JRB Mt Washington with Dutchware Chameleon

I just got a Jacks r Better Mt Washington to work with my kids Chameleon. A nice quilt for sure.

Though there is one issue that I have worked around for now but curious about other options. One thing I like about the Chameleon is the UQ clips. I had not seen those before and kind of wish they were in every hammock. For those unfamiliar, there are two ‘clips’ at each end of the hammock that fit perfectly over the shock cord that runs along the sides of many UQs that hold the quilt in position (eight total clips, two each corner)). And as you can tell, I like them. They do a great job stopping the quilt from shifting during the night.

but the JrB quilt does not come with the suspension being based on a line of shock cord that runs the entire quilt length (unlike my UGQ or Wise Owl). Now this is OK as I kind of felt like the UGQ UQ needed some formal education on how to get it set up. And nothing against UGQ, but there are many things I wish I had done differently on that purchase. Sometimes hammock manufacturers can give you too many options and more than you should be playing with. I now use that super high end, wide, long UQ as a TQ. And super happy with it. But yeah. I should have done a few things differently.

Anyway, back to the JrB and nothing to clip to on the side. There is a small fold of fabric on the sides that look perfect to pass some shock cord through. I have some suspension gear about (see converting the UGQ UQ to a TQ). So I taped the shock cord to a chopstick and started fishing. And got to the fabric tie which is sewn through( no way to pass the shock cord the length of the quilt without slicing the fabric which is not a runner).

Good times. I have now fished some shock cord as far as I can (sans chop stick) and it works Ok. One end, it appears that there is a flap of fabric in the way so I can only get enough cord in for the first clip to fasten but it the second. This is on the head and probable entry side based on side bag, so not a big deal. It also not ideal.

if others have other ideas what to do I am interested. I consider the JrB with the DW chameleon marginal for equipment compatibility without effort. I am currently happy with the setup. So just getting this out there for other people thinking about this equipment match,

I think there are some grosgrain loops on the side of the quilt? Try a length of shockcord from one, over the ridgeline, to the corresponding one on the other side.

Ugh. Why did this not exist when I bought my quilt…

https://dutchwaregear.com/product/ch...eid=1c5b4573fa

though happy to see continued innovation…

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean McC

Ugh. Why did this not exist when I bought my quilt…

https://dutchwaregear.com/product/ch...eid=1c5b4573fa

though happy to see continued innovation…

Yep, bought one within minutes of recieving the email from Dutch as I had been looking for a 20* UQ... few weeks out of course, but hoping it simplifies the setup - looks like it should.

That zip-on UQ is such a tempting product. If I freeze my butt off this weekend I have a feeling I'll be joining in the pre-order party.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean McC

I just got a Jacks r Better Mt Washington to work with my kids Chameleon. A nice quilt for sure.

Though there is one issue that I have worked around for now but curious about other options. One thing I like about the Chameleon is the UQ clips. I had not seen those before and kind of wish they were in every hammock. For those unfamiliar, there are two ‘clips’ at each end of the hammock that fit perfectly over the shock cord that runs along the sides of many UQs that hold the quilt in position (eight total clips, two each corner)). And as you can tell, I like them. They do a great job stopping the quilt from shifting during the night.

but the JrB quilt does not come with the suspension being based on a line of shock cord that runs the entire quilt length (unlike my UGQ or Wise Owl). Now this is OK as I kind of felt like the UGQ UQ needed some formal education on how to get it set up. And nothing against UGQ, but there are many things I wish I had done differently on that purchase. Sometimes hammock manufacturers can give you too many options and more than you should be playing with. I now use that super high end, wide, long UQ as a TQ. And super happy with it. But yeah. I should have done a few things differently.

Anyway, back to the JrB and nothing to clip to on the side. There is a small fold of fabric on the sides that look perfect to pass some shock cord through. I have some suspension gear about (see converting the UGQ UQ to a TQ). So I taped the shock cord to a chopstick and started fishing. And got to the fabric tie which is sewn through( no way to pass the shock cord the length of the quilt without slicing the fabric which is not a runner).

Good times. I have now fished some shock cord as far as I can (sans chop stick) and it works Ok. One end, it appears that there is a flap of fabric in the way so I can only get enough cord in for the first clip to fasten but it the second. This is on the head and probable entry side based on side bag, so not a big deal. It also not ideal.

if others have other ideas what to do I am interested. I consider the JrB with the DW chameleon marginal for equipment compatibility without effort. I am currently happy with the setup. So just getting this out there for other people thinking about this equipment match,

Does your new MW4 still have the "end" suspension as my older MW3 ( and the MW4 that I used to have ) did? If so, you might find that no secondary suspension or quilt clips are needed. I certainly never needed them with my gathered end(and probably did not need them with my bridge) hammocks, where as I probably do with my 3/4 length JRB Greylock and WB Yeti.

Explanation: Most UQs that have a full surround suspension hang down from those suspensions. There is a tendency for these quilts to slide down the suspension, by way of the suspension channel. It is what I(maybe others did as well) long ago called "accordion effect". (affect?) This might result in a gap some where along the quilt, or little channels that cold air can use as a highway seeking the low point of butt or back. It is especially easy to see on a bridge hammock(varies with brand), with it's highly tensioned sides. The quilt is effectively shortened by this sag, and no reasonable amount of tightening the main suspension will improve this. Hence, the secondary suspensions which were developed a few years after these suspensions showed up. Quilt hooks might help as well.

But the JRB "end" style suspension already accomplishes what a secondary suspension does: it pulls on the ends of the hammock, varying amounts depending on how tight you adjust the suspension. But it always pulls on the ends. Thus, the quilt will not shorten or accordion, causing gaps and drafts. (a secondary suspension adds some pull towards the ends). I have only needed a secondary suspension( or at least felt like I needed it) with my shorter UQs which had a full surround suspension that ran thru channels on both sides of the UQ.

Of course, that is not going to help you much if a quilt is slipping off your shoulder(often from having either type suspension too tight) or if the suspension(of either type) is not adjusted tight enough and gaps develop. Some clips might help with that, if actually needed. I don't recall ever needing any of that with my JRB full length MWs especially on a gathered end hammock. But many seem to have those problems.

Ironically, I often did suspect I needed something to hold the sides up better when using either full length or shorter UQs on a bridge hammock. While being snug as a bug against my back, I would often notice a gap between the top edge of the quilt and the top, stiff edges of a bridge hammock. I would sometimes run shockcord from one edge of the quilt to the other, to snug up that gap. But, honestly, I'm not sure that made things any warmer or was even needed in the first place. Because even if there was a gap along the top edges, there was never a body part laying up that high anyway, and I'm pretty sure that within a short distance down from that gap, the UQs were in full contact with the hammock. And for sure, any place a body part of mine was in contact with the hammock(compressing any top insulation) had plenty of UQ down contacting that part of the outside of the hammock. Bottom line: gaps at the top edge or not, I was always plenty warm at or below the quilts ratings, with either the JRB full length or shorter quilts, or a WB Yeti.

From JRB: ".............
“Seriously, is a shock cord and 2 carabiners gonna work… It can’t be this simple”
“Why don’t you include a secondary suspension?”
The simple answers are. Yes it is and it’s not necessary with JRB underquilts and can work against getting the perfect hang.
Since we are by nature a curious bunch here is a bit more detail.

In 2004 we tested several different underquilt suspension designs the clear winner being an elastic end suspension for full-length underquilts. However a few years later while designing our first partial-length underquilt we found a channel suspension to be the best solution.
End Underquilt Suspension:

https://www.jacksrbetter.com/wp-cont...suspension.jpgThe simple but very effective JRB Underquilt Suspension
An end suspension is a simple length of cordage that connects the hammock suspension to the ends of the underquilt.
Since there is no need to adjust a full-length quilt, and a channel suspension is heavier, requiring a suspension (which adds more weight) to hold it in place. As a result, we chose to use an elastic end suspension on our full-length quilts.
Adding a secondary suspension to our full-length quilts can cause the quilt to drape and fall away from the hammock, causing an air gap.
In summary, key reasons why we chose the elastic end suspension over other solutions are for our full-length quilts:

Simplicity
Lightweight
Works on any hammock
Allows the quilt to move along with the user as they move around in the hammock

For an example of how to hang our full-length hammock underquilts check out this video: Hanging a Nest on a Hennessy Hammock
Channel Underquilt Suspension:

https://www.jacksrbetter.com/wp-cont...k43-300-px.jpgChannel Suspension on A Mt Greylock Partial Length Quilt
A channel suspension runs cordage through the length of the side hem of the underquilt.
Channel suspensions enable the moving of the quilt along the length of a hammock. Obviously, channel suspensions are a great solution for partial-length quilts.
The challenge with channel suspensions is that the ends of the underquilt slide towards the middle of the hammock. As a result, the quilt sags away from the hammock in the center and causes a cold spot. Consequently, another solution must be added to hold the quilt in place.
Jack does a great job of showing the challenges of through-channel suspensions and ways to fix them in this video. Greylock Hang Tips
Have a good one!
-Don"
https://www.jacksrbetter.com/hammock...lt-suspension/