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  1. #61
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    Initial Thought on SuperShelter

    So, a follow up to my earlier post. A little bedtime reading for you... (Translation: it's longer than a Tweet.)

    As I had mentioned, I bought a SS during the February sale. I took it out for the first time last Friday on an overnight backpacking trip to test out a few items. Since this thread was started in reference to the sale, below are my initial observations relating back to making the purchase. Was it worth it?

    Along the way, I'll mention some things for future reference that I'll save for separate threads another day.

    --WEIGHT: When I had gotten it in my hands, it's reasonably light at just over 17 oz. (I'm primarily backpacking). If it works consistently into the 30s then it's comparable to a 30 UQ. The Under Cover weighs 9.6, the foam pad about 8 oz. The separate weights are noteworthy because the SS may yield some interesting mix & match options.

    --UNDER COVER: The UC went on very easily and I think will be the most interesting part of the system. (And I recommend using Derek Hansen's attachment tips; see previous post in this thread). First, as Billy Bob noted previously, it's about the only wind/water-proof system out of the box I can think of. UQ users often purchase covers separately. But the UC doesn't just cover the bottom. I'll have to take a closer look at the angles under the tarp next time, but the way it wraps up and over the ends of the hammock should add some wind & rain protection to either end. We'll see. Definitely an added bonus beyond insulation, especially at this price point. Second, and maybe most important, is the UC allows you to utilize just about any kind of insulation you can think of. It makes your hammock insulation more like clothing layers. The UC is just a wind/rain shell. What you put inside it is up to you. While there will be limits as far as weight and bulk, I'm looking forward to trying out various layers (I already had a teaser; more below). Last, I think Hennessy's suggestion to leave the UC on is good. It doesn't get in the way, adds wind & rain protection even in milder conditions, and adds another layer of bug protection for models with thinner fabric, and is easily pushed aside if needed. Leaving the UC on I had no trouble getting it back into the snake skins, or into the hammock's original stuff sack. (Though my hex tarp is separate.)

    --FOAM PAD: Yup, it's delicate just as they said. I have a bottom entry (soon to be 2QZD'd though) and put my fingers through the edge of the pad while getting in and trying to shift it, not realizing my weight was on it. But it doesn't affect anything; the foam just closes back on itself, plus it's not in a problematic spot. More importantly is that it does what I'd expect a cheap (but much thinner than expected) foam pad to do: it kept me comfortable without the space blanket in the 50s (30*-40* down top quilt, light base layer). I woke up around 3am in the 40s and was cold. So knowing that UC+FP is good to the 50s is satisfactory for me. Milder temps in the 60s may be okay with just the UC. I hope so, leaving the foam pad behind would be nice. Though I woke up cold, I can't comment on the space blanket because I didn't want to mess with it at that moment. Plus, another item I brought out for the first time was the Snugpak Jungle Blanket. Being the hour that it was, I didn't want to fiddle with it in the UC and just spread it out underneath me in the hammock. Boom! Instant warmth, even laying right on top of it. It was diagonal so there was plenty of length head to toe, but more importantly the other corners wrapped up around the sides preventing any cold spots by my elbows. I was out like a light and slept straight through till morning, still in the 40s when I woke perfectly comfortable. One of the interesting properties of the FP is that it is somewhat grippy with synthetic materials such as sleeping bags or the Jungle Blanket. This makes it much easier to add such items without them sliding down or bunching up. Next time when I expect those temps, I'll be very anxious to put the JB on top of the pad in the UC and see how it does. Since it performed well directly under me, it should do better when not so compressed. But that's one of those future topics... These kinds of mix & match options are what makes the SS most appealing to me.

    --PACKING & STORAGE: Saved this for last since it's kinda fussy. The narrow, double-sided stuff sack is an odd choice. While it's possible to get everything back inside, it's unnecessarily tedious. Manufacturers of any product know by now customers don't like it when something is difficult to repack. Plus, there's no reason to do so with the SS. Hennessy recommends either leaving the whole thing on the hammock or at least leaving just the Under Cover on. As for the foam pad, it's well-known how delicate it is so it's not a great choice to provide such a narrow stuff sack that forces people to wrestle with it. If using the provided stuff sack and leaving the UC on the hammock, it's not too bad to just fold the wider part of the pad to the width of the foot and roll it up snugly but without unnecessary effort or anything you need to practice. Rolled like that, the FP will fit into the sack by itself, it's not terrible but you'll still have to work at it a little and is still tedious in the field. Also, Hennessy recommends not storing the pad compressed anyway, so not only is the stuff sack not very practical in the field, even back home it's not where you want to keep it. In both cases I used another stuff sack. In the field, I just used a sack that was slightly larger than the FP rolled as described above; pop it in with no fuss. A couple of spare compression straps squeezed it nicely into a manageable pack size. Back home, I just transferred the rolled FP into a larger stuff sack, jostled it around a bit to let it unroll naturally in the sack so it's not at all compressed:

    Reaching in, I can feel the convolutions are not compressed. One final thought on not storing it compressed: when I unpacked it for the first time (in the field) it took a looong time for the convolutions to emerge. Even after an hour or more the pad was flat as a pancake, to the point I wondered if they had changed the pad they were using. Who knows how long it had been stored before I got it. By morning everything was there. Storing it as above should help it rebound more quickly next time out. Meanwhile, I've got my hex tarp in the double-sided SS sack.

    CONCLUSION: So, I bought the SS for $70 US. Was it worth it? Yes. At that price it's worth it as an inexpensive insulation option that lets you use other items, especially things you may already have without much trouble. There is still an UQ in my future--the performance and practicality can't be beat--but until then this will get me comfortably into the kind of temps I most often encounter and enable me to just get out there! I'll admit to not being blown away. It functions, but only at a bare minimum. While it provides me some workable options and maybe some fun experiments, it does raise one of my frustrations with Hennessy: the lack of long-term innovation. Let's be candid: the foam pad is seriously cheap material and comes across as more of a hack than a serious solution. By contrast, a company such as Warbonnet comes along a decade after Hennessy yet continues to put forward interesting and serious products; their Wooki UQ, for example, a custom, pre-fit asym UQ for their hammocks. It does make me scratch my head and wonder why Hennessy hasn't pushed the envelope with more innovative products. Why is this cheap foam pad or the reflective bubble pad their only game? I bought my UL Backpacker before the hammock 'explosion' and it's frustrating that there aren't more interesting options for HH owners to grow along with the company. Just take the SS as an easy example. If I'm already thinking about shoving my Jungle Blanket in there, or wondering how my light down sleeping bag will do--and many other people, too--why hasn't HH been doing the same? If it were me, I'd be coming out various insulation items custom fit for the SS system. HH owners could have a simple, effective, mix and match system. There really isn't anything out there like that that I know of. Hmmm... maybe the next cottage industry. But again, for the price I paid, we hammockers are often DIYers anyway.

    And finally... Is it worth full price of $140? Depends. If you can't afford an UQ any time in the near future, then yes. It works within its stated range yet gives you a ton of easy flexibility to try other insulation layers. That's a win. On the other hand, $140 is halfway to most UQs. If you can save your pennies for a little while more, I'd say do it. I've never heard an UQ owner say they wanted to go back.

    Well, I said this was some bedtime reading. Nighty night.
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    Last edited by bereantrb; 03-22-2018 at 23:44.

  2. #62
    Senior Member oldpappy's Avatar
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    Thanks - this review is a fair analysis of the system without the space blanket.

    A thought for you to consider, why use the stuff sacks/snake skins at all in the field? The UC is water proof = same function as stuff sack. When packing up, I leave the head end attached to the tree and roll the entire hammock/SS up tight; then I wrap the head end suspension around to squeeze it a little more and hold it together. Using Dutch Clips on the tree huggers makes this very easy. (I keep my tarp separate as well).

    Thanks again.
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  3. #63
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    why use the stuff sacks/snake skins at all in the field?
    That was really just for reference, playing around with the system. Just to say that the hammock body + UC doesn't become too bulky and will go into snake skins or into the original stuff sack if desired. Just depending on how you pack/store. Or if base camping, sometimes it's nice to pull up the hammock into the skins and free up room under the tarp. Options. Mostly because I see the foam pad as the awkward component. But...

    When packing up, I leave the head end attached to the tree and roll the entire hammock/SS up tight
    Yes, I definitely figured I'd try wrapping up the whole enchilada. Before I had it out, that method sounded like it would be way too bulky but now that I've had some hands-on time with it I think that may actually work better than expected. It may compress into the bottom of my pack just fine.

    Hey, it's Friday night! Have a great weekend!

  4. #64
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bereantrb View Post
    So, a follow up to my earlier post. A little bedtime reading for you... (Translation: it's longer than a Tweet.)

    As I had mentioned, I bought a SS during the February sale. I took it out for the first time last Friday on an overnight backpacking trip to test out a few items. Since this thread was started in reference to the sale, below are my initial observations relating back to making the purchase. Was it worth it?

    Along the way, I'll mention some things for future reference that I'll save for separate threads another day.

    --WEIGHT: When I had gotten it in my hands, it's reasonably light at just over 17 oz. (I'm primarily backpacking). If it works consistently into the 30s then it's comparable to a 30 UQ. The Under Cover weighs 9.6, the foam pad about 8 oz. The separate weights are noteworthy because the SS may yield some interesting mix & match options.

    --UNDER COVER: The UC went on very easily and I think will be the most interesting part of the system. (And I recommend using Derek Hansen's attachment tips; see previous post in this thread). First, as Billy Bob noted previously, it's about the only wind/water-proof system out of the box I can think of. UQ users often purchase covers separately. But the UC doesn't just cover the bottom. I'll have to take a closer look at the angles under the tarp next time, but the way it wraps up and over the ends of the hammock should add some wind & rain protection to either end. We'll see. Definitely an added bonus beyond insulation, especially at this price point. Second, and maybe most important, is the UC allows you to utilize just about any kind of insulation you can think of. It makes your hammock insulation more like clothing layers. The UC is just a wind/rain shell. What you put inside it is up to you. While there will be limits as far as weight and bulk, I'm looking forward to trying out various layers (I already had a teaser; more below). Last, I think Hennessy's suggestion to leave the UC on is good. It doesn't get in the way, adds wind & rain protection even in milder conditions, and adds another layer of bug protection for models with thinner fabric, and is easily pushed aside if needed. Leaving the UC on I had no trouble getting it back into the snake skins, or into the hammock's original stuff sack. (Though my hex tarp is separate.)

    --FOAM PAD: Yup, it's delicate just as they said. I have a bottom entry (soon to be 2QZD'd though) and put my fingers through the edge of the pad while getting in and trying to shift it, not realizing my weight was on it. But it doesn't affect anything; the foam just closes back on itself, plus it's not in a problematic spot. More importantly is that it does what I'd expect a cheap (but much thinner than expected) foam pad to do: it kept me comfortable without the space blanket in the 50s (30*-40* down top quilt, light base layer). I woke up around 3am in the 40s and was cold. So knowing that UC+FP is good to the 50s is satisfactory for me. Milder temps in the 60s may be okay with just the UC. I hope so, leaving the foam pad behind would be nice. Though I woke up cold, I can't comment on the space blanket because I didn't want to mess with it at that moment. Plus, another item I brought out for the first time was the Snugpak Jungle Blanket. Being the hour that it was, I didn't want to fiddle with it in the UC and just spread it out underneath me in the hammock. Boom! Instant warmth, even laying right on top of it. It was diagonal so there was plenty of length head to toe, but more importantly the other corners wrapped up around the sides preventing any cold spots by my elbows. I was out like a light and slept straight through till morning, still in the 40s when I woke perfectly comfortable. One of the interesting properties of the FP is that it is somewhat grippy with synthetic materials such as sleeping bags or the Jungle Blanket. This makes it much easier to add such items without them sliding down or bunching up. Next time when I expect those temps, I'll be very anxious to put the JB on top of the pad in the UC and see how it does. Since it performed well directly under me, it should do better when not so compressed. But that's one of those future topics... These kinds of mix & match options are what makes the SS most appealing to me.

    --PACKING & STORAGE: Saved this for last since it's kinda fussy. The narrow, double-sided stuff sack is an odd choice. While it's possible to get everything back inside, it's unnecessarily tedious. Manufacturers of any product know by now customers don't like it when something is difficult to repack. Plus, there's no reason to do so with the SS. Hennessy recommends either leaving the whole thing on the hammock or at least leaving just the Under Cover on. As for the foam pad, it's well-known how delicate it is so it's not a great choice to provide such a narrow stuff sack that forces people to wrestle with it. If using the provided stuff sack and leaving the UC on the hammock, it's not too bad to just fold the wider part of the pad to the width of the foot and roll it up snugly but without unnecessary effort or anything you need to practice. Rolled like that, the FP will fit into the sack by itself, it's not terrible but you'll still have to work at it a little and is still tedious in the field. Also, Hennessy recommends not storing the pad compressed anyway, so not only is the stuff sack not very practical in the field, even back home it's not where you want to keep it. In both cases I used another stuff sack. In the field, I just used a sack that was slightly larger than the FP rolled as described above; pop it in with no fuss. A couple of spare compression straps squeezed it nicely into a manageable pack size. Back home, I just transferred the rolled FP into a larger stuff sack, jostled it around a bit to let it unroll naturally in the sack so it's not at all compressed:

    Reaching in, I can feel the convolutions are not compressed. One final thought on not storing it compressed: when I unpacked it for the first time (in the field) it took a looong time for the convolutions to emerge. Even after an hour or more the pad was flat as a pancake, to the point I wondered if they had changed the pad they were using. Who knows how long it had been stored before I got it. By morning everything was there. Storing it as above should help it rebound more quickly next time out. Meanwhile, I've got my hex tarp in the double-sided SS sack.

    CONCLUSION: So, I bought the SS for $70 US. Was it worth it? Yes. At that price it's worth it as an inexpensive insulation option that lets you use other items, especially things you may already have without much trouble. There is still an UQ in my future--the performance and practicality can't be beat--but until then this will get me comfortably into the kind of temps I most often encounter and enable me to just get out there! I'll admit to not being blown away. It functions, but only at a bare minimum. While it provides me some workable options and maybe some fun experiments, it does raise one of my frustrations with Hennessy: the lack of long-term innovation. Let's be candid: the foam pad is seriously cheap material and comes across as more of a hack than a serious solution. By contrast, a company such as Warbonnet comes along a decade after Hennessy yet continues to put forward interesting and serious products; their Wooki UQ, for example, a custom, pre-fit asym UQ for their hammocks. It does make me scratch my head and wonder why Hennessy hasn't pushed the envelope with more innovative products. Why is this cheap foam pad or the reflective bubble pad their only game? I bought my UL Backpacker before the hammock 'explosion' and it's frustrating that there aren't more interesting options for HH owners to grow along with the company. Just take the SS as an easy example. If I'm already thinking about shoving my Jungle Blanket in there, or wondering how my light down sleeping bag will do--and many other people, too--why hasn't HH been doing the same? If it were me, I'd be coming out various insulation items custom fit for the SS system. HH owners could have a simple, effective, mix and match system. There really isn't anything out there like that that I know of. Hmmm... maybe the next cottage industry. But again, for the price I paid, we hammockers are often DIYers anyway.

    And finally... Is it worth full price of $140? Depends. If you can't afford an UQ any time in the near future, then yes. It works within its stated range yet gives you a ton of easy flexibility to try other insulation layers. That's a win. On the other hand, $140 is halfway to most UQs. If you can save your pennies for a little while more, I'd say do it. I've never heard an UQ owner say they wanted to go back.

    Well, I said this was some bedtime reading. Nighty night.
    So, you didn't ever use the sp. blanket, right? But instead added the JB? Any particular reason for avoiding the SB? Is the SB you have a very light weight one? Anything heavy might cause enough sag to become a problem.

    You mentioned the ease of adding whatever to the system as added insulation. Well said. But have you considered what the results might have been if you added the JB down under the hammock, with everything under the SB? You were already plenty warm with just the added JB, so I guess no need to add more, at least until you run into condensation one day, and wet insulation (been there, done that). OTOH, I figure the SB alone would have kept you warm enough to below 40.

    But it matters not: you have lots of fun options to play with! But while wondering why HH hasn't come up with something better: well, it's all personal pref, but I have had about everything, and in fact just got some more fancy stuff to test because I am a gear freak I guess. However, I still periodically go back to the horse that brung me. Part of that is for nostalgia as all of my happy hammock experiences were HHSS for the first year or more. But the other is because it just plain works. As you pointed out, there is a lot of extra wind and water protection built in to this thing, and no one else has that. And, using that small light weight tarp, greatly benefited from that built in wind protection my 1st week in a hammock. And I have never forgotten how much I benefited from that wind proofing. If I would have only had a 40F UQ(or even 20F) and no UQP, I would have been sc****d, blued and tatooed! Thanks for the report!
    Last edited by BillyBob58; 03-24-2018 at 23:37.

  5. #65
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    So, you didn't ever use the sp. blanket, right? But instead added the JB? Any particular reason for avoiding the SB?
    Correct, I didn't use the SB. It was the little one that came with the SS. I wasn't avoiding it, per se. I will definitely be using a SB. First, the night started out in the 50s and I just wanted to see how the foam did. I can check that off the list--I was fine in those temps. Also, I didn't use it mostly because as I mentioned at the top of the post I had a few items with me to try out, the Jungle Blanket being one of them. I hadn't used it yet and at 3am that was more appealing than cracking open that crinkly mylar and trying to shove it under the hammock (and my Grabber SB was my ground tarp at that moment; gear on it, not convenient). The JB was mighty comfy, so I'm not sorry about my choice! Also, in practice I will probably use the SOL SB anyway, so I wasn't going to bother even opening the little one included.

    But has you considered what the results might have been if you added the JB down under the hammock, with everything under the SB?
    Yes. I mentioned looking forward to trying the JB on top of the foam pad next time. There are a number of things to experiment with here. First, the JB is designed with one side that is water resistant. I'd be very curious to see what happens if I put that side against the hammock. Does it act as an effective vapor barrier? If so, that would be pretty sweet when needing to add layers for colder temps and knowing I don't have to worry about that layer getting damp. The second thing would be to add the JB along with the SB as you mentioned. Again, I'll definitely be trying the SB and assuming the SS+SB gets me into the 30s as many report, that would be my go-to system for those temps since it's very light and more compact than with the JB; no need to add the 24 oz. JB in those temps. But it would be really great if I could maybe throw the JB in and maybe push into the 20s. We'll see. Long term, that's the kind of value I could see in the SS system. If the SS+SB keeps me comfy in 30/40's that's fine by me. That is the lower range I'd see most often, the weight is comparable or only a little heavier than many UQs, and I only dished out $70. If the forecast calls for 20s, then hopefully I can use the JB I already have (which I got for $25). Or maybe a down sleeping bag I have. Definitely heavier than an UQ at that point but not terribly heavy and at least I'd have a solution at the ready with items I already have and never shelled out a lot of coin. So, along those lines I, too, may develop a sentimental attachment to it. Those fun times just making stuff work and having fun... before the UQ. lol

  6. #66
    Senior Member oldpappy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BillyBob58 View Post
    However, I still periodically go back to the horse that brung me. Part of that is for nostalgia as all of my happy hammock experiences were HHSS for the first year or more. But the other is because it just plain works.
    Quote Originally Posted by bereantrb View Post
    So, along those lines I, too, may develop a sentimental attachment to it. Those fun times just making stuff work and having fun... before the UQ. lol
    Ha - add me to that club as well. I have lots of camping hammocks, TQs, UQs, UPQ, bugnets; but the old HH system just works right out of the box and I find it sooo comfortable.

    After you get the SOL blanket on, try putting the UQ under the foam - adding the UQ between the foam and undercover worked better for me than between the foam/hammock. With my 'classic' bottom entry hammock and a 3/4 Jarbridge 3 season UQ, I just hook up the UQ head end and position the UQ to cover my shoulders to ankles. Sandwiched between foam pad/undercover it stays in place nicely and was toasty warm at 15F (with a 20F mummy bag and my jacket over my feet). I loosen up the head/foot end of the UQ so it is basically flat - the undercover holds it in the right place.
    If your JRB is a full length UQ and you HH a classic bottom entry, it may be too much of a PIA to use along with with the SS.
    Last edited by oldpappy; 03-25-2018 at 08:26.
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  7. #67
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    adding the UQ between the foam and undercover worked better for me than between the foam/hammock.
    In what way did it work better for you?

  8. #68
    Senior Member oldpappy's Avatar
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    No bunching up or drafts.
    I found my Jarbridge 3/4 UQ created small drafty areas around it's edges during a spring fishing trip with high winds and temps in the high teens; but on that same trip (the next night) I put the UQ underneath the SS open cell foam pad/space blanket it was like an electric blanket. Also, I think the space blanket performs better as a vapor barrier and reflects some body heat better with the UQ down there.
    I think there was some condensation on the space blanket/bottom of the UQ as well.
    Try both during the same weather and let us know what you think.

    It's funny how we change over the years - my HH was my summer hammock and my DIY gathered end/UQ/sockwas my winter set-up; but with the SS my HH has become my Fall/Winter/Spring hammock and my gathered end/fronkey bugnet is my summer set-up.

    Kurt is a real expert here. This is a link to his review. He has camped with Shug during those crazy cold Minnesota nights:
    http://www.backpackgeartest.org//rev...0Kurt%20Papke/
    Last edited by oldpappy; 03-25-2018 at 11:35.
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    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by oldpappy View Post
    No bunching up or drafts.
    I found my Jarbridge 3/4 UQ created small drafty areas around it's edges during a spring fishing trip with high winds and temps in the high teens; but on that same trip (the next night) I put the UQ underneath the SS open cell foam pad/space blanket it was like an electric blanket. Also, I think the space blanket performs better as a vapor barrier and reflects some body heat better with the UQ down there.
    I think there was some condensation on the space blanket/bottom of the UQ as well.
    Try both during the same weather and let us know what you think.

    It's funny how we change over the years - my HH was my summer hammock and my DIY gathered end/UQ/sockwas my winter set-up; but with the SS my HH has become my Fall/Winter/Spring hammock and my gathered end/fronkey bugnet is my summer set-up.

    Kurt is a real expert here. This is a link to his review. He has camped with Shug during those crazy cold Minnesota nights:
    http://www.backpackgeartest.org//rev...0Kurt%20Papke/
    Absolutely, Kurt is the man when it comes to the HHSS, having been the first to record taking one to minus 27F, or really much below zero at all. There were a couple of Canadians early on who took just the basic SS(no augmentation) to be quite warm at impressive lows, maybe either the positive low teens or even a bit below zero? Not sure. And there is one guy out there, CalloftheWild? Who has done amazing things with just the basic HHSS. But Kurt is the original at as far as I know still the record reading, and was quite warm enough. But, the thing is, he has also made similar comments about how there was never really any reason to use anything other than his original system. Which in some ways was still the simplest way to go, and I think he also goes back to it at least sometimes.

    I am still experimenting with new gear even now, mainly just because I enjoy it for some strange reason. But I also ask myself why did I ever bother, and have I really come up with anything better than that original system of mine? Except for my usual pref for bridge hammocks, I really don't think I have. If for no other reason: having had my woes trying to get adequate wind coverage with bigger heavier tarps, in place where sheltered site selection was very limited, or needing a much bigger tarp to avoid both the bridge spreader bars and to be able to close the doors to block wind, I guess I ill never forget the time that the HHSS under cover saved my butt(literally). I didn't even realize how that is what saved me until long after, once I started trying to battle wind in my down UQs and reading more about the problem. But that HHSS with it's tiny tarp(almost no help with wind or sideways rain from that), with no added weight or $ for either UQPs or larger tarps with doors, made it so that I never even noticed the cold wind that night. Or any moisture that wind brought in off of the lake it blew across, as I camped within 10 feet of that water. Even though the wind bounced the hammock around all night, the only problem it actually caused was the noise of my flapping and popping tarp. It was a snug, comfy night for me once I fell asleep despite the noise. How Ya gonna forget a lesson like that?

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    "adding the UQ between the foam and undercover worked better for me than between the foam/hammock. With my 'classic' bottom entry hammock and a 3/4 Jarbridge 3 season UQ, I just hook up the UQ head end and position the UQ to cover my shoulders to ankles. Sandwiched between foam pad/undercover it stays in place nicely and was toasty warm at 15F..."

    This is what I have been thinking about. Could I add the HH foam pad between my HH hammock and my down UQ to allow me to take the system into lower temps than just the UQ?

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