Shock cord for under quilts

[Snowball]

Lesson learned !
A while back I change the original shock cord on my HG under quilt because it was too short for the hammocks I was making at the time.
The new shock cord I got from a local marine shop looked the same and had almost the same measurement 3mm. It worked ok for a while but not as good as the original and after a few days I had to shorten it. Then it was ok again. This happened a few times. I did not pay much attention to it until a few days ago because the UQ sagged too much again.
Apparently there is a small difference. I measured both again and there is a difference of approx 0,2mm / 0,00787 inches. I looked at several US sites and I think the original is 1/8”.
I am not sure if it was from a bad batch or it gets “tired” over time because I was overloading it.
Today I changed back to the original shock cord and the difference is huge! No sagging and the right tension everything is ok again
In hindsight the UQ sagged from day 1 with the shock cord from my local dealer. It was too weak the job. I have since learned shock cord is available with different strength or elasticity if you will with the same diameter but it can be hard to find.

My point is if you’re UQ is sagging maybe the shock cord you are using is too weak for your UQ. On the other hand going up one size could be unpleasant because it will squeeze you in the hammock.
The reason I changes it was because of the long hammocks. The original shock cord was perfect for 11’ and smaller but it got unpleasant with the long hammocks.

[WV]

You could use the original shock cord with some non-stretch extensions (maybe 25 cm or so) for longer hammocks.

[Snowball]

Thanks, good advice. Don’t think I will feel the difference if I extend with a non-stretch material. I think I will add a loop or a dog bone to the foot end of my long hammocks so the UQ is intact. For the most part I use small clips over the ridgeline to pull the UQ up so I don’t think it matters its one line only.

[hutzelbein]

I think I will add a loop or a dog bone to the foot end of my long hammocks so the UQ is intact.

That's what I do as well. Also, I thread the hammock ends through the shock cords, so that the uq is pulled up instead of hanging under the hammock. Works well for me.