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How to Make a Hammock With Fishing Nets

Michael Belcher

Hammocks are slings of either fabric or netting that is hung between two points and can be used for reclining or sitting. Hammocks can be made out of a variety of materials, as long as the material can distribute the user's weight evenly over area of the hammock. Fine-netted fishing nets can be used to make hammocks. Homemade hammocks can be designed to hold any number of people and to fit in a specific location.

Old, used fishing nets can be recycled into hammocks.
  1. Measure and cut out a rectangle of fishing net to be used for the hammock. A single-person hammock uses a swath of material about 7 feet long and 4 feet wide, but hammocks can be made to any size. If the netting is made of very thin lines, cut two or three swaths of netting to size and layer the netting on top of each other so that your weight is distributed over more material, making the hammock more comfortable.

  2. Braid three strands of parachute cord together to go along the long edges of the netting. The braided cord should be long enough to extend 3 to 4 feet from each end of the hammock.

  3. Weave the braided cord in the last complete, uncut row of netting along the side edges of the hammock. This braid will hold the sides rigid, helping you get in and out of the hammock.

  4. Weave a length of cord through the last complete, uncut row of netting along the top and bottom edges of the netting. This will give the lead lines, or the cords the hammock hangs from, more support later on.

  5. Tie seven lengths of cord, evenly spaced, to the third complete row of netting from each end of the hammock. Weave the cords out of the netting and loop it around the cord woven into the top of the hammock. Tie these seven lead lines, and the braided cords along the edges, together into a looped knot on each end of the hammock.

  6. Spread the hammock out and attach the looped cord ends to posts or trees to suspend the hammock in the air.