UQ sewn to hammock

[voortvarende]

Sorry for the language problems, English is not my native tongue (Dutch is), I hope this is intelligible?

I am new to hammocking, at 62 years old. I am still active as a seascout, but sleeping on a pad became impossible. Nervertheless I had a last great dream I wanted to do: walking the "haute route" Chamonix - Zermatt with some of my scouts, coming september.
So I bought a hammock: Hennessy Expedition asym classic. As far as my information goes (theory only up to now) it should give me (or my bones) a new start.
However: the "Haute route" means walking 1000m+ up- and downhill, every day, so I will have to save weight as much as possible or I won't make it.
I weigh 88kg, I am 1,78m tall: I am not a lightweight. I am altready on a diet, my aim: 79kg.

One of my problems is insulation: I understand that hammocks are cold on the back, without proper precautions.
I seek advise:
To save weight, is it possible to make a limited underquilt, say only a strip 2m long, 80cm wide, just under the place were I lay (so; diagonally), SEWN DIRECTLY TO THE HAMMOCK? Does that work?? I am not an active sleeper: once I sleep, I am a log.
That UQ, combined with a top quilt, both quilts made with Climashield APEX XL - 5 oz/sq yd, and 0.66 oz/yd² MEMBRANE 10 taffeta nylon, should keep me warm?
I have no experience with hammocks, and I do not have years to learn the hard way: next summer I have to be ready, if not I do not only spell ruin for MY trip (no problem there...), but for those of my scouts as well.
So: my question to you experienced hangers: do you think it possible, or do I have to carry a complete quilt over the Alps??

[Phantom Grappler]

Your English is great and I don't speak Dutch--so you are a step ahead of me. Some of us have underquilt permanently attached to hammock, but most use underquilt and hammock seperately and attach them each night. It is best to test your hammock and insulation in your back yard or close to your home so you can bail out if you get too cold. Watch Shug's YouTube videos on How to hang a hammock. It's a ten part series that shows suspensions insulation and tarps. After rereading my post--your English is better than mine. Good luck!


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[kitsapcowboy]

Sorry for the language problems, English is not my native tongue (Dutch is), I hope this is intelligible?

Greetings, voortvarende, and welcome to HF. It is my duty to inform you that most American native English-speakers are unfamiliar with the word "intelligible"; if your post is unintelligible to anyone, it's likely that the miscommunication stems from their lack of vocabulary, not from your grammar or diction. Therefore, I think you're in the clear...

Your English is great and I don't speak Dutch--so you are a step ahead of me. Some of us have underquilt permanently attached to hammock, but most use underquilt and hammock seperately and attach them each night. It is best to test your hammock and insulation in your back yard or close to your home so you can bail out if you get too cold. Watch Shug's YouTube videos on How to hang a hammock. It's a ten part series that shows suspensions insulation and tarps. After rereading my post--your English is better than mine. Good luck!

It is my humble advice that you follow Phantom Grappler's advice, i.e., +1.

[johnspenn]

Sorry for the language problems, English is not my native tongue (Dutch is), I hope this is intelligible?

I am new to hammocking, at 62 years old. I am still active as a seascout, but sleeping on a pad became impossible. Nervertheless I had a last great dream I wanted to do: walking the "haute route" Chamonix - Zermatt with some of my scouts, coming september.
So I bought a hammock: Hennessy Expedition asym classic. As far as my information goes (theory only up to now) it should give me (or my bones) a new start.
However: the "Haute route" means walking 1000m+ up- and downhill, every day, so I will have to save weight as much as possible or I won't make it.
I weigh 88kg, I am 1,78m tall: I am not a lightweight. I am altready on a diet, my aim: 79kg.

One of my problems is insulation: I understand that hammocks are cold on the back, without proper precautions.
I seek advise:
To save weight, is it possible to make a limited underquilt, say only a strip 2m long, 80cm wide, just under the place were I lay (so; diagonally), SEWN DIRECTLY TO THE HAMMOCK? Does that work?? I am not an active sleeper: once I sleep, I am a log.
That UQ, combined with a top quilt, both quilts made with Climashield APEX XL - 5 oz/sq yd, and 0.66 oz/yd² MEMBRANE 10 taffeta nylon, should keep me warm?
I have no experience with hammocks, and I do not have years to learn the hard way: next summer I have to be ready, if not I do not only spell ruin for MY trip (no problem there...), but for those of my scouts as well.
So: my question to you experienced hangers: do you think it possible, or do I have to carry a complete quilt over the Alps??

There are vendors that sell hammocks this way (bonefiregear.com for instance) and I have also seen some threads in the DIY section where people have done their own. A little digging and Google-Fu may help you find them. You would need to be pretty proficient running a sewing machine, I would think, to be able to do something like that yourself.

All that said, yes, it is possible.

[curlymaple42]

I would also add, given the rigorous nature of your trek, you may want to consider down insulation, although it is more expensive. It is just a lot lighter and packs down smaller is all.

[voortvarende]

Thank you all for the input. I was already planning to:
-install two hanging points in my cellar, to familiarize myself with my new "furniture", and to determine my most comfortable laying position
-use the hammock with my old sleeping pad and (heavy) sleeping bag during a 3 day scouts trip early march, and several times thereafter.
-with the (hopefully) definitive gear participate in a 4 day trek organized by the Belgian Army in the mountainous regions in Wallonia in june. 30km+ per day, wich is MORE horizontal DISTANCE then in the Alps, but less vertical. That still leaves me July and August to sort out any unexpected kinks. I am not worried about my trekking skills...
@curlymaple42: I considered down, but decided for climashield apex for three reasons: 1)(obvious) the price; 2)The fear of damaging my hammock due to the complicated stitching when using down (all those baffles!). I am not a novice with a sewing machine, but there are a lot of unknowns here for me: unknown textile, the insulation itself, how vulnerable is the hammock?? Better safe than sorry? 3) I used some down-filled sleeping bags in the past and I know they are vulnerable to all kinds of humidity. If we are trekking for three days in constant rain (I hope not!!), whatever you do: everything is humid, part rain, part sweat, part accumulated condensation. Then a down filed bag becomes very heavy and very cold. Just when you need it the most...

[jellyfish]

How cold will the minimum temperatures be where you are headed?


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[Shug]

You cann see Strung Out's hammock with built in UQ at 1:15 in video below.
Shug

[Kroma]

You cann see Strung Out's hammock with built in UQ at 1:15 in video below.
Shug

That's a really cool hammock strung out made. Did he ever post anywhere how he made it?

[Shug]

That's a really cool hammock strung out made. Did he ever post anywhere how he made it?

I don't think so. Maybe search his name.


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