I got cold last night???

[gakayaker]

So last night it got around in the low 50's/high 40's, and being summer here in georgia I thought it would be a good chance to try out my yet to be used 3/4 winter UQ. So I hung the hammock and pitched the tarp in the backyard and was set. I made sure I had tightened my shock cord on the uq at my ends to make sure it was nice and tight up against the hammock to eliminate any drafts. Since I dont have a TQ I just used a comforter from inside the house.
End result, I woke up several time through out the night and ended up going inside to sleep in my bed at 6am. So whats the deal? I figured since the uq was rated to like 5 degrees I would have no problem sleeping with a comforter that is prettty big in itself. I was actually more concerned about being hot, and though I would find myself taking off the uq entirely.

[Bomber]

Did you have any isolation under your feet? Was it windy Did you wear anything on your head? Or did the comforter keep slipping of your feet?
One of those reasons would be the culprit in my world.

[Problem Child]

Are you sure you didn't sweat and then get cold? I did about the same thing here in Mississippi last night.I used my PL for an UQ and another PL sewn with a footbox for a TQ.It was 50 degrees about dawn and I did get a little chilled but it sounds like you should have had plenty of insulation.

[gakayaker]

no i wasn't sweating, and i didn't have a pad under my feet but i had on some thick socks and the comforter was tucked all around my feet

[Shewie]

Which area of your body was cold? Could it be that the UQ was pulled too tight and the insulation was flattened out ?

[gakayaker]

not really sure which specific part of me was cold..it just felt as if there was no uq under me at all

[Str1der]

Nice to see another hanger so close to me (Conyers).

I'm guessing you had a winter Phoenix since you called it 3/4 length? I've used my winter Incubator on a 1.7 DL WBBB with a crappy 50* bag as a tq in weather that was high 40s at night with great success. The uq should certainly be sufficient, so my mind goes to other potential sources of cold. Even with the comforter, you may have needed something under your feet, but you would likely have noticed if only your feet were cold. Strong wind can rob a lot more heat than one might think, especially with even a tiny air gap between you and the uq, and a lack of a tarp or other windbreak could exacerbate this further.

The most obvious culprit is drafts underneath. Cinching up the edges seals the edges only. You may have needed to tighten the main suspension to eliminate air pockets under the center of the uq. This is why many (most?) uq users have either shortened their main suspension or simply tied knots in it. Stormcrow designs his uqs to fit ANY hammock (and rightly so), but a side effect is that he ends up on the conservative end which is often too long for many hammocks. Hey, it's slightly easier to shorten the suspension than it is to lengthen it, huh?

Another possibility is over tightening the suspension, causing it to migrate to one side and not remain underneath you. This has happened to me on a full length uq when lying on an extreme diagonal. The Incubator was pulled to the shelf side under the footbox but not the main hammock section; however, I doubt that would happen during the night. It happened to me when I first got into the hammock and I had the suspension too tight.

I use a pair of homemade TTs for my uq suspension, and I think they pretty much make all the minor adjustments idiot-proof (for which I am the ultimate torture test)!

[ShadowAlpha]

when I was in barnesville a couple of weeks ago - i didn't have anything under my feet & got quite cold. it was cold dry air in barnesville- kind of how it was last night around here in Acworth. try again with something under your feet

[nu2hike]

I experienced the same thing recently while trying out my new Wilderness Lodgic UQ. Its rated to 20*, but I had CBS with temps im the low 50's with calm winds!
I was using my 20* WM SB and I wasn't cold on top, just underneath! I had on long pants and long sleeve shirt with t-shirt underneath. I'm a cold sleeper, but I wasn't expecting to be cold with my setup!
How accurate are the temperature ratings for these products?

[Bomber]

How accurate are the temperature ratings for these products?

It's very individual and depending on a lot of factors, with some of the most important being; how tired you are? are you calorie deficient? are you getting sick(e.g. cold or flu).
These factors can make your 0 rated SB/UQ feel like almost no isolation.