Dual Purpose TQ

I'm going to build my first TQ and I plan on using it for sporting events. Both of my kids are in year round sporting events which means my wife and I sit in the cold and wind to watch many games. Being outdoor sports, we have the pleasure of enjoying the games rain or shine.

After seeing several pictures of TQ's, I thought that they would be ideal for keeping the misses warm while sitting in a portable chair.

So here's the question, what fabric and insulation would you use for a TQ that would be subjected to rain and still stay warm yet wouldn't sweat you out of your hammock.

My initial thoughts were

Outer Shell: silnylon
Insulation: Climashield 5oz layer
Inner Shell: Uncoated nylon

Thoughts?

Thanks,
naljta

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by naljta

Thoughts?

---

Your really looking at 2 very different kinds of things. Normally sil is not something your going to want to be involved with your camping insulation. It does not breath allowing your body moisture to escape from the insulation....aka you will feel clammy and run the risk of mildew/mold/ yuck growing inside your insulation. For use where your talking about sitting with it wrapped around you and your legs I start picturing it being on the ground. In all weather says mud, dirt, grass clippings.....so on. That's not where I want my camping gear.

So my 2 cents as a guy that makes this gear, build 2 pieces of gear. First a camping quilt, that you depend on to keep you warm in your shelter where you can keep it clean and dry. Build it right and be able to count on it to get you through the night when the low pressure system drops in over the ridge at 3 am and temps fall out of the bottom.

Second build your self a blanket out of some 70-150 denier coated rips top. Something that can handle getting stepped on, tossed in the back of the SUV and forgotten about for a week before you pull it out to scrape the mud off, something you won't care to much if the dog curls up on it. All of which are think
Gs I don't want happening to my camping gear that I have to depend and count on.

I am just finishing my own synthetic UQ and I used 1.1 oz ripstop and climashield apex. Awesome stuff. Very warm, not all that heavy and should be pretty good wet.

+1 on what pgibson said. If you're looking for lightweight hiking gear, that's a different end use than around-town, heavy-use gear. Even for someone like me, who's particularly hard on their gear.

Honestly, for the use in sports, you don't need super lightweight or packable. I'd spend ~$40 at the local Army/Navy surplus store and pick up the following: a GI poncho (you'll want the kind with the tan urethane interior; it blocks water better than the regular PU-coated kind when used to sit on and is more durable) and poncho liner. That'll stand up to pretty much anything you can do to it, be waterproof or not depending on conditions expected, and cost you much less than ultralight gear will.

For hiking, I'd go all out and spend on the lightest materials I could afford for the top quilt. And I'd also make sure that my designs were the right size before sewing said material (voice of bitter experience speaking here; you don't want to depend on having a friend just smaller enough than you to sell the quilt to...I got lucky there).

Hope it helps!

Thanks for the advice. I'll be making two separate quilts. A traditional hammocking TQ for me and a heavy duty utility quilt for sporting events.

For the utility quilt, I'm having a hardtime finding retailers that list the denier of the fabric. JoAnns and Hancocks both list GSM. While I've found a GSM to oz/yard conversion, I'm not seeing the relationship from GSM to denier. I'm assuming a larger GSM (i.e. heavier) implies a larger denier (i.e.denser thread). So would a 96 GSM (2.9 oz/yd) ripstop hold up to heavier abuse?

FLRider, I appreciate the recommendation on the grabbing a GI poncho. Unfortunalely, the wife wants the color of the quilt to match the kids' team colors. Wouldn't you know it, neither one of them is army green.

Thanks,
Naljta

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by naljta

Thanks for the advice. I'll be making two separate quilts. A traditional hammocking TQ for me and a heavy duty utility quilt for sporting events.

For the utility quilt, I'm having a hardtime finding retailers that list the denier of the fabric. JoAnns and Hancocks both list GSM. While I've found a GSM to oz/yard conversion, I'm not seeing the relationship from GSM to denier. I'm assuming a larger GSM (i.e. heavier) implies a larger denier (i.e.denser thread). So would a 96 GSM (2.9 oz/yd) ripstop hold up to heavier abuse?

FLRider, I appreciate the recommendation on the grabbing a GI poncho. Unfortunalely, the wife wants the color of the quilt to match the kids' team colors. Wouldn't you know it, neither one of them is army green.

Thanks,
Naljta

---

Fair 'nough on the colors.

For the denier/weight measurement, a rough correlation with nylon is: 30d = ~1.1 oz/sq yd, 70d = ~1.9 oz/sq yd, 200d = ~3.5 oz/sq yd (note that these numbers are for ripstop; other weave types will vary in weight, as will other fabric bases). I'd figure that 2.9 oz/sq yd is durable enough for some abuse, for sure (poncho liners are made with 70d DWR ripstop, as a meterstick).

Hope it helps!

FLRider,

That's very helpful feedback. I picked up some 70D ripstop (in the right colors :)). It may not be durable enough, but I expect I'll want to redo the TQ soon enough anyways. As my first quilt it only has to last long enough for me to make another one! This quilt is more about learning how to sew and make gear then making a long term item. Plus the kids will be on different teams come the fall and that means a new quilt with new colors.

Thanks for the help,
Naljta

Not a problem. Let us know how it goes!