Hammock underquilt project

I was so excited to make a poncho liner underquilt after seeing TinaLouise's at the hammock hang out. She inspired me to sew, or as we like to say in our home thanks to Hammock Forums, "WE DON'T SEW, WE MAKE GEAR." Because;

1. I needed something to keep me warm while I was in the hammock.
2. It's an inexpensive project. (Poncho liner $19, shock cord $.60)
3. It was easy to sew.

I went to our local Army/Navy surplus store, fully prepared to settle for a camo colored poncho liner. I walked in, asked if I could return the $10 cheap tarp I bought a few weeks ago and then asked if they had any poncho liners. The saleswoman said not a problem returning tarp. (Cool! $10 to go to new ponchos!) She had me follow her to the camping section of the store and showed me camo colored ponchos, desert camo colored ponchos, and digital camo colored ponchos. Hmmmmm.... she must of seen my furrowed brow, b/c then she pulls out a stealthy black colored poncho and says "we also have them in black." SOLD! I pick up two black ponchos and follow her back up to the register. Secretly wondering if these black ponchos were specifically made for army snipers, some special forces unit, or navy seals on some covert stealthy mission. hahahaha!

I fly home after work so I can sew on some tabs on the end of the poncho. I cut up some ribbon like webbing into 2 inch sections, space 10 tabs out on the ends of the poncho, and pin them down. The sewing actually only took me about 20 minutes for each poncho. I ran two feet of shock cord thru the tabs, knot the end, and yell at Boo to get a hammock hung in the R&D (research and development) area (the backyard)!!. He had the hammock strung up in minutes and then runs the shock cord around the knot/whipping area. Then slowly gets in and the poncho liner underquilt stretches around the hammock. (YEAH! it did what it was suppose to do, not lets see if t keeps him warm.) I leave him hanging for a few minutes. Later, he comes inside and tells me that he was really warm. :)

*We actually tested the underquilt on our last backpack trip in the Wilson Creek Wilderness. The temperature had dropped down to 60 degrees and I was very warm. So warm I didn't even need my sleeping bag. I am looking forward to trying it out in higher elevation at lower temperatures. I've read conflicting advice about how cold you can actually take this poncho liner. I've read as low as 30 degrees, WITH a down sleeping bag. Hmmmm.... we shall see.