I said at the start I would have some things wrong, please remember I'm asking because I don't know about TQ.
I said at the start I would have some things wrong, please remember I'm asking because I don't know about TQ.
I like a TQ in a hammock but I think I would want a bag if I were on the terra-firma.
Shug
Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven
Your questions are very welcome here! You were right to ask.
Probably the majority of us tried to ease the change to hammocks by using our existing ground equipment. And why not? But, as the realization of hammock comfort set in, we lost our resolve to hold back in search of hammock nirvana.
Use what you have for now. It will work. Then slowly become a gear junkie like the rest of us.
Mike
"Life is a Project!"
Good thread!! I'm also in the "still using a bag for a topquilt" group as well.
A note on warranties.. I recall seeing a video on HF (think it was a watermonkey vid) where a tarp made by Stormcrow had a defect. Stormcrow and wife caught wind of this while WM was on the hike and drove like 6 hours to another state to meet him just off the trail to do an emergency repair in a parking lot. I don't ever see REI, NF, Marmot, Golite, Columbia, etc... doing this. These guys take great pride and make a living to support their families from this work... I honestly don't think you can ask for a better warranty than that.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein
Roger that, ask away! Your list of pros and cons were reasonable based on your searching as a Nooby, even if most of us will think some of your conclusions are not correct. Then we will let you know what we think is correct.
Main thing is, there are not likely to be any warranty or quality issues with the vendors here. All top notch.
But # 1 and 2 in your list of advantages and #1 in your list of disadvantages are dead on ( IMO ) and cover most of what makes up the difference in TQs and sleeping bags, leaving out only "TQ more comfortable over all in a hammock". Unless of course you are cold due to a draft, then it won't matter much how much more comfortable and easy a TQ is to use.
The TQ does away with much of the bottom layer and all of the zippers of a sleeping bag. This saves you weight and volume compared to a bag of the same thickness. And if you use the TQ in a hammock, it will also be MUCH easier to get into and change positions under. IOW, it will be more comfortable.
But a sleeping bag "seals" up around your sides, and usually your head and neck are "sealed" off in a pretty bomb proof manner with hoods and neck collars. The odds of you having some kind of draft along the length of a TQ or around the neck and shoulders in much greater than if you are zipped up inside a bag, or similarly inside a Pea Pod. Which is just a big bag which encloses the entire hammock. Do you move a lot in your sleep, even in a hammock? Just think how easy it would be to kick open a fist sized "leak" some where along the edges of that TQ. It would be VERY easy, and instantly freezing in effect.
But I have learned to sleep and turn over in TQs, and I seldom have the leak/draft problems I used to have. And my TQs snap behind my neck and cinch up, so I don't get drafts there like I used to. So if your TQ is wide enough for you, and you can learn to keep it tucked around you through the night ( most of us do) and you have a separate hood, you can be just as warm as in a mummy bag or Pea Pod. And it will be easy to get in, and easier to move around in, than a mummy bag in a hammock. Plus, you will save that weight and bulk. That's a lot to love!
One other pro for the bag if used as a quilt: you won't save the weight and bulk like with a TQ. But then again you will have - when using as a quilt - a very wide TQ. A wider TQ is just easier to keep tucked around you. Plus, you can learn ( I have ) how to leave it unzipped down to the foot BUT closed by snaps or a 2 way zipper or Velcro at the neck. Then you can put your feet in the foot box and your head through the side and then through the neck opening into the hood and BAM you have a mummy hooded/neck collared TQ. It won't be lined up perfectly but still works. And as a last resort, when way colder than expected, you can just put a pad or pack on the ground. Put the bag's foot on the pad and step in, pull hood over head, zip up 3/4 of the way. Lay down and finish zipping up. You are now draft proof and have that great bag hood and collar insulating your head. As a last resort.
A separate hood added to a TQ, like the JRB currently on a huge sale ( http://www.jacksrbetter.com/shop/down-hood/ ), is a huge help. I have had a Marmot separate bag hood take me from a little cold to toasty warm, with no other changes. I have a JRB hood now but have not used it yet. It is much lighter than my Marmot hood, but still nice and thick.
Last edited by BillyBob58; 11-02-2012 at 23:04.
So, I will be using the Hennessy SS as mentioned above, with the wrap around insulation, how much will I need to be concerned about keeping the quilt tucked in around my sides?
I toss and turn alot, what do I need to know about using one for the first time?
I'm thinking of a TQ like the JRB sniveller.
Where on this site is the list of manufactures that make TQ?
Where is the info on converting a sleeping bag to TQ? I have an old one I would like to try it on just for fun, I will only use the diy TQ for camping not backpacking (far to heavy)
One comment about the weight aspect that's been discussed:
I looked up weights for comparable Down UQ + TQ and SB + Pad combinations for a 20*F set up. Generally speaking the quilts weighed in around 20oz each, for a total of ~40oz. The Sleeping bag came in around 30oz, and a pad around 10oz for a total of ~40oz. So in the end, you're not really saving weight with a UQ + TQ. This was with a budget of about $4-500. I think the SB + Pad set up ended up being cheaper, but not by much.
In both cases, as you try to cut cost weight increases. That's the general trade off for cheaper/re-purposed gear, not a drawback of any one system.
Obviously a SB + UQ will weight more than a TQ + UQ, etc.. And TQ + pad would be the lightest, but has other disadvantages that turns people away.
my 2 cents... I recently took the plunge into my first TQ. Have been using the same synthetic bag for the last 20 years, it just weighs a tonne. I was worried about a fairly expensive cost and the durability of a down product. As others have mentioned in this thread, they cottage vendors on here all make fabulous products and take pride in what they make, so have no worries about the quality or the customer service. My new TQ is smaller, lighter, warmer and so much more comfortable than the old SB. It cinches up around the neck for added protection and the footbox helps entry /exit while in a hammock. well worth the investment in my mind. Good luck either way and happy hanging
life time believer in the afternoon nap
" the Dude abides "
Bookmarks