I knew I came to the right place! Thanks everyone.
I knew I came to the right place! Thanks everyone.
bberms21: I hang in the very area you live in. All through GSMNP, Nantahala, etc. A big reason I went with a 3/4 over a full length is the ability to vent and regulate the 3/4 if i get hot. I feel this will allow me to use it for a larger portion of the year once the temps start warming. Just something to consider when shopping. I really like the idea of full coverage though...I just can't afford more than one quilt right now! This past summer, I was able to comfortably hang along the lower portions of the Fontana feeder streams with no insulation under me - up to around 3000ft or so. I'm sure that would change at 5000. Good luck with the search!
Do you "need" one - probably not. Should you get one - ABSOLUTELY. I used my DIY underquilt this weekend for the first time. I've been freezing my hind end off for the last few years when hammock camping in the mid 20s to upper 30s. All I can say is NEVER again. I was so warm and cozy all night long. It made a HUGE difference. Never again will I use the CCF pad or Thermarest in a hammock.
I've been in the low twenties with a couple of pads. They work and are reliable.
Gideon is correct; don't trust the temperature rating on underquilts without backyard testing. 20° may be 40° for you.
No you don't need an UQ. However, I do.
My wife always says that "you can't choose something that you don't know about."
I say that you really need to try an UQ to be informed enough to make a good decision.
David
No, and I have a different opinion from others that an UQ is more comfortable/better. IMO it depends on the hammock whether a pad is a comfortable solution (Claytors mate well with pads). I use ccf pads exclusively in the cold (subzero), for me, UQ's are a warm weather solution.
If you have a double bottom hammock and you replace or add a closed cell pad, you should be OK. The Thermorest by itself, I believe, will not work down to those temps.
I've used a ThermaRest with a windshield reflector, 0F bag, hat, wool socks, longsleeved shirt and sweatpants down in the teens. Added a pair of Nalgs full of boiling water in double layered refectix cozies and slept half unzipped until dawn. Will get a UQ someday...
Last edited by Dux; 10-23-2012 at 07:52. Reason: Typos
(insert pithy quote here)
I live and hang in Arizona and the *only* time I hang without an UQ is during the height of summer when it rarely dips below 80 at night. Even then sometimes I put my poncho liner underneath me with nothing on top
Until about a week ago, I had been using various pads with my hammocks. Then I got my Hammock Gear Phoenix 3/4 20 deg UQ. Best gear money I've spent in a long time. Super comfy and so very warm. Warmer than pads? Probably not. More comfortable? Definitely!
"We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it; we go to smooth it." -- Nessmuk
Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 102, Fayetteville, Arkansas
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