Ok, hammock story. Years ago I found some cheap ripstop nylon at W-mart and sewed my own Hennesy copy. The bug netting was a purple mesh meant for womens undergarments. If it was daylight and I was reading in the hammock, everything was super black to my eyes when I got out of it. That was not really an issue though, cause it was mainly for sleeping.
After four years of hiking and cycling use, I slung it up by the Buffalo river, over some roots and muddy ground. Luckily it was late afternoon and still light, cause when I got into it to read my book, BAM! The material split and dumped me right into the rooty mud. The hammock was toast as a hammock, but I was able to improvise a Mosquito bivy out of the remains by hanging it from a tree. Woke up covered in ants, but it was just a weekend trip so was a days ride from home. The remains hit the dumpster at the campground.
I still miss that hammock, and would sew another, but its actually cheaper to buy one than pay for the materials. Particularly good materials that wont leave you in the mud!