Feedback for Underblankets. Please.

[wanderinstar]

Hello,
As hopefully you will all have had chance to use your blankets by now. Was just looking for a bit of feedback, comments, ideas, in fact anything that may improve the blanket. So come on everybody, talk to me.

 

[speedstar]

yes please do tell him that is just in case he needs to makes any chages to the next batch lol and by the way :You_Rock_

 

[MagiKelly]

I've been so busy I have not had a chance to use it yet. I was out with James OConnor yesterday and was showing him how I set it up. I will get to use it at the Loch Achray meet and I know others will have theirs so you should get plenty feedback after then.

 

[wanderinstar]

Cheers John,
But what about all you people South of Watford Gap?

 

[lardbloke]

I have only managed to get out once to have a play with the underblankey and I am waiting for the temperature to take a nose dive before any real comments can be made on the blankets insulation properties.

My initial thoughts upon examining the blanket indoors was that it was a good size (large blankey) i.e length and width and should cover the average (as well as the larger user) person easily. The material is sturdy (ripstop would have been nice, but cost would affect this) and appears water resistant if it should come into contact with a wet surface i.e dew on the ground, spillages, or if rain blows in under the main tarp (if this is the case, then the hammock would get wet anyway).
A good set of attachment points, either using the elastics on the ends to attach to the hammocks main guy rope or use the attachment rings using your own brand of ingenuity i.e bungy cords etc. Also comes supplied with a nice stuff sack so can be packed down to a reasonable size.

My first light upon testing the blankey without any prior knowledge of setting it up was interesting. I set up my Hennessy as normal i.e the tarp first then the main hammock. These were set up close to each other as the weather was wet and windy at the time. I would suggest trying to attach the blanket for experiment purposes either without the main tarp or having it higher than normal so that you can make adjustments easier. If you have a normal hammock rather than one with an integral mossie net sewn in then you could test the set up by laying the blankey ontop of the hammock and attaching it to see the best methods of attachment for you.

after a little messing about I managed to tie the main elastics to the main ridge line using a prussick type knot (for sliding adjustments). At first I had tied the end two to the main line and the other two to nearby trees, big mistake.I think it would be easier to use a toggle over the ends of the elastics first (for extra adjustment) and then attach to the main ridge using a prussick knot. You can either tie all four altogether onto the main ridge or tie the end two onto the main ridge (straight out horizontal) with the outer two onto the ridge line also (vertically). Both set ups make it much easier when trying to set up the other side of the blankey, as fine tunning can be critical to a good nights sleep here. The middle of the hammock has a couple of toggles that can be drawn in to wrap the blankey around the you when in the hammock in order to create a better fit. This can be further adjusted by threading either the side adjusters of a Hennessy through the sides of the blankey or simply tying a further attachment through the side of the underblankey to the top of the main ridge line to draw the blankey further up around the user for added warmth. The whole set up must have taken me around ten minutes of head scratching, so when setting up after further refinements I think it would only take a couple of minutes at the max.

Getting into the hammock with the under blankey attached was no real problem as you can simply pull it to one side when trying to get into the entry point on a hennessy and a a normal open hammock you can just clamber in.

I had a good rest in the hammock after all my hard work and drifted off into Bushcraft slumber land. I was totally toasty and could not feel any cold spots in spite of the wind, but as said above I will have to wait for the weather to really turn before making any valid judgements on this.

All in all my first impressions are very favourable. I am impressed by the underblankey and my thanks goes out to Wanderinstar and all those involved in this project.

 

[outdoorgirl]

As I'm in the middle of moving house (completion Friday Oct 6 ), I also haven't had the opportunity to use mine in anger yet. I'm hoping to get permission to use a Forestry Commission woodland close to where I'll be staying next month so that I can give it a good trial over several weeks, and will of course keep you all posted.

It's been too warm for the blankey lately anyway!

ODG

 

[moduser]

I tested out my underblanket for two nights of the Forrest Knights Wilderness First Aid Course.

Knowing that the night time temperatures would be mild I only took a single season sleeping bag with the hope that the underblanket would perform well enough.

First up hanging the underblanket. I'm using the group buy sleep system and this is packed in some homemade (snake) skins ready to go straight out of it's dry bag. The hammock went up and I tied one end's shock cords to the hammock ring and then tied the other end, pulling the shock cords tight.

This had the effect of stopping the mossie net from hanging properly so a quick rethink and I loosened the mossie net ties and fed the shock cord through these and retied them nice and tight.

So now the underblanket is fully under the mossie, which is great.

First night I was so hot I had to open my bag up fully to get some air. Because I'd strung the shock cords tight, without any provision to use the side adjusters the underblanket was cacooning me and it was like sleeping in a four season bag, now I sleep hot anyway so you can imagine this was not great. However it prooved without a doubt that the underblanket was doing it's job and doing it very well.

Next night I loosened the shock cords so that it was looser but still forgot about the side adjusters . Another very warm night but more comfortable than the first

Ian reminded me about the side adjusters in an earlier post when I mentioned that as a sauna the underblanket worked like a dream.

Since then I have put the rig up in the garden and set it up properly so I can tighten and loosen the underblanket without having to leave my sleeping bag, wonderful.

A couple of general observations. Build quality is good, the two logo's machined onto the underblanket is a real nice touch. I purchased the large underblanket not because I'm a lofty 6 foot 6 inches tall but because I fidget about sometimes and I didn't want any cold spots. Now I noticed that the underblanket is actually big enough to wrap completely around me, like a POD, so I'm thinking about how to secure it without compromising the underblanket and I can also undo it quickly (propably try velcro). This should mean that for coldish nights I can sleep sans sleeping bag and cut down on the stuff needed to carry - which would be nice.

Overall I'm very happy with mine. I need a real cold snap to test it properly but it's looking very promising.

Thanks Ian for a nice addition to my ever growing pile of kit

David

 

[gregorach]

Much the same experience as everyone else here - it takes a little experimentation to get it set up just right, but when you do it's extremely effective (or seems to be, given the warm temps so far). I can definitely confirm that it's adequately windproof though...

 

[PhilParry]

Please see My post

In short, it's great!

:You_Rock_

Phil

 

[nigelp]

Initial first impressions of the underblanket are positive and all fixtures etc seemed sound, and the general construction seemed to be of a good quality.

WHY

When using my DD hammock and newer Mosquito hammock with a Thermorest it has tendency to slid around and there are cold spots around the knees, back and A**E!

This occurs even on a mild night as the air flow around the hammock drawing heat away. The answer a nice ‘underblanket’ courtesy of Ian!!

The Blanket

The blanket is of sufficient size to completely enclose the hammock lengthways and across the width.

The blanket hangs below the hammock and has sufficient size that when lying in the hammock it will enclose the sleeper eliminating cold spots completely.

The hammock itself has several strong loops sewn in each corner

and the middle and on opposing sides down the length (presumably to use with a asymmetrical hammock).

The ends of the blanket are tied off to close them in and this seemed fine when in use with no cold spots and enough slack to allow give at each end of the hammock.

To mount the blanket (oh err misses) I fixed some elasticised bungee’s to the main hammock support line and hooked each one on to the end lops at each end of the blanket.

This help keep the blanket in place when setting up and by pulling the bungee’s up the hammock line the blanket sides rise up slightly on each side.

An elastic cord does runs the length of the top edge of each side of the blanket and this could be used to fix to the lines (I found it to be of insufficient ‘elasticity’ to do so). I tied the cords off at each end instead and used the middle adjuster to gather the blanket in and further bring it up.

A bit more length in the elastic (the length is there but I tied it off shorter) and this loop of cord could be passed over a central hanging point to really raise the hammock sides up if very cold or windy?

When packing the blanket away I left the underblanket and hammock attached together and to the main hammock lines, I then bound the hammock up with 3 small bungee cords.

One end of the hammock and hence blanket is released and that end stuffed into the stuff sack provided , the rest goes in and the whole thing is ready to go next time all attached and ready to go.

In Use

I was fortunate to be able to stay at Pauls ‘Yellowwood’ last Thursday (first customer I think, cheers Paul and review to follow!) and had a fantastically warm night despite a strong wind during the night that would have caused cold spots without the blanket. . The whole thing stayed put all night and did not sag despite the bungee slackening off slightly (a prussack knot and cord will sort this). The next night the blanket and hammock was ready to go and was set up in minutes and despite having the tarp hung high and all sides open it was again warm all night and so far so good. Off to Dartmoor in a couple of weeks so hopefully with lower temps and a bit of wind can really test the thing out. For winter comfort I think it will be a winner, so see you at 'Yellowwood' in November!!

Nigel

 

[PJMCBear]

Used my standard sized for the first time last weekend, with a Hennessy Exped. Temp dropped to about 11C.

One quick tip - do not use with a 58 arctic baggie I woke up wet through, even though I was just laying on top of it. Even a single season may have been too much at that temp.

At 5' 9", I'm not the tallest, but the standard underblanket was more than enough for me.

It did take me some time to set up, although I had seen how it was done. I eventually tied the outer cords over the ridgeline and the inner to the hammock rope.

Very pleased with my purchase.

 

[KevB]

Edited - 02/10/2006 - Have put some pics in Members Gallery to help with explanation. Not very good I'm afraid but best I can do !

Like others I haven't tried it out overnight yet although it's been up and down alot in the garden while I finalised the attachment system.
For those of you that may be interested - this is how I've attached it to a Hennessy Expedition. I'm for simplicity and ease of use so I tried a few variations before I settled on the following. Sorry for the lack of pics but I've not got a digital camera so bear with me while I try to explain.

First prep the underblanket and Hammock...
Take the four elastics at the end of the blanket and thread them through one of those plastic rope ends used on sailing boats. (Like a plastic ball with a hole drilled through). This should be just big enough to take all four (about 20mm diam with a 6 mm hole).
Now take both the outer and inner pair of elastics separately and thread a small 4mm cord lock onto each pair. I've colour coded mine (blue inner, black outer). Run the plastic rope end and both cord locks about halfway up the elastics.
Now attach 1.5m of 3mm elastic shock cord to each of the two side loops of the blanket on the opposite side to your entry side.
Take two short lengths of paracord and tie them into loops using a single fishermans knot. Take a loop and twist it into a figure 8 then fold so you have a double loop. Slide one of these over each end of the hammock rope and move it down to the material knot. On a Hennessy this is covered by a black nylon boot - you will feel two lumps in here - situate the paracord between them so that it can't slide when under tension. This is the underblanket attachment loop. You're now ready to setup.


Attachment.
Assuming the hammock is setup - take one of the doubled paracord loops and pull down on just one of its loops - this tightens it around the hammock line so that it cannot slip. Now pass one set of end elastics with both cord locks and plastic rope end through this loop. The plastic rope end performs a toggle function and holds up the blanket while the cord locks allow for adjustment. Repeat for other end.
Now thread the HH side elastics through their matching blanket loops and peg out (optional).
Now take each set of outer end elastics and tighten them using the cord locks until the blanket hugs the hammock. Do the same with the inner elastics to bring the blanket up to the bottom of the hammock. Adjust fit as required. This bit only needs to be done once as the cord locks can stay in their final positions for next use.
At each end of the blanket take the end of the outer elastics back through their respective end loops on the blanket and up and over the hammock ridgeline and tie together. This aids the centre elastics in keeping the ends of the blanket out toward the hammock ends and also keeps it up tight around the sides of the hammock.
Finally take the 1.5m elastics over the hammock ridgeline and attach to their opposing loops.

On stripdown you only need to undo the ridgeline knots for the end and mid elastics and release the end toggles. Everything else stays adjusted for the next setup.

Sorry if this sounds a bit complicated in text form, but really its not.

I've laid in the hammock and moved around a fair bit and the blanket seems to remain close to me. I can feel the warmth building quickly even when I move into another position so the elastics appear to be doing a good job of keeping the blanket tight to the hammock. Hopefully as the nights get chillier any cold spots will be easier to detect.

Regarding mods - I believe someone has already mentioned that having a tape loop for attaching each of the four centre elastics would make for easier replacement if required. Not sure about this one - but I think I would prefer stronger elastics since they seem overly stretched when the blanket is properly adjusted.
Possibly a material channel with an elastic thread/cord lock combo at the ends to allow a better fit and retain warmed air.
These aren't complaints - just thoughts.

Hope this helps.

 

[swyn]

With regard to setting up, it really depends what your sleep system is but at this end with MagiKelly hammock etc, no problems and quick. As Moduser has said it was really too hot at the first aid couse but with alterations to the hang, if you can call it that, enough air can get around the bottom to allow a cooler nights sleep. My biggest regret was forgetting my netting, showing my wife the mozzie bites and seeing her laugh!
I have slept out in the rain in my garden and like the water resistancy. This will stop any driven rain getting in sideways. It is really nice not to have other things , apart from your bag, in the hammock. I'm sure that if there were no trees it would work quite well as a mattress for a short time.
I am looking forward to the tempreature dropping to freezing, then minor adjustments will really tell.
I also like the idea of not taking a sleeping bag, I'm sure that this is an easy thing to consider but as we all sleep at different temperatures the decision will be a personal one.
I'm impressed with the quality and the 'little touches'. Actually I'm very impressed all round and so is one of my friends. Consequently between us we will have five. Two here and three on order. Wanderinstar is worried that they will be sold on ebay for a fortune like RM knives! There is no chance of that happening as my children would never speak to me again if I did that! Also why part with a very good bit of kit, money does not keep you warm.
Thanks Wanderinstar for all your hard work.

:You_Rock_

Swyn.

PS. You could try rolling hitches instead of prussic knots, they are quicker and more suited to this application.

 

[dommyracer]

Has anyone weighed the undeblanket?

 

[nigelp]

Yes, Large is 1300g. My set up with underblanket, hammock, tarp and lines weighs about 3000g. Not mega-lightweight but respectable for general use and for something that comfortable. My winter backpacking tent and thermorest weighs about that so good as an all year round comfortable set up.

Nigel

 

[Calypso]

I've not got a digital camera so bear with me while I try to explain.

Sorry if this sounds a bit complicated in text form, but really its not.

Ahhhhhhhhhh, my brain's turned to fudge It sounds like you've developed a great system but is there any chance you could borrow a camera :You_Rock_

 

[KevB]

Ahhhhhhhhhh, my brain's turned to fudge It sounds like you've developed a great system but is there any chance you could borrow a camera :You_Rock_

OK so it DOES sound complicated ! I'll see if I can blagg a camera for the weekend and try to put up some pics. Dont hold your breath though - me and technology dont mix very well !

 

[KevB]

Ahhhhhhhhhh, my brain's turned to fudge It sounds like you've developed a great system but is there any chance you could borrow a camera :You_Rock_

Have put some pics in my members gallery cos I couldn't get them to insert into the post. Hope these make it a bit clearer.

 

[moduser]

KevB,

All makes sense now. Thanks for the pics as I really like the idea of using that ball thingy, I'll pick some up as it will aid my rig as well.

Top man :You_Rock_

David

 

[Calypso]

KevB,
Thanks for the piccies - all becomes clear. I'll try your recommendations.
Cheers. :You_Rock_