Help with Weather Shield question

[Stir Fry]

I’m making a weather shield out of .33 Cuban Fiber and have a question? I have read that you want the shield to be breathable to prevent condensation. Seem to me that if there is condensation on the inside of the shield you could just dry it off the next day, as it’s not trapped in-between another layer. So is making the shield out of a non breathable material like Cuban going to be a big problem? Help in case I’m missing something in my thinking.

[OutandBack]

Are you talking about an under quilt protector?

[Stir Fry]

10-4 Under quilt protector.

[OutandBack]

10-4 Under quilt protector.

I am no fan of anything below the tarp being waterproof.
The issue I see with a cuben UQP is it would collect moisture, as you stated, and
not allow your quilts to release the moisture they collected.

I understand the desire to go as light as possible. What about a 0.9 ripstop?
Custom cut for your specific hammock and UQ. No excess material to add weight.

[nothermark]

It probably will not make any difference to condensed moisture. That occurs inside the quilt roughly at the point where the dew point is reached on the temperature gradient. OTOH the less air movement the better as there will be less moisture to condense out assuming there is not much air movement through the hammock.

If you want to run an experiment try mocking up an underquilt with a large trash bag or two. ;-)

[FLRider]

If you're going to do the UQP out of non-breathable stuff, I'd recommend making it large enough that it doesn't actually contact the UQ's outer shell. This will allow condensation to occur away from the quilt, limiting the moisture buildup in the insulation.

Personally, I use a sil undercover as a way to get by with a tiny little tarp. It doubles as my poncho, and my attachment method allows me to tighten or loosen it enough to avoid contact with my UQ or use it directly as a semi-Garlington Insulator.

On trips where it's going to be below freezing for more than an evening or two, I think I might switch over to a breathable one, m'self. Not sure, though...

[clb]

I've been wondering about this too.....What about water proof breathable cuben(with eVent) like what Joe Valesko uses on his rain gear?

[Oms]

I would be concerned about moisture build up. My thought is to never have any moisture barrier on any quilt. When I had a quilt made many years ago by Nunatak they offered a moisture resistant fabric. It may prevent moisture on foggy/misty days, but it will also take longer to dry. IMO the more it breathes the drier it will stay. Particularly on multiple day trips. I depend on my tarp to keep me dry and vapor to pass on through the quilt. I think it is a good idea that someone mentioned to use garbage bags and see how it works.