The Cowboy Tri-Wrangle Underquilt Adjuster
Finding myself with most of a spare hank of 7/64" Amsteel and a free hour on my hands after finishing the day's work before settling in for the evening, I decided to design and splice up an expedient all-Amsteel cord DIY alternative to the popular vendor-made triangular fabric "underquilt adjusters" that bring the attachment points for your full- or partial-length UQ inboard along the ridge line of your hammock, inducing a steeper angle to the quilt suspension at each end to combat sagging, slippage, Cold Butt Syndrome, and/or the dreaded "accordion effect".
Here was my result...
In all honesty, IMHO the commercial "underquilt adjusters" always seemed like an answer in search of a problem. I seldom have problems getting my underquilts to fit properly or stay put -- even my shortest one -- but I realize everyone has different hammocks, different quilts, different somatypes, and different levels of tolerance for fiddling with their underquilt suspension, so with these factors in mind I tried to replicate the function of the vendor-made adjusters with an easy no-sew design using only common components.
I designed this prototype to be sized appropriately for use with short (3/4-length) underquilts approximately 58" long.
To make one Tri-Wrangle (one of a pair, good for one end of a hammock), one requires these components:
* 10.5 feet of 7/64" Amsteel Blue
* One (1) mitten hook
* Two (2) small metal O-rings or split rings
(You will also need a loop turner or other splicing tool, a sharp blade, a ruler, and a permament marker. Double these supplies for a pair of TWs.)
1) Cut the Amsteel into one 108" length and one 18" length, and set the shorter piece aside. Taper all four cut ends of the cordage.
2) With the mitten hook threaded on the long piece of Amsteel, form a small 1/2" eyelet loop and capture the mitten hook with a locked brummel. Bury one free end of the long piece into the other side for approximately 1" and secure it with another locked brummel. Measure down each free end from this apex approximately 14" and mark each side with a dot from a permanent marker.
3) Mark in 3" from each end of the short 18" piece of Amsteel. Choose one end and create a locked brummel with one side of the looped longer Amsteel piece at one of the target points you marked, and bury the 3" free end in that side of the looped long piece in a direction back toward the apex with the mitten hook. Then do the same with the remaining end of the short piece in the opposite end of the looped long piece, also burying the 3" tail so that it points back toward the apex of the looped long piece. NB: You will have to get creative with your splicing skills in order to form the last locked brummel, but if you draw the long piece through the short piece first you will eventually figure it out... This step completes an isosceles triangle assemblage of Amsteel cord, having two equal sides of approximately 14" and base width of about 12"; there are long tails dangling from the two corners opposite the apex with the mitten hook.
4) Thread one small metal ring onto each remainiing long Amsteel tail, and mark each tail 1" and 6" away from the locked brummels merging the long and short Amsteel pieces on each side of the triangle.
5) To complete the adjuster, use your loop turner inserted from the 1" to the 6" mark on one tail to draw the free end of the tail and form an adjustable loop, similar to that found on a whoopie sling, so that it captures the metal ring; then bury the 3" section closest to the free end back upon itself inside that tail to form a stop that won't pull through the 5" constrictor section you just formed. Repeat these same actions on the remaining tail to complete the first adjuster, so that there is a loop with approximately 11" of adjustment on each side, and then repeat steps 1-5 to build the second adjuster in the pair of Tri-Wrangles.
(For full-length underquilts, fashion slightly shorter Tri-Wrangle adjusters with the sane 12" base width by reducing the measurement of the equilateral sides from 14" down to 12" or less.)
To install your Tri-Wrangles, use a mitten hook to snap one on to one gathered end of your hammock and drape the transverse (12) base cord over the structural ridge line of your hammock with a "whoopie" adjustable loop dangling on either side. Use a simple lark's head knot to lash the elastic primary suspension of your underquilt to the small metal ring captured by each adjustable loop on the TW, and then use the constrictor to adjust the loop length on each side for the desired tension and fit for the quilt at the steeper improved angle. Repeat these installation steps with the second TW at the opposite end of the hammock, and you're done...
In limited testing this evening, these homemade Tri-Wrangle UQ adjusters worked well. The "whoopie" loops work well to snug up the existing elastic lines of the quilt's primary suspension without permanent modification -- all with very little fuss.
A pair of Tri-Wrangle adjusters weigh in at no more than 36 grams (1.27 oz) and cost about $7 to make. This makes them a viable alternative to the vendor-made product, offering a 27% weight reduction at only about one third the cost, a nice option for a quick fix when you don't have time to go online and order the real thing before your next big camping trip. The Tri-Wrangles aren't as nice looking as the real thing, but they are presentable, functional, and easy to use. You'll be able to make a pair of TWs from supplies you probably have on hand already with enough Amsteel left from a 23-foot hank to make yourself an extra continuous loop.
Give this trick a try the next time you have an ornery underquilt and an hour to kill. Thanks for reading...
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Originally Posted by leiavoia
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