Hi! I'm going to purchase materials to make a synthetic underquilt (and top quilt too, but I don't have Q's about that). Currently I only have a Costco top quilt and underquilt so obviously that's quite limiting in terms of weather/time of year I can backpack (though with the faux baffles and the "clew" suspension I have taken the set down to about 38 degrees, though I admit I was NOT toasty warm). Anyway I need this underquilt to go down to, preferably, 25 to 30 degrees with its matching topquilt.

So, here are the fixed pieces of information: My hammock is a standard gathered-end hammock that I sewed myself. The topquilt I'm going to sew will have a layer of 2.5-oz. Apex AND a layer of 3.6-oz. Apex for a total of 6.1 oz. of Apex. The underquilt will be a full-length underquilt (though I'm short and my hammock is only 9.5 feet). Both the topquilt and underquilt will be 1.1 oz. ripstop nylon (calendered) on the outside and .66 oz. membrane taffeta nylon on the inside. I'm a pretty average sleeper (neither warm nor cold). Lastly, I'm a relatively experienced sewist so I'm not afraid of a challenge.

Here are the possible variables, a.k.a. my questions:
  1. If I use one layer of 2.5-oz. Apex and one layer of 3.6-oz. Apex (so, together, it's 6.1 oz. of Apex insulation), will the UQ be warm enough to go down to about 25 degrees?
  2. I'm very much considering a "clew" woven suspension, OR a wooki-style stretchy fabric suspension. So I wonder: what's the lightest-weight stretchy fabric that any of y'all have used for a wookie-type suspension? Could I actually use bugnet fabric?
  3. Should I cut darts in the side of the underquilt? (I'm thinking I want to do this to shape the UQ for more efficient warming.) If I use a clew or wooki-style suspension, will the darts then be counterproductive or cause any potential problems? Also: How many darts -- one per side in the center? Two per side?
  4. Similar to question #3 ... I'm also considering a knotty mod on the sides of the underquilt. So, with a clew or wooki-style suspension, will the knotty mod be stupid, useless or counterproductive? And, would having both darts on the sides AND a knotty mod be dumb or bad?
  5. I know that most DIY-ers don't like the way synthetic UQs look when they're hand-quilted to keep the insulation secure. (I'm talking about using acrylic yarn or a heavier thread to take small stitches, in rows across the whole underquilt, every 12 inches or so. These stitches theoretically hold the Apex in place so it does not shift, stretch or tear. I don't mind the way these stitches look, so I am considering using some.) So my question is: Without the quilting stitches, will the Apex stretch or tear -- or will the quilt lose some of its warmth? Other related question: If I tie the quilt stitches loosely so as not to compress the Apex, will cold air still travel through those quilt stitches?


That's a lot! I've combed through these threads a hundred times and have found so many helpful pieces of information about DIY hammock gear (thank you all!) ... but I still have these questions. Any answers/info/opinions at all would be very appreciated.

Thank you!