PLUQ question from a newbie

[Moondog55]

Please forgive me for asking the question but my Google-Fu has failed me again.
I've purchased a few poncho liners on clearance but they are totally useless for that purpose due to the thin insulation. About 25GSM of cheap generic polyester fibre.
I was thinking of making my first UQ with them as donors.
Do I make this UQ the full length of whatever hammock I decide to make and overlap two of these cheap insulators or do I just overlap to cover the length of my body?
Just noting too that this will be my first DIY hammock having been trialing a net mesh on with poor results due to them being far too short and skinny, me being 184 tall and 125 kilos
Thanx in advance

[LowTech]

You seem to be talking about two different things, an UQ and a hammock?
The UQ does not need to be much longer than your body, if we're talking about a full length UQ, though torso length quilts are also common that are roughly shoulder to knee length.

"Sent w/o me knowing"

[goobie]

If they don't work for their intended purpose, what makes you think they'll keep you warm as an UQ??

[Moondog55]

Because I thought that with a double layer the insulation might be adequate due to the extra dead air trapped between the layers.
Why not insulate the full length of the hammock I am having to also make to get the extra length I need? Isn't a cocoon type winter hammock insulated for the full length or close to it?
If I needed extra insulation in the torso region I thought I could add in the small travel blanket I got from ALDI.
I cut 4 metres from the roll for sewing up the hammock

[SvenGolly]

Best advice, watch Shug’s videos on UQ usage, that will answer most if not all of your questions, especially how they work (or don’t work) depending on amount of insulation and proximity to the hammock itself.

Shug’s UQ playlist on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL...I33j4sn2VSvY3o


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[sidneyhornblower]

Perhaps you're expecting too much from the PLUQ. I've made a couple of them, both sewn and unsewn versions, roughly following Derek Hansen's instructions from his book/website "The Ultimate Hang." At best, I think a PLUQ will get you to about 50F. There's just not enough insulation there for much lower temperatures, though supplementing with a partial pad can help a lot. Neither of my PLUQs is truly a full length underquilt, more like 4/5 or so but longer than most 3/4 length underquilts.

Here's a couple of videos that you might find helpful, especially the first one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsWOelVXuoI&t=1s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB9MFwHH0Jw&t=2s

Disclaimer: I didn't make the videos but I used them as instructional material when I made my own PLUQ.

[Moondog55]

I really seem to be missing something when I watch [ and listen ] to these videos; why are these underquilts taken up to touch the fabric of the hammock? Also why fold the poncho liner in half to reduce the coverage area? None of the videos I have watched seem to make use of trapped dead air as part of the insulation; they all seem to sit in contact with the body of the hammock.
Lower temperature rating is OK as when white season and ski-touring weather comes I'm in a tunnel tent to handle the storm force winds; I'd mainly be using a hammock in warm to hot dry weather
Also weight doesn't bother me as I'd be using when car camping mainly so synthetic insulation I have heaps of if I needed to make something warmer.
Many thanx

[goobie]

Do you understand how insulation works, mainly hammock insulation??

[Moondog55]

Of course, insulation is simply trapped dead air, the more trapped dead air the warmer, unless you are talking about rigid solid insulation like polystyrene.
I make my own quilts, overquilts and cot blankets have done so for decades

I can do -30/-40C in a tent but I have no experience with hammocks.

[goobie]

And how do these quilts and blankets you've been making for decades keep you warm on a cot in a tent? When you get a cold spot during the night, what causes that?