Girlfriend and I wanting to do a Thru Hike...

**Edvvard** · 05-26-2010, 21:16

Mind you, it won't be until we get out of undergrad... which will be 2 years from now

We both have some hammocks that we made using the pattern here on this site that we are in love with. We'd like to use those, but have only slept in them overnights at her place and on the TVT. So nothing more than a night or 2 in them in warmer weather.

I'm confused about how to get started on set-up for the AT. We are unsure of insulation as we have both realized the lack of comfort in sleeping in a sleeping bag while hammocking. We read about top quilts and underquilts, but would a peapod be decent enough for us if we start in April and plan to finish up in August/September?

**krugd** · 05-26-2010, 21:23

Sounds like a great plan. Hope it works out for you. I haven't done an extended hike like that and will let others comment on the specifics. A peapod sounds like overkill for much of the hike. An overquilt (use the sleeping bags unzipped) and underquilt in combination would likely work better and be more adaptable to the various weather combinations.

Be sure to get out and do some longer hikes and test your gear before attempting a thru hike. Nothing like a few days in the woods with bad weather to point out the weaknesses of your gear.

**Edvvard** · 05-26-2010, 21:41

Should I possibly start with an underquilt and overquilt... then send the underquilt back home a bit into the hike when the weather clears up finally?

I was wondering if a GI poncho liner might be a decent quilt to use for warmer weather later on into the hike.

**Mustardman** · 05-26-2010, 21:52

Lots of people definitely send their heavy winter quilts home after the weather warms up, so you're on the right track. We have a few very active members who have thru-hiked, so hopefully they will be along soon to offer more advice.

It will definitely be helpful to get comfortable with your setup in a variety of conditions BEFORE you hit the trail - that means intentionally camping out when it's rainy or cold or otherwise miserable.

**krugd** · 05-26-2010, 21:53

Originally Posted by Edvvard

Should I possibly start with an underquilt and overquilt... then send the underquilt back home a bit into the hike when the weather clears up finally?

I think this is a normal strategy. Of course it depends on the timing of your hike and whether northbound or south. But having a warmer UQ for when you can expect cold weather and a lighter one for when you can count on warm weather is a good idea. Same goes for the overquilt...

I was wondering if a GI poncho liner might be a decent quilt to use for warmer weather later on into the hike.

I've head of others doing this. You might want to try it out. Or, if you have any sewing skills try making a simple DIY synthetic quilt and add some shock cord for suspension.

**tight-wad** · 05-26-2010, 21:54

You have plenty of time to experiment. IMHO you will need more than a poncho any time of year except August in Alabama.

A peapod is basically a bottom and top quilt sewed together. Separate products will give you more flexibility to change with the seasons to heavier and lighter elements.

For an AT thru you will definitely want something thick/heavy on the bottom in the beginning. By the time you get to MD (Nobo) you could change it out for something lighter, then when you get to MA switch it back to the thicker stuff.

**Edvvard** · 05-26-2010, 22:11

Originally Posted by tight-wad

You have plenty of time to experiment. IMHO you will need more than a poncho any time of year except August in Alabama.

So a poncho liner won't work then

I'm semi decent at gearmaking, so I'd prefer to make our under and over quilts unless it would be way cheaper to buy it.

We are going south to north. Are there any specific patterns for making a top and underquilt? and how much material might i need? I have ordered from speer before for the hammocks, but i honestly have no idea if i should order my supplies from him or someplace cheaper(if there is one) and how much of said material.

And yeah, she and I both have been talking about doing some nasty weather camping next time we get the chance.

**Mustardman** · 05-26-2010, 22:14

When making our UQ's, MrsMustardman and I designed the patterns ourselves, but they were designed after over more than a years worth of hanging out on these forums and absorbing various information about how quilts are made and suspended. Ours are differentially cut, and I calculated appropriate differentials by using a little geometry to estimate the curvature of the hammock and so forth. We honestly didn't save much money over buying commercial ones, although ours are slightly lighter than equivalently sized commercial quilts because we used momentum 90 fabric and cut a bit of weight off the shells.

Edit: forgot to add - we got our fabric from thru-hiker, and the down was a mix of stuff from thru-hiker and speer.

**Cannibal** · 05-27-2010, 08:50

There will only be a short time on the AT where you could get by with little, or nothing, below you for insulation. Even in the dead of summer, you're going to have cool nights. Somewhere in NY (I think) in July I had one of my most miserable nights. It had been warm for weeks, but there was a fairly dramatic cold snap for a couple of nights. The first night it also rained. I had long ago switched out for a summer top quilt and removed 3 layers (of 4) of insulation from my UQ. I was not pleased.

Even if it's just a single layer of insulation, or a sewn-thru down quilt, it will be worth it.