Do i really need a UQ???

**Peter_pan** · 10-20-2009, 09:33

What you can use to get by with

And what is comfortable, hassle free and total comfort for you in your hammock is quite another... Not to mention, routinely lighter, less volume, and more breathable; all over a greater temperature range.

But Hey each hanger to their own choices... Your call.

Pan

**Fiddleback** · 10-20-2009, 12:04

...and remember...

The individual sleep system is a system. There is so much more than just underinsulation. There's top insulation (bag, quilt, other) and sleepwear, for example. Each component affects the other...beef up one and you might be able to reduce another. And you, the individual, is one of the biggest variables when discussing sleep systems.

"Comfort" has many connotations, too. There's the comfort experienced laying down, the comfort of being warm, the comfort of a lighter weight pack...even convenience might be considered a measure of comfort. It might be a stretch but there's also a certain amount of comfort in a wallet that's not empty.

My own MO is to start simple and inexpensive and build from there. Which may be why, for 20° and above, I've never moved beyond a ¼" pad.

FB

**Mustardman** · 10-20-2009, 12:22

Despite what the guy who sells underquilts says

, in my experience UQs, like all things in hammocking, are far from hassle free. I'm still tweaking my UQ setup and expect to do so for a while before I get it dialed.

**te-wa** · 10-20-2009, 12:32

Off-Road, I am much like you in regards to pack weight. Designing my te-wa UQ was the main goal in keeping light, low bulk, but remaining warm into the mid twenties.
I usually keep a 3 season pack weight of 7-8lbs (base weight) and the te-wa fits nicely into the bottom of my pack in a generous stuff sack around a 1 gallon size.

I also agree, UQ's are very nice. once i tried one, i will never use a pad again. mike

**beep** · 10-20-2009, 12:45

Originally Posted by te-wa

Off-Road, I am much like you in regards to pack weight. Designing my te-wa UQ was the main goal in keeping light, low bulk, but remaining warm into the mid twenties.
I usually keep a 3 season pack weight of 7-8lbs (base weight) and the te-wa fits nicely into the bottom of my pack in a generous stuff sack around a 1 gallon size.

I also agree, UQ's are very nice. once i tried one, i will never use a pad again. mike

And, FWIW, Te-Wa makes a very nice product, definitely competitive with the WB Yeti or the JRB partial UQ

!

**Take-a-knee** · 10-20-2009, 13:59

Originally Posted by Mustardman

Despite what the guy who sells underquilts says

, in my experience UQs, like all things in hammocking, are far from hassle free. I'm still tweaking my UQ setup and expect to do so for a while before I get it dialed.

I don't think you've tried a Yeti in that case. JRB UQ's, the flat ones at least, need a tweak or two to get the drafts minimized and loft maximized, no biggy. Once you get it tweaked, put a Blackbishop sack on the foot rope and store it all together and there is no reason to touch it anymore. I wouldn't refer to it as a hassle. Many have posted that the radial baffled Mt Washingtons require near zero adjustment.

**kohburn** · 10-20-2009, 14:17

Originally Posted by Mustardman

HOWEVER, the Exped Downmat Deluxe might as well have been conceived specifically for hammock camping. It's extra wide, so gives great shoulder and hip coverage, and it has an awesome R-value for keeping your butt toasty warm. It's also really thick, meaning it can be halfway deflated and still have a lot of insulation below you, while also conforming to the hammock's shape very well. I slept in my Warbonnet Blackbird with the Downmat in the double layer all season last year, and honestly the Downmat seems like it requires LESS fiddling than underquilts.

thats basicly what I have - I made the switch from foam mats to the exped synmat.

before I switch to quilts I plan to switch to a bridge hammock.

**Mustardman** · 10-20-2009, 14:27

Originally Posted by Take-a-knee

I don't think you've tried a Yeti in that case. JRB UQ's, the flat ones at least, need a tweak or two to get the drafts minimized and loft maximized, no biggy. Once you get it tweaked, put a Blackbishop sack on the foot rope and store it all together and there is no reason to touch it anymore. I wouldn't refer to it as a hassle. Many have posted that the radial baffled Mt Washingtons require near zero adjustment.

The tweaking I've experienced has less to do with down compression (all of our quilts are differentially baffled) and more to do with keeping the bloody thing in place. Slipping off the foot end, slipping down the shoulder end, popping out from under the hammock, etc etc etc....

Sure, once I've got it dialed I can put it into a blackbishop sack and keep it that way, and in fact we've already got those sacks on the hammocks, but getting to that point is far from "hassle free"

Once you've got it dialed and know how to do it, I'm sure it'll feel easy, just like pitching a hammock tarp or figuring out the right amount of sag. I wouldn't call either of those "hassle free" either, though - it's just that you've mastered the hassle once you have them figured out

Any idiot can put up a tent and throw a sleeping bag/pad inside. Getting a hammock to work right takes a bit more talent.