hammock top quilt vs tent top quilt... differences

[Birdman100]

Hello Everybody!

As you see am new here but am peeking from time to time reading bunch of interesting info. I want to make DIY Revelation Quilt - a clone, and goal is to go minimum weight, as low as possible. The original Enlightened Equipment Quilts are made for tent users and ground sleepers, so my question is, is there any difference in dimensions for "ground" top quilts versus "hammock" top quilts?

My thinking is that top quilt intentionally built for hammock can be somewhat narrower than for ground sleeper (assuming all other parameters are same) since hammock is a cocoon-shaped and less material will cover you compared when laying flat. Im thinking about width, the length is apparently less influenced.

For example: while quilt width 147cm will perfectly fit to me laying on the ground, is justified to go with say 127cm in hammock for the same comfort...?

[Tikker]

Hammock quilts you can get away with a more narrow quilt but like most things everyone is different in what works for then.

If you already had a tent tip quilt I don't think I'd spend the money just to add a slightly more narrow one. But if you're just starting then yeah I'd go with the smallest that is super comfortable

[lazy river road]

Width is the big factor, my TQ are narrow due to 99% of the time being in a hammock and the UQ covers my shoulders where the TQ doesn't. However I'm a gram counter so having narrow quilts is worth it to me. However having used those quilts on the ground in the cold it is not as comfortable. When I lay flat the quilt just barely tucks under my shoulders. If I move I get a cold draft.

[dakotaross]

Yeah, in a hammock, especially a gathered end hammock that is not staked on the sides, your UQ is going to give you the side coverage needed. I used to have a wide Burrow and frankly couldn't stand the gathering of unused insulation on the sides. I had been using a 50" TQ now (slim version). Maybe you want a little more side coverage in a bridge hammock or one with staked sides? I wouldn't, but some might. Thing is, that extra width is more for tucking underneath than actual insulation. On the ground, there is the rollover issue where you want the extra coverage to compensate for the quilt being lifted up as you roll onto your side, so I think the extra width is justified for ground use, depending on your expertise with quilts perhaps.

JustBill makes a TQ that utilizes "wings" as tuck material instead of insulation in that area that would be tucked (just acquired one). His quilts are synthetic insulation, but if you might try doing the same thing with down and saving weight there.

[jcreamer]

I'm a cold sleeper and I like to have my covers pulled up snug even at home. I have a wide TQ that is perfect for me. I understand that this is not for everyone - and I understand why. But if you move around a lot at night (like me) and sleep on either side swapping back and forth, then a wide quilt will keep you from waking up and readjusting because something is cold. Just my 0.02.
JC

[Birdman100]

Thanks! You actually answered my question. Putting aside personal preferences it seems it is as I thought, I can go with slightly narrower hammock quilt. I have several quilts but am planning to make another one much lighter. Only a guess but I would say 10-15% narrower compared to standard quilts is safe without sacrificing comfort. My goal is to make 350 g (12.3 oz) 3-season TQ; am a small guy so I think its doable.

In fact ground quilts are designed to cover both man and pad, some of them have pad straps that go beneath the pad.

[Theoktays]

One more consideration - make sure your TQ fits well in your hammock. A bit too long or a bit too much insulation and you may find the quilt tends to hang off the hammock in an area or two while sleeping. Not completely, but enough to be annoying. Last real consideration: make sure the TQ is wide enough at the shoulders for you to comfortably move around.

Good luck with it. Lots of good ones out there...

[hutzelbein]

A couple more thoughts:

• If you use a pad in your gathered end hammock, you probably want a slightly wider top quilt.
• If you use a bridge hammock, you probably want a wider top quilt as well.
• If you use a Wooki-style underquilt, a wider top quilt is nice to have because the Wooki doesn't come up as high on the sides as a traditional underquilt.
• You could also make the insulated part of the top quilt narrow, but have "flaps" made from fabric only (or maybe insulate them with 2.1oz Climashield Apex. This way you can prevent draft holes at the sides without gaining too much weight.

[Vanhalo]

A couple more thoughts:

• If you use a pad in your gathered end hammock, you probably want a slightly wider top quilt.
• If you use a bridge hammock, you probably want a wider top quilt as well.
  
• If you use a Wooki-style underquilt, a wider top quilt is nice to have because the Wooki doesn't come up as high on the sides as a traditional underquilt.
• You could also make the insulated part of the top quilt narrow, but have "flaps" made from fabric only (or maybe insulate them with 2.1oz Climashield Apex. This way you can prevent draft holes at the sides without gaining too much weight.

This is an excellent point.

[Tucson Tom]

I bought my top quilt before I went nuts for hammock camping. It is a "Sierra sniveler" or some such named thing from JRB - one of the most used items I have ever bought. But what I want to say is that I still often use it other than in my hammock and I think the versatility of a wider quilt is worth the extra weight. For example backpacking in the high sierra in California, sometimes I end up above timberline and "bivy" for a night or two where it is impossible to hammock camp. And just yesterday I was fooling around tent camping with my son. We carried gear about a 10 minute hike from the car and threw down our massive Exped megamats in his tent and I slept under the quilt. I love that quilt! I don't think I will ever sleep in a regular sleeping bag again.

I am a pretty serious ultralight dude (that is why I got the quilt in the first place). I had never really thought about having "extra width" before reading this post and it certainly doesn't bother me in a hammock. In fact I think it serves as both "insurance" and the quilt bunched up on top of you is just extra loft and warmth. But for me, I will never sacrifice a warm nights sleep to save a few ounces. I'd rather go hungry.

I suppose some folks will be outraged that I am not always in a hammock, but hey, why limit yourself.