What's your pick for synthetic underquilts and why?

[Law Dawg (ret)]

Forum search functions work about like...well not well. Forgive me if this is a repost. I just got my WBBB dbl 1.7 (coupled with a Kelty 12x12) and now the research for a good underquilt begins. Been looking at the KAQ New River because I want a full length in synthetic. Yes I know down is warmer, lighter, and compresses better but wet is an issue on long trips and I am not so fussed up over weight (moto caming). I am not ready to DIY (government employee and lazy ). I will be using a Wallymart blue pad and space blanket for now and may use them to add insulation to a future UQ.

So knowing that there probably are more over the counter UQs than KAQ and Molly Mac, what is your best call for warm (to 20-30 degrees F) full length 3 season synthetic UQs?

[G.L.P.]

Forum search functions work about like...well not well. Forgive me if this is a repost. I just got my WBBB dbl 1.7 (coupled with a Kelty 12x12) and now the research for a good underquilt begins. Been looking at the KAQ New River because I want a full length in synthetic. Yes I know down is warmer, lighter, and compresses better but wet is an issue on long trips and I am not so fussed up over weight (moto caming). I am not ready to DIY (government employee and lazy ). I will be using a Wallymart blue pad and space blanket for now and may use them to add insulation to a future UQ.

So knowing that there probably are more over the counter UQs than KAQ and Molly Mac, what is your best call for warm (to 20-30 degrees F) full length 3 season synthetic UQs?

Paul over at AHE is the synth UQ Guru .....i know Stormcrows had made a few for ppl so you can msg him as well...other then that thats about in for synth UQ ....
as for using a Pad with your UQ...not a good idea...this has come up alot
in the last few weeks...the pad will not allow the UQ to lay against you like it needs to , to work right ...if weight isn't a problem i would go with a KAQ with IX upgrade...that will get you down well below 30
adding a space blanket will work for ya..but watch out for condensation problems

[JohnSawyer]

Paul also has the BBO overcover for the BB.. folks say it warms them up quite a bit...

[Law Dawg (ret)]

...as for using a Pad with your UQ...not a good idea...this has come up alot
in the last few weeks...the pad will not allow the UQ to lay against you like it needs to , to work right ...if weight isn't a problem i would go with a KAQ with IX upgrade...that will get you down well below 30
adding a space blanket will work for ya..but watch out for condensation problems

Good tip and I can see where the pad could do just that. The HH site SS Ytube shows the SB going between the pad and hammock bottom and I've always wondered how one would not wake up soaked. Metabolism I guess. Googled a post where someone talked about a New River and Lost River double up for real cold. That kind of sings to me simply for the ability to change the quilts depending on the temps.

Paul also has the BBO overcover for the BB.. folks say it warms them up quite a bit...

Been drooling over that one as well. UQ(s) first though (cash is not unlimited). Hammocking and gear is kinda like drugs except the first one is not free.

[pgibson]

New River is a great fit on a BB. It is my preference I think. I have gone back and forth between full and partial length and like the one bit of gear approach to under insulation. Stacking a Lost on a New River will work for sure just takes a little bit extra to get them set together so that you don't compress the inner quilt.

[Law Dawg (ret)]

Good morning Paul. What few pics I could locate of the NR and WBBB look like a hand in glove fit...nice work! I noticed the IX unsulation add on has been removed from the KAQ store site. Is that still an option or is there something better in the works?

BTW the combo of NR and LR (when set up right) would seem very comfy. Add that the different ways of using both are many...like the NR as a TQ when using the LR as a UQ.

[bigbamaguy]

Lawdog:
Last weekend, where I was camping, the temps got down to 34*F. I was in a WBBB 1.7 DL and using a KAQ New River UQ, AHE BBO and a poncholiner for a TQ. I wore a pair of Magellan nylon hiking pants, longsleeve cotton T, fleece beanie and my hiking socks. I was warm all night except for the small cold spot at the usual CBS spot!!!!!! That was due to me having the KAQ pulled to tight, still getting it hung right on the BB. If you are going to get a KAQ New River to hang on your BB I suggest that you also get the triangle thingy's that Paul sells as well, makes hanging the UQ simpler on the BB. I have taken this same UQ down to the mid 20*F on other occassions with a Clark NX-200. If you were to get the IX insert I cannot see how it would not be able to take most campers to the low 30's possibly mid 20's with a good baselayer and fleece jacket.

You cannot beat the KAQ for a synthetic UQ IMHO, and it will pack down to a reasonable size. I have been able to use a green drybag from the walmart set to keep it dry and compressed in this bag to 2/3 the bags original length.

[Law Dawg (ret)]

I wore a pair of Magellan nylon hiking pants, longsleeve cotton T, fleece beanie and my hiking socks. I was warm all night except for the small cold spot at the usual CBS spot!!!!!!

This is a concept I have mucho trouble wrapping my mind around and a matter of some controversy here I take it. All my life the wisdom has been less clothing is better with a good bag and ground pad (sort of the same as the pad and UQ above) and that has worked like a charm. Now some are saying the opposite while some argue birthday suit. Guess that will be part of the experiment.

[pgibson]

I sold off the last of the IX that I had in the last month or so. My testing showed about a 5-10 degree temp boost with a layer of IX outside the climashield, but a 25-40% reduction in compressibility of the quilts. That is a big change on a climasheild quilt, more than I liked. I am working on some new thoughts for taking Climashield to lower/winter ranges. First is adding a layer of 2.5oz XP to the 6 oz for a boots at least as good as a layer of IX but with a lot better compressibility than the IX. I am also looking at adding 9 & 11 along with possibly a double 6 to the line up as upgrades. Those couple options while more cost than the IX was will give a much greater range of temps on the cold end of the mercury and have better compressibility than what the IX would allow. All in all I think I will have a better range of quilt with better flexibility than the IX upgrade would allow.

We recently got a new thread thumper and am still working to get a person trained to run it at the quality I am looking for. So some of this is still in limbo till we can produce at A grade with it. But I hope to be able to start running these options on the site soon.

[pgibson]

What to wear and how much is personal preference I think. I have gone both ways but usually I like to have on at least base layer sort of stuff so that I have something warm on in the morning (or (especially) the middle of the night) when I get up. I hate putting on cold clothes.