How to add insulation to a "PLUQ" Poncho Liner Underquilt for 3 Season Hammock Camping

[KdawgCrazy]

Adding Climashield to a PLUQ thumbnail 2 copy.jpg

I just did a video for my Outdoors/Backpacking YouTube channel with step by step instructions on how I added a yard of 6.0 ounce weight Climashield insulation to a DIY No Sew Poncho Liner Under Quilt and sewed it closed.

This is the direct link to the video https://youtu.be/yB9MFwHH0Jw

The Climashield cost me $12 from Dutch at https://www.dutchwaregear.com/climashield-apex.html. It took my wife and I about 3 hours to complete. I took it out on a trip the next day and was a little too warm at 48F degrees and I usually sleep cold.

I think we may need to sew the long side down another inch to give the insulation more room to loft up. I was just worried about creating an air gap. It’s all about experimenting. Then I think I’d easily be comfy down to 35F degrees. I also plan on stacking this UQ with my Hammock Gear 20F degree Incubator UQ for really cold winter hammock camping.

For step by step instructions on how to create the quick DIY NO SEW Poncho Liner Under Quilt made from a US Military Poncho Liner click my video link here https://youtu.be/vsWOelVXuoI

For additional ways to create and insulate the PLUQ check out:
http://theultimatehang.com/2013/01/d...ew-and-no-sew/

and of course you can search for the PLUQ here on

https://hammockforums.net


Materials I Used (I already had some of the shock cord and cord locks so my cost was around $45 Plus $12 for the Climashield insulation):

1 - Poncho Liner $20-$36 (Purchased mine on EBay for $36) New US Military for durability
2 - Cord Locks $2-$4 (I used 3 more than what the instructions required to add more adjustability)
230 inches of 1/8" Shock Cord - $3-$4 (Got mine on Amazon.com) I used less than recommended
84 inches of 3/32" Shock Cord - $4 (Purchased at Cabela's in a package of 45 feet)
Optional 120 inches of 3/32" Shock Cord for Secondary Suspension
2 - Plastic Nite Ize S-Biners $3-$4 (any small carabineers will work...these have a 10 lbs. limit)
Climashield – Weight 6.0 ounce/sq yard $12 from https://www.dutchwaregear.com/climashield-apex.html.

Tools Used:

Scissors, lighter, small Allen Wrench
Optional - wire or coat hanger and pliers to feed cord through the channels on the poncho liner
Sewing Machine to attach the insulation and to close the PLUQ
Gator Clips to hold the pleated head and foot ends in place for sewing closed

Since I'm relatively new to the whole hammock camping scene I'm still collecting the gear I need to be comfortable, safe and warm. I did purchase a Winter 20 degree under quilt from HammockGear.com but still needed an affordable warm weather under quilt. After weighing my options and my budget (spent too much on the winter underquilt) I settled on a DIY no sew solution that was easy, quick and cheap for a warm weather option. Later I decided that I really needed an extra layer of insulation because I sleep cold and the poncho liner alone left me with a cold butt. Dutch to the rescue with affordable Climashield.

A resource I found very helpful was http://theultimatehang.com/ Almost everything you need to know about hammock camping can be found at this site and they do also have a book. This is where I found the instructions to build my PLUQ...with a few mods of my own.

Also don't forget to search for the PLUQ here on https://hammockforums.net to answer ANY questions you might have on hammock camping. These guys are awesome, friendly and very knowledgeable. They have a TON of information on the PLUQ from people who have built their own and used them for years.

And...Check out https://www.youtube.com/user/shugemery Mr. Shug Shugedy shug shug for some awesome, entertaining and educational hammock camping videos. He's also a big hammockforums.net member. No really. Check out his YouTube channel. You'll love it. He's an entertainer, juggler, unicycler and all around fun guy to watch.


Thanks guys. See you on the trail!

[OutandBack]

Wow what an excellent project thanks KDawg.

[BanjoPicker]

Both this and your original video are great. Thanks for taking the time to show how you did what you did!

Being a little bit dense, I don't quite understand what you mean by "we may need to sew the long side down another inch". In my naive understanding, you originally had the poncho liner folded exactly in half. Then you opened it up and put in the climashield. Then you fold it back up and sew it shut. Where does this "sewing down and inch" come into play? When you fold it back up, are you overlapping the open sides of the poncho liner by an inch? Or are you adding in extra material?

Thanks!

[dkurfiss]

Excellent! Thanks for posting.

[KdawgCrazy]

Excellent! Thanks for posting.

Your welcome.

[savagehangs]

Nice vid and a great idea. May have to try it out

[KdawgCrazy]

Nice vid and a great idea. May have to try it out

Thanks bro. I just re sewed it to make more baffle. Still don't think I have enough baffle yet. I also had to re do the suspension system to get rid of air gaps. Hopefully it works and I'll do a video on that next weekend.

[KdawgCrazy]

Wow what an excellent project thanks KDawg.

You're welcome. Thanks for watching.

[KdawgCrazy]

Both this and your original video are great. Thanks for taking the time to show how you did what you did!

Being a little bit dense, I don't quite understand what you mean by "we may need to sew the long side down another inch". In my naive understanding, you originally had the poncho liner folded exactly in half. Then you opened it up and put in the climashield. Then you fold it back up and sew it shut. Where does this "sewing down and inch" come into play? When you fold it back up, are you overlapping the open sides of the poncho liner by an inch? Or are you adding in extra material?

Thanks!

All the suspension is run through channels on the half of the PLUQ that your laying on. The other half of the PLUQ that we sewed the climasheild onto hangs loose. To create more baffling for that side when sewing it shut along the long open side we measured down and inch from when the shock cord is. So the top half overlaps the bottom allowing the bottom to sag. The more you over lap the more it sags below and creates that space for the insulation. If I had measured down 2 inches then I could tighten the PLUQ up against my back all I want and not compress the insulation under me and get ride of all the air gaps where the PLUQ wasn't even touching me before.

Not sure if I described that very well. Underquilt are complicated little buggers. I even updated my suspension so I could adjust it for a diagonal lay and found that that got rid of all the air gaps and form fitted the PLUQ for a more comfortable lay.