Simple, but effective. I used an Aussie poncho liner for this test, but it should work with a surplus US one as well. I'll test it out on my US ones and report back.
It would be a simple thing in colder climes to use two poncho liners tied together one on top of the other as a UQ.
I'll post part 2 in a day or two which shows how to secure that gap in the insulation around the foot end of the hammock - I think you'll enjoy it - plus photos and maybe a little video of how the thing works.
Cheers
You got any further info or pic of this idea comming to reality?
Oh and are you a Lightfighter?
Doc Caliz
Good post. I'll have to try this out soon.
I am.Originally Posted by DocCaliz
Me too.
Guys, you know that stuff about me posting more info and pics in a couple of days? Well that was just pillow talk.
I'm working on the graphics, but let me say that the woobie underquilt for the HH with bottom entry is indeed a reality. No sewing required - just a bit of head scratching, some 550 paracord and a figure 9.
Watch this space...
I love my Wiggy's poncho liner, and I love this idea!
Maybe I can use it under my Thermadrape KAQ for fall temps.
- MacEntyre
- MacEntyre
"We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
www.MollyMacGear.com
I decided to set this up using a US poncho liner. It's a bit easier with an Aussie one as they are slightly different, but I guess most folks here don't have access to Aussie ones.
Firstly, the ingredients...
Poncho liner, roll of hootchie cord (550 will work too, but this stuff is cheaper for experimenting) and a Figure 9
As per the diagram in my original post, lay out the poncho liner so that it roughly corresponds with the a-sym shape of the slung hammock.
Attach head end ties on poncho liner to the hook on your HH main line.
Attach ties on poncho liner to the plastic rings on the side of the HH (refer to diagram in original post
Connect the ties on the poncho liner near the head of the hammock with a piece of cord - this allows some slack after your body weight sags the hammock. Corresponds with items A & B on the diagram in my original post
Connect the ties on the poncho liner closest to your feet with a piece of cord - this allows slack. This doesn't appear on my diagram because it's a US poncho liner. Note that I have tied anotehr price of cord from here to a loop in the hammock main line. This may be uneccessary for you.
Now your poncho liner UQ should look like the above photo at the foot end. We can't tie it up yet because we won't be able to get into the hammock through the entry slit.
To fix this problem requires a little creativity. This is where your figure 9 and some more cord comes into play...
To be continued.
Now for the complicated bit...
what we are doing is rigging up a pulley inside the hammock so you can pull up the bottom of the poncho liner.
when it is done, it looks like this:
Please note that although the UQ looks a little loose, your body weight will tighten it up around you.
To rig up the pulley system, you need some cord and a figure 9.
You know those little plastic hooks inside the hammock? Usually I hang my boots off them, but in this case they are an integral part of the pulley system.
The plastic hook with the prussik on the main line outside the hammock is your pulley.
The figure 9 allows you to pull the cord inside once you're in and fix it to the ridgeline inside the hammock. There are probably other ways to do this, but I just used what I had in my pack at the time.
Tie a length of cord to the ties on the bottom end of the poncho liner.
run the cord through the plastic hook on the main line.
Thread the cord through both plastic hooks on the ridge line inside the hammock
Tie the end of the cord to a figure 9. The figure 9 acts as a stop to prevent the cord from pulling out and falling to the ground. It also allows you to fix the cord to your ridge line.
Phot of the fig-9 clamped onto the ridge line.
Once you've threaded it all together, the workflow is:
1. Get into the hammock as normal
2. Sit up and grab the figure 9.
3. lay down as normal and pull the cord, tightening up the end of the UQ
4. Hook the figure 9 onto the ridge line.
That's it, you're done. From the outside, the foot end of your hammock should look like this:
I hope this makes sense. It's easier to show than to tell...
I've field tested it and it works perfectly. It totally cuts out the wind chill factor and makes the hammock all warm and toasty.
hey mac what is the lowest you have used your wiggy's? I talked to the company yesterday, and they said that it should get down t 35 degrees. my GI surplus has got me down to about 43-45 degrees until I felt cold spots. was thinking of getting a wiggy's for light weight TQ.
I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane. - Waylon Jennings
In summer, all I use is the Wiggy's as a top quilt.
In winter, I use the Wiggy's as a top quilt in conjunction with a Speer FrogSac. The FrogSac is a summer weight no-snivler type thingie, which I use as a quilt, all unzipped except for the foot box. The FrogSac goes on the bottom, with the Wiggy's above that oriented diagonally (just as mclmm does when using it as an underquilt).
The pair is all I've ever used. Fully clothed, that rig has taken me to 10 degf.
I love mclmm's idea, but I'll probably never use the Wiggy's underneath my Thermadrape KAQ. It's just too easy to nest the KAQ Potomac there instead.
- MacEntyre
- MacEntyre
"We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
www.MollyMacGear.com
Looks like I'm headed down the the surplus store in the near future.
Quick question is the poncho liner made from the same stuff as M65 jacket liner?
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