Hammock Underblankets DIY?

[Chris G]

All suggestions welcome, but one thing I 110% hate is having cold joints; specifically my knees as they become really painful. So, if it's going to go to my calfs, it may as well go a bit further as well.

Anyway, I think it should all fit into a medium size compression sack when it's done.

Matt - It won't be ready for Middlewood if SWMBO has anything to do with it!

Chris

 

[Chris G]

Nearly fininshed....

Total cost so far;
Tescos 13.5 Tog single duvet = £7.00
King size flat bed sheet = £7.00
2 hours of my time using the scissors and sewing machine.

Chris

 

[Chris G]

Can anyone see those pictures, or do you just get the red X like I do?

Chris

 

[Chainsaw]

don't even get the red X, just void

Make sure your photo hosting doesn't have a special way of linking back, I know flickr does. It's sometimes easier putting smaller shots in the BCUK gallery.

looking forward to seeing the results

Cheers,

Alan

 

[Chris G]

Ha Ha! Found them - if you close the thread you'll see a paperclip icon to the right of the thread title.

I've also added them to the gallery. Lets see if this works...

Sorry, links no longer valid

And this one is how to make it..



All that I need to do now is dye it olive green (Dylon washing machine dye), water/wind proof it (Nicwax, etc), and add the fixing cords so that I can sling it under my hammock.

Chris

 

[Zodiak]

I have often thought about using a lilo inside the hamock. One of the dearer rubberised fabric ones with 4 of 5 parallel tubes, but have never got round to trying it. Has anybody tried that?

Z

 

[Matt Weir]

Chris,

Does the underblanket rise up the sides of your hammock? From the pics it's hard to tell.

 

[Chris G]

Matt,

Been off line for 3 days and just had to read through 185 threads (!!) so s0rry for the late reply.

Er.. I've no idea yet, but I seriously hope so as it's designed that way! It's 800mm wide so in theory it should just about come up to the level of my stomach on both sides, thereby replicating any sleeping bag that is squashed underneath me.

Fingers crossed I'll get a chance to finish it soon - been rather distracted by having to rebuild the suspension/steering on my wifes car as it failed the MOT (second year running - bl##dy French cars) on Saturday. Then it's off to centreparcs for a week and yes I'm taking it with me (lots of trees to play with).

Chris

 

[Chris G]

Right. 1 hour of sewing last night, and the hammock and under blanket went up in the kitchen at 11pm. (SWMBO is now looking up the phone number for the nice men in white coats!!).

Pictures attached show the 2m long under blanket under a DD hammock (camping version) which was stuffed full of cushions to give it some bulk.

Sorry links no longer valid

The only change I need to make now is to add a loop of shock cord between the lengthwise cords (that tie to the end of the hammock) and the corresponding side-to-side cords (that tighten up the ends to a point). Have a look at the third photo (2541) - shockcord to go where my fingers are.

All that's left now is to dye it and waterproof it.

Chris

 

[Matt Weir]

Looks good Chris

 

[Ogri the trog]

Looks good Chris, nice one,
have a great time a Centreparks and let us know how it performs when you get back.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[andy_e]

Looks fantastic - love looking through home-build projects like this..

Am in the process of making my own underquilt - it's the mutant-off spring of the KAQ and the Ogri-pod. Unfortunately didn't think to take any pics at the start of build for a step-by-step, hehe that and my sewing sucks, but if it works OK then I'll post a pic or two.

 

[Chris G]

Right. Just got back from Cenreparcs and tested out my new underblanket. Can I just say that hammocks rock! And so does my underblanket!!

My 3yo daughter and I sat out for 2 hours watching our breath float away through the trees while we listened to woodpeckers, and watched mole activity, stoats, rabbits, pigeons, swans, ducks, moorhens, etc, etc, etc, all just 15 feet from the back door!

Anyway, it was cold enough (say 6 deg C) and the underblanket was toasty warm. Well it is made from a 13.5tog duvet!

Anyway, I've a couple of design changes to make, other than which it's perfect!!

1) change the lengthwise cords to a single piece of shockcord (in at one end, along that side, out and back into the other side at the same end, then tied together using one of those plastic spring things). Paracord is just a bit too tight and unforgiving round your shoulders.
2) change the long tapes that come with the DD hammock to be loops made from 18 inch long bits of the original tapes. These will then go to carabiners held onto a seperate taught ridge line using prussic knots.

Oh, and here are some photos of the set up.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2582
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2581

Chris

 

[Ogri the trog]

Fantastic Chris,
Looks the business!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Chris G]

Right. I used the under blanket at Middlemud last weekend and I've some recommendations for anyone who wants to use my design.

Firstly, the side cords do need to be made from shock cord as it is nice and comfy. Next, rather than making the duvet 800mm wide, make it 1000mm wide. The reason being that if you sleep on your side, your sleeping bag will move inside the hammock, but the underblanket will stay in place relative to the outside of the hammock leaving you with a cold strip down you spine due to your point of ballance. And finally, I found that I really needed something to cover my toes as when I was lying flat they stuck above the top level of the hammock material. So a "toe sock" is on the cards to be made from the remaining strip of duvet material.

Apart from that I'd give it 10/10. I may even make a MKII as it only cost £7 for the duvet, £7 for the bed sheet and a couple of quid for the shock cord.....

Chris

 

[Stew]

Fantastic Chris. Really well done.

The big question for me is how well it packs down & it's weight.

I presume it's a polyester filling so more bulky than it's equivalent in down (but also cheaper)

 

[Chris G]

Stew, the 800mm version packs into a regular sized supermarket carrier bag and would probably (with a bit of persuasion) fit into a stuff sack if that helps. As for weight, I've not weighed it yet but I guess it's probably in the 1kg-1.5kg range.

Chris

 

[mjk123]

>>I have often thought about using a lilo inside the hamock. One of the dearer rubberised fabric ones with 4 of 5 parallel tubes, but have never got round to trying it. Has anybody tried that?

I've kipped in the afternoon like that but not overnight. It was actually pretty comfortable, but you have to maintain your balance otherwise the lilo can slip from under you a bit.I had the idea of using mini lilos; they're square and used for seat pads, but they're made of the same thick material (Why are they always dark blue??). I thought I might sew pockets into the inside of the hammock and stuff them into there to prevent movement. Or maybe sew the pockets on the outside and fill them with down. Or down-filled bags. Or leaf filled bags depending on budget.