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  1. #1

    Default Confused about quilts.

    Ok, so my girlfriend and I are planning a thru hike in 2 years after we get out of college. We are both in love with hammocks and hear hammocking the AT Is great. We have experience with shorter hikes and overnighters, but never in a hammock as we have only recently made ours.


    When we slept in them in sleeping bags we quickly realized it's just not going to work that way... We began to read about underquilts, overquilts, and peapod type quilts, but we don't know which would be best... We prefer to make our own gear as well, so could anyone point us in the right direction for a hammock setup on the AT?

    Overquilt/underquilt? or peapod?

    If overquilt/underquilt, are there any specs out there for them? and how does the overquilt even work? Is it used as just a blanket you cover up with?


    Thanks

  2. #2
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    The key here is that you plan to make your own.

    Underquilts are needed only for the cold weather portion of your hike, ie. March,early April NOBO.

    Thinner under layer is nice to have even in summer. A thin layer can just be a single sheet of a nylon, held on by shock cord with gromet at the corners, All you need is a draft blocker hanging below you.

    Ideas: for down under quilt use pattern ideas from thru-hiker quilt, make only the top half, custom to your hammock. Here is a good plan for a down quilt:

    Down is not difficult to work with.

    Another idea: Make this hammock. For your under-layer, put a sleeping pad in he pocket. No need to inflate it.

    http://www.imrisk.com/zhammock/zhammock.htm

    NB: Standard width pads (20") do not work in hammocks and are not needed.
    For a thru-hike take a pad. You might want to sleep on the ground or in a shelter as well as in your hammock. Since you use a tarp anyway, you now have a good shelter for sleeping on the ground.

    PS I have used all of the above methods while section hiking the AT, so they do work!

  3. #3
    Registered User Raul Perez's Avatar
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    I suggest you go to hammockforums.net as there are MANY do-it-yourself people making underquilts and top quilts. All are willing to show their specs and what they used for fabric.

    An underquilt attaches to the bottom of your hammock and acts like a sleeping pad. They come in 2/3, 3/4, and full length hammock sizes. I personally use a 2/3 underquilt as I'm short 5'4" and it takes up less room in my pack. You will need the underquilt snug against your hammock with no gaps to retain the heat. Also, with 2/3 underquilts you will need some small pad to insulate your legs/feet. I use the gossamer gear thinlight pad 1/8" for summer and 1/4" for winter.

    Top quilts are basically a sleeping bag design with no mummy hood and the back part is taken out (as the under quilt acts as your back part.

    Here'a video of my winter set up with the top quilt, under quilt made by Brandon at Warbonnetoutdoors.net

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdFsEoyChPo

    And here is what it looks like when its put together (see 5:20 in the video)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSMTbRmumwk

    Hope this helps. I also suggest looking at Shugemery's videos on youtube. He did a multipart series on hammocks for people beginning their adventures on using them.

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Raul Perez View Post
    I suggest you go to hammockforums.net as there are MANY do-it-yourself people making underquilts and top quilts. All are willing to show their specs and what they used for fabric.

    An underquilt attaches to the bottom of your hammock and acts like a sleeping pad. They come in 2/3, 3/4, and full length hammock sizes. I personally use a 2/3 underquilt as I'm short 5'4" and it takes up less room in my pack. You will need the underquilt snug against your hammock with no gaps to retain the heat. Also, with 2/3 underquilts you will need some small pad to insulate your legs/feet. I use the gossamer gear thinlight pad 1/8" for summer and 1/4" for winter.

    Top quilts are basically a sleeping bag design with no mummy hood and the back part is taken out (as the under quilt acts as your back part.

    Here'a video of my winter set up with the top quilt, under quilt made by Brandon at Warbonnetoutdoors.net

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdFsEoyChPo

    And here is what it looks like when its put together (see 5:20 in the video)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSMTbRmumwk

    Hope this helps. I also suggest looking at Shugemery's videos on youtube. He did a multipart series on hammocks for people beginning their adventures on using them.
    Seeing it put together helps quite a bit. thanks

    I keep wondering... could a setup like this be used as a sleeping bag on the ground with a pad if one wanted to do it that way?

  5. #5
    Registered User Raul Perez's Avatar
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    You could as long as you have a good pad I dont see any problem in it.

  6. #6

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    Would i really need a double layered hammock for the thru hike? Would a single layer hammock, bug netting, tarp, sleeping pad, under, and overquilt that would be good right?

    And what would I do when the seasons get warmer anyway...

  7. #7
    Registered User Raul Perez's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edvvard View Post
    Would i really need a double layered hammock for the thru hike? Would a single layer hammock, bug netting, tarp, sleeping pad, under, and overquilt that would be good right?

    And what would I do when the seasons get warmer anyway...
    I wouldnt bring a sleeping pad unless I was planning on going to the ground.

    3 season I use the same set up but with the 3 season under quilt and top quilt rated to 30*.

    The single and double layer really depends on your weight. Up to about 180lbs you can use the single layer 1.1 ripstop nylon. After that you would want to think about doing a double layer.

    my set up for my 5 1/2 day hike on the AT this weekend is this:

    1.1 single layer warbonnet blackbird hammock
    3 season yeti underquilt (11 ounces)
    3 season top quilt (19 ounces)
    cut down 1/8" thinlight pad (1.8 ounces)
    MacCat Deluxe SpinnUL tarp (12 ounces)

  8. #8
    Registered User Raul Perez's Avatar
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    Default

    It looks like you already have a thread on hammockforums.net. Most people here on whiteblaze are also on hammock forums.

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by Raul Perez View Post
    It looks like you already have a thread on hammockforums.net. Most people here on whiteblaze are also on hammock forums.
    Yep. I wasn't sure of which forum moved faster...

  10. #10
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    A double layer hammock keeps the mosquitoes from biting thru the hammock but will not help if you do not use with bug netting for the rest of the hammock. Also a double layer hammock allows you to place a sleeping pad inbetween the two layers.

    Check out WarBonnet hammocks.

    Like others have said, go to HammockForums.net for all things related to hammocks.
    Hammock Hanger by choice

    Warbonnet BlackBird 1.7 dbl


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  11. #11
    Registered User Fiddleback's Avatar
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    Default

    From the OP, I get the impression that a light pad and a sleeping bag used as a top quilt would be the simplest and cheapest alternative...especially if your three-season hanging is near your mid-west home area.

    That said, there is at least one other alternative..."none of the above." Given my home range I have to carry cold weather clothing all the time...any summer night can hit freezing and the extreme ends of a May thru October camping season features hard freezes though still warm days. So, I've integrated the cold weather clothing into my sleep system and leave the bag/quilt at home. With a 3/8", 7oz pad I'm comfortable to the mid/low-20's with the pad being the limiting factor keeping me from going lower.

    It's my area's climate that makes this work...I get a dual-use benefit and the accompanying weight and bulk savings while remaining comfortable and safe. YMMV.

    FB
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  12. #12
    Springer-->Stony Brook Road VT MedicineMan's Avatar
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    Default

    Edvvard, you'd also asked about peapods. I guess you know by now the peapod completely surrounds the hammock and won't work if you have a hammock with integral netting. I used a Speer PeaPod last weekend this past January on Mt.Rogers where temps got down to 8F...actually I used a double peapod system with a Wallcreeper completely around the hammock and then a PeaPod around it...overkill for sure. Some sleeping bags like the WM Ponderosa are large enough to act as a PeaPod too and I'm sure there are others.
    As you are studying underquilts look at the MacIX (made of insultex), there is currently a thru-hiker named SnowWhite who is using the MacIX and getting good results...the positives of insultex uq's are price and no fear of getting it wet but the low is that is does not compress-luckily a thin layer is getting good temp ratings.
    My favorite system is the Warbonnet system but as I found out on my last hike (last month between Pawling,NY and Bennington,VT) the 3 season Mamba (Warbonnet top quilt) can often be too warm.
    Glad you figured out that typical sleeping bags in hammocks will work as TQs but are superfluous in the bottom section since you will really want to put insulation under the hammock where it won't compress (assuming a down underquilt).
    Good luck as you progress toward the heavens
    Start out slow, then slow down.

  13. #13

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    Does anyone know the dimensions of a top quilt normally? I decided to start by making that particular piece and i'm going for 2 or 2.5 inches of loft.

  14. #14
    Musta notta gotta lotta sleep last night. Heater's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edvvard View Post
    If overquilt/underquilt, are there any specs out there for them? and how does the overquilt even work? Is it used as just a blanket you cover up with?


    Thanks
    Here are underquilt directions.

    Here.

    P.S. Those directions are for the type of hammock that you lie on diagonally.
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  15. #15
    Registered User kayak karl's Avatar
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    I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.

  16. #16

    Default Baffles for top quilt?

    what size baffles are normally used here for top quilts? I was making a little pattern for it and figured 5 inch baffles would work for my quilt, but as I have never really made one i'd rather not mess it up.

    Are smaller baffles better?
    Thru Hiker in Planning.

  17. #17
    Some days, it's not worth chewing through the restraints.
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    It doesn't have to be complicated: I use a pad (either Prolite or BA Insulated aircore, both in short version) and a sleeping bag. I don't find CCF pads comfortable in my hammock, and I haven't found the need to a double layer hammock, either. I ahve a Hennesy Ultralite Backpacker and a Warbonnet Blackbird. YMMV.

    The bag is unzipped except for about 18" at the bottom for a footsack, and the rest is on top of me like a quilt. This pad/bag combo keeps me just about as warm as the bag's rating. This combo also lets me sleep on the ground or in a shelter should I choose to do so... something an underquilt setup does not accomodate.

  18. #18

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    How much you want to spend, how well you can sew, how much space in your pack you can dedicate to your shelter/sleep system, how much weight you want to carry, how warm you sleep, and how many separate components you want to deal with when setting up/tearing down will all influence your decisions. I have four hammocks but primary use a Hennessy with dual Bozeman Mountain Gear quilts (one on top/one underneath) on the A.T. since it "always" rains. Two tree straps, integrated tarp - hammock - bug net, 4 stakes, 2 quilts - total weight under 4 pounds and setup time under 4 minutes. Probably wouldn't work for anyone else, but it works for me.

  19. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by Edvvard View Post
    what size baffles are normally used here for top quilts? I was making a little pattern for it and figured 5 inch baffles would work for my quilt, but as I have never really made one i'd rather not mess it up.

    Are smaller baffles better?
    the height of your baffles will determine the temps you're able to use the quilt in. higher baffles and you'll be adding more down so you'll have a "winter quilt". 5" baffles would diffinately qualify as a winter quilt!!! I've made 2 over quilts, both down. A summer and a winter. Summer has 1" baffles, total weight is 1pound. My winter is the same size but with 5" baffles, weight total is 2 pounds. When the temps go above about 40 degrees at night, I can't use my winter quilt because it's flat out to hot. Above 75 degrees at night and I'm not using my summer quilt either!! It's too hot!! Then I just carry a silk top sheet. You can also make your baffle height in the mid range (like 3") but you will need extra clothes during the winter and something else during warmer temps. Also please note that the temps you're comfortable at with such and such gear is subjective to your personaly. I may be colder or hotter with the same gear.

  20. #20

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    ok, sorry to take such a long absence from this topic. I'm coming back to ask a question about a summer weight quilt...

    I'd like to have a Down quilt. I'm thinking 1.5 inches of loft per baffle would be nice. I figure this should get me from 40 plus degrees.

    I'm no expert on the matter, though... Is this a good idea? 1.5 inches loft seems like it would nothing.

    http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...?t=4362&page=3 I got my information from here...
    Thru Hiker in Planning.

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