Sleeping bag negatives

[LazyFrog]

This may have an obvious answer to some, but I don't see it. What does an under quilt do for warmth that a sleeping bag doesn't? Couldn't I stay just as warm in a sleeping bag laying on top of a foam pad?

Mainly in the 3 seasons, spring to fall.

[Redoleary]

The short answer is no. A sleeping bag derives its insulative qualities from loft, the part under you has no loft. A pad on the other hand basically has the same R value whether you're lying on it or not. That being said, I have a friend who swears by just getting in his sleeping bag and going to sleep, never had a problem, so, if it works for you go for it, there's no such thing as doing it "wrong" as long as it works for you.

[Bubba]

Give it a try. If it works for you, then that's great. Some people are cold sleepers and need the loft to keep warm.

[DivaB]

Things I have played with the past few days that don't work....even though I knew they wouldn't, I had to try myself.

Note: These are not light weight backpacking options. I was experimenting in order to possibly find a nice material to permanently sew to the hammocks for comfort and warmth, for our "hammock barn" where these particular hammocks won't be moved much except to get out of our way for day use of the barn.

We had a hotel closing in town and I was able to pick up some things there for very little money to also try.

Laying on the material inside the hammock....Yes, I've had a bit on time on my hands

Flannel blanket - terrible. add military pad and it was no different than just laying on the pad with no flannel.

Fleece blanket - worked at first, but slowly compressed and no longer worked
Added pad, seemed to work longer...but then it was like having no fleece blanket and just laying on a plain pad.

Acrylic blanket....almost, but still CBS in a matter of minutes. Pad, definitely helped, but still ended up with CBS

Patrol sleeping bag - terrible, added pad and it seemed like the bag wasn't even there, just the pad added insulating value....I do use this as my top quilt and love it for that
Nice as a Pod (around the outside of the bag) but not much foot room)

Coleman sleeping bag (rectangle) - terrible to lay on, cold every where it was compressed. But super warm to wrap around the hammock as a POD and zip. Just need to close the draft at the feet end or sew the sucker on at the feet end and suspending the head end. Once again...the pad didn't add to the sleeping bag working better. The sleeping bag while laying on it was useless.

Thick hotel bed liner - terrible and cold, cold, cold. This surprised me a bit
I think it may be of a cotton material, but unsure. Didn't bother with the pad.

Hotel Velor Blanket - single, very comfortable, but semi cold shoulders and butt. Pad helped with cold butt.

Hotel Velor Blanket folded in half - super comfortable, nice warm back and shoulders and legs, but after 3 hours again with the cold butt!! This is nice to roll over in too, as it doesn't grab or catch on your clothes. Slid the pad in and able to get better time.


At any time when I added the military pad, there is not much difference between just laying on the pad compared to when adding something else on it. The pads R value doesn't change at all or very little. The best I laid on was the velor/pad combo or the Coleman sleeping bag wrapped around the hammock and not laying on it. Thing is, I only have 1 Coleman sleeping bag, but picked up a few of these velor blankets.

I think I just suffer from Chronic Cold Butt Syndrome no matter what the heck I do!!

[angrysparrow]

This may have an obvious answer to some, but I don't see it. What does an under quilt do for warmth that a sleeping bag doesn't? Couldn't I stay just as warm in a sleeping bag laying on top of a foam pad?

As mentioned above, the portion of your sleeping bag that is between you and the hammock fabric (or pad) gets compressed. It doesn't offer a lot of insulation value on the underside. So, it is basically the pad that is providing the warmth and wind-block from below.

So, it's a matter of considering a pad vs an underquilt.

Pads, as also mentioned above, work fine. Just like on the ground, they provide insulation. But, they're tricky to stay on top of in a hammock. When you move around, they tend to slide out from under you. And, if part of your body (this happens with shoulders and arms most often) hangs off of the pad, you'll feel a cold spot where that happens. Also, in some conditions, because the pad isn't breathable (vapor barrier) it will develop condensation between your body and the pad.

Underquilts are simply the remedy that solves the issue with pads and bags. They retain all their loft, since they are suspended beneath the hammock fabric. And you can move around in the hammock all you like, and the underquilt still insulates below. And because they are breathable, perspiration and moisture doesn't collect.

If you like the idea of pads, give it a shot. It can be made to work. But if you find them fiddly, you'll know what to look into next.

[BillyBob58]

The primary advantage to the quilt will be less weight and volume for a given temperature rating. The quilt will have no back warmth, and will depend on either your pad or under quilt for back warmth. The sleeping bag, for most folks, we'll not have near as much back warmth as it will top warmth due to compression of the lower part of the bag. But it will have more back warmth than a top quilt, particularly if it is a synthetic bag. But, it will have more weight and volume than the quilt. Assuming the same temp rating.

[deadeye]

I use a 40* bag (as a quilt) and a Big Agnes short mummy insulated aircore pad or a Thermarest Prolite. Works just fine, and I didn't spend a dime above & beyond my existing ground setup. It probably helps that once I get in my hammock, I'm unconcious and don't move much during the night. Mind you, I want an underquilt, but I can wait - this setup works fine.

[LazyFrog]

I'm gonna be doing my first overnighter's mid April. I don't have the funds for a quilt right now so I'm going to give the bag/pad a shot. I'll be camping with 2 or 3 other tents, so if it gets real cold you know where I'm going.
Thanks for the info. I would have never though something so simple as compression of the fill would be the answer. But thats cause I was thinking to hard about it, lol.


Maybe Ill Macgyver one of my old sleeping bags into a under quilt.

[rip waverly]

in a single layer hmmk, i kept sliding the pad out over the edge of the hammock. wound up on the pad, on the ground, sleeping 'under' my hammock, and cursing.

a double layer imho really helps to keep a pad in place, and there are a bunch of pad enthusiasts on the forum here... check the bottom insulation forum, and go to Pads. a lot of good stuff in there.

if the hammock style ends up suiting you... the UQ is a great investment.

[Shug]

Maybe this will give some insight.......

Shug