Climashield Underquilt spacing under hammock

[theclark5]

I am thinking of making a winter hammock with climashield attached to the bottom. Do I need to leave spacing under the hammock like a down quilt or can the climashield be closely attached to the bottom?

[Boston]

Do I need to leave spacing under the hammock like a down quilt or can the climashield be closely attached to the bottom?

I'm not sure what you mean. Any quilt, down or synthetic, should be snug to the bottom of the hammock.

[theclark5]

Hi Boston,
I was under the impression (perhaps incorrectly) that you didn't want a down under quilt firmly snug as it would compress the down and result in less warmth. Is it ok to have the climashield firmly snug against the hammock? I guess really it is about compression. Thanks

[wgiles]

Regardless of the fill material, you don't want to compress the insulation in your underquilt. Some people address this with a differential top and bottom cut. Make the top smaller than the bottom and it allows the bottom of the underquilt to bag out. A lot of it has to do with your underquilt suspension. Using shock cord for your underquilt suspension allows it to move with the hammock. You want to adjust your suspension so that the underquilt is snug, but not tight, when you are in your hammock. It will probably be loose when you are not in your hammock. It may require a second person to observe your underquilt as you get in to your hammock. Shug has lots of details in his videos.

[Boston]

So let me clarify. There should not be a physical gap between the under quilt and the hammock. If there is it will allow heat to escape and you will be cold.

The easiest way to do this is to construct the quilt with a differential between the inner and outer layers. So the outer layer doesn't compress the insulation when snugged up to the hammock.

[theclark5]

Just to clarify. My plan with this hammock is actually to sew the climashild directly to the hammock with the top layer being the hammock body and the bottom layer being another fabric. Should that top layer be a bit larger to allow the climashield to "drop down a little" or can I sew it so the climashield is snug?

[justicehaze]

The idea is not that it can't be snug but that there needs to be loft. the insulation captures the warm air and the more space that the insulation takes up or loft in inches the warmer it will be.

[idealistgonewrong]

I think it would be fine to apply the insulation directly to the hammock, with the caveat that the insulation has a wind guard on the external side, e.g. silnylon. Packing the hammock away begs a follow-up post to lets us know about compress-ability. Applying the insulation directly would obviate a lot of the points in this thread dealing with UQ suspension issues. Justicehaze is right about the loft factor.

[sargevining]

I think it would be fine to apply the insulation directly to the hammock, with the caveat that the insulation has a wind guard on the external side, e.g. silnylon. Packing the hammock away begs a follow-up post to lets us know about compress-ability. Applying the insulation directly would obviate a lot of the points in this thread dealing with UQ suspension issues. Justicehaze is right about the loft factor.

Sil might not be the best idea from a condensation point of view. The outer layer should be wind resistant and breathable. Epsilon would be my suggestion as it is water and wind resistant, breathable, and very resistant to abrasion.