View Full Version : SOLD: Speer Products on sale
http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/Sale.htm
good deals are listed
Thanks Ewker,
Just ordered a PeaPod for $178. Unfortunately the down quilts for $30 are all gone. Go figure!
Peapod, frogsac, and a tarp for me. I always wanted a peapod. What great deals. Too bad on the $30 quilts.
Cool thanks for the heads up! Ex demo peapod and with a devalued dollar a bargain for me in the UK! Let's just hope her Majesty's Customs are asleep when it arrives!
Nigel
I see some of the peapods are rated 60 F - I have to cool my bedroom down to 60 degrees in the summer just to be able to sleep and I never turn my thermostat above 60 in the winter unles i have friends or family over who complain. Do you really need a peapod to sleep in 60 degree weather?
Peapod, frogsac, and a tarp for me. I always wanted a peapod. What great deals. Too bad on the $30 quilts.
Frog Sac is nice. Makes a good quilt too. Slept under mine last night testing...was good to around 45 Deg as advertised.
whitefoot_hp
11-16-2007, 12:47
I see some of the peapods are rated 60 F - I have to cool my bedroom down to 60 degrees in the summer just to be able to sleep and I never turn my thermostat above 60 in the winter unles i have friends or family over who complain. Do you really need a peapod to sleep in 60 degree weather?
'you' is relative. maybe you dont. maybe somebody else does. just remember your house is regulated from wind. the outdoors are not. your house also provides insulation.
Actually it would have been delivered yesterday, but I was at work. I picked it up a few minutes ago and can't wait to get a chance to try it out. Probably not until next week or the week after. May have to take it out somewhere and take a nap in it during the day :-)
Great service, PeaPod looks great. I had hoped to get a top quilt too, but the ones on sale were gone. Maybe get a JRB, will be keeping my eyes open.
whitefoot_hp
11-16-2007, 18:02
anybody else completely mad at themself for missing that speer top quilt sale? THIRTY BUCKS oh it hurts....
FanaticFringer
11-16-2007, 18:43
anybody else completely mad at themself for missing that speer top quilt sale? THIRTY BUCKS oh it hurts....
Here's a nice alternative. Cut off the zippers and wala....top quilt. I have a couple.www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=129749
Mine are the mummy version. They are sold out of those.
I got my tarp, frogsack, and peapod yesterday. Unfortunately I felt guilty buying $250 worth of gear I absolutely, positively needed so I volenteer to work overtime this weekend. However I did get to take my new gear into work and play with it on my work hammock. Everyone needs a work hammock don't they? Peapod is nice I have to work on how it will fasten on the hammock. The velcro isn't enough. I have wanted a frogsack since 2004 traildays. The frogsack stuff sack is too small IMO. It will be great in the Spring. I'm reading Ed's book now. Now when I go to the campout in Hot Springs I'll at least have some of his gear with me.
slowhike
11-16-2007, 21:50
dutch, i sewed a grosgrain loop on each of the four corners of my older model pea pod.
then added a small loop of shock cord.
i use those to attach the pea pod to the hammock & it leaves the draw string free to tighten up for warmth, or loosen to vent.
Just Jeff
11-17-2007, 05:40
Did your peapod not come with drawstrings at the ends? Mine has a drawstring so I just tie a shoestring knot around the hammock and it stays in place.
It did come with a draw cord and I will look at how I will attach it to the suspension. It doesn't seem like a difficult problem to overcome. I will try the shoestring knot. I got out the tarp to tie on the guidelines last night. Again the stuff sack is too small, just like the frogsac. I have plenty of stuff sacks anyhow. I was also surprised to see the tarp's sewn seam is perpendicular to the ridge line. Pretty good price for a .8 pounds for 10x8 for $99. All the money I saved I can buy a bunch of stuff sacks.:D
slowhike
11-17-2007, 09:55
Did your peapod not come with drawstrings at the ends? Mine has a drawstring so I just tie a shoestring knot around the hammock and it stays in place.
yeah, that's the way it was intended to be used, but why do things the intended way <G>.
the reason i added the loops was so i could leave the draw strings loose if needed to "open the windows" in warmer weather.
Any comments pro/con on the Frogsack vs. NS?
Also, how would you go about wearing the PeaPod as a robe as mentioned in the literature/website?
slowhike
11-17-2007, 14:07
Any comments pro/con on the Frogsack vs. NS?
Also, how would you go about wearing the PeaPod as a robe as mentioned in the literature/website?
i had forgotten that you could wear the pea pod & haven't tried that.
but personally, i've always liked the idea of wearing the top blanket as extra insulation rather than the under quilt. just seems like a lot less trouble since the under quilt or pea pod has to be attached & adjusted.
sorry to ed:o , but i have to say that i would favor the NS over the frog sac.
because of the simplicity of the SN, i believe you would get a better warmth to weight ratio & more user friendly.
Just Jeff
11-18-2007, 20:12
I've seen the Frog Sac but never actually used one...the NS goes with me on every trip and I frequently wear it. Here are my thoughts:
Frog Sac doesn't have arm holes (at least the older models didn't...maybe the new ones do), but the NS is like a poncho so your arms can stay out while your torso is covered. But the Frog Sac can be vented by not zipping it up all the way...the NS has only a head hole.
You can wear a jacket over the NS for total warmth and to protect the NS - no arm holes makes this difficult w/ the Frog Sac.
The Frog Sac covers the legs but the NS does not.
The NS is thicker...not better or worse, depending on the conditions you want to use it in.
NS is down and Frog Sac is synthetic - standard pros/cons apply.
Personally, I think the Frog Sac would be too cumbersome to wear around camp for anything more than a pee break or sitting around talking. Same with the PeaPod - I never wear that when I take it, either. I wear the NS under my rainjacket for all kinds of camp chores.
Hope this helps.
Thanks JJ and Slowhike,
Some of what you mention was what I was thinking, guess I'm leaning to the NS. Will just be using one of my regular sleeping bags for now, but eventually hope to get a quilt.
I still don't really see how you would wear the PeaPod as a robe, other than just wrapping it around you and holding it. Guess you could cinch up one of the drawstrings around your shoulders/neck, then fold the bottom draw string up to your waist to shorten it to a manageable length, but that would leave your arms trapped inside - not too convenient. I guess the idea is that you CAN sit up in it and use it for warmth without having to be in the hammock.
slowhike
11-18-2007, 22:19
you could wrap the pea pod around you & velcro it together in front, using the draw string at one end to make that opening the head hole.
then you have to pull up the excess & secure it w/ a belt to keep it off the ground.
but your arms would be inside unless you open a section of the velcro in front to reach out.
may not be as convenient as some of the others but a good trick to know if you got caught off guard & needed the extra insulation.
whitefoot_hp
11-19-2007, 10:44
You are right about the frogsac not being very wearable in an active setting. Basically, once you get everything set up, and you just want to sit and eat, the frog sac is wearable. too much movement and the toggles will come apart. it is better to understand this as a wearable blanket than a jacket/sleep bag.
However, the frogsac is longer for us folks who are 6'5, cheaper for those who are poor. I am not sure what the NS temp rating is as a stand alone bag but i assume it is lower than 40 deg?
Just Jeff
11-19-2007, 19:08
NS is good somewhere in the 30s for most folks...some can take it into the 20s.
I did play around with the PeaPod today, wearing it around the house a bit. I can see where it could be usable for quiet lounging, eating, reading, etc. prior to going to bed. can pretty easily keep one arm out through the hook & loop for casual type activity. While sitting, you can have both arms out, but still pull it around you. Is also easy to pull the excess up to allow walking about. It is so big that when you are sitting down it ends up like you are in a giant pillow. I think I like this purchase!
Will still be getting a NS or possibly the RMS - gotta help keep all these great companies in business. :-)
Anyone know how long the Introductory Price will be available on the RMS?
This is getting addictive.
Ed, has more stuff for sale...you need to check it out
just noticed Ed has his Snugfits Underquilts on sale
slowhike
12-18-2007, 16:55
man... my resources are tapped out:o
BillyBob58
12-18-2007, 21:02
just noticed Ed has his Snugfits Underquilts on sale
Dang, and I just broke down and paid full price for a PeaPod! At those prices, I might have got a Snugfit! Oh well, at least I like the PeaPod!
I was too early. I just received my snugfit at regular price on Monday!:( The only difference I see, is mine is green on both sides, not silver inside. And my netting is black instead of white.
headchange4u
12-19-2007, 17:14
I was too early. I just received my snugfit at regular price on Monday!:( The only difference I see, is mine is green on both sides, not silver inside. And my netting is black instead of white.
I got the silver w/ white netting. I don't really care about the silver but the black netting would be nice.
why mosquito netting on an underquilt??
angrysparrow
12-19-2007, 19:34
why mosquito netting on an underquilt??
It's part of the suspension. It is a very effective design (http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/SnugFit.htm).
ahhh...ok, i've seen the picture before just didn't realize the white was netting, thanks sparrow
Youngblood
12-19-2007, 20:10
why mosquito netting on an underquilt??
That is a micro mesh spandex on the SnugFit Underquilt that is used for its elasticity. It looks like mosquito netting because of its open weave to keep it light weight (you are probably more familiar with solid spandex that is heavier and used in running tights and other tight fitting clothing). The micro mesh spandex holds the underquilt up against the bottom of the hammock along the full width of the underquilt. That technique reduces air gaps between the underquilt and hammock. It also automatically adjusts the underquilt to you when you reposition yourself or move around in your hammock or when your hammock stretches overnight.
I put the same micro mesh spandex in a panel on the back side of the Segmented Pad Extender so it could accommodate different thicknesses of pads or combinations of pads. It is some pretty neat stuff when you need a full width or full length suspension. Spandex can make things fit like they were made specifically for you and your shape, whatever your shape is, in ways that nothing else can.
It's netting that goes from the end of the blanket to connect to the ends of the hammock. If you look on the website, they show white net. I really like the black better, but sure wish I had waited a week and got in on the sale. I don't like black that much better!
Thanks Youngblood, thats good info - this could be useful stuff for a lot of do it yourself projects
NCPatrick
12-20-2007, 07:42
Thanks Youngblood, thats good info - this could be useful stuff for a lot of do it yourself projects
What he said... Thanks Youngblood. :)
BillyBob58
12-20-2007, 09:44
Yeah, again, this PeaPod is pretty special, but at the price dif just 1 week later, I may well have opted for the SnugFit if I was making the decision again. Although, I suppose Ed might take the PeaPod back if I wanted to go that route and I would only have to eat the extra shipping. But I probably won't try to go to all that trouble and bother Ed with that. For one thing, I'm still not positive I would prefer the SF over the PPod with it's all in one bag/quilt "sealed in" approach, which is sort of what I was always attracted to more than a quilt. But I must admit that the whole "snugfit/mesh" thing is very attractive and at the sale price I would have had to re-think all of that very hard.
But here is one thing I have not yet been able to understand: Why is the PeaPod rated at 20* and the SnugFit rated at 30* by the same manufacturer? Aren't they both rated 2.5" single layer 900 FP loft? What is the reason for the temp dif? It seems to me that with the same loft and the superior "snug" fit, if anything it would be the SnugFit with the lower temp rating.
NCPatrick
12-20-2007, 09:49
I would guess that the warm air that the PeaPod holds in over the top of you makes the difference. It'll be interesting to see the real answer.
Youngblood
12-20-2007, 11:35
I would guess that the warm air that the PeaPod holds in over the top of you makes the difference. It'll be interesting to see the real answer.
It is unfortunate that there is an inconsistency in the temperature ratings for two products with the same loft specified, I don't have a clear answer for that.
I rated the SnugFit and I based it rated on using it with silk long johns and a sleeping bag in still air. The loft measurements are with it laying flat on a table. The SnugFit has complex differential shapes and those cause it to really puff up when you lay it out flat. You get what I call an exaggerated differential shape where the outside layer of fabric is much larger than the inside layer of fabric. You get a large range between the height at the baffle itself and the peak height in between the baffles. Maybe a slide show type presentation is in order to help explain the concept of simple differential shapes? I have identified and it some cases defined on my own several different classes of differential curves that have some unique properties-- the exact differential, the reverse differential, the exaggerated differential, and the undefined differential.
I don't have personal experience with the PeaPod but have been around it before Ed first started using down for the insulation. Ed started out using sheets of Thinsulte Lite Loft for his original PeaPods and has progressed from down with sewn through construction to down with baffled construction. Along the way he has assigned temperature ratings to these products and I wasn't involved with that. I don't think Ed is on this forum often but he posts regularly over on the Yahoo hammock camping group if you want to ask him directly. If I had to guess it would be that the 20F rating was based on applying the 2.5" single layer loft to this equation:
[temperature rating °F] = 70 - ([thickness inches] X 20),
which is an approximation that I think I introduced a few years ago based on Western Mountaineerings specifications for their down sleeping bags. It is a reasonable starting point for down insulation that you are using while you sleep.
Ed has changed the baffle height and type of down over the years and I don't know if he has field tested this latest combination all by itself or not. Temperature ratings are tricky and the following is the introductory statement I used in an article I wrote a few years ago to introduce the Segmented Pad Extender and talk about temperature ratings of various hammock insulation, it is worth repeating whenever I do the "temperature rating dance":) :
Disclaimer: This discussion should be taken as a rough guideline and only used as a starting point. Why? Because a lot of this is guesstimates based on personal experiences and your own personable metabolism is responsible in a large part for how comfortable you will be at any given temperature. Also there are many intangibles that sometimes play a part... humidity, how tired you are and the number of hours since you ate any food are just a few of these. With a disclaimer like this, one would question as to why say anything at all. That is a good point. My feeling is that most people need something to start with, a point of reference. In that regard, I hope this helps fill that void.
Certainly if you find temperature ratings are overly optimistic you should let the manufacturer know so they can fix the product if it is wrong or change their rating to reflect how the product actually performs. It is always best to try out new cold weather insulation that you are unfamiliar with in such a way that you have a backup if it doesn't perform as well as you expect so that you don't get yourself in trouble, because you can get in trouble real fast backpacking and camping in cold weather.
BillyBob58
12-21-2007, 18:43
I rated the SnugFit and I based it rated on using it with silk long johns and a sleeping bag in still air. The loft measurements are with it laying flat on a table. The SnugFit has complex differential shapes and those cause it to really puff up when you lay it out flat. ........................Ed started out using sheets of Thinsulte Lite Loft for his original PeaPods and has progressed from down with sewn through construction to down with baffled construction. Along the way he has assigned temperature ratings to these products and I wasn't involved with that. ......................
Certainly if you find temperature ratings are overly optimistic you should let the manufacturer know so they can fix the product if it is wrong or change their rating to reflect how the product actually performs. It is always best to try out new cold weather insulation that you are unfamiliar with in such a way that you have a backup if it doesn't perform as well as you expect so that you don't get yourself in trouble, because you can get in trouble real fast backpacking and camping in cold weather.
Thanks, Dave. So, that is basically the explanation: two different raters with two different ideas re: the actual warmth of their individual products, even with identical loft ratings.
It sounds right that Ed is probably using the formula you mentioned. After all, 20* is almost a classic, standard rating for a down sleeping bag with a total of 5" loft. Though you wonder if that can still work for the bottom of a hammock, and of course those things vary greatly anyway with the individual and many other variables that we all know about.
Ed is always mentioning what a cold sleeper he is, and I'm not sure if that temp rating is for him personally or other average sleepers. But going by several users comments about trail use I have seen, it appears the 20* bottom rating is conservative( some say very conservative), at least for those users. And in my review, I have said that the top rating ( 50*) seems very conservative for me. Though I have not been able to check the bottom rating yet. I can only say I felt no bottom cold at an official 24* ( my thermometer, next to my hammock= 20*). Though it will be a concern to make sure I can maintain bottom loft without too much of an air gap. And of course, that was one night in the backyard, not field conditions which could really change the results.
You rate the 2.5" loft SnugFit at 30* based on your personal test. I have not seen any cold weather feed back from users yet, but many commented that they felt that rating was conservative. I wonder, do you consider yourself a cold or warm sleeper?
Anyway, thanks for the explanation. I do wonder if what NCPatrick said about the top layer has anything to do with holding heat better down in the bottom layer. That along with being "sealed", more or less, on the end. Though I'm not sure how that would be much different than using a regular sleeping bag on top of a bottom only quilt. But who knows, that may have something to do with the different ratings. Also, it seems to me the PeaPopd I got has a good bit more loft than rated, especially after I shift some of the excess from the ends to the middle.
Or it could just be that you are either a more conservative "rater" than Ed or a colder sleeper than Ed. After all, these things are quite subjective, with two different folks doing the rating under different circumstances. Which is why, I guess, that BPL refuses to even comment on the validity of a bag's temp ratings.
Bill
BillyBob58
12-21-2007, 18:54
PS
Though it has just occurred to me: Though some folks feel the NoSniveler is good into the 20s, it seems to me that plenty feel 30 is about the lower limit. And I believe it is also 2.5" loft.
Youngblood
12-21-2007, 21:17
You rate the 2.5" loft SnugFit at 30* based on your personal test. I have not seen any cold weather feed back from users yet, but many commented that they felt that rating was conservative. I wonder, do you consider yourself a cold or warm sleeper?
I don't consider myself either a cold or warm sleeper, more of an average sleeper. The feedback has been positive but I don't recall any cold weather feed back from users where they have tried to rate the low end with a specific temperature either and I am somewhat surprised by that. I suspect someone will speak up at some point.:D
headchange4u
12-22-2007, 12:26
I've been to 30* with the SnugFit and it kept me warm, no problems. I would say it could hit 20-25* and still be comfortable.
angrysparrow
12-22-2007, 14:44
I've been to 30* with the SnugFit and it kept me warm, no problems. I would say it could hit 20-25* and still be comfortable.
I'll second that. The lowest temp I have slept in with my SnugFit was 31ºF, and it was fine. 20-25º should be easily done, and lower with warm clothing.
Youngblood
12-22-2007, 15:56
Thanks guys, I appreciate the info.
I personally don't put much stock in extrapolating how low you can go based on using it at higher temperatures but I understand that if that is a best guess, then it is useful as a best guess. When the temperatures drop you can go from okay to being cool with just a few degrees change. That is particularly true with something like an underquilt where you worry about fit issues causing cold spots or sleeping bags where you worry about draft tubes, collars, hoods, and how well they seal off air leaks or gaps. I think to establish the lower limit you have to use it in temperatures where you start getting cold, then you know at what temperature it starts having problems on its on.
And yes warm clothing or pads or other insulation will push limits lower and that is a smart way to do things when you think you will be near the lower limit so you stay nice and warm and have the flexibility that only layering can give you, but that is different from the unassisted lower temperature rating. You should have warmer clothes and stuff when it is cold and there is no reason not to use them since you have them... except when you are trying to temperature rate something. :) The unassisted lower limit is nice to have so you know what you are working with so you know when and how much to add to it.