DIY Climashield All in One Insulated Hammock

**Tucson Tom** · 11-09-2015, 21:35

I've been thinking about this post since it first came out and today decided to get going with my own experiments with insulated hammocks. I am glad I revisited this because I was reminded that this design eliminates concern about head to toe differential cut. I am still busy sweating the side to side differential. Some calculations I did indicate that 2 inches would do side to side, but that makes no allowance for stretch. Adding another 2 inches would allow for the inner layer (the one holding the weight) to stretch 2 inches before beginning to compress the insulation -- which we definitely don't want.

What I am thinking of doing (which may seem odd to some, but well, um, anyway). So what I am going to do is to sew a hammock with a sleeve underneath and slip my underquilt into it. The main motivation in that is to get rid of the elastic straps that I now rig to my ridgeline -- which I have found necessary to get the UQ snug under me. With the sleeve holding the UQ in place the shock cord can once again be routed to the ends of the hammock to simply hold the UQ in the right position and the sleeve will add the extra "snugging" to make it all work right. I am tempted to use a bunch of binder clips to experiment with the amount of differential, using 4 inches as a starting point. My inner layer will be some Nylon-D 1.6 I bought from Dutch this summer. The outer layer will be whatever I have around (it won't be bearing any weight). I think I will put the channels in the ends of the sleeve to add for cinching, even though the underquilt has its own.

Well if this makes sense to anyone and they have anything to add or suggest, I don't plan on sewing or cutting fabric until tomorrow. All bright ideas will be eagerly considered.

**Otter1** · 11-10-2015, 09:40

The only thing I can offer, Tucson, is that you better get the differential perfect or the UQ won't function properly.

**Just Bill** · 11-10-2015, 10:10

I would cut your sleeve big and use the binder clips to fine tune.

you get the most stretch at your butt (don't forget to give yourself room to sit down) and then the stretch tapers to each end. Point being- it could be 4" in the middle and near zero on each end if that makes sense.

Once you're close- lay the UQ in the shell and clip it on with lots of clips. Then when you hop in or switch positions and clips "pop" you know where to add fabric for you body.

You can also pick up a sheet of building foam from the store and "build" an UQ or some blocks to help you get/simulate the spacing you need.

**theclark5** · 11-10-2015, 15:52

My experience, now that I have made several of these, is it that you want to keep the width at least the width of the hammock body. Otherwise you get too much compression of the insulation and it tends to pull the sides of the hammock down. This is good to an extent as it removes the wall feeling but if too much your feet and head may want to slide off the sides. The shock cord on the ends of the design allow to close up the gaps on the ends very well.
Issues that I am working on currently is that the attached under quilt does hang close to the ground when no weight is in the hammock and when the ends aren't cinched up it looks "saggy" when you are not in the hammock. I have cut a V shape out of each end of the bottom fabric (then sewed edges together) which has helped that a lot and provided a cleaner look while allowing for good hang and no compression in the chest and hind end area.

**Tucson Tom** · 11-10-2015, 17:58

Originally Posted by Funny Money

The only thing I can offer, Tucson, is that you better get the differential perfect or the UQ won't function properly.

And that is exactly what has been keeping me up at night (not in the hammock mind you, just worrying -- but if I don't get it right then we are on to being kept up at night in the hammock). Well I just finished my sewing session and have fabric cut and as much sewing as I can do without committing myself to the amount of differential. So I can get on to the business of playing with binder clips while hanging here in the garage. Then tomorrow night I have a night out scheduled with 32 degree temperatures forecast to really test fly this. I'll be near the vehicle with some backup gear, so don't worry about me freezing. I have been fooled before by thinking everything is AOK in the garage and then having surprises later. A true in the field test is essential. I am stealing ideas from theclark5 on various aspects of this (thanks!). I want to move on to fiddling with permanently installed insulation real soon now.

The idea of tapering the amount of differential had not even occurred to me, so thanks for the suggestions along that line.

**Tucson Tom** · 11-10-2015, 18:52

Well, I probably should take this to a thread of its own -- but for now here are the results of the garage tests. I am puzzled.

The inner weight bearing layer I cut down by 4 inches (to a 56 inch width). The outer layer, which is supposed to someday hold insulation snug is full width (60 inches) The hammock is 11 feet long, the "under layer) is 9 feet and open at the ends. I have tubes for shock cord, but nothing in them yet.

Just looking at it, the under layer hangs down an awful lot. Then when I get in the hammock there is a huge amount of slack fabric under me. And using a taylors tape I meaure the distance from side to side of the hammock going under my butt as 42 inches (so of course there is an extra 14 inches of fabric in the slack under layer. So my little pea brain is pondering this. I knew the hammock was going to bunch up -- and now I know how much. But the question is why yours (Mr. "theclark5") works so nicely. Well it has to be all about the shock cord, which I can get busy and install and experiment with. I had thought that the shock cord would be all about eliminating the gap and resultant drafts, but apparently it performs a more essential role given no end tension on the outer layer.

**FJRpilot** · 11-10-2015, 19:03

I've always wondered why folks don't use Velcro to attach the UQ to the hammock? You could sew one side of the Velcro perpendicular to the opposite side so you could adjust the tension of the UQ based on the stretch of the hammock material as well as the persons weight in the hammock.... You could also move the quilt between hammocks... Just thinking out loud....

**Just Bill** · 11-10-2015, 19:23

Originally Posted by Tucson Tom

Well, I probably should take this to a thread of its own -- but for now here are the results of the garage tests. I am puzzled.

The inner weight bearing layer I cut down by 4 inches (to a 56 inch width). The outer layer, which is supposed to someday hold insulation snug is full width (60 inches) The hammock is 11 feet long, the "under layer) is 9 feet and open at the ends. I have tubes for shock cord, but nothing in them yet.

Just looking at it, the under layer hangs down an awful lot. Then when I get in the hammock there is a huge amount of slack fabric under me. And using a taylors tape I meaure the distance from side to side of the hammock going under my butt as 42 inches (so of course there is an extra 14 inches of fabric in the slack under layer. So my little pea brain is pondering this. I knew the hammock was going to bunch up -- and now I know how much. But the question is why yours (Mr. "theclark5") works so nicely. Well it has to be all about the shock cord, which I can get busy and install and experiment with. I had thought that the shock cord would be all about eliminating the gap and resultant drafts, but apparently it performs a more essential role given no end tension on the outer layer.

How close is your general design to the PDF at the bottom of the first post?

**Just Bill** · 11-10-2015, 19:32

I had always pictured the insulation looking roughly like his- my inspiration was simply the shape of a pad in the hammock.
I thought what is neat about this is sorting out a light way to hang that insulation (and save a shell and suspension's worth of weight)

I think you are correct about the cords absorbing the "walls". I'm guessing is all that happened is that your body fabric walls are doing is flopping over and you're ending up adding that length to the width of the outerlayer, whereas his loaded hammock the two pieces move together.

Also- maybe a "doh" thought but- It's hard to lay right and measure solo. Are you in your diagonal lay you want or just in the hammock and measuring over the side?
I use a clip to hold one side, then reach under to grab the free end when I measure... but that's in a bridge... I'm not sure how you'd accurately measure the floppy wall of a gathered end by your self.

**Just Bill** · 11-10-2015, 19:36

look at pictures 1 and 2 again... you can see that where the uninsulated parts of the outer shell meet the body that the hammock body is flipped out. The wall is under tension from the shockcord and keeping the edges of each fabric where they should be as a result.

Forgive my bumbling too- just eyeballing things and don't actually know much about gathered ends.

Get some pics up so others can help you better.