Decision making time! Please help me!

I am brand new to Hammocking, and have done my best to read most of the posts in each of the sections(reading 10-100+ pages per day for the last month or so).

I got drawn for a deer hunt this fall and this year will see my first four trips to the back country looking for mule deer in a National Wilderness area. No vehicular traffic allowed, and I plan on hiking in 4-8 hours, and this will likely be a dry camp so I will have to be packing in all my water. There will be three scouting trips, and one six day hunting trip. While I am in New Mexico, we are in the high desert. I live at just over a mile high, and I will be hunting between 7500-1100 feet. Expected temperatures in November will be lows in the mid 20s, and in the summer it will be mid 50s. Possible wind, rain, snow.

Because I want to go light the hammock has really caught my eye. I purchased a HH Expedition Deluxe with my annual 20% off and dividend at REI. I learned later that I needed a larger hammock, as I am 6'2". With the asym lay I can just make this one work, and for my daughter’s first hunt next year I will get a larger hammock and give her this one.

I have decided based on my reading and prices to purchase a Hammock Gear Underquilt. I want to buy once and cry once, and having said that, cost is a factor if I plan to get She Who Must Be Obeyed on board. Based on everything I have read Hammock Gear gets the nod.

I am looking 0deg quilts, and am trying to decide between 3/4 and full length. I anticipate that one winter trip a year (either Nov or Jan) will be the norm, with temps in the upper teens being the lowest I anticipate having to deal with. 80% of my trips to the woods are in the June-Oct time frame. Because I am new to back country hunting I don't want the trip ruined by wet down, etc, and I don't want to carry more than I have to, and I don't want to pay more than I have to. I have selected 0 degrees as a safe number, as I don't want to be in the woods and be a spring hammock-cicle for the bears to snack on due to a sudden unexpected cold spell.

Here are my thoughts: Since I don't anticipate needing 0 degrees regularly, a 3/4 cut UQ (the Phoenix) with 2QZQ's UQ protector should do me just fine. When I camp I believe in sleeping warm enough to sleep in my long handles w/stocking cap and socks at most so I can get dressed and face the day. With the protector I can put my daytime clothes in the foot end and have them slightly warmer than the outside air, and not have to wear them when I sleep, and have additional insulation. I also will have a pack or pad on all these trips to put my legs/feet on. Since I am so new to hammocking and help is several hours away, I want to truly be prepared and have the UQ, the Protector, and a pad stashed away. Can Hammock Gear do an UQ protector in the same style and price range as 2QZQ, thus saving me shipping?

What do you think? Am I over thinking this and just need the Incubator and forget all the extra stuff?

I really want this to be an annual thing, but I want to get it right, so I am not soured on it and bite the bullet and go with my first thought, a really expensive Kifaru Tipi and wood stove.

I will be ready to pull the in the next couple of weeks, and my first scouting trip is planned mid/late June.

Thank you for your assistance,

pat

Hello Pat. It sounds like you are wanting one quilt to do all seasons if possible. If you are only going to take one winter trip a year and you are certain your feet and lower legs will be warm enough with a pad and clothing etc. then I think a 3/4 quilt might be a good option. If you mainly do three season outings you may appreciate a little less weight and bulk to carry.

I do think you might find a 0 degree under quilt too warm for summer but venting it by repositioning it can help. A 0 degree top quilt will definitely be too warm for the summer IMO. Have you thought about getting 20 degree quilts and then just supplement them for the one winter trip? That option might be better in the long run.

Keep in mind that for some people hammock camping was an easy transition while others had to tweak and fiddle for a while until they got things the way they wanted.

Good luck and have fun!

Pat Shug's tube videos go into the -20*. If you have not watched some of them give it a try. VERY entertaining and educational as well.-Groovy

Sounds like you need a 20*UQ based on your plans. You can always get a couple of ounces of overstuff to drop the temp rating lower. I'm using an HG 3/4 20* UQ with 2 oz. overstuff which has worked fine down to 17 degrees (though my feet were a bit chilly).

I'm a little surprised you're considering a UQ protector - wasn't aware that New Mexico had that driving, blowing precipitation that would necessitate such protection. It's a great thing to have when you're in those conditions for sure. Good luck getting HammockGear to make you an UQ protector - I can't see Adam getting into that business but I may be wrong!

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Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr

Sounds like you need a 20*UQ based on your plans. You can always get a couple of ounces of overstuff to drop the temp rating lower. I'm using an HG 3/4 20* UQ with 2 oz. overstuff which has worked fine down to 17 degrees (though my feet were a bit chilly).

I'm a little surprised you're considering a UQ protector - wasn't aware that New Mexico had that driving, blowing precipitation that would necessitate such protection. It's a great thing to have when you're in those conditions for sure. Good luck getting HammockGear to make you an UQ protector - I can't see Adam getting into that business but I may be wrong!

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One thing that is unpredictable in NM is the weather. I think I have had more white Easters than Christmases. My Fruit trees are still trying to recover from a bright February day in '10 where the high was 20 and the low was -18 for a 40 hour period. I prefer to be prepared. I also may hunt in January in Colorado...

The UQ protector is a nifty idea, and since I have never owned anything down, I am concerned, especially since I will be back country, likely alone, and want to have my bases covered just in case. There is another reason for wanting an UQ Protector...

About 15 years ago I thought I wanted to be a soldier. A commanding officer of one of the most successful super secret Vietnam era special operations units wrote a blurb for a book that I was very interested in at the time. The book was written by the Jungle Platoon Commander and OSS operative from WWII complaining how the US had forgotten how to equip soldiers for war. The book is repetitive, and fairly poorly written, but it is a goldmine of information on field craft which includes chapters on why the US should issue its soldiers hammocks, with insect nets and false bottoms. He includes diagrams and sound reasoning, and why the mass produced (as opposed locally produced and purchased in Panama) US Jungle hammocks are a technological step backward to save a buck. He is also adamant about man portable breath inflated boats, too. Since then a false bottomed hammock has intrigued me, I want to test it out and see if his claims are true. Tom Hennessy said the US Jungle Hammock was his inspiration. Based on Major Kearny's claims I want to try the concepts of the World War II Hammock myself. The UQ Protector is a neat add on that can be added and subtracted for that experimentation, in addition to what it was designed for.

I am hesitant to go from 0 degrees to 20 degrees, but I am asking for advice, and an often overlooked step in asking for advice is actually listening to it.

Let's keep the discussion rolling!

Thanks,

pat

Also, not looking at TQ at this time, because I have so many sleeping bags of various makes/weights/quality/ratings. This is till a budget conscious endeavor.

thanks again,

pat