First Attempt - DIY Apex UQ

[MotoHanger]

I have had the materials for a while, this week I finally pieced together enough time to get this started and finished. My first attempt at a UQ, considering this as a primer to making a TQ but haven't decided if the TQ will be synthetic or Down; I'll have to do some testing on the UQ before I decide.

I learned some things not to do, or rather how to do this better...but I am pretty please for the results. Dimension are roughly 60" x 44" single layer Apex 5 oz., which if I get it positioned correctly will work for ankle to neck coverage. Sat outside last night for a while ( 50 degrees ) and it seemed to be pretty warm. I haven't given it the pack test, but appears as thought it will pack down as small or smaller than my WBB 1.7 dbl...big improvement over my franken-bag that is humongous and heavy.

https://www.hammockforums.net/galler...p?i=20737&c=13

[dedominick]

Sweeeeet, where'd u order the Apex from, what temp rating u thinking? Any idea on final cost( with shipping) and weight?

[MotoHanger]

I got the Apex from Thru-Hiker (I think) and the rip stop from DIY Gear supply. I ended up ordering extra material...but if I had to guess for just the UQ...(Apex, ripstop, grosgrain, shock cord, cord locks, s-clips) probably around $45. Of course now I have a piece of Apex that is pretty much worthless unless I fashion some type of hood out of it.

[MotoHanger]

Oh...estimated temp rating (based on CLO, blah-dee-blah) I am hoping to be able to get down to the mid-30s, with a base layer on. I'll have to test to these temps next winter as our nights now are maybe getting down into the mid and upper 40s.

Well in going back over my CLO notes, in theory the CLO rating of this rig would be 4.1 and a CLO of 4 "should" be good down to 20. So I should be golden since I rarely see anything lower than 40 in the hammock...but I may be pushed now.

[holantr]

Very nice job! The silver looks cool. How long did the uq take to make?

[MotoHanger]

Very nice job! The silver looks cool. How long did the uq take to make?

Well, I work roughly 60 hours a week and have two boys (4 and 8)...with these factored in it took me about a week. But if I could have had dedicated time, I probably could have done it in about 8 - 10 hours. With the "education" I gained doing this one, if I were to do another I am sure it would go much faster.