Horse Collar Draft Tubes

[scum]

Had a request to post some info on my draft tubes I added to my UQ. I find they work perfect and give me a ton of margin when setting up. My UQ is essentially the UQ from scittlefield's design found here: http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=23881

In fact, I have some pics of my UQ in that sticky. It's a great design. I deviated by making my outer shell out of a poncho liner and by making the draft tubes out of the scrap PL and IX. Basically, I followed the same design I found on my sleeping bag. I made a tube of material (PL shell IX interior) about 4+ inches wide.

Then I sewed it along the bottom edge and 2 side edges like such:


Now the trick is to make that draft collar really 'stand up' when strapped under you so you have a full 4 inches of material creating a seal. At the top edge (edge not sewn) on the inside, I sewed a paracord in the corners and have the paracord coming out a hole in the middle like this:




Now, you can tighten the cord up and it forces the collar upright into the bottom of the hammock forming a great seal and ALMOST guaranteeing no drafts. Here's a couple pics of the effect is has:




Now, notice I said ALMOST guarantees no drafts. Who wants that. In order to really seal up tight, you have to cinch the draft collar tight and suck the UQ up under you. When cinched up tight like that, it really puts a line of pressure at the calves (or wherever your UQ ends on you). So the fix? I replaced that paracord with a stretch of shock cord. The length of the shock cord was such that stretched to its fullest, the UQ can almost stretch out completely flat. Now, I never have to adjust the horse collar. When I lay in it, it's a PERFECT fit everytime and guarantees NO DRAFTS.

Here's a pic showing the shock cord which replaced the paracord. To be honest, since the paracord was sewn in, I just tied the shock cord to the paracord deep inside the channels as far as I could reach. Worked out well.


A pic of the effect it has on the draft collar. Looks real tight and like it might constrict or put pressure on the shoulders/legs but honestly, I can't feel them at all.


Finally, here's a pic of how it seals up with someone in it. This is my 80 lb kid laying in the hammock and you see how well it fits to him. When I lay in there, it just spreads out more and conforms to me. No More Fiddle Factor.


Take it or leave it, YMMV. If I had it to do over, I would not change anything from my final setup.
Hope this helps someone or at least inspires something better.
-scum

[Redoleary]

I've been threatening to put some draft tubes on the end of my IX UQ's for a while, I just never too the time to sit down and design it. This will def. help me get the ball rolling on that project. Great work, thanks for sharing.

[DivaB]

Very, very nice. Did you fold the poncho line in half, or are you using the full width?
Thanks for sharing and giving great instructions.

[scum]

Did you fold the poncho line in half, or are you using the full width?

Here's the page in the sticky where I started posting picks of what I did. Notice, at first I didn't have draft tubes. They came after a test hang when I realized they were needed.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...t=23881&page=6
As per scittlefields instructions, my UQ is 4'x5'. When I used to use the PL s a new sew PLUQ, it was folded in half and tied under me. For this though, its laid out flat and cut to size. So in other words its using the full width.

[MAD777]

Excellent description of an excellent solution!

The only ting can't figure out is, why do you need to stop drafts around your horse?

[scum]

The only ting can't figure out is, why do you need to stop drafts around your horse?

lol, true. I'm sure there's a witty pun there somewhere but I'm not that quick.

I often see them referred to as horse collar in sleeping bags, but that description doesn't really work as well for UQ. Just straight up draft collar is more appropriate I suppose.

[MAD777]

I was just throwing a bit of humor at you. "Horse collar" is a good description!

[gtpdy]

Good job. One more thing to add to the list.

[DemostiX]

lol, true. I'm sure there's a witty pun there somewhere but I'm not that quick.

I often see them referred to as horse collar in sleeping bags, but that description doesn't really work as well for UQ. Just straight up draft collar is more appropriate I suppose.

Let it be for your draft horse collar then, the one that does the heavy hauling, isn't tempermentally in need of attention, and lets you get a full night's sleep.

But seriously, if the experienced and accomplished quilter, Mad77, recognizes this as a good solution to a real problem, then it certainly is, whatever you call it. It stands to make down UQs more efficient and synth ones more predictable.

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I'm sure the furrows are deeper and the heat loss greater at the foot end of the gathered end hammock than at the head end, where shoulders and mass spread the hammock bottom against the UQ end. That's where I've stuffed a loose under-stuffed pillow to great effect, simulating what you achieve.

[FLRider]

A question on the construction: when you ran the cordage through the end channels, which type of sandwich did you use?

I mean, is it cordage, then polyfill, then inner shell against hammock? Or was it cordage, shell material to make a channel, polyfill, then inner shell against hammock?

Essentially, what I'm asking is, "Does the cordage directly contact the polyfill in the draft tube?"

I apologize if this has already been answered somewhere here; I'm only halfway through my coffee as I type this.