couple of questions

**firemonkey** · 04-14-2009, 11:56

1st thing 1st, I love my Clark NA its the best sleep i've ever had while backpacking.

Im generally a warm sleeper. Before I had my hammock I was a ground sleeper and in the middle of winter i could get away with a pad and 20' bag and be very comfortable. 2 weeks ago I did a weekend trip on the A.T in Maryland and the low for the night was around 35' I used my 20' bag, and stuffed leaves in 1 gallon zip lock bags and placed them in all 6 pockets, by 6am I was chilli enough to where i could not go back to sleep.

Questions,

What is the best under quilt that can be used with the NA (either home made by my GF or store bought)

Besides using an UQ what do you use in the hammock to keep warm?

I know winter is over now but im already planing for next winter.

looking forward to everyones advise, take care and stay safe out on the trail

**Ramblinrev** · 04-14-2009, 12:05

Firemonkey... the answer to those questions and many more can best be explored at the MAHHA hang this weekend. From the looks of it there may be just about every kind of hammock there. If you could make the trip it would be well worth your while. A bunch of DIY folks for the home front as well as variations of probably most every quilt around.

**cavediver2** · 04-14-2009, 12:28

Originally Posted by firemonkey

1st thing 1st, I love my Clark NA its the best sleep i've ever had while backpacking.

Im generally a warm sleeper. Before I had my hammock I was a ground sleeper and in the middle of winter i could get away with a pad and 20' bag and be very comfortable. 2 weeks ago I did a weekend trip on the A.T in Maryland and the low for the night was around 35' I used my 20' bag, and stuffed leaves in 1 gallon zip lock bags and placed them in all 6 pockets, by 6am I was chilli enough to where i could not go back to sleep.

Questions,

What is the best under quilt that can be used with the NA (either home made by my GF or store bought)

Besides using an UQ what do you use in the hammock to keep warm?

I know winter is over now but im already planing for next winter.

looking forward to everyones advise, take care and stay safe out on the trail

FireMonkey if you do a search on here you will find out all kinds of stuff about keeping warm weather you in a Clark or another brand.

I have Several Clarks and the only thing I use as I have said in other post is a cheap guide gear self inflatable pad it may be about 3/4 of an inch thick and dont quote me on this but 58 inch's long. and I use a good sleeping bag.

I too am a warm sleeper so this serves me well plus wearing the right clothing is a must.

**hangnout** · 04-14-2009, 12:31

It is fairly easy to make most of th UQ's work with the Clark. The Clark is a narrow hammock compared to most but this makes it easier to fit the UQ's IMO. I use a torso sized DIY UQ on my Clark and a short pad under my legs. I like this combo because I can put more insulation in the torso area and I can double up the pad under my legs if it gets really cold. It is also easier to get the smaller UQ to seal against the hammock.

The smaller quilt is also an easier project to tackle if it is your first quilt. I have used the Clark UL for several years with pads and UQ's the last couple years. I always thought I was warm with the pads but after using the UQ's and sleeping through the night I realized I was probably never really warm enough. Most people try to put more on top when they need to make sure they are not losing heat on the bottom first. You will also find that when using the UQ you can use your bag as a quilt because the UQ shold be wrapping up around your shoulders.

**TinaLouise** · 04-14-2009, 19:11

hangnout: what did you use for the uq's upper and under layers of material?* What was the insulation you used??* Does the uq need to have a breathable layer of material??Thanks, Firemonkey: I'm using an exped down mat and a down quilt that I made to fit me. The one time I tried sleeping without that down mat, I was chilly. Wont do that again. Otherwise all my hanging (3 weekend trips since I got the Clark last month!!) have been very comfy. Even that one chilly night w/out my pad, I put some of my clothes under me and made it through the night.

**firemonkey** · 04-15-2009, 12:37

everyone, thanks for the info, i wish i could make the MAHHA but im working this weekend.

Cavediver2 your you tube videos are great. your videos where 1 of the main reasons i went with the clark NA.

**hangnout** · 04-15-2009, 18:18

hangnout: what did you use for the uq's upper and under layers of material?

I used 1.1 ripstop nylon. With high quality down your material does not need to as "downproof".

* What was the insulation you used??*

I use a combo of down and synthetic. The best down I have found so far is from Ed Speer

Does the uq need to have a breathable layer of material??Thanks,

Yes, materials like silnylon are not a good choice because they collect moisture and do not let air escape easily when compressing

The link below is to the thread for my summer quilt and has a link there for my winter quilt.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ead.php?t=3918

Link to my first quilt for the Clark

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ght=camo+quilt

**TinaLouise** · 04-15-2009, 18:53

thank you for the links, I'm looking into making myself an uq.... soooo many questions to figure out
you wouldn't happen to know what the difference is between thinsulate and climashield are???

**hangnout** · 04-15-2009, 22:45

thank you for the links, I'm looking into making myself an uq.... soooo many questions to figure out
you wouldn't happen to know what the difference is between thinsulate and climashield are???

Not really sure what the technical differences are I think the climashield is a more stable insulation that does not require a stablizing layer of scrim or liner. I noticed that thinsulate is used more in clothes and not so much in sleeping bags etc. Maybe some on the experts here will have a better answer.