Fleece TQ for spring, summer, and fall????

[Acer]

I slept many many nites in the jungles and monsoons of Vietnam with a poncho liner 95 or so to 40 degrees or so wet and soaked,,and they are hard to beat for 25-35 bucks. filled with synthetic and light weight. I keep 2 with me when traveling at all times in the car. And you slept with them over you to keep the bugs and mosquitos off you in the heat.

[olddog]

I DIY'ed a 3 layered footboxed TQ. Outer polyester windbreaker, middle quilt and inner fleece. Layers can be removed depending on conditions. The windbreaker and quilt with polypro sleepwear are good down to around mid 30's, with the fleece to the mid 20's. But... the fleece is bulky when packing.

[Superfluous Grizzly]

Some good info here. Has anyone thought to use a Merino wool blanket?

[Disco]

I use an REI fleece sleeping bag liner that I seem-ripped down to about 18" left for a footbox. Works great when the nights are too warm for a down TQ.

[c0wb0y_hubs]

So after many visits to the good ol' hammock forum, I have decided on my tarp, which means that the material I had planned on using for doors will now become the shell of my double fleeced TQ. That material is a water tight mystery fabric I purchased from Savers. It cost about $3 and is 60"x146"

My next concern is - Should the fleece be quilted or at least have an "X" stitched from the corners, so the inner layer of fleece doesn't get all out of sorts with the outer fleece and shell?

If so, would you recommend sewing the perimeter first or the quilting/"X". I say quilting, because my mother-in-law is a professional quilter with a sewing cave in their 3 car garage. She has given me the keys to her ginormous quilting machine.

Thoughts????

[FLRider]

I would avoid using a waterproof fabric in your top quilt, especially at the temperatures that you'll likely be using fleece. Serious cold (like, single digits or below) is the place for vapor barriers, from what I've found through research. Using a vapor barrier in the 40s and above will result in you waking up wet.

That being said, I wouldn't worry too much about quilting the fleece in the middle. Fleece is stable enough to be used without a shell, so as long as it's sewn to the perimeter, it should be fine. Climashield (which is not stable enough to be used without a shell) doesn't require quilting, so I can't see fleece needing it.

Hope it helps!

[c0wb0y_hubs]

I would avoid using a waterproof fabric in your top quilt, especially at the temperatures that you'll likely be using fleece. Serious cold (like, single digits or below) is the place for vapor barriers, from what I've found through research. Using a vapor barrier in the 40s and above will result in you waking up wet.

That being said, I wouldn't worry too much about quilting the fleece in the middle. Fleece is stable enough to be used without a shell, so as long as it's sewn to the perimeter, it should be fine. Climashield (which is not stable enough to be used without a shell) doesn't require quilting, so I can't see fleece needing it.

Hope it helps!

Good point. I guess I can use the mystery fabric as a weather shield for the UQ & hammock, and I'll just make a double layered fleece TQ.

The plan seems to be getting simpler by the post, which may mean that I will be able to get it completed by the next trip.

[FLRider]

After a couple of failed top quilt projects, I highly recommend figuring out your pattern size, including seam allowances, and then adding 5% to it; I always seem to lose about that much in the actual sewing of anything. Since a quilt is size-dependent...well...

The only thing I would worry about at all with a fleece quilt (and this is much less of a worry with a top quilt than an underquilt, due to the way it's used) is wind. Wind will steal the heat from fleece (unless it's windblocker fleece) pretty quickly. But, as noted, a top quilt will usually be sheltered from the wind inside the hammock.

I hope it goes well for you!

[c0wb0y_hubs]

FLRider - I was a bit hesitant to have it just be fleece. What kind of wind breaker would you recommend?

[FLRider]

FLRider - I was a bit hesitant to have it just be fleece. What kind of wind breaker would you recommend?

Lightweight ripstop nylon is a perennial favorite, particularly something with a mild DWR coating. Something in the 30d range is probably a good idea.