Cheap eBay underquilts?

[barefoot]

Has anybody tried one of the really cheap Chinese underquilts that are selling on eBay and other Chinese junk sites (DealExtreme, BangGood etc)?

Like this one:
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Packable...item33dc3c025f

A$50-ish, so that's under US$40.

Of course they're not going to be great, but how bad are they?

Some of them say "cotton" filling. Some say "hollow cotton", which must be a real achievement for the cotton farmers

I wonder if there may be something in the translation. I also have some really warm gloves that were advertised as "cotton" but are definitely synthetic. Maybe "fibre" translates loosely to "cotton"?

In any case, seems like an easier option than spending time modifying a cheap nasty sleeping bag into a cheap nasty UQ. Just cut to the chase and buy a cheap nasty UQ?

[jeff-oh]

Give it a try and let the rest of us know. I avoid cotton insulation, and have wondered what hollow cotton was... Perhaps you are correct it is just a bad translation.

I;d be interested in what you find out.

[bigdisgrace]

an 8 ft. underquilt ? Not a good design. If you want to avoid the DIY then check out a Snugpak. Around 50 US dollars.

[XJ35S]

Do you guy's have an Aldi's store? It's a poor man's grocery but they often have camp gear. Adventure ridge brand. Very good quality and very inexpensive. I bought a 10* mummy style sleeping bag for $24.95 and it's light, packs small, and crazy hot to sleep in. Unzipped it has a nice footbox and can be used as a top quilt. They carry other sleeping bags as well I haven't tried the rectangular one as an under quilt or outside. Just in bed.

https://www.aldi.us/

I love the snugpak under blanket and can recommend it too.

[SilvrSurfr]

Cotton kills, so they say. I wouldn't go near any cotton insulation.

[barefoot]

Yeah, we have Aldi. I've been aware of their camping gear sales before but haven't had a need to look too closely. Now I'm in the market I'll pay more attention and see what I can snag.

I'm well aware that cotton kills (having been a paddler and a cyclist - cold and wet is no joke), but as I said, I don't think their "cotton" is actual cotton. I think they're using the word "cotton" in place of "fibre".

For example, I came across these gloves when looking for something mid-weight for commuting, which I now use as my very cold weather cycling gloves:
https://www.banggood.com/Outdoor-Spo...p-1241914.html
Down the page in the description there's reference to "thickening cotton" and a cross section showing "Insulate cotton" (and "firm sponge"). I can say 100% that there's no cotton in these gloves - they are insanely warm even when wet, and they stay light and airy when I misjudge the temperature and sweat buckets through them on warm (>5dgC) rides.
I have come to the conclusion that "cotton" means "fibre", "thickening" means "lofting", and "firm sponge" is most likely a thin CCF layer. What can I say... their English is much better than my Mandarin. I reckon you could make a functional hammock insulation system by patchworking a whole heap of these gloves together

Anyway, I'm pondering whether these "cotton" quilts, especially the "hollow cotton" ones, might actually be basic Dacron Hollofill clone synthetic fibre.

I'm still waiting for my first hammock to arrive in the post, and I intend to try some pad systems before investing further in quilts... but expect to end up going down the quilt path if things go to plan. I'm looking forward to DIY, but anticipate trouble getting good raw materials here. Freight costs from USA are brutal. I priced up a DIY Apex underquilt kit from RipstopByTheRoll, but postage was another 50% on top of the price which makes it less attractive. Modifying pre-made gear (local or Chinese) is likely to be better cost:benefit than importing parts from USA. Making mistakes modding cheap junk is lower risk than starting with top-shelf gear

[Beemermcr]

Looks like the same as this, from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/OneTigris-Und.../dp/B07BKW999L

Polyester, not cotton.

[barefoot]

Looks like the same as this, from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/OneTigris-Und.../dp/B07BKW999L

Polyester, not cotton.

Good find.

That reviews fairly well, for the price. And kind of confirms that "hollow cotton" isn't actually cotton.

I wonder how a quilt like this would go with some mods to get rid of excess material where it's not needed, and re-align for better diagonal lay coverage. Could save some bulk there. Packed size is going to be more of a concern for me than weight - I'm mainly looking at bikepacking applications where bulky kit is going to be inconvenient.

Things to look into later...

[SilvrSurfr]

Now they're ripping off OneTigris? You'll find a few (very few) fans of Amazon/E-Bay hammock gear here on HF, but I'm personally not going down that path. Ask Chesapeake - he's a big fan of Amazon/E-Bay gear, and other extremely heavy but very cheap gear.

I'd personally be wary of "hollow cotton."

[Chesapeake]

That's right I am. And I've explained why several times but I'll say it again : not everyone needs or can afford expensive gear. So what if it's heavier ? Most people who are gonna buy it could care less! Do I use that stuff when I hike or hang in deep winter? nope. I also always make it known that most of that type of gear isn't for that purpose anyway. Inexpensive isn't always cheap, and budget isn't always crap that's gonna fall apart next week. You make it sound like it's all junk and some of it is, but that doesn't make it taboo to use. Not everyone can afford 3 sets of HG quilts, a Cuben tarp. I use the he'll out of my cottage gear and will always say it's better than budget stuff. But every once and a while I'll see something that is actually a decent piece of gear so your **** right I endorse it. People don't like snobs, so I try not to sound like one just because I have cottage gear . There is a lot of junk gear on Amazon, your absolutely right but that certainly doesn't mean it all is. I just don't get why you hate on it so much. It's not like it's in your pack. So yes I like some gear that's budget. And it may be heavier or not down, silny or Argon, but I've tested it and omg, it works! How dare I right? Lol. Not trying to attack you here and I don't hate you for your love of cottage or opinion of certain gear SS, and I agree that most of that stuff is trash. Just not all of it and that's the stuff that I'd rather see people use if they can't afford cottage or just don't need it. Thats all. Cottage will always be better, it's just not for ever in all situations I think.