Insulation Question??

[LBooth97]

Hey all,

I have posted before about trying to find a cheap hammock camping set up, and I appreciate all the help I have gotten so far!

One area where I still am not sure which direction I am going to go is insulation. Should I buy a TQ and UQ? Or make my own DIY quilts?

I most likely will be camping spring summer fall, not so much in the winter, so I don't think I will need the heaviest duty items.

Keeping in mind that I am on a somewhat low budget, what are your guys' and gals' opinions?

[TominMN]

If weight and bulk (relatively speaking) aren't a big concern, I think you might want to consider synthetic. UQ is the priority. AHE is a great source, unless you want to DIY and then synthetic truly would be a good choice as it is a whole lot less intimidating (and a bunch cheaper) unless you're an accomplished sewer.

20 degree UQ seems like a pretty popular choice and would be a great start.

You can go a long time using a sleeping bag as a TQ.

[Intimidator]

DIY is awesome for hammocks, organizers, Ridgelines, suspension, and tarps for me... Getting into quilts can pay off.. but the fabric and insulation for a DIY quilt is so expensive that you don't save as much as you might think, and any mistake can render that very expensive premium material useless, especially if you do not know exactly what you're doing on the machine, whilst cutting, stuffing down, sewing baffles, darting, differential cutting etc..... There are vendors that have perfected the art and math involved with such things, and are really not selling them at big margins at all... I would buy quilts. The jarbidge is the best option for a cost-effective good solid quilt, that is pretty compressible and light. DIY is very rewarding, and allows you to customize your stuff how you would want it. You could DIY a quilt if you really wanted, but you need to practice with some other project before jumping right in. Unless of course you are already handy on the sewing machine.

[FJRpilot]

So if you want to try DIY, I would suggest you buy a couple of the Costco down throws and try making a TQ and UG using some of the examples recently posted on the forum. $40 buys you a pretty good late spring - summer - early fall setup. It's a lot cheaper then anything else out there. If you want to augment the insulation, you could add a few ounces of down to each to improve their overall performance.

If this seems to daunting, then go with Cholla28's recommendation and get your self a Jarbidge UQ and go with a down comforter as a TQ. I've seen used comforters on Craig's list for $20.

[LBooth97]

If weight and bulk (relatively speaking) aren't a big concern, I think you might want to consider synthetic. UQ is the priority. AHE is a great source, unless you want to DIY and then synthetic truly would be a good choice as it is a whole lot less intimidating (and a bunch cheaper) unless you're an accomplished sewer.

20 degree UQ seems like a pretty popular choice and would be a great start.

You can go a long time using a sleeping bag as a TQ.

DIY is awesome for hammocks, organizers, Ridgelines, suspension, and tarps for me... Getting into quilts can pay off.. but the fabric and insulation for a DIY quilt is so expensive that you don't save as much as you might think, and any mistake can render that very expensive premium material useless, especially if you do not know exactly what you're doing on the machine, whilst cutting, stuffing down, sewing baffles, darting, differential cutting etc..... There are vendors that have perfected the art and math involved with such things, and are really not selling them at big margins at all... I would buy quilts. The jarbidge is the best option for a cost-effective good solid quilt, that is pretty compressible and light. DIY is very rewarding, and allows you to customize your stuff how you would want it. You could DIY a quilt if you really wanted, but you need to practice with some other project before jumping right in. Unless of course you are already handy on the sewing machine.

So if you want to try DIY, I would suggest you buy a couple of the Costco down throws and try making a TQ and UG using some of the examples recently posted on the forum. $40 buys you a pretty good late spring - summer - early fall setup. It's a lot cheaper then anything else out there. If you want to augment the insulation, you could add a few ounces of down to each to improve their overall performance.

If this seems to daunting, then go with Cholla28's recommendation and get your self a Jarbidge UQ and go with a down comforter as a TQ. I've seen used comforters on Craig's list for $20.

Thank you guys for your advice! I like the sleeping bag/comforter as a TQ, at least for now. I'll look into the Jarbidge right away.