Use for an old down sleeping bag?

[dufus934]

I have an old down sleeping bag that I never use anymore, I want some how to integrate it into my sleeping system. I have been thinking about this idea for about an hour (seems a lot longer than that, haha), but I'm not sure if it will work. I want to some how put a hammock inside this sleeping bag so that the underside of the bag will act as an underquilt, and the top half will act as a top quilt. There is ample room in this bag, so I don't think room will be a problem. So my first question is, will this work. If it will, how do I integrate the hammock. I really want to make this work, but I think this is going to be more than I can handle.

[dufus934]

It seems like I misread Green Therapy's thread, and he is practically doing the same thing that I am asking about. I originally thought he was only doing the top quilt part, but it turns out that its exactly what I'm talking about. Sorry for the confusion, but feel free to still weigh in. All ideas welcome. Thanks!

[GREEN THERAPY]

My first question to you is what style of bag is it? If its an old style bag with the zipper that goes all the way down the long edge and across the bottom of the bag then the modification is dead simple. I have modified two bags in the last couple of months and they work great.

But. and there is always a but.......The sleeping bag will droop and can hit the gound which is not a good thing in muddy or raining conditions. I have been making a system that will contain the bag and also act as a hammock sock. To truly become an addict you do need moderate sewing skills or access to someone that does and you can convince to spend their free time making your gear. I have posted a rough drawing of what I have built and there are pictures in my gallery of various stages of construction as well as the finished product.

I have been toying with the idea of making a few things and selling them if there is any interest in them.

[dufus934]

The bag is an old rectangle style with a mummy closure in the top. Would it work to sew the under quilt to the side of the hammock on the outside? This might cut down on the sag, and would keep the system all together. Then you could sew a zipper on that same side at the edge so the top half of the sleeping bag could close very close to where the bottom portion is sewn onto the hammock. I know this is a little wordy, but I hope the message is easy enough to understand. Thanks!

[GREEN THERAPY]

Took a couple of reads but I got it. I don't see why it wouldn't work and is a great idea. Just make SURE that you are not compressing the bottom side insulation when there is a person in it. The way I orient the bag for myself is with the zipper directly on top of me and that allows the creation of a foot box in the bottom corner of the bag where the zipper curves from the bottom to the side. Hard to explain exactly, but it works great. I think that you would find that the addition of another zipper is not neccessary as the bag is pretty form fitting as is. Will depend on the size of the bag, how you lay in the bag and the size of the person in it. I am approx 5'10" and the bags I have modified pull up unerneath to about 5 inches past my head. Should measure the bag dimensions and post them later.

[JayS]

I wrote about something similar – my son and I used rectangular sleeping bags as “peapods” with fairly good success. These were synthetic 20 degree bags with a full two way zipper that will open the bag up entirely. The first time we tried it, the zipper was on the side of the hammock and quickly migrated to the bottom. Not terrible until nature called…

The next time, we had the zipper on the top and to one side, much like you would use the bag on the ground. To get the bag to stay put and not rotate the zipper to the bottom, we did the following: First we ran the hammock suspension through the end of the footbox where the zipper opens from, then zipped the zipper back so there was an opening of about 6 inches diameter. This let the bag slide slightly towards the head of the hammock but kept drafts out. Next I oriented the zipper where I wanted it (near the top and side of the hammock) and used small cord to tie from the bag’s hang loops on the foot to the hammock suspension. Then I tied the head end to the hammock suspension but, since there was only a single hang loop on the head end of the bag, I sewed a small grosgrain loop for one side of the head. Tying the head this way goes a long way toward keeping the bag from sliding around the hammock, especially when you unzip the bag to enter or exit or vent. It also keeps the bag from sliding towards the foot end of the hammock.

Next I had to eliminate air gaps below the hammock. I gathered the excess footbox of the sleeping bag, pulled it up so the foot of the bag was conical instead of rectangular, and tied it to the suspension. Then I adjusted the ties at the head and foot as best I could. One of the bags had a mummy style hood which made for more coverage and acted as a draft stopper. I tightened the hood’s cinch cord once I was in the hammock to adjust the gap above my neck. (NOTE: Ask me how I learned to tie off to the hang loops at the head instead of the cinch cord and you’ll hear a story of being almost choked to death as the hammock sagged when loaded. The more it sagged, the tighter the cord got!!)

This took us below freezing and, with a top quilt rated at 35 – 40 degrees and used inside the bag, I was comfortable to 11 degrees one night. When I took the hammock down, I left it inside the bag for the next backyard hang.

The problem with this set up is the weight and compressibility. Hopefully your down bag will do better in these regards. If I find a picture of the setup, I’ll post it later.

[slowhike]

i may have missed it if one of you guys already mentioned it, but how about sewing two grosgrain loops on each end of the sleeping bag & attach it w/ shock cord similar to how an underquilt is attached?
then it could be adjusted as needed & it would stay in place when unzipped.

[GREEN THERAPY]

i may have missed it if one of you guys already mentioned it, but how about sewing two grosgrain loops on each end of the sleeping bag & attach it w/ shock cord similar to how an underquilt is attached?
then it could be adjusted as needed & it would stay in place when unzipped.

I love this place!!!! That is an idea that has a lot of merrit. Can't see why it would not work.

[Annie]

[QUOTE=GREEN THERAPY;53262]
. I have been making a system that will contain the bag and also act as a hammock sock. [QUOTE]

Can you tell me more about this?
I'd like to make my own underquilt and cover... but haven't found instructions yet.

Help?

[Schneiderlein]

Can you tell me more about this?
I'd like to make my own underquilt and cover... but haven't found instructions yet.

Help?

There are instructions for a down underquilt in the articles section.