Hey everyone... I been reading some posts where, when you sleep on the diagonal, which is recommended ... the underquilt just doesnt fit/work properly. Couldnt this problem be solved by either making the quilt wider, or cutting it so it has that "Asym" shape to it? Any and all feedback from the vendors would be greatly appreciated....... Chris
I read somewhere on here a long time ago about pulling the under quilt suspension tighter on the diagonal sides where your should and feet are and leaving the other loose tends to put it in the right alignment. At least since doing this I can keep it covering me well and definitely notice a difference when I forget.
Perhaps dejoha or someone else can elaborate on this?
Thanks warloc, but still.... wouldnt a wider quilt be more helpful too?Originally Posted by warloc4326
You can have them custom made wider. It's been talked about before but no one seems to wanna run with the idea of a true asym UQ. In my feeble mind it would be difficult to design with all the baffles and what not. I have recently been playing around with trying to figure out a way to suspend my UQ in more of an asym way. Still working on it.
The idea of an asym UQ seems to being received like the idea of an insulated hammock was. For a long time it was mostly written off by most people (a few people did try making one) for various reasons. It came up again recently and now all of a sudden people are more receptive to it and someone has even introduced a production model insulated hammock. I think eventually people will become more receptive to the idea of an asym UQ and there will be more experimenting with it. I look forward to that day. I think an asym UQ is a great idea, just as I thought an insulated hammock was a great idea when I first heard about it a while back.
"As a well spent day brings happy sleep, a well spent life brings happy death." -Da Vinci
I did this video to show how you can set-up a UQ on a Blackbird to cover the footbox and get more of a modified assym lay.
Carry forth.
Shug
Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven
Try a longer ridge line. I've never been a fan of the "83%" rule. My 10' hammocks have a 108". That's 8" longer than what most would recommend. This length ridge line gives me a flat lay with less diagonal and allows for a better fit with an UQ. My problem now is that I have become a fan of tie outs on my hammocks which do interfere with the UQ so I have gone back to using pads...and I must say I like it.
Not a vendor, but a very satisfied customer... I have a HH ULB-A, with one of the original JRB underquilts, and it works perfectly. The only time I've ever been cold in it is one night during a backyard experiment to see just how "low" I could go... the quilt was rated to 35, and I got down to 27 with it and a foam pad... At that point, my foot end was a little cool, but I slept the night... I've also "stretched" the rating by adding a poncho to the outside, a poncho liner to the inside, or adding a layer of leaves... but the issue has never been the shape or 'hang' of the underquilt. It moves with the hammock if hung properly.
I'll add some input for larger hammocks. I've got an 11' x 72" hammock and that's a lot larger than my UQs. I also swap diagonals as I turn from side to side, so you can imagine that could pose a problem keeping the UQ under me.
What I've found to work well for me is a very simple solution. I hang the UQ at 4 corners only, from bungee material that is essentially prusiked to the whoopie sling. About 30" of 3/16 shock cord with mitten hooks on the ends, tied at midpoint to the whoopie with a French Prusik to adjust tension/position works like a charm. Keep it taught and it pretty much follows me as I move side to side.
If it needs a bit of coaxing, I feel the edge and through slack hammock fabric will pinch the edge and pull it into place. It is now automatic for me so I don't 'wake up' to do it.
Venting can still be achieved by the cords on the ends of the quilt, to slacken it and allow warmth to escape. I've also gone to sleep with the quilt totally off to the side and not under me, and later pulled it under me when it got cold.
I use full length quilts for greater comfort and less futzing with pads etc. The width is nowhere near the 72" of my hammock, but it slides around to cover me with minimal interference. My hammock has side pullouts that I use, and it creates WBBB like side pockets at the edge of the quilt.
The width doesn't matter much to me, my narrower quilt covers me as well as my wider one.
I had no experience with UQ suspension, and reading the descriptions others have posted made no sense not seeing it, so I followed one persons advise to keep the quilt taut, and began with the bungee/shock cord method above and found that quite adequate so haven't changed it.
I think this will work on smaller hammocks as well, so letting the quilt 'float' and follow your body is far simpler than shaping and tailoring a quilt to conform. I like innovation, but simple elegance rules for me.
^^^ what Steve said. I use triangle thingies instead of the prussiks with my 11' x 52" hammock, but I'm going to try that system. I don't like the foot box with tie outs and prefer the Knotty mod.
Love is blind. Marriage is an eye opener.
Well, if you think about the center line of the rectangle of a quilt being in orientation with the ridgeline, then laying on a diagonal should mean optimal fit/coverage. Yes, it does make sense that if that's not working for you, that making one wider should ensure you're getting the coverage you need. Of course, making it wider to make the fit foolproof comes with the disadvantage of producing more unused insulation (i.e. weight) in the diagonals that you're not laying in line with. Most folks who have experience with their gear appreciate an exact fit with little unused material/insulation.
To that note, FireInMyBones has an interesting concept in the hammock he has made, which is sewn-in insulation along the diagonal that he lays in the hammock. Of course its made just for him, but nevertheless I think it makes a lot of sense for either someone interested in DIY, or someone who can produce custom hammocks for others. I assume it could be supplemented with an UQ as needed.
"I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
- Kate Chopin
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks