Wanted.. Ripstop nylon

[Jefferson]

Hi, after a decent piece of ripstop nylon pref around 2m x 1.5m (can be bigger but not smaller) its going to be used to make an underquilt for my hammock, so am flexible on the gsm... I may even be making two, but we shall see how the first one turns out..
Cheers Dave

[Sar-ian]

Hi Dave, I've been looking at making an under quilt, and decided to modify an army surplus jungle sleeping bag, just a thought... cheers Ian...

[Jefferson]

Hi Ian :) well what my plan is.. I'm going to use an old sleeping bag but I'm going to use the nylon to waterproof the outside cos I don't really fancy carrying a wet sleeping bag about if it was to get wet..
I hope this doesn't seem to crazy :)
Cheers, Dave

[Sar-ian]

I wouldn't have thought that should be a problem, as being under the hammock, under the tarp it really shouldn't get wet. You could always use a couple of wheelie bin liners, just a thought, cheers Ian...

[Jefferson]

Suppose your right there Ian.. Well I'm going to crack on and get it made, then I will decide if I need to put the nylon on... But as it stands I still want some :)
Thank you for your advice Ian :)

Cheers, Dave

[jus_young]

What you will be after is either silnylon or PU coated nylon then. Both of these will hold off the water but normal ripstop will soak it up like a sponge.

http://www.fabrics-n-stuff.co.uk/index.php?cPath=23

[Ehecatl]

Loving the "Lightweight 65gsm Deep Pink/Cerise Water Resist Ripstop" :ashamed:

[jus_young]

Got to be the Dayglo/Fluorescent Pink for me. Who needs cammo? No one will come anywhere near you if you had that swinging from between the trees.

[Bob W]

Jus, just a thought, but will an underquilt get wet enough to soak water like a sponge? I'm thinking of making a UQ and This stuff (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NYLON-WATER-REPELLENT-HEXAGON-KHAKI-SHOWER-PROOF-LIGHTWEIGHT-RIPSTOP-FABRIC-/400340735389?pt=UK_Crafts_Fabric&hash=item5d362ad59d) caught my eye because the width seemed OK for the full length of the UQ. I ordered a sample and it seems good stuff, in my limited experience of the stuff!

I was just thinking that under the tarp it should never get wet??

[jus_young]

That material looks great so I have added it to my watch list, thanks.

In reality, like Ian says, there is no reason for your underquilt to get wet. Last time out on Dartmoor the wind was coming in strong, it was weird watching the flames on the fire at 90deg from where they should be all the time. Even in this wind blowing under the tarp, the underquilt only got very slightly damp to the touch and I could have prevented that by lowering the side on the tarp a bit more if I was concerned.

The benefit of having some of these water resistant fabrics is that they may be a bit more windproof thereby stopping the strong winds from whipping the trapped heat away. I suppose to put it in context my underquilt is made from a cheap (or should that read really cheap) 2 ish season sleeping bag. I have slept comfortably down to freezing, maybe a little below, and that's what I will be using for my next trip where the temperatures will be around that mark again. There is no water repellency and have never felt the need for it, but maybe the conditions Jefferson will be setting up may need that extra security?

As an edit - Just a thought to add on, there was an occasion that a bit of water repellency may have been useful and that was when pitched up in misty conditions. It was rather thick on this trip and as the moisture just hangs in the air it had a tendency to cling to anything it could, including the underquilt. That was probably the only time I had considered a waterproof layer but that could be achieved by having a separate cover placed around the underquilt when needed. That way the underquilt can breathe and shed any moisture build up rather than having a constant layer on the outside making conditions damp over time if you do sleep a bit warm.

[Jefferson]

Thanks for your great ideas and advice! The conditions I'm going to be in arnt going to be any different to anyone else in England (raining)... I've decided I'm going to do one with and one without (as I need two anyway) and then I can decide if I need it or not..

Once again i would like to thank everyone for their constructive comments! It's been very helpful! :)
Cheers guys! Dave

Oh btw I managed to get my self some 1.50m wide for 4.50/m

[jus_young]

Have fun and let us in on how you do it with some pics of the finished article. There's getting to be a good few threads on here now for DIY underquilts and I still have an itch to do another.

[Bob W]

That material looks great so I have added it to my watch list, thanks.

I've since took delivery of some other stuff, it was a bit cheaper but the stuff I linked to has a hexagonal weave in the rip stop, as opposed to the square weave stuff I've just bought. It's far more "fray resistant", if that matters, as it will be getting sewn anyway, but it does seem to be better quality stuff. I'll be spending the little extra in future and getting the hex' weave.