Power 4-way stretch mesh pad sleeve

[4x4Dragon]

So i've caught myself eyeing UQ's lately only to be reminded how expensive and heavy they can be which is important the a lightweight backpacker like myself. Not to mention potentially dangerous if/when caught in a situation where i wouldn't be able to hang my hammock as an UQ would be pretty much useless if I had to go to the ground. Anyways, i'm very stubborn and do NOT want to give up on pads and potentially making them easier to use with a hammock. My idea is to go buy some power stretch mesh fabric(similar to what's used on the stretch pockets of backpacks etc..) and make a proper, custom formed pad sleeve.

For a little bit of history i have been using pads for a few years now and have never found them to be inadequate for keeping my backside warm, even down into the 20's and with the 1/8" gossamer gear pad. (i think theres alot of misunderstanding on the differences between CCF and air pads, btw....i'm afraid many people think an air pad, as thick as it may be, should insulate better than anything thinner). The only trouble i have had is of course the pad shifting situation and making sure i'm perfectly centered on the 20" wide pads. Having a DL hammock has helped with movement but still allows some shifting and more problematic, buckling in the pad. DL hammocks are just too generic..... as in 1 big ol sleeve is there for a smaller footprint pad to just shift and float around. Enough rambling...., my aim is to get some stretch fabric to make a more custom, formable pad sleeve. My thought is the stretch will allow the pad to mold to my body just enough without allowing it to leave air gaps and/or buckling. I'm also thinking that the sweet spot for width is somewhere in the 24-26" range and I will be looking at around 48-54" in length, to start.

Hoping I can get some insight from anyone that has already tried this and any thoughts you may just have about the idea ?

[psyculman]

Since you are weight conscience, have you weighed any mesh material you might use? I have a small piece of the standard 1/4 " mesh commonly used in school backpacks etc. which is about 2 ft. sq. and it weighs 6 oz. Proportionally, the cargo netting made to go across the trunk of my car is a lot lighter, and would do the same thing, and those would be available from many sources. Of course there are a lot of mesh fabrics to choose from. Great idea using mesh for a under pad, please post how it works out.

qtr inch mesh .jpg cargo net.jpg

[4x4Dragon]

Since you are weight conscience, have you weighed any mesh material you might use? I have a small piece of the standard 1/4 " mesh commonly used in school backpacks etc. which is about 2 ft. sq. and it weighs 6 oz. Proportionally, the cargo netting made to go across the trunk of my car is a lot lighter, and would do the same thing, and those would be available from many sources. Of course there are a lot of mesh fabrics to choose from. Great idea using mesh for a under pad, please post how it works out.

qtr inch mesh .jpg cargo net.jpg

I may eventually try that netting out.... Just picked up some stretch fabric over the weekend and yard comes in at about 10ounces! Yikes! But I'm thinking I could get by with using only about half of that fabric since it does stretch after all. So for example I will be experimenting first with a 3/4 thermarest ridgecrest pad. So a good start I think will be 75% of its 20x48" size.

[campergf23]

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out!

[psyculman]

Have you thought about a piece of fish netting?

[Country Roads]

Not sure how durable it would be, but maybe nanomesh would work. It is light, some has a lot of stretch.

[gargoyle]

Since shifting of the pad is the problem, why use stretch net material??
If you have a specific spot you like your pad, mark it out, and sew a dedicated pocket using your two layers. That will keep the pad exactly where you want it. A few stitches will weigh nothing as opposed to your netting idea. The pad can still be removable if you leave a small opening at one end.

It will be more fiddly than two loose layers.

[zukiguy]

I think there have been some posts on here about folks using a mesh jungle hammock as a bottom layer. That might be an easy way to try out the concept...string the mesh hammock under your hammock from some elastic and see how that works out. Just an alternate idea....