Cross-posting this from another post, so bear with me.
"I can't decide if I like the underquilt thing or not. I'm going to at least carry a torso pad no matter what, and I almost think the weight/warmth is a wash regarding a CC pad compared to a sewn-through underquilt. For me, I really thing the hammock sock is the key to everything by cutting off a bunch of that convective loss from underneigth. I almost always carry a space blanket in the cool months, and might as well use it between the hammock and sock as to leave it in the pack. Could even get all crazy and do a Garlington taco-like setup for a few nights if need be with leaves and empty stuff sacks/trash bags."
Here's the deal - I have a sewn-through underquilt that I slapped together before my recent trip down the Cape Fear River http://sourcetosea.net/CapeFear/overview.html
I played with a bunch of different things, and carried a 24x36x1/4" pad, a mummy-shaped inflatable(in theory, pad has a leak) pad, underquilt with probably about 2.5 inches of loft (sewn through, 8" wide tubes), space blanket, and hammock sock. I used a Golite Featherlight ( wildly optimistic 40 degree down bag that I cut down one side to use as a quilt) and a 100 weight fleece liner. Have a MH Phantom down jacket as backup but never used.
I chickened on on the really cold nights and just slept on the ground as it was already dark and I didn't want to have to climb out of the hammock if things weren't working out. Used the hammock sock as a bivy on top of a groundcloth with great success.
Now, after all that babbling, I'm still not sure if I like the underquilt thing or not, or if it works out weight-wise compared to the warmth of a couple of CC pads. Granted, I haven't weighed by quilt yet, but I'm considering making a 2-layer hammock like Risk's Zhammock out of 2 layers of 1.1 oz nylon and seeing what happens.
I think in the end, the best combination for me might me a Warmhammock with about 3" on insulation, a couple of pads (1/8" and 1/4" inch) and a hammock sock. That would still leave me with the overstuffed underquilt that I could use as a top bag. My only concern with intergrating the down into the hammock itself is if it gets wet from water coming down the lines. I haven't been in a real rainstorm yet while hanging and am waiting to see how well that works out.
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