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  1. #1
    Senior Member K0m4's Avatar
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    UQ with waterproof bottom?

    I was wondering if there's anyone making UQs with at least a section on the underside nearest to the ground of waterproof cloth? I noticed this summer that in some circumstances when I was "forced" to hang particularly low (e.g. in shelters and such), the uq would touch the ground. Where I'm from, you always have to be prepared for wet conditions, so I thought it would be useful to have maybe the middle section of the fabric which is closest to the ground when you're in the hammock waterproof.

    Certainly you could just strap a piece of waterproof fabric underneath, but it would require extra stuff to carry, and extra set-up. If there's an uq with it "integrated", it would suit my purposes a whole lot better.

    If it's just a section, there shouldn't be too many problems with condensation, am I right? And keeping it to a section rather than the whole thing, there should also not be much of a weight penalty. Am I missing something else?

  2. #2
    Senior Member MedicineMan's Avatar
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    w/b cuben

    Only a matter of time before some cottage offers an UQ with a bottom out of waterproof/breathable cuben. Currently though the w/b cuben is not offerend in the stealthiest colors or even colors that really blend unless you are in the arctic or a fog bank. That will change in time also. When cuben first hit the market it was a bland white/grey color; now it comes in various shades of green depending on yardage weight.
    At leas for now it would be good to see an UQ outfitted with a bottom in Pertex.
    After writing that I reflected on the times when my underquilt got weight, and I mean soaking wet. I can't remember even one time, though on Mt. Albert in horizonatal rain and only under the original Hennessey tarp (minimal coverage) the bottom did get damp on the outside.

  3. #3
    Senior Member K0m4's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MedicineMan View Post
    After writing that I reflected on the times when my underquilt got weight, and I mean soaking wet. I can't remember even one time, though on Mt. Albert in horizonatal rain and only under the original Hennessey tarp (minimal coverage) the bottom did get damp on the outside.
    This summer I strapped my hammock up for a short nap overnight in Southern Sweden, as I was too tired to keep on riding and I had many hours of autobahn ahead of me. It had been raining pretty hard just before I arrived where I took a break, and as the sun rose at 3-4 am, the fog, which was the morning dew more or less, just reinforced, was just unbelievable. There was no protecting yourself from it. That's when I really wished the outer fabric would have been waterproof..

    This is quite common where I hang the most even on mornings when it hasn't rained the night before (the morning mist is quite enchanting actually, but usually not quite as strong), and particularly the bottom of the uq got wet, as it was on the outside - i.e. condensation from inside wasn't so much the problem as the fog from the outside. In that case probably only a whole-covering waterproof outside would help though.

    If the ground is wet and you have to hang low though, which happened to me in that same spot going in the other direction, at least a partial section of waterproofness would be very handy.

    I see a DIY project in my future

  4. #4
    Senior Member Bubba's Avatar
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    Maybe you can buy/make an underquilt protector.
    Don't let life get in the way of living.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Rain Man's Avatar
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    Question

    Quote Originally Posted by MedicineMan View Post
    ... on Mt. Albert in horizonatal rain and only under the original Hennessey tarp (minimal coverage) the bottom did get damp on the outside.
    Spent a night at Abingdon Gap Shelter, outside, in a thunderstorm one night with a HH A-Sym UL Backpacker, original rainfly, ... no problem at all with getting wet. However, was not using an UQ, so see how one might get some wet from wind or splash.

    Why go all the way to waterproof, though? Why not just DWR (durable water resistant)? Shouldn't that be enough for splash, dew, fog, hanging in the clouds? If the original fabric isn't DWR, you can buy a spray can and spray it yourself, correct?

    Rain Man

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  6. #6
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    Ugq

    Underground quilts has a water resistant bottom and offers hydrophobic down as an option
    Bill

  7. #7
    Senior Member K0m4's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rain Man View Post
    Spent a night at Abingdon Gap Shelter, outside, in a thunderstorm one night with a HH A-Sym UL Backpacker, original rainfly, ... no problem at all with getting wet. However, was not using an UQ, so see how one might get some wet from wind or splash.

    Why go all the way to waterproof, though? Why not just DWR (durable water resistant)? Shouldn't that be enough for splash, dew, fog, hanging in the clouds? If the original fabric isn't DWR, you can buy a spray can and spray it yourself, correct?

    Rain Man

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    Maybe would be enough. I don't know if my snugpak has dwr, need to check that. If it does, it's not enough for me, because it soaked up water both in that fog night, as well as when I hung low and the ground was wet. No puddles mind you, just wet from an earlier rain - which is why I'd wager it doesn't.

    If it doesn't, then maybe dwr would suffice. But I wouldn't mind going all the way anyway - there aren't any particular drawbacks I can think of other than possibly a slight (negligible) weight penalty, and perhaps the condensation issue. And the fact I might have to do it myself Me and sewing machines... well, let's not finish that sentence.


    Quote Originally Posted by eightweight View Post
    Underground quilts has a water resistant bottom and offers hydrophobic down as an option
    Bill
    Thanks, will have a look!
    Last edited by K0m4; 09-17-2012 at 11:40.

  8. #8
    Senior Member K0m4's Avatar
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    As I thought, my snugpak does not seem to have dwr.

    Still though, for argument's sake, does anyone think there would be a problem with condensation if the uq is sewn with the outside fabric being waterproof?

    I will either try my hands at this otherwise. Or ask if someone who makes uq:s could do a custom one.. I'm that concerned about it..

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by K0m4 View Post
    As I thought, my snugpak does not seem to have dwr.

    Still though, for argument's sake, does anyone think there would be a problem with condensation if the uq is sewn with the outside fabric being waterproof?
    yes, there definately would be a problem there. the way a uq works, moisture passes from you through the quilt, the insulation and out the bottom layer. top and bottom layers need to be about the same degree of breathability. you don't want moisture going in faster than it can escape, otherwise it will build up in the down.

    most quilt companies will be using fabric finished with a dwr treatment, this treatment does wear off over time but like mentioned already, you can buy dwr in a spray can to revive it's water resistence.

    you can make the bottom layer out of silnylon, but you'd need to make the inner layer out of sil too, i've done this and it works well and really cuts the wind, the problem is you could probably never wash it or dry it so you better hope it never gets wet inside. i think you'd be better off making a sil or cuben cover that covers both sides. or you could make a cover that just covers the bottom of the quilt but you'd need to make sure it fits "baggy" so there's air space between the undercover and the quilt so the quilt has an air space to vent into

  10. #10
    Senior Member K0m4's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by warbonnetguy View Post
    yes, there definately would be a problem there. the way a uq works, moisture passes from you through the quilt, the insulation and out the bottom layer. top and bottom layers need to be about the same degree of breathability. you don't want moisture going in faster than it can escape, otherwise it will build up in the down.

    most quilt companies will be using fabric finished with a dwr treatment, this treatment does wear off over time but like mentioned already, you can buy dwr in a spray can to revive it's water resistence.

    you can make the bottom layer out of silnylon, but you'd need to make the inner layer out of sil too, i've done this and it works well and really cuts the wind, the problem is you could probably never wash it or dry it so you better hope it never gets wet inside. i think you'd be better off making a sil or cuben cover that covers both sides. or you could make a cover that just covers the bottom of the quilt but you'd need to make sure it fits "baggy" so there's air space between the undercover and the quilt so the quilt has an air space to vent into
    Ok, thanks for clarifying that!

    Yeah, a loose cover would be a simple solution, except that I expect to encounter those conditions often enough that it would warrant a permanent solution. I guess it'd be a bit of a challenge to seamseal all the seams on a whole uq to make sure nothing gets in... Hmm, this takes some thinking about..

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