getn a decent quality wool blanket these days for a reasonable price tho is a bit more difficult ive seen wool blankets selling for up to max of £300 here in uk!!
italian swedish or belgian brit czech army blankets are all pretty cheap tho of varying quality?
and stench a lot of them have been stockpiled in bundles as army surplus have mothball or fuel parrafin smell to them quite strong some are better than others depends how they been kept? a good tip if you washing a wool blanket is to use soft or natural soaps do it by hand but add johnsons baby oil to the water parrafin oil to the mix before you dry it out it replaces the natural moisture of the wool or lanolin real lanolin is yellow but you can melt it down pass threads on spinner through it if you want the authentic properties of unmodified wool!!
im going down soon to find pyrenean mt farmers who sell the mt wool from acspecial sheep in pyrenees thats very hard wearing but very warm it gets tad softer with uses n washes etc but is a great hard wearing wool for jumpers jerseys etc its getting increasingly difficult to find
decent suppliers cutting out the middleman
they call it tissus de pyrenees here but in uk we got some great varietys also jacobs sheep wool is a fave of mine!!
dont get me started!! i rate wool as the best fabric of all time!!!!
i cant stand synthetics they got their uses but just give me wool everytime its king!!
for me anyways id stake my life on it!!
reliability every time lovely feel to it
warm when wet
breathes its just the best
thats a great tip on how to use a camp blanket whilst saving yoself a lot of bucks on fancy synthetic hammocks
with spacers n mosquito nets
if you buy oversize wool blanket put it on a hotwash it becomes felted this helps keep the winds breezes off your back better than a more open weave breathable blanket if you using as your back insulation or bottom mat suspended off floor at night? you know it you go to bed in one set of conds then breezes pick up you get chilly the back being protected is better if you have a fairly wind resistant type weave or texture on blanket than an airey one?
or put down jkts or space blanket spare tarp beneath blanket to keep the chills winds at bay!!
in those conds!it looked lovely where you were superb blue sky day bright white snow nice queit set of woods ideal!!
away from all that crappy traffic!!
uugh!!
we all need it!! in spades pure solace love it!!
dont get enough of it!!
im ready to be a mountain man grizzly adams just point me in the right directions id give up modern living tmw!!

Dave, now that you have your woodworking bench and spring lathe, you have the perfect opportunity to make a wooden hammock clamp, instead of those 4 wooden sticks shown in the video.

Yes, if you are a survivalist, intending to go out in inclimate weather, or if you only intend to use your wool blanket as a hammock, then these hammock clamps are worthy of carry.  The only other pieces are 1 or 2 space blankets (one underbed and one weather/rain/snow space blanket cover-all, or a mini-footprint tarp) cover-all.

The woolen blanket is folded over these forest sticks, rolled, and then rope-tied with mule tape, holding the wool hammock at each end.  There is an easier and cleaner way in making, having, and using hammock clamps for your unit.  This bare weight to carry with this wool blanket hammock design versus carrying the weight of a tent, tarp, footprint, stakes, guy lines, ropes, .... is worth considering.

Find two 2x2 wooden (scrap) blocks, ~20 inches long.  Using the spring lathe, carve these 2 blocks into two 2 inch diameter dowels.  Carve each end leaving a 3 inch x 1 inch diameter dowel.  Using the woodworking bench, stand up the dowel, and lock the dowel into place.  Using ruler and pencil, mark off a ~3/4 x ~3/4 inch square on each dowel end.  Saw off the excess wood, making long tenon joints.  With the dowel now locked horizontal into the vise, ruler and pencil mark a 1/4 deep x 1 inch long indent, 1 inch inside of the dowel end on 2 opposing sides.  Cut out the indent.  You now have 2 tenon jointed and slotted 2 inch diameter dowels.

With precision sawing these dowels, lengthwise in half, 90 degrees to the parallel-faced slots.  You will create 2 pair of half-circle tenon jointed and slotted dowels.  When properly done, the tenon joint slots will face outwards to the dowel curves.  Sand and round the edges on these half-circle dowels.  You now have a pair of head and foot blanket dowels.  These will be the "C" (upper) and reverse "C" (lower) dowels.

Find another two 2x2 solid wood blocks, ~6 inches length. Using the woodworking bench, lock in place and saw these lengthwise in half, for four 1x2 pieces.  With the bench, horizontally lock a single piece flat with the 2 inch side facing upwards.  Using ruler and pencil, mark out a centered ~3/4 inch x 3 inches slot on the face.  Cut out the slot, making a mortis block.  These will be the matching 2 pair of head and foot mortis blocks for the 2 pair of head and foot dowels in the hammock clamps.  Sand these mortis blocks and slotted tenon dowels for a tight fit.

You have just created 2 sets of hammock clamps.

Use 1 set.  Use 24 inches of the blanket head for the hammock head clamp.  Place the upper "C" dowel at 24 inches, and fold over.  Roll the blanket downwards on the "C" dowel 1-2 times, leaving a 12 inch overlap down towards the hammock bed.  Place the lower reverse "C' dowel at 6 inches, and fold upwards to the upper dowel.  Roll the blanket overlap 1-2 times on the lower dowel.  The blanket head should be thoroughly wrapped on the upper and lower dowels, and they should be snug together.  The slotted tenons will outface to each other, as the upper and lower dowels make the "O" shape (with wrapped blanket around them.

Put the dowel tenons into the hammock mortises.  The long slotted tenons push through the mortis, and come out the side with the slots showing.  Mule tape or rope wrap the square slotted tenon area for locking down the hammock head clamp.

Do the same procedure for the blanket and hammock foot clamp.  Raise and tighten the hammock around the trees.

If you want to put a cover-all weather/wind/rain/snow space blanket or mini-tarp (footprint tarp) over the hammock, insert the cover-all corners into the last winding of the mule tape or rope wrap tying the cover-all with the hammock.  Three-point tie-in the cover-all, leaving only 1 tie-in point at the back of the hammock head clamp, allowing entry/exit of the hammock.

Admittedly, there are 8 items in your backpack:  two 20 inch tenon and slotted 2 inch diameter dowels, and four 6 inch 1x2 mortis blocks.  They fit into a 22 x 3 x 3 inch nylon sack.  If you are only using this wool blanket (or tarp) hammock, this is minimal weight, length, and cubic space in the backpack ... versus any regular tenting and tarping equipment ... (mule tape or rope in either situation).

If you make a double loop figure 8 knot on the mule tape (or rope), (all predesigned at home), you can save big time with putting up/tearing down the hammock.

With the same loop of the figure 8, make it initially with a big 12 inch loop.  Make the figure 8. Knot the tag end.  Grab the loop and pull it back into the knot, and pull out between the second and third knot wraps.  Insert the tag end knot into this loop.  Pull back the double loops (now ~3-4 inch loops) and tighten the entire knot and loops.  Both loops can be adjusted (from the tag end to the longer line) for hanging distance between the 2 loops, or snugging the loops onto a designated lassoed object.

With the hammock sticks, or the hammock clamp, there is no massive wrapping of mule tape around and around the sticks or clamp.  You can make a lark's head loop knot (another double loop ...)  and install it once around the sticks or clamp tenons.  Adjust the lark's head loops to point backwards from the hammock.  The lark's head will tighten down in all directions and pull both sticks together (a loop to each stick) or further immobilize the clamp tenons (double loop on the tendon).   By further adjusting and tightening each loop onto the sticks or clamp, you can make an absolutely tight and firm hammock tape or rope connection between both loops onto the designated sticks or tenons.  This is an easy on and off loop with the sticks or clamp tenons.  Then take the guy lines and tie-up the trees.

If you make a double-ended and double looped figure 8 knot unit (all predesigned at home), you have a master tie-down product.  You make a set of the double loop figure 8 knot, at opposing ends, making what is 4 loops into an elongated "> -----<" design.  Use the tree end, for cross-wrapping around the tree, and cross-looping on the side of the tree, with a stick toggle.  Twist the stick to tighten up the tape loops and guy line.  Then firmly snug the stick under the tape.  Otherwise, put both loops cross-looped over the backside of a tree with a broken tree limb nob, and use a stick to tighten up the guy line, and firmly snug under the tape.  Easy to put on and easy to take off the hammock and the tree.  The entire process of attaching such device should be less than 1-2 minutes for each end of the hammock and tree tie-up for an experienced person.

If you are in a difficult tree location with indirect tie-on angles, the double loops can have 2 guy lines to different trees for properly hanging the direction of the hammock.  So you can have a 2, 3, even 4 tree tie-off design with the double loop figure 8 or double-ended double loop figure 8 design.

Thank you very much today, and forever

friend of mine said his wool blanket could rip if used like this often i dont agree a quality wool weave is very strong the sticks take the pressure off the unravelling do they also ease strain on wool fabric?

cool idea...looks warm......may be perfect for Southern cold winter nights!!!

Whats a good alternative to a wool? I don't know if it's just there I live but wool blankets seem to be 10 times more expensive other blankets, certainly a lot more than the flashiest ready made hammock systems.

Thanks Dave! I saw this video months ago and last night when I went camping I realized I some how forgot my Hammock, sleeping bag, and mosquito net. No problem at all, I just looked up the video, strapped on my emergency wool blanket to my backpack and hit the trail. With an extra 50 feet of Paracord it took me no time to set up and work great through the night. Not as comfortable as my ENo, but better than sleeping on the ground!

Not to Nerco Rez this thread, but is there any reason this couldn't be done with a tarp as well?

love this video, needed to find a way to sleep in a hammock type bed off of the ground for my nights I spend colonial trekking. The wool blanket was a great cloth to use, thanks Dave

Great tutorial and usage of a blanket simple but effective. I've seen this on your programme dirty rotten survival with Richard Francis Strawbridge great series by the way really enjoyable.

this is a great idea .. thanks for sharing

For the folks who don't want to use this tip, you are free to choose not to use it. Nobody is telling you what to do. Grow up. This is simply a suggestion for you to take or leave. No need to be confrontational and disrespectful simply because you would do something differently. Rather you could be appreciative to have the knowledge should you ever need it. Thank you Dave for another great idea to help during an emergency. I thank you for all you do to help people!

Gotta love the people commenting that they will not be using their 600 dollar blankets with no structural integrity for this. Now when you make a survival shelter with branches i will complain that i will not be using my garden flowers for insulation. Lol.

Awesome

Boa tecnica

Outstanding

Wouldn't this stretch out your blanket? Effectively damaging it

Brilliant harbor freight sells 9'x12' painters tarps more comfty

Sew fire blankets into your hammock for extra warmth

Could you work this into a video showing the wool hammock being used together with the contents of your rucksack to make a full cool-weather campsite? I am inspired by the inventiveness you've shown here.