5 oz Climashield UQ/TQ

[vitamaltz]

Sweet. I figured that I'd need to make a new double-layer CS quilt if I wanted to ditch my supplemental pad for really cold temps. Sounds like maybe I could just make a 3/4 -length quilt and use it as my slip-in option above my full length 5.0 in my winter setup. Thanks for the tip.

[BillyBob58]

Here's a thread where a bunch of us started talking about this; the individual results with 5.0 are all over the map. Only one way for you to tell for sure how low it gets you!

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=13466

I think the ratings supplied by Hiker DC in post #10 of that thread are probably close but just a tad optimistic for me when applied to an UQ, maybe off about ~10*F. Might well be accurate as a TQ or for another person as an UQ, given the WIDE range of cold tolerance individuals exhibit.

According to the above ratings, a CLO of 2 would be "warm" to 40*F. In this thread, http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=11090 , I used one layer of 2.5 oz XP, with a "CLO" rating of .82 per oz, which works out to total CLO of 2.05.

The lows in the area were ~46-49*F. I was right next to a lake, used a tarp with wide pitch in occasional winds of 2-5mph. I did not have a thermometer. But on many previous occasions, the measured temp in this area has always been a degree or two warmer than the closest weather stations(due to the lake?), so I'm going to guess the temp was closer to 49 than 46.

My impression was that, though I was warm enough all night, this was about the limit comfort wise. There were a few moments near 4 or 5AM where I was close to not warm enough. Though when I added a hat I was "just barely comfortable enough to pleasantly warm" for a couple more hours until time to get up. So the marginal warmth at about 0500 might have been more do to that than due to reaching the quilts limit. Also, I was sleeping in "jeans and cotton t-shirt", so no warmth help from there.

Still, for real world field use, I am only going to use just one layer of 2.5 oz, for an UQ, for when there is little chance of lows below 50F at the most. Because this was benign car camping conditions. I was very well fed with hot food, and had not been hiking all day, maybe in a 45* rain. Maybe followed by sitting around camp for a few hours, socializing or trying to enjoy a campfire. And even more important, there was no high wind to deal with. So I figure these results, even if I could have got a very few degrees more before being actually cold, are as good as it gets for me and would be worse in most backpacking scenarios. I like some reserve when I am a long hike from my car.

[firecaptain53]

firecaptn, how do you use the two UQs together without compressing the loft of the innermost one? I've noticed that CS does a fair job insulating when it's compressed, but like any other insulation is at its best when lofted. It's an interesting idea, and I'm curious to try it.

Just as Jerry said, my supplement has no real suspension either. I just slide it between the hammock and my main UQ. I did sew a cord in the ends of mine and just use this to tie off the supplement to the original since they are the same length. Works really really well and is only about the size of a nerf football when stuffed.

PS.. my main UQ has shock cord running from the corners up to my hammock suspension so it has alot of give and does not compress the supplemental UQ that I can tell.