UQ water proofing?

[mpvisc00]

Okay, searched the forum and if its there, I apologize because I missed it.

I just finished making my "costco underquilt", I'll spare the details as it has been beaten to death on every backpacking site out there (which was immensly helpful since I needed an UQ ASAP and for cheap).

Question is, should I be adding one of those waterproofing sprays to the exterior side (the under under part) of it? Would using one of these products cause moisture buildup inside the quilt, or damage the down? Perhaps it's better to let it be as it is so it can get wet, and subsequently dry itself?

I have a Hennessy hammock (if it matters), and use the stock tarp which has kept be sufficiently dry on rainy nights.

Thanks kids!

[dakotaross]

No, you want it to be breathable. You pass a lot of moisture in vapor form through the quilt as you sleep. Folks typically use a separate underquilt protector (UQP) as an outside water resistant layer. Given good site selection, you shouldn't have a problem with the stock tarp, but an UQP would be a worthwhile investment.

http://www.2qzqhammockhanger.com/ham...cessories.html

Scroll down on that page for the UQPs.

[bser272]

Second the UQP. If you don't want to buy one, they are easy enough to DIY.

[RichardDavies]

Forgive my ignorance, but assuming you're using a tarp, why would a UQP ever be necessary?

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[goobie]

Forgive my ignorance, but assuming you're using a tarp, why would a UQP ever be necessary?

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Too small of a tarp, meaning your hammock hangs below the sides of it, will not block the wind that will pull the heat out of your UQ. Splashing rain can also get your UQ wet.

[SilvrSurfr]

Forgive my ignorance, but assuming you're using a tarp, why would a UQP ever be necessary?

As goobie said, many people don't have 4-season tarps with doors and are subject to blowing precipitation. I use a 4-season tarp with doors and don't need a UQP. My UQ has never gotten wet (though I was once in a snowstorm where the winds left a couple of inches of snow on top of my TQ).

I think it all depends on where you camp and what kind of blowing precipitation you experience. Here in the Northeast, I live two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and there's a swamp and a river behind me. The winds are brutal, shifting all the time with gusts up to 30 mph. Even a mild rain could thoroughly soak my UQ if I had a skimpy tarp and no UQP. Mountainous areas can also have unpredictable, shifting winds.

[RichardDavies]

As goobie said, many people don't have 4-season tarps with doors and are subject to blowing precipitation. I use a 4-season tarp with doors and don't need a UQP. My UQ has never gotten wet (though I was once in a snowstorm where the winds left a couple of inches of snow on top of my TQ).

I think it all depends on where you camp and what kind of blowing precipitation you experience. Here in the Northeast, I live two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and there's a swamp and a river behind me. The winds are brutal, shifting all the time with gusts up to 30 mph. Even a mild rain could thoroughly soak my UQ if I had a skimpy tarp and no UQP. Mountainous areas can also have unpredictable, shifting winds.

Interesting. In such conditions it would seem to me that the best solution would be to just use a larger tarp to ensure adequate protection. Then your entire hammock is protected instead of just the UQ.

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[Afterparty]

Double the cost and bigger TARPS wheigh more if you are concerned about weight

[PappyAmos]

Interesting. In such conditions it would seem to me that the best solution would be to just use a larger tarp to ensure adequate protection. Then your entire hammock is protected instead of just the UQ.

Yeah, I have just such a tarp. Made it from 1.6 Silpoly. 11' long by 14' wide. Using an external pole mod it sets up 7' high, 5 1/2' in the middle with 4' high walls that go all the way to the ground. With the doors closed I don't need a UQP in driving rain or a blizzard. Of course, it weighs 3 1/2 lbs. Only made it for car camping / group hangs. Would never think of carrying it on my back! There's the rub. The more coverage you want from a tarp, the more it weighs and the more it costs.

My 2QZQ UQP and my HG CF Standard Tarp with doors has kept me dry in some pretty wet conditions. The combination is light enough for these nearly 70 year old bones to carry. However, I covet the Surfr's Winter Palace. Some day!

[Freestone]

Spray on waterproofing (aka DWR or Durable Water Repellent treatment) that is meant for outdoor fabrics will not effect the breathability of your UQ. For instance, most breathable waterproof outdoor fabrics come pre-treated with a DWR. The two most common DWR's are made by NixWax and Grangers and you won't go wrong with either.

You can also turn your Costco down into hydrophobic/waterproof down by using NixWax's wash-in "Down Proof". Several of the big sleeping bag manufacturers use NixWax down treatment in their hydrophobic down products.