Decided to try to fix the terrible suspension system on my snugpak UQ once and for all. I've experimented with a bunch of no-sew mods to which try to compensate for the lack of cincheable end-channels but none of them really worked for me and I felt like I was unpacking a parachute every time I took the thing out with all the additional shock cords, clips, etc I had going on. I saw one video from Chesapeake [sp?] on Youtube from across the pond, where he sewed in end channels and mentioned leaving a bit of extra material to act like a baffle/ draft collar. I decided to take this a step further and make up some stuffed collars with a channel for shock cord sewn in.
I didn't properly document the process so sorry for the bad pics. If anyone wants to copy please ask and I'll try to get some better ones.
First I made up these two sausage peices. It's a fairly simple sewing job - I used masking tape to hold the seams together and just hand sewed through the tape. Took a while but I like that sort of thing. If I'd have known my friend had a machine at this stage, I probably could have got them done in half an hour. I hadn't used this UQ since last year and had forgotten that the ends are not the same width. Luckily I measured the longer end! But it meant when I came to attach these to the UQ I had to unpick one end of one and shorten it. Not too disastrous, it would have been far worse to have made one too short! Hopefully the design is self-evident, it's really just a case of thinking about the ordering of your seams (uncluding leaving a space to stuff). I just stole some poly stuffing from an ikea pillow and used that and it seems fine and hasn't added to the bulk really.
Then I just machine sewed these channels to the ends of the UQ, with the stuffed part on the inside and the cinch channel just protruding from the ends. This was the hardest bit because you are sewing through multiple layers of ripstop and insulation, plus the webbing loops in places. I'm glad I had the use of a machine here.
Once this was done I just threaded through some 3mm shock cord and put cord locks on either end. I then removed the cord locks from the sides (not neccesary but they prevent you sliding the UQ along the primary suspension and aren't really needed) and left just enough cord to reach my hammock ends with a mini carabiner and put a cord lock at one end to tighten. I made a simple secondary suspension with 3mm shock cord and cord locks and attached this to the 4 corner webbing loops and the same biners as the primary. As an additional bit of security I keep two more mini carabiners on my hammock ridgeline with prussiks, just about where the UQ ends reach to. I can clip my primary suspension shock cord up into these to really pull up the UQ and there's no chance it'll slip off my feet. A lot of waffle there, hopefully that makes sense to somebody. Sorry the photo is terrible, I will update in future if anyone is interested.
This system gives the most adjustablity I've managed so far. You can tighten/ loosen pretty much all parts independently, you can get a perfect seal at the ends by cinching up those draft collars, and you can easily bias to the head/ foot end on opposing sides using the secondary suspension (advantage of removing the centre cord locks, otherwise this is way more of a faff).
Took this out for a lovely wild camp on the shore of loch Katrine last weekend and it held up to 2 degrees pretty well, although I needed to shove my sit pad under my butt. With a bit more time to adjust it before dark and a better top quilt (which just arrived as I was writing this - woop!) I think I could have avoided this.
As we have pretty limited UQ options in the UK I think this is a great budget option, and with some fairly basic sewing skills and £10 of materials you can make it 2x better. Pretty sure I saved more weight than I added too with all the surplus shock cord I was able to cut off.
I didn't properly document the process so sorry for the bad pics. If anyone wants to copy please ask and I'll try to get some better ones.
First I made up these two sausage peices. It's a fairly simple sewing job - I used masking tape to hold the seams together and just hand sewed through the tape. Took a while but I like that sort of thing. If I'd have known my friend had a machine at this stage, I probably could have got them done in half an hour. I hadn't used this UQ since last year and had forgotten that the ends are not the same width. Luckily I measured the longer end! But it meant when I came to attach these to the UQ I had to unpick one end of one and shorten it. Not too disastrous, it would have been far worse to have made one too short! Hopefully the design is self-evident, it's really just a case of thinking about the ordering of your seams (uncluding leaving a space to stuff). I just stole some poly stuffing from an ikea pillow and used that and it seems fine and hasn't added to the bulk really.
Then I just machine sewed these channels to the ends of the UQ, with the stuffed part on the inside and the cinch channel just protruding from the ends. This was the hardest bit because you are sewing through multiple layers of ripstop and insulation, plus the webbing loops in places. I'm glad I had the use of a machine here.
Once this was done I just threaded through some 3mm shock cord and put cord locks on either end. I then removed the cord locks from the sides (not neccesary but they prevent you sliding the UQ along the primary suspension and aren't really needed) and left just enough cord to reach my hammock ends with a mini carabiner and put a cord lock at one end to tighten. I made a simple secondary suspension with 3mm shock cord and cord locks and attached this to the 4 corner webbing loops and the same biners as the primary. As an additional bit of security I keep two more mini carabiners on my hammock ridgeline with prussiks, just about where the UQ ends reach to. I can clip my primary suspension shock cord up into these to really pull up the UQ and there's no chance it'll slip off my feet. A lot of waffle there, hopefully that makes sense to somebody. Sorry the photo is terrible, I will update in future if anyone is interested.
Took this out for a lovely wild camp on the shore of loch Katrine last weekend and it held up to 2 degrees pretty well, although I needed to shove my sit pad under my butt. With a bit more time to adjust it before dark and a better top quilt (which just arrived as I was writing this - woop!) I think I could have avoided this.
As we have pretty limited UQ options in the UK I think this is a great budget option, and with some fairly basic sewing skills and £10 of materials you can make it 2x better. Pretty sure I saved more weight than I added too with all the surplus shock cord I was able to cut off.
