Nearly completed Kickass Inspired underquilt

[Touch of Grey]

Thanks Hammock Engineer! The layout is as quoted below from my post number 7 with the pictures attached. The pictures are also in the Gallery.

As a side note, here is the lay of the land.

• Mac Cat Standard Tarp
• Hennesey UL Explorer
• Hennesey Super Shelter (no foam - just the liner - Windblock material)
• Kickass inspired design Under Quilt (Thank You Patrick!) (2 inches of Primaloft Sport)
• Western Mountaineering Sequoia 5 degree bag (used as an over quilt opened - 3 1/2 inches of loft when opened)

This same equipment list is what I used last night. I found that the foot end of the underquilt had come lose and may have been the reason for the chill when I tore everything down just a little while ago. It had not dropped away but was down enough to allow cold to roll over the edge and down to the low point as cold will do. It was almost in the warm configuration mode. have taken it all down and it is drying now hanging in the basement.

Nights for the next couple of days are only forecast to about the same as last night, mid-30's, so I will be watching the forecasts for the coming days and weeks to give it another test.

I have a Sgt. Rock type pad with wings I made which I can also add but seeing as how this is going to be used for my entire thru starting in March I want to get it down to the minimum I can and still survive and be comfortable. To save space I will be making a larger set of snake-skins so that I can wrap all but the sleeping bag as one unit and strap to the top of my pack but under the pack cover/gear hammock which is also a further project for the coming weeks.

TOG

[Patrick]

TOG,

Sorry to just be getting to this now. I've been away from the forums for a while with work and am trying to get back into it.

I think it came out great and, like I said, I love matching the yarn to the shell. I think I told you in e-mail that there was another guy who made one for a thru and it seemed to work out great. Actually, he made two - one like yours and a single layer, which he switched out to when it got warm. That's something I've been meaning to offer for a long time. Hopefully I finally will once the big changeover is complete. I can put you in touch with him for some thru-hiking-with-KAQ experience and tips if you like.

Again, great work. I'll be posting your saga on my site very soon. And there's a free t-shirt on the way. Just send me your address and size. The offer is still good for anyone else making their own. I dream of the day when so many people are that I won't be able to afford the shirts anymore

[Touch of Grey]

I took my Underquilt to the Post Office today and used the scale at the self serve kiosk. The Under Quilt I made as described below weighs in at just north of 3 Lbs. Probably higher than mist would like but if it gets me to the goal of 20-25 degrees without adding all of my clothes and hot water bottles every night then it is worth it for my Mid March start of my thru.

After looking at the average temps and thinking after asking on WB about temps and elevation concerns (I studied aviation), seeing as the average terrain is about 3000 feet and the average low temps for mid March in both GA and NC are from 30 - 40 degrees and taking into consdieration that on average depending on saturation of the air that temp loss per 1000 feet of elevation is 3 to 5.5 degrees. My bottom end should be near 15 degrees that I need to strive for.

Again if I can get to 20 with just a light or mid-weight polypro set, wool socks, mittens and balaclava, then the additioonal 5 degrees should be achieveable with all my clothes and a judicious water bottle heated or two in the hammock.

Of course god forbid, worst case scenario, I have to go to ground and pull both quilts over me and the tarp down low with any leaves and other stuff for insulation to get thru a freak night.

Temps here in the Michigan area are projected to get into the mid to high 20's next week Tuesday or Wednesday, so another test is in store mid-week.

TOG

[Touch of Grey]

Finally the forecast for the next couple of days says the temps will drop below my previous test temps of 35.

Currently:
Detroit City Airport
Last Update on Jan 7, 12:53 pm EST

Fog/Mist

37°F
(3°C) Humidity: 86 % Wind Speed: SE 9 MPH Barometer: 30.11" (1020.3 mb) Dewpoint: 33°F (1°C) Wind Chill: 30°F (-1°C) Visibility: 5.00 mi.

This Afternoon: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. Southeast wind around 9 mph.

Tonight: Rain and snow likely, becoming all snow after 10pm. Cloudy, with a low around 31. North wind between 6 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Real life conditions I could see in GA and NC in March and April. The hammocks setup and ready for me to climb in this evening. My wife of 26 years has known that I am crazy and she is beginning to think certifiable.

Same setup as last time. Found a few things that needed adjusting and have done so. Did not change the shock cord size so will still be the original shock cord.

I have the tarp a little more open on the sides for some air to circulate and hopefully take care of my breathing condensation issue I had the last time by pulling everything so close.

Wish me luck! A full report in the AM.

TOG

[The Breeze]

sounds like a great setup hope it works out. last year in march we had a foot of snow in the smokeys in mid march around icewater shelter man it was cold !
can't wait to hear the report in the morning . if it helps my wife is the same she says just leave a note were to pick up the body !!! good luck

[Touch of Grey]

Well the night was busted before it ever got off the ground.

Crawled in to get comfy and read a little before turning out the lamp. Next thing I knew as I was adjusting the underquilt back in place after crawling in was the head end came crashing down and the head end tie-out on the hammock itself failed.

Fabric pulled out of the stitching on the side tie-out head end. Easy fix since I'm home.

Head end of the underquilt was a shock-cord (3/32 size) failure. I'm too pissed at the moment to see much more than 'red' so I'll look it all over in the AM and make further adjustments.

TOG

[The Breeze]

the great thing is you were at home and you didn't get hurt what would have been bad is if you were about 15 miles in Thank god you were not . things allways look better atfer some sleep .heres to good sleep let us know tomorrow.

[Coffee]

Glad to see the fall didn't do any physical damage. I learned a long time ago that I can't soldier (or sew) when I am frushtrated or mad about how the project is going. Best to take a break and come back later.

Did you whip or knot the ends? If whipped, did the whipping pull the seam out? I ask this because I am still hesitent of whipping the ends of my hammock. Everytime I try it, the whipping is pulled against the seam. It just seams like a weak link to me. I am starting to have more fun with where I hang and do not want to fall from higher places or on the stuff below.

[blackbishop351]

I've had the ends of my Speer-type whipped since I made it, with no problems. I started out using 550 cord for whipping and the tension was all on the cord, not on the hems of the hammock.

A couple of weeks ago, I switched to wire ties and I've used the hammock for two nights since - with no problems. I was a bit worried because the ties don't have the bulk of the 550 cord. I was afraid the hems wouldn't hold up under tension, since the wire ties don't really protect them at all. Apparently, though, the bulky hemmed end is really what holds the thing together, having nothing really to do with the stitching. The support cord pulled tight a lot closer to the end of the hammock than before, but stopped at the wire tie and didn't move past that. So I guess I'll keep using the ties, at least until I have a problem.

[Coffee]

I've had the ends of my Speer-type whipped since I made it, with no problems. I started out using 550 cord for whipping and the tension was all on the cord, not on the hems of the hammock.

A couple of weeks ago, I switched to wire ties and I've used the hammock for two nights since - with no problems. I was a bit worried because the ties don't have the bulk of the 550 cord. I was afraid the hems wouldn't hold up under tension, since the wire ties don't really protect them at all. Apparently, though, the bulky hemmed end is really what holds the thing together, having nothing really to do with the stitching. The support cord pulled tight a lot closer to the end of the hammock than before, but stopped at the wire tie and didn't move past that. So I guess I'll keep using the ties, at least until I have a problem.

I'll have to check that out at the campout. I tried para cord a couple times, but I think user error got in the way.