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Crash
01-15-2004, 22:43
Has anyone tried to velcro a pad to the underside of their hammock?
Or otherwise attach it underneath.
I was thinking about how to keep it from slipping around.
Comments are welcome

peter_pan
01-18-2004, 20:19
I once tried velcoing a survial mylar sheet. It was a no-go the velcro on the mylar stressed it causing a tear that became a massive ripped of bottom on the second nite out. Pads are best inside where you can control them. Buttttt, the real answer is an under quilt. It puts you in a warm nest with insulated sides as well as bottom. Nothing but you and your regular quilt inside and any gear you chose to store hanging in the corners. This is the way to go. Spent last night in this rig, 35 degrees, rain and snow flurries.bvds. patagonia R.5 and R.1 shirts and balaclava; nothing else until my 0300 pee, then added my fleece long bottoms and down bootie as the fuel in my funace from the prior dinner at 1730 was running low. I think i'm going to start leaving a hunk of cheeze in a baggie by my planned "spot" on long winter nights...restocking the furnace is probably good for 10 degrees or so by the following morning when you don't want to get up but you are cold and can't see staying in the hammock any longer.

attroll
01-18-2004, 21:14
peter_pan

Did you make the under quilt youself? Is it for an HH? I would like to find a good underquilt for my HH.

CanoeBlue
01-19-2004, 21:40
I see two problems with attempting to velcro a pad on the outside. First is that the oustide of a quilt is quite shaped when you are in it and it will be really difficult to make a basicly flat pad fit the shape unless you cut & fit (a lot), secondly, velcro doesn't allow the pad to move and re-shape as you move around in the hammock so you will stress the attachment points and you will have cold spots

I use an underquilt that I like very much (check thru-hiker) - after a few dead ends settled on elastic to keep it in position and still allow it to "work" Arriving at a workable shape was tricky. I have sent the pattern to Thru-Hiker so that he can assemble a "kit".

peter_pan
01-20-2004, 09:37
Atroll,
Yes, I made the underquilt, and yes, it fits a Hennessy. It is nominally 72x48x2" thick, 1.1 ripstop w/dwr and 800+ down, 14 oz. My hiking partner and I are planning to bring a couple of these to traildays to demo. Hope to see you there. I'm off the net for three weeks for a motorcycle trip in 15 minutes. Will sign on when I return. PS i'll be using the quilt and hennessy on this trip :-).

Hammock Hanger
01-20-2004, 10:24
Has anyone tried to velcro a pad to the underside of their hammock?
Or otherwise attach it underneath.
I was thinking about how to keep it from slipping around.
Comments are welcome

I hand sewed ( I was afraid a small machine stitch would compromise the integritiy of the support) a pocket the size of my pad to the outside it works well.

Sue/Hammock Hanger

Jeff
01-20-2004, 17:35
Hammock Hanger,

That was a great idea to sew the pocket for your pad on the outside. Has Tom Hennessey considered making that standard on his hammocks???

SGT Rock
01-21-2004, 02:21
I've been actually living in my Hennessy Hammock now for about 4 months. I love it more than ever!

I looked at attaching a pad to the bottom but decided it wasn't worth it or needed. I have been trimming down a pad to just the essentials for about the last month and had good results and it is easy to keep in place when you get rid of the superfluous. In really cold condidtions I added a second pad under my butt and shoulders 26"x28".

However, I was originally a sceptic of the underquilt for a few reasons. But after reading some reports by others I tried making a simple one by folding my thinsulate poncho liner into thirds and suspending it under my hamock. It isn't as efficient as some of the custom quilts some of you have made since it sags in places, isn't wide enough at one spot, weighs about 20 ounces, and is only about 3/4" thick. But despite all that I have been sleeping very comfortably with just this and no pad down into the high 30's. I would love to make a down quilt with 1" baffles and 1 1/2" under the butt and shoulder area to try. I have been searching to see if there are any plans out there that I could use. I have seen one article at Thru-Hiker.com that CanoeBlue sent them and think that is probably the way to go when I get back. If I can get the weight similar to his, then for an 11 ounce rig I can be as warm as it took me about 24 ounces of pad to achive the same effect.



CanoeBlue,

I looked all over thru-hiker for a pattern or kit and cannot find one. I have found the 0.8oz downproof fabric to make a liner, the down, the net to make the baffels, and the 1.1oz DWR nylon for the shell. Could you possibly be enticed to post or e-mail the particulars on the amount of materials neccissary so I can start gathering them?

Another thought: Have you though about making a head hole in the center with a neck collar that would plug the hole when suspended under the hammock. This would turn the quilt into something that could be worn in camp like a blanket poncho (Remember Clint Eastwood in the Spagetti Westerns?) so it could serve a dual role as clothing in camp and insulation in bed.

Anyway, now if someone would only market a down underquilt I would probably just buy one.

highway
01-21-2004, 07:42
Anyway, now if someone would only market a down underquilt I would probably just buy one.

Maybe your suggestion will start a small home-based business for someone as I certainly would too, and do it now!!! :D

MonkeyMan
01-21-2004, 11:53
After one very cold night in the ECWS Bag and 3/4 thermorest I too have decided to go with the underquilt, however I am going to expand on the peapod idea, my plans are to stay warm down to -10 after that I am not going to be trying anything. What I hope to do is make a quilt that can be used on the inside or the outside, in doing so I am going to make a top and a bottom quilt, both are going to be dual use items. I hope to make the underquilt so that it will hold up to the cold temps, I want to make it thick enough that when on the outside it keeps you toasty in the extreme cold however when it gets warmer just by switching it to the inside and laying on it to compress it will reduce it's thermal power to a comfortable level, if need the top quilt will come insde to act as a blanket, but the main idea is to have the underquilt to act as the pot and the over quilt to act as a lid, me and the mock are inside the "pot". Also I'm thinking about adding a mesh panel in the top blanket for venting if needed, this is still being thought out for max. performance

brian
01-21-2004, 16:04
I looked all over thru-hiker for a pattern or kit and cannot find one. I have found the 0.8oz downproof fabric to make a liner, the down, the net to make the baffels, and the 1.1oz DWR nylon for the shell. Could you possibly be enticed to post or e-mail the particulars on the amount of materials neccissary so I can start gathering them?

Anyway, now if someone would only market a down underquilt I would probably just buy one.

AYCE is finishing up making a pattern and kit for his down underquilt:) Ill be first in line

Brian
Future Thru Hiker 2013