Input needed

**Quad&Boatcamper** · 08-20-2010, 00:29

Ok. I'm going to make a UQ. I've checked many of the web sites that sell UQ's, All are way out of my price range.

I've got a 20* mummy bag I dont use, a professional seamstress at my disposal, and, we both have plenty of time on our hands.

Here's the deal. The mummy bag is too small for me. (too tight in the shoulders) It weights right at 3 pounds and compresses into a small stuff sack. I have a Hennessey Expedition Zip. Thats the side Zipper entrance, not the bottom entrance. I replaced the standard rainfly with a Hex Tarp, so the standard HH rainfly is shoved into a drawer. Weight is not an issue for me. I am not a hiker.

I figure I'll cut the mummy bag up and turn it into a UQ. I'll cut the standard HH rainfly up and turn it into a stormshield for the UQ. I want to sew then both together so they hang under the hammock as a single unit. Also, instead of using shock cord and/or rope to suspend the UQ under the hammock, Im thinking of sewing a zipper on both sides of the hammock, below the bug net and above the asym pullouts.

From everyones experience, does anyone see a problem with what I am planning to do? Am I possibly wasting two perfectly good pieces of gear?

**wirerat123** · 08-20-2010, 12:27

I think it would be easily accomplished. I plan to do this myself when I find a really light and cheap sleeping bag I can butcher.

**Frawg** · 08-20-2010, 13:26

You might play around with one of the Walmart kid-sized sleeping bags; somewhere around $10, IIRC. Not bad for a 3/4 UQ, and a cheap way to experiment with the idea. Wouldn't take you down to 20*, but maybe the mid 40s. After testing the idea, you can decide if you want to do that with the mummy bag, or maybe sell the bag and put the proceeds towards a UQ purchase.

**canoebie** · 08-20-2010, 13:33

I took an old sleeping bag and simply whip stitched it to a piece of ripstop, the bag unzipped, open and the ripstop on the bottom. I sewed channels on the sides and ends of the ripstop for a draw string and made a decent UQ. Little sewing involved, if I did not like it, a few stitches ripped and I had the sleeping bag back and a nice piece of ripstop to use later. Simple, effective, and if I screwed it up, it was easy to undo. I have since made some UQ's with insultex and 1.1 oz uncoated ripstop, but my wife still likes the sleeping bag UQ. Just an FYI.

**Knotty** · 08-20-2010, 13:54

Couple of thoughts:

The rainfly that your turning into a stormshield is a vapor barrier. Having a vapor barrier on the cold side (outside) of an insulation system can cause problems with condensation that might wet your insulation. There have been many discussions on the HH SuperShelter, which creates a similar situation, and it's generally agreed that you have to put a space blanket (vapor barrier) between the hammock and the top of the open cell foam pad to keep the insulation dry. Even doing this I often find water droplets on the inside of the SS undercover. Maybe a storm shield breathes more and it's not an issue, I don't know.

Under quilts generally need freedom to shift and move with the person in the hammock. Apparently fixed systems fail to always hold the insulation up against the hammock bottom creating air gaps and cold spots. I had a hard time with this concept until I got my first UQ and could see a system in action. Personally, I'm still holding out hope for a fixed system since my hammocks rarely get used w/o underside insulation.

Hope that helps.