I'm in the planning stages for my first UQ. (Made my first hammock and tarp for a trip this summer and was still a little chilly at night when it got down to about 65 by the river.) I want to do something that will cover me for pretty much anything, and I'm a big fan of multipurpose/multiuse gear. But, I'm married with a 9 month old child (read: POOR). It's after Christmas now though, and I find myself back in the role of the kid with some Christmas money burning a hole in his pocket. so it's time to figure out what i'm really going to do.
Here's my thought so far. I'll try to break them down into easily criticizable sections. Once it's been ripped apart, I'll hopefully have a much better end product to actually make. I'll document that all here as well.
1) The plan
I'm going to make a UQ that can work for different conditions. It will actually be 3 of them. One that's half length, one 3/4 length, and one full length. They'll each be made to go inside a shell which will provide protection and suspension. (Think a variation on the modular sleeping bag.)
2) Finished Dimensions
Outer Shell: 81"long x 48"wide x 6" thick
2/4 UQ: 42" long x 48" wide x 3" thick
3/4 UQ: 66" long x 48" wide x 2" thick
4/4 UQ: 81" long x 48" wide x 1" thick
3) Construction
Make them all like boxes with sewn corners to maintain height at edges.
Sew velcro strips to the lengthwise edges of each to join together when used in conjunction.
Attach to upper side of shell with velcro strip.
Upper side of shell has cord channels for attachment to suspension/position adjustment.
Both ends of shell close using velcro strips.
If down insulation- Karobox baffles with 20% overfill
If climashieldinsulation- yarn loops
4) Materials
Shell:
Bottom half- waterproof coated nylon (same as used for shell) in wicked sweet USA digital camo from $1.50 bin at wally world.
Top half- uncoated version of same fabric, but sprayed with waterproofer (BPS version- says it's non-sil and gets waterproof but stays breathable).
UQs;
exterior- uncoated ripstop from wal-mart
insulation- undecided between down and sythetic, leaning towards climashield combat from thruhiker.com (remember the POOR part from above)
5) Additional Parameters for Consideration
I am on a budget.
I am not a gram weenie. I'm not a distance hiker. I may end up a couple miles from the car, but even then I'm the quintessential overpacker who will take the kitchen sink and all the tools I need to plumb it in place when i get there.
I would like to be able to minimize volume. This all goes in a kayak too, so the less space it takes up, the more room for beer.
I want to have the full length quilt able to do double duty as a TQ at times.
6) Existing Questions
How does climashield compare with down for compressibiliity? Is it worth twice the price? (to me that would be at least 100% savings in volume)
Should i consider a different materials, particularly the full length since i want to double it as a TQ?
Has anybody else done this? (I looked around and didn't see it, but I have to imagine it's been done before.)
Please feel free to point out even the most obvious flaws in logic, failures in planning, and simple gross stupidity.
I'm really grateful to all the minds and hands here with far more experience, expertise, and ability than I have. I'd have never made it this far without the guidance of the forum.
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