Down UQ with Clew Suspension

[Cruiser51]

I overhauled my camping gear for this year, making a new hammock/TQ/Tarp and UQ, the UQ is new for me as I have always found a way to use my Exped Downmat 9, but with a GE hammock that wasn't going to happen.

This one is designed for -23C, 78" x 58", 850 white goose down, 12 clews and is done in khaki and Dark olive to match the hammock.

Thanks to Levia for bringing the idea to us and Jellyfish for her excellent video on doing the suspension and Catsplat for the quilt calculator ....

Inside


Outside


the clew weave from Derek Hansens site



the clew seems to really fit well and is easy to manage .... it goes into the field next week, so I will find out then for sure.



Brian

[kitsapcowboy]

The hammock/tarp/quilt trifecta! Cowboy-approved!

[Cabmanhang]

That's some beautiful work. Congrats. May you be cozy and warm.

[jellyfish]

Beautiful! I just love your clews!!
Nice job.

[Cruiser51]

Doing up the finishing touches to the UQ, the clews need to be kept under control, so i whipped up a couple of sleeves to keep then organized and unavailable for entanglement during transit

There is a channel and tie off at each end of the sleeve



At the quilt end I put a 1" D ring into the clew snap and a fabric "string" was sewn to the sleeve, the "string has 2 snaps to allow it to hook through the D ring and hold the sleeve in place.



Seems to work pretty well.

Brian

[ag1024]

Although I have tried my darnedest, I get tangled clews all the time. I put a snap on a piece of grosgrain ribbon and keep the strands together when in storage, but somehow it always happens. I think I will try to make my clews next time out of individual pieces of stretch cord tied around the top and bottom rings, so if one gets tangled, I can easily untie it and re-tie it without having to try to unravel the whole thing, which I did once an found to be a real pain.

[James Fowler]

Doing up the finishing touches ...



Brian

Brian

Gotta say, you are killing it with these little "finishing touches"!

[leiavoia]

I made a sock for my original quilt, but on subsequent models I have just been folding the entire clew into a big slip knot. Works good and costs nothing.

[Cruiser51]

I modeled this on the suspension covers used on my Exped Combi Ergo hammock, which has a very similar suspension.

I can see how folding and a loose knot would work fine, but it doesn't satisfy the DIY itch created by my new sewing skills, lol.

My first trip for all the gear is in a week, so I will see how it all functions in the field.


Brian

[James Fowler]

I made a sock for my original quilt, but on subsequent models I have just been folding the entire clew into a big slip knot. Works good and costs nothing.

I've just been using a little carabiner to clip the rings at the ends of the clews together (same one I use to clip it to one of the hammock's CLs). So far that's kept them from getting tangled.