convert old mummy bag into under quilt?

[ozarkjeep]

Id love to use my hammocks in the cold, I do have an old extra synthetic mummy bag, thats still fairly warm down to 30 degrees or so ( on the ground)

could I convert it to an underquilt for my hammock?

would it be as simply as un zipping it, and sewing some attachment points to the corners and middle sections to be able to adjust its drape under my hammock?

is it better to have an underquilt fairly tight against the bottom of the hammock, or have an inch or more of air space in there?

My polyester hammocks REALLY breath, and even on a warm day laying in it, you can feel the coolness from the fabric.

I wonder if I had that synthetic bag under neath and around me, and my mummy bag INSIDE the hammock, If I would be warm below freezing?

the drawback is that im then carrying 2 sleeping bags... hmmm

any advice or links or thoughts are appreciated!

Thanks!

[headchange4u]

Brian, of Kick *** Quilts, started by making an under quilt from a synthetic bag. There is a thread on White Blaze about it.

[NCPatrick]

You mean Patrick, of Kick *** Quilts... You're thinking of Brian, of OES.

[headchange4u]

Yeah. Sorry. I meant Patrick.

Thanks NCPatrick

[headchange4u]

Here's the WB thread:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...ping+bag+quilt

[ozarkjeep]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...t+sleeping+bag

haha I spent an hour searching to find this!

thanks guys.

[T-Dubs]

Here's the WB thread:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...ping+bag+quilt

Great thread. Thanks for posting the link.

TWS

[Just Jeff]

You don't want any space between the hammock and the underquilt...air gaps like that make cold spots. So unless you're trying to reduce the warmth of the underquilt (like in the summertime), you want it right up against the hammock but not so tight it compresses the insulation.

[ozarkjeep]

that is good info, thanks.

I sort of knew that, but I was thinking an enclosed semi-insulated area might help.

gotcha though.

IM thinking now, my mummy bag isnt large enough to do what I want.
so I might explore ripping up a rectangular bag, or making one fronm scratch using poly-batting form WALLY world ( I saw on aold thread where Ark-water talked about this, but didnt post anything else)

heck, I might even, just break down and buy some down, ive got a bazillion yards of different weight ripstop nylon and polyester from watching the walmart bins.

Im not fully clear on how the bug net or whatever for the baffle seperators are fastened, and what keeps the fill from piling up laterally in side those baffles?

synthetic sheets seem MUCH easier to work with to me.

last year, I slept in my hammock, on TOP of the old mummy bag, while inside TNF orion ( synthetic opptimistically rated 20deg bag)

I was comfortable to about 38 degrees in the rain ( under a large tarp)

I was car camping that trip though, and would love to be able to backpack and NOT carry 2 sleeping bags.

You don't want any space between the hammock and the underquilt...air gaps like that make cold spots. So unless you're trying to reduce the warmth of the underquilt (like in the summertime), you want it right up against the hammock but not so tight it compresses the insulation.

[Just Jeff]

If it completely surrounds the hammock, it's more forgiving of air gaps...but it's still less efficient. But you're right - a normal bag usually isn't big enough to cover the entire hammock. But you might be able to make it work by putting a hole in the foot of the sleeping bag so it comes down over the hammock. Check out the picture of Coy Boy's foot from this page...there's a separate link to see a detail of the foot hole.
http://www.tothewoods.net/HammockCampingWarm.html

And to see how to connect the baffles, there are two tutorials. One is in the DIY Instructions forum on this site, done by Arkwater. The other is Hammock Engineer's instructions on my site.
http://www.tothewoods.net/RedRiverGo...orgeQuilt.html