"Down Hammock" vs UQ

[SimpleRabbit]

Hello! I just nabbed a few cheap goose down pillows...and now I'm planning to make some under-insulation.

My question is that it seems like it would be so convenient to convert my DIY hammock into a down hammock with baffles sewn into it, rather than make a separate UQ. I like the idea because I'll be bringing this on a bicycle tour and an incorporated design would save space, weight, and convenience. My worry is though that I wouldn't be able to cool down if it was a hot night out.

I'm going to be outside a bunch this year on a bicycle tour mostly from 40 to 70 degree nights. If I made a down hammock and stuffed it right, would varying my top quilt be enough to keep me comfortable through that range? Or is an UQ that I can loosen up simply the way to go and I should forget even thinking about the whole incorporated thing?

I've never used an UQ yet [I've been sleeping happily in my hammock every night for a few weeks in my room using a blanket below and above me.] but they sound pretty inconvenient compared to an incorporated setup.

[Simon]

Yeah, if you get sweaty in that, there's no other way out than, gulp, take to the ground...

[wulfy117]

Planning to do the same......

Drawing here..... http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...815#post705815

Also planned use is mostly cycle touring.

Just wanting enough to stop wind rather than provide heat per se. Also thinking of using cheap pillow as there aren't many sources of down in Aust. Or possibly buy secondhand sleeping bag. Let me know how the feathers go if you do it.

[Rob3E]

I would be concerned about being too warm, too. I've bicycle-camped with my hammock in moderate temps (around 50 at the lowest, I think) with no underquilt, and, while I was chilly at the lowest temps, at warmer temps I was fine with just my sleeping bag liner. I'd be concerned that a 70-degree night with down underneath might be a sweaty night. But then most nights I sleep in a bed where my under-insulation is a constant, and my temperature is regulated by the blanket, so maybe that's a reasonable solution.

[kehlopolis]

I was thinking something similar. When you sleep in a bed, your base is always heavily insulated, and you simply regulate temp with covers. If you prevent the Insulated hammock from wrapping around you too much I would like to think that you could easily keep cool enough if you so desired.

[Fronkey]

Having a separate underquilt is really nice because you can vent it if it gets too hot. Also, nylon stretches so it doesn't work out exactly as people think because of that. However, Strung out made one out of cuben that has worked great for him in really cold weather which you can see on this thread

Fronkey

[SimpleRabbit]

Cool - thanks everyone for your input. I think I'll do the UQ - it's popular and proven to work.

wulfy - I found 4 goosedown pillows for $1 each at Seattle's Goodwill Outlet. There were a good number of feathery pillows, but I can't feel anything except softness in the ones I found. The outlet "stores" just have unsorted bins full of stuff they charge per pound, and could be a pretty reliable source of cheap, used down.

[dejoha]

Another option for the hammock fabric would be polyester. It doesn't stretch as much as nylon. The Grand Trunk UL is one of my favorites because of that feature. I can get a consistent hang and sweet spot in that hammock because it doesn't form "ruts" as some nylon hammocks can do.

I think a sewn-in UQ would be great, especially if it were a summer weight, maybe even synthetic fill so you don't have to sew or quilt through the hammock fabric, just the edges.

[doctor]

I am looking at making a polyester hammock with integrated down insulation. One thing I've heard is that if you find it too hot, you can always flip it inside out. Then you will be compressing the down and it will not insulate as much.

[lilricky]

Or you could make the UQ, then sew it on the hammock along the sides,leaving about a 2 inch gap between the hammock and quilt. Then on the ends, make channels for some shock cord to run through, and add some cord locks to both ends of the shock cord. Then you would have a way of controlling the temperature. If you need it cooler, open up the ends a bit, warmer, close those ends up.