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Thread: UQ Suspension

  1. #1
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    UQ Suspension

    A bit of background: My first UQ purchase was a Yeti from WB. A wonderfully constructed piece of equipment, but...

    The one thing I wasn't totally crazy about was that a Yeti comes with only primary suspension. I set out to remedy that. I added secondary suspension to it and it functioned quite well. What I didn't like was having all that shockcord around me, particularly with a 3/4 UQ. Certainly less bothersome with full-length UQs.

    So,... I started experimenting.

    I went through several iterations and have settled on a design, at least for now.

    I reinforced the sides of the Yeti with grosgrain and attached a lineloc to each corner. At the head end I use static cord. The head end linelocs function to position the UQ. I could see no reason to use shock cord on that end. At the foot end I use shock cord to both snug the UQ to the hammock (primary suspension function) as well as stretch the UQ out length-wise (the function of secondary suspension.) I haven't discovered a down side yet. I think the biggest concern is to be sure that a UQ is not damaged by failing to sit in the hammock and only in the UQ. There has to be something that will "give" so that the UQ is not destroyed. Toward that end, I needed the UQ to be tougher (hence the grosgrain) and also incorporate a "weak link" in the UQ suspension that would fail before any other component. I did THAT at the attachment point of the shockcord at the foot end.

    I actually piggybacked off of Brandon's Wooki design to do this as a Wooki is basically a fixed-length piece of gear with a tensioner on just one end. So my "idea" isn't really all that original, just applied in a slightly different context.

    If anyone can poke holes in this set-up, I'd sure like to hear from you.
    Last edited by TominMN; 02-25-2020 at 06:24.

  2. #2
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    Nothing wrong with that at all as long as 1) it is indeed perfectly tweaked and 2) you don't use it with a hammock with different dimensions, i.e. switching from an 11'/58" to a 10'/64"...

    Shock cords can go limp (or at least lose some elasticity) in cold weather, but having the ability to tighten up the sides of the quilt should cover that possibility.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by cmoulder View Post
    Nothing wrong with that at all as long as 1) it is indeed perfectly tweaked and 2) you don't use it with a hammock with different dimensions, i.e. switching from an 11'/58" to a 10'/64"...

    Shock cords can go limp (or at least lose some elasticity) in cold weather, but having the ability to tighten up the sides of the quilt should cover that possibility.
    As to #1: Isn't that true of any UQ suspension? And in response to #2: I think that's addressed with the adjustability of both ends with the linelocs. In fact, I think this might be easier to adjust.

    Re the shock cord "limpness" concern: how is what I'm trying different than any other commonly used UQ suspension?

    I'm thinking that my current setup with this UQ actually simplifies and streamlines things. At least, that was my goal/intent.

  4. #4
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    If I follow you correctly, I think this is very similar to one of the suspension updates that Leighlo quilts did. They had shock cord one one end and line locks on the corners. The shock cord ran through a primary channel and then terminated on that end. Then, they had regular cord run from that corner to the caribiner holding quilt to the hammock suspension on the foot end. They have a video showing it on Youtube.
    I have a Greylock 3 that has the primary suspension and (4) corner tabs. I bought 4 of the Linelocks from ZPacks that have loops sewn on. I girth hitched those to the Greylock corner tabs and ran shock cord from the corner to the corner on each end, creating a secondary suspension. Works great.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by HillbillyHanger View Post
    If I follow you correctly, I think this is very similar to one of the suspension updates that Leighlo quilts did. They had shock cord one one end and line locks on the corners. The shock cord ran through a primary channel and then terminated on that end. Then, they had regular cord run from that corner to the caribiner holding quilt to the hammock suspension on the foot end. They have a video showing it on Youtube.
    I have a Greylock 3 that has the primary suspension and (4) corner tabs. I bought 4 of the Linelocks from ZPacks that have loops sewn on. I girth hitched those to the Greylock corner tabs and ran shock cord from the corner to the corner on each end, creating a secondary suspension. Works great.
    I just looked at that video. I've seen a couple of other similar setups. I can't see any reason to have shock cord running through a channel on the UQ side. I also find the "pulley" system (in Leighlo's system, that's the mitten hook) to be overkill. I understand the argument that doing this provides plenty of give but I'd rather rely on a weak link than have all that extra shock cord and/or static cord. Also, the hock cord doesn't have to be in the channel to snug the UQ against the hammock.

    I tried what you have done to your Greylock on my Yeti and wasn't thrilled. That system has two lengths of shock cord running off each corner of the UQ to the hammock ends. Yes, it works just fine. I just don't like having all that much "stuff." What I'm using now has one loop of static line on the head end with the ends going to the linelocs and one loop of shock cord on the foot end with the same configuration.

    I wonder if anyone has had the experience of missing the hammock edge and sitting in a Wooki. If so, what was the result?
    Last edited by TominMN; 02-25-2020 at 11:51.

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