Homemade HHSS-type variant...input needed!

[Owl]

So, I'm considering a change of lineup for getting my wife permanently "off the ground" when we're camping.

She's got a pretty pink-n-purple GTUL that she's used once and enjoyed, but there are a few concerns still. No bug netting, she needs a decent sized tarp, and she needs under insulation. Additionally, she really would enjoy something larger and roomier.

And...I'm on a budget.

So, I was looking at options, and I'm starting to think that I'd be better off just getting her a HH Safari...zip if possible.

Now to my "ask"...

I'm thinking about sewing together an equivilant to the HHSS for it, with purple ripstop nylon as the undercover, and a couple of layers of headboard cover matting from Hancock's layered together to make the equivilant of the underpad. Thinking about it, is there any reason I couldn't shape and sew these all together into a single piece that attaches at either end similar to the HHSS, complete with holes for side tie outs?

So it would be just one single item to unroll and attach to the bottom of the hammock, and then roll up and put into a customer stuff sack when we move on? And just do the normal space blanket on top of that underneath the hammock?

Suggestions or thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. At the end of the day, the materials would be far cheaper than going for a UQ, she's not going to camp in uber cold weather anyway, and weight isn't a major issue since we car camp when she's with us anyway.

[Mule]

Check out Guide Gear. There is a thread on there today that mentions they are on sale again. Great starter tarp.

[ewok]

You could also look for automotive headliner material. It's very similar to the foam of the HHSS. I think it comes in two different thicknesses and is fairly cheap.

[Ramblinrev]

Making a DIY super shelter is more complicated than it might sound. The undercover is a rather funky pattern, not a simple rectangle bunched together. The foam is molded to fit the hammock. A Safari is a very nice hammock but it is too big for the HH stock super shelter. That's one reason I ended up trading my Safari for an Explorer.

The DIY Super Shelter has been tried before... but I don't remember seeing a truly successful result. I may have missed it. That is just my memory at work.

[Owl]

You could also look for automotive headliner material. It's very similar to the foam of the HHSS. I think it comes in two different thicknesses and is fairly cheap.

That headliner material is what I was thinking of, but couldn't remember what in the heck it was called.

Making a DIY super shelter is more complicated than it might sound. The undercover is a rather funky pattern, not a simple rectangle bunched together. The foam is molded to fit the hammock. A Safari is a very nice hammock but it is too big for the HH stock super shelter. That's one reason I ended up trading my Safari for an Explorer.

The DIY Super Shelter has been tried before... but I don't remember seeing a truly successful result. I may have missed it. That is just my memory at work.

Thanks Rev...I'd realized that the underpad wasn't flat, but was thinking if it was cut and pleated in the same way that some homemade UQ's are cut to fit the tieouts on a HH, that it might work.

The success rate on a DIY one might also be influenced just by the confusing results of folks who use the actual HHSS too. Some love em, some hate em.

Dunno...will watch for a few more comments before I opt to try this or not.

[FLRider]

Can't comment either way on the SS (never used one). However, have you seen the various poncho liner underquilt ("PLUQ") threads? There are both no-sew and sewn-up directions on the board. It isn't light or very compressable, but it is cheap (my sewn-up version, minus the cost of the sewing machine I got, came out to about $40) and easy to make.

Most folks find that the no-sew version is good down to the mid-forties. I've successfully taken mine as low as 25 F with no supplemental bottom insulation outside of the Insul-Fleece I sewed into the liner. I'm a very hot sleeper, though. Most folks would probably be good to about freezing with the supplemental insulation sewn in and proper top insulation.

Just a thought.