Quilt making questions

[gibmo]

Hello everyone! I'm new here and new to hammock camping. I appreciate the friendliness, wisdom, and good-natured humor on this forum. You all have helped me take giant steps forward in my hammocking pursuit. Thanks.

I have some underquilt making questions. I've searched here and White Blaze. Forgive me if it's been covered and I missed it. My hammock is a homemade Speer type.

1. I've noticed 2 ways to suspend an underquilt- JRB system or drawstring around hammock ends like PeaPod, Mt. Rogers quilt and Arkwater homemade. Are there advantages/disadvantage to either?

2. Is there a rule of thumb for underquilt length? I noticed they are usually around 84". Being 6'6" (78") tall, would this be too short for me?

3. How does one know if fabric (like Wal-Mart 1.00/yd. that looks real similar to 1.1oz. ripstop swatches I received from Quest and Speer) is downproof? Is there a way to test?

4. I understand light colors reflect radiant energy and dark colors absorb and release energy. Mr. Speer suggests putting light colors inside and dark colors outside on quilts to stay warm. Why do a lot of sleeping bag manufacturers do the opposite?

5. Are down fill power ratings the best way to judge down quality or is it better to go by dealer reputation and price/oz.? I've heard fp ratings are not always a good indicator. Any sources of down you recommend?

Thanks for any insight. Hopefully someday I will know enough to contribute back.

Mike

[neo]

welcome to hammock forums,glad you found this place,lot a great people here neo

[Coffee]

Welcome to the forum. I don't know all the answers, but here are some of them.

Hello everyone! I'm new here and new to hammock camping. I appreciate the friendliness, wisdom, and good-natured humor on this forum. You all have helped me take giant steps forward in my hammocking pursuit. Thanks.

I have some underquilt making questions. I've searched here and White Blaze. Forgive me if it's been covered and I missed it. My hammock is a homemade Speer type.

1. I've noticed 2 ways to suspend an underquilt- JRB system or drawstring around hammock ends like PeaPod, Mt. Rogers quilt and Arkwater homemade. Are there advantages/disadvantage to either?

I only saw the peapod once, but I think it wraps all the way around the hammock and attaches to itself using velcro. I have the JRB nest and really like it. It using the suspension system and has drawstrings on each end. The drawstrings help close the quilt around the hammock.

2. Is there a rule of thumb for underquilt length? I noticed they are usually around 84". Being 6'6" (78") tall, would this be too short for me?

I am 6'4" and the standard length for the nest works fine for me. I usually wear a windproof fleece hat or use my primaloft jacket as a pillow. I also use my sleeping bag as a quilt, where the bottom 1-2' are inclosed to form a footbox. I think both of these give me extra insulation at each end. If it was me 84" would be fine, just make sure you leave extra length for the seams (I always forget that part myself).

3. How does one know if fabric (like Wal-Mart 1.00/yd. that looks real similar to 1.1oz. ripstop swatches I received from Quest and Speer) is downproof? Is there a way to test?

This is one I am not too sure on. I think that any nylon that has a DWR finish will keep the down in. You want nylon what looks shiney and repells water, but still frays on the edges. You do not want to use sil-nylon. Sil is waterproof, it is shiney, and does not fray on the edges. Sil is not breathable. DWR is breathable. You want something that is breathable. Your body loses mosture while you sleep.

4. I understand light colors reflect radiant energy and dark colors absorb and release energy. Mr. Speer suggests putting light colors inside and dark colors outside on quilts to stay warm. Why do a lot of sleeping bag manufacturers do the opposite?

Every bag I have, and my JRB nest, has black on the inside and the light color on the outside.

5. Are down fill power ratings the best way to judge down quality or is it better to go by dealer reputation and price/oz.? I've heard fp ratings are not always a good indicator. Any sources of down you recommend?

You are going to want a high fill power down. 600 fill down means that 1oz of down fills 600 cubic inches of space. The higher fill down costs more, but you use less and it lasts longer. I figured it out at some point but for the money I think I would go with 750 or 800 fill down. There is a lot of arguement about whether you can actually get 900 fill or not.

Arkwater posted somewhere a place where he ordered bulk down. He said that it had a higher loft that what it was rated at (a good thing). I think I figured it out and including shipping it was half the cost of the thru-hiker or speer down by the oz.

You have to take the companies word on the fill power. If you order bulk down a couple pounds, it is going to come in about am 8 cubic foot box. They ship it only partially compressed. That is why shipping is going to be as high as it is.

Thanks for any insight. Hopefully someday I will know enough to contribute back.

Mike

There is a place there to post step by step directions on your DIY projects. Can you post instructions on how you made you quilt. I have not made one yet. It is on the list.

All of the people here who have made down projects are out hiking for the weekend. They will likely chime in on monday.

[Coffee]

Here is the link to where he bought down. http://www.featherind.com/

It came in 32 oz. Here is the breakdown per oz compared with other places.

32oz costed $154.65 shipped. That's $4.84 an oz shipped.
Speer's 900 fill down is $8.33 before shipping
Thru-hiker 800 fill down is $8.65 before shipping.

[Patrick]

Gibmo, welcome to the forums. I do synthetic not down, but I have a complete DIY section on my site with pictures and details. Might give you some ideas or help, at least in terms of the attachment.

As far as contributing, post your pics and thoughts as you go and you'll be helping a ton, plus you'll get even more useful feedback.

[Arkwater]

I have had good luck with the walmart ripstop holding in the down. I have used both the polyester and the nylon $1 yard stuff.

[gibmo]

Thanks. You all are great! I'll be up all night now, thinking and planning.

[Coffee]

One more thing I thought of. On the baffels use noseeum netting. It holds the down really well. When you sew them, double roll the edges. This will hold the baffels in place better and give your quilt a longer life. It also helps the quilt hold up when being washed. This was in a post by Pan of JRB fame.