WOW! There is so much on this forum, i'm sure this has already been well covered... but I didn't see it anywhere, so I thought I'd lay it out there. A while back, I DIY'd a simple nylon-backed fleece UQ that still serves me well for mild temps. But in winter, I was still using a foam pad... sometimes in addition to the nylon-fleece UQ. I DIY'd an insulated UQ using some cheap fabric store insulation and waaaayyy over did it. The design worked pretty well, and it was definitely warm (toastiest night I've ever spent and it was 12 degrees!!). But it was so bulky that I couldn't fit it into a pack by itself. So time went by, I bought some better insulation, then had an idea for a modular set up. I like my nylon-fleece UQ so much, and it is so versatile... why not use it for layering? So I made an insulated UQ "insert" to slip in between the nylon-fleece UQ and the hammock. It's only 3/4" of synthetic insulation, with fleece on one side and ripstop on the other. I tested it a couple of weeks ago in the Smoky Mountains where weather forecasts don't even make it to the "Pirate's Code" range of credibility. A forecasted 29 degree night became a 17 degree night with sustained winds of 10-20 mph (with periodic gusts of just-plain-rude). I used a 20 degree down sleeping bag with my modular UQ and a DIY tarp. I can't believe how well it worked!! I started with lightweight long underwear, fleece pants, top, hat, and wool fingerless gloves. After an hour or so, I took off the gloves and lifted the fleece top up to my neck b/c I was getting very warm. Next I peeled the fleece top and removed my hat and opened my bag hood a little bit. At one point, I even unzipped and hung my arms out for a few mins! After that, I zipped back up, cinched the sleeping bag hood to a reasonable opening size, and slept very comfortably for the rest of the night (with the occasional adjustment when I would slide down and push my feet off the UQ).
I love the versatility of this layering design and the fact that I kind of have two UQ's in one.
Some details:
I added two short loops of cord to each end of the suspension of the outer nylon-fleece UQ to effectively lengthen the suspension and provide space to slip the "insert" between the outer UQ and the hammock. The photo shows one of the biners in the extended config and the other in the short config for using only the outer UQ. In use, the biners are either both extended or both short.
When inserting the insulated UQ, I put the fleece side of the insulated UQ against the fleece side of the outer UQ... the fleece-on-fleece friction helps prevent the insulated part from sliding up and out of the outer UQ while allowing the hammock nylon to slip around easily against the nylon side of the insulated UQ without "grabbing" it. (No fleece mocking ... it was scrap from one of my wife's projects.)
inner UQ.jpgouter UQ.jpg
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