Hey guys, I made a synthetic UQ loosly based on the KAQ design. (I moved the darts to the center since I have a speer, and changed the suspension to more of a Yeti design. On my next one, I will have the darts slightly off set from each other, maybe a foot?) I used some left over insulation from another project (I believe it was 2 layers of .75 ) I used some really cheap walmart breathable ripstop for the shell. Since this was a prototype, the sewings not the best, but the next one will be better! This past weekend I was on the Pinhoti trail in Alabama, and got to try it out. During the night, temps dropped to the low 50's, and the wind picked up---really strong wind, so I would probably say the temps dropped into the low 40's with windchill. With the UQ, and my version of a garlington insulator, I stayed pretty warm all night! (I sleep cold, and in a similar situation this spring I froze my butt off!) Any way, I was really impressed with the difference an UQ makes-----it really does work, and no condensation! Sorry no photos yet, and I havnt weighd it---------but its pretty lite! All I did was sew a nylon ripstop envelope, put the insulation inside, sewed the edges, and quilted the insulation using yarn. For a suspension, I made sleeves on the quilt edges, ran elastic cord through them and ran them through micro cord locks, for adjustment. (the cordlocks then loop over the end knots of the hammock) Very simple, and it worked! With this rig, and some warm cloths, I think I could make it down to the high 30's pretty easily. (which is a massive improvement on what I had before, and it didnt cost me much at all to make!)
Thanks for all the inspiration and ideas!