Winter Incubator: 1st Impressions

[Str1der]

Hey Wakozacho.... you could try stitching a tiny loop on the outside of your footbox and attaching it to the Incubator bottom loop. This helps ensure my feet are covered at all times while in the footbox. Also allows me to pull the UQ up on my left shoulder as far as needed without ever worrying that it'll slide out of position at my feet.

That's a fantastic idea. Lower weight, simpler, and probably more effective than any of my previous ideas. I know the Incubator is large enough as it comes to properly cover everything. The issue has always been how best to attach it so it actually stays where I need it. What did you use to pull the Incubator up on your left shoulder?

[oldgringo]

Any chance you could post sme pics of that quilt. I'm definately interested in ordering something similar.

Here's a pic of just the quilt...the omni tape is visible along the top edge. It weighs ~130g, is 16" wide and tapers from 25"-30" in length. I think the insulation is Climashield. Any construction details will have to come from Paul.

[StumpJumper]

What did you use to pull the Incubator up on your left shoulder?

I haven't had much of a problem with the left shoulder because I'm able to yank away from the footbox, knowing it's not going anywhere, and pull ample UQ where I need it at the shoulders. In theory, you could attach another loop, but I'm not sure how this would affect the zipper, getting in/out, etc.

I also ended up putting a cordlock at the foot end of the shockcord loop. I think I made the whole loop 6-8" shorter (or tighter) and it just snugs up better now. The Incubator is plenty wide enough that you won't feel the shockcord tautness and this also does a better job of ensuring that less heat escapes.

I started a thread a while back (it didn't get much attention) about the effectiveness of a velcro strip hung UQ. I think this would solve a lot of issues, trap heat better and stay aligned diagonally (if that's how you lay) .... but I don't have the courage or sewing machine to attack my WBBB yet.

[Roundtrip]

... I also ended up putting a cordlock at the foot end of the shockcord loop. I think I made the whole loop 6-8" shorter (or tighter) and it just snugs up better now. The Incubator is plenty wide enough that you won't feel the shockcord tautness and this also does a better job of ensuring that less heat escapes. ...

+1 I attached a 12" long piece of shock cord with a miro-lock from the foot end of my Inc and I just tied a loop on the other end of it to run over the cinched end of the hammock.

It keeps my feet covered and the top of the UQ is about mid-head level for me. I don't have much trouble with the left shoulder slipping out.

I also tried TTs at first but went back to the original suspension. Fits equally well on my Traveler and BB.

-jeff

[Muskrat]

I have been negotiating the fit of my Winter Incubator to my 1.7 WBBB and have had issues with a 4" gap right in the CBS region. This past weekend I went out on the Palmetto Trail and found that if I took a good deal of slack out of the existing suspension it snugged up to the hammock perfectly. No issues with feeling the suspension inside the hammock and it stayed in place much better as well. Maybe in this thread or in another thread I read where Throwren mentioned this idea as they design their hammocks to fit just about any model other than the bridge hammocks (I think, maybe wrong about that...). Going with her suggestion worked perfectly for me in 22* weather.

[VFR]

HobieCat, your fix looked like a sure cure for the fit problem. I have a WBBB & the incubator is at the top of my list for an UQ. The question of how it would fit at the footbox & shoulder was beginning to worry me. I had another UQ on the list that was the same length but 4" wider, which might also solve that issue.

I believe if I do pop for the Stormcrow UQ, I will ask him to incorporate those mods into it. It can't be too hard to do while making the quilt.

[Str1der]

I believe if I do pop for the Stormcrow UQ, I will ask him to incorporate those mods into it. It can't be too hard to do while making the quilt.

Hobie's solution doesn't mod the Incubator directly. He actually sewed that thread into the BB and merely used a detachable mitten clip to connect to the Incubator. The extra shockcord lines likewise aren't true mods since they are easily detachable. I use some extra shockcord myself.

I wanna try that technique, but I don't trust myself to modify the BB! It's probably the easiest thing in the world to do, but visions of a comprimised BB failing on me in the middle of the night are haunting my dreams now!

[Str1der]

I built a set of Triangle Thingies to try out as a way to solve the Incubator / Blackbird fit issue. I know other have tried them with mixed results, but I just couldn't understand why they wouldn't work. I've only had a chance to try them two nights in warm conditions (lows in the mid 50s), but I suspect they may have solved my problem! I need several nights of true cold weather to confirm, which unfortunately the southeast won’t see until winter! I attached the Incubator with its own suspension, and then attached the TTs also. I attached the cord that ran from the TTs to my left shoulder and foot box, to the second loop back from the corner in the Incubator and tightened those two lines considerably. The other two lines, (running to my right shoulder and left side foot end) I connected at the corner and tightened only slightly. The result was that the Incubator was pulled slightly out of alignment, favoring the foot box and left shoulder. I'll try to take some pictures to better illustrate this. Anyone else with a BB and Incubator should try this out, preferably, someone who lives somewhere where they still get some cold weather!