Opinion on 40" as width for UQ

[wwk10]

I have never seen a UQ in person.
I have it in my head I want one about 45" wide.
I see Tee Wa and Warbonnet sell 40" wide UQs but most seem wider.

I am thinking of cutting a sleeping bag to get two UQs, but they will only be 40" wide.

Any opinions on 40" as the width for a UQ?

[MAD777]

I make my own UQ's and all mine are either 39" or 40" wide. They provide plenty of coverage for 6'-1", 200 pound body.

[gargoyle]

UQ's will depend on your physical build. Wider shouldered folks need a wider uq.
Ballpark measurements can be made by laying on the floor and measure from shoulder to shoulder. Add some for the curvature of the hammock and seam allowance.
If you have an assistant handy, have them measure you in the hammock. I like to add a few inches then to allow for a "fudge factor". Plus seam allowances. The extra inches helps from having to adjust the quilt everytime you move in the hammock. It does mean some added ounce or two for extra fabric and fill, but it makes the quilt less fiddly in the field.

[wwk10]

Thanks for the responses. I am 5'11" and 180lbs. I dont have a tape measure handy, but I guess I am 18 - 20" wide at the shoulders.

If anyone else responds, I have the same question about TQs. I think I want 48" wide TQ tapered to 36". I am curious as to how narrow a TQ can be at the shoulders and still be comfy.

[MAD777]

My top quilts are also 40" wide. If you compare tis to a sleeping bag, that's 80" of girth.

Don't get me wrong, bags & quilts are not the same thing, but 80" is a lot more girth then a typical mummy bag with 65" or so.

There is an advantage of wider quilts if going to ground. For a lightweight option, you can sew draft skirts on the sides of the top quilt, made of a single layer of 1.1 nylon.

Personally though, I'd keep my shoes on and tie my laces around a limb and hang like a bat before going back to that hard ground

[AaronAlso]

I havent had alot of chance to do thurought testing yet, but, initial tests suggest that, for me at least a wider top quilt is important. I have a MollyMac Shamu that is 43" wide (laid flat) and it comes about half way around my shoulders in the hammock. My JRB sierra sniveler is 52", I think, and it comes around the top just about perfectly. If there is a gap between the 2 I can't detect it. I'm sure that first chilly night I spend in it I'll know for sure. Might need to add in some IX "wings" to the TQ for a little over coverage.

[shumway]

The HG Incubator is listed at 44" wide. At first I thought it was too narrow in the shoulder area. That is until I fiddled with the hang a bit so it is hanging asym the way I lay in the hammock. Once I get it up over my left shoulder there is still a bit of left over material on my right side where I'm not touching it. It would probably work fine if it was a couple inches narrower.

[gargoyle]

Personally though, I'd keep my shoes on and tie my laces around a limb and hang like a bat before going back to that hard ground

Okay, that comment is screaming VIDEO!!

[Longskirt]

On top quilt width, it might depend on your sleep position. If you always back sleep narrower might be OK. I sleep on my side & in cold weather my topquilt has to wrap all the way around me & overlap under me to keep the cold air out.

One way to get an idea of needed width is to unzip & use a sleeping bag as a TQ & estimate or mark the excess you can do without.

I have no advice on UQ width. Still working on that one myself. I have trouble getting them to hang snugly against hammock w/o air gaps & still cover the part of the hammock I occupy & not slip out of position.

[turnerminator]

I'm a bit over 200lbs with wide shoulders and my shorty UQ is 42" wide-its plenty wide enough.