Modular Layered Down Underquilt System

Has anyone ever tried to make a layered system of underquilts for different temps? I have enough down to make a 0 degree UQ and was planning to do so, but I'm also trying to convert several friends to hanging and would like to have an extra 3 season UQ because here in Houston that translates to a 4 season UQ. I starting wondering if I could make two 3 season UQ's instead of one 0 degree UQ and effectively get a modular system that I could convert into two 3 season quilts or a combined 0 degree quilt.

Basically one of the quilts would have a set of tabs going around it that would allow the second quilt's suspension to attach to it. The second quilt would have a suspension that would allow it to be hooked solo to a hammock or attached to the bottom of the first quilt. I don't think it would be good to have both quilts attach directly to the hammock because the bottom quilt would smash the upper quilt and kill the loft.

Thoughts on this? Has this been tried before?

I tried some creative searching on the forums, but came up empty so if there's already info on this feel free to just point me to that thread :)

Hrm, as usual, as soon as I break down and post in frustration I then find an archived thread about it. I guess I was using the wrong keywords or something. Still, if anyone has a link to a description of a specific system or pictures showing this in action, that would be very helpful.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ilt#post618682

that is a good idea and I'm glad you found a thread about it. I am going to read over it after I get off work.

Not sure how much is on the other threads but the idea is good. Similar to modular sleeping bags. It makes even more sense with synthetics than with down.

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Originally Posted by Corncob

Hrm, as usual, as soon as I break down and post in frustration I then find an archived thread about it. I guess I was using the wrong keywords or something. Still, if anyone has a link to a description of a specific system or pictures showing this in action, that would be very helpful.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ilt#post618682

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I haven't quite gotten around to this just yet. I've managed to finish my DIY pack, so that's finally out of the way. But, on the other hand, my disposable income has evaporated over the last couple of months (long story involving a fire at work), so I haven't gotten further than the oversized snake skins (which I love so far). I should be able to purchase suspension and Velcro (I saw an old Speer hammock in person recently that made me think regular Velcro might be the way to go over Omnitape; the Omnitape doesn't like to hold very well, judging by my No-Sniveler-esque head hole that I put in my top quilt) some time this month, and we'll go from there.

It's going to be a few months until I get around to doing an underquilt, since I need to save cash up. Still, I'd be more than happy to share any ideas I've got. And I'd be more than willing to kick around theories until the cats come home.

Warbonnetguy did something like this with his first Yeti quilts that were made from Climashield. The quilts had an outer shell that opened on one end, and you could slide in or remove layers of insulation depending on the conditions.

He only made a short run of them before moving to down, but the idea is sound. Could make for an interesting DIY project. I think Billybob58 and Cannibal both own one of the originals.

I'd like to do this with down instead of synthetics because I already have the down, so unfortunately opening up the quilt and shoving in more layers won't work. Also, I want the supplemental UQ to have the ability to be used on it's own, as well.

I'm wondering how well the lower UQ would need to seal against the upper UQ, and the best way to make that happen.

A few options that I've thought about:

1) Make the upper UQ narrower than the lower UQ, so the lower UQ would wrap around the upper UQ on all sides. I think the lower one would have to attach directly to the hammock to make this work though, and I think it would be hard to get it dialed in right so that it wouldn't squash the upper quilt's loft and yet not let in drafts.

2) Make the upper UQ wider than the lower UQ. The lower UQ would stack below the upper UQ, looking like an inverted pyramid, and would attach directly to the bottom of the upper UQ so it wouldn't squish it. This was my first idea when brainstorming this idea, but I don't know if this would add the warmth required or if it would just let it air between the quilts and make the stacking ineffective.

3) Add an extra sleeve on the bottom of one of the UQs that would envelop the other. This would add more weight via an extra layer of ripstop, but may be the best way to ensure that there is no air between the quilts.

Any other variations that someone has considered/done?

The Velcro/OmniTape option should work for the down quilts. The only thing that might be sticky is if you want to use the supplemental quilt by itself.

The way I'd go about it would be to make the inner quilt a full-length summer weight quilt normally, except for adding Velcro running the length of the quilt on the outer shell.

Then make your supplemental quilt a 2/3 or 3/4 quilt (probably just torso-sized, honestly). Make the inner shell on this one the same size as your outer shell on the full-length and run the opposite type of Velcro (or, with OmniTape, you don't have to worry about this) along the length of the quilt, except on the inner shell this time.

You'd have to have a beefier suspension than the average quilt (that's one of the reasons I'm playing with the idea of Velcro on the hammock body) to handle both quilts' weight during winter, but that should be easy enough to solve. Otherwise, it's just a matter of sizing the quilts properly.

If you want, I can try and draw this out on graph paper. I don't promise that it'll be a good representation, though; my drawings often turn out looking like a fourth-grader's.

Making the quilts modular is going to be a weight penalty, but it should make up for it in ease-of-use. At least, that's my theory.