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Str1der
12-17-2010, 10:48
At long last, my winter Incubator arrived! This is the first and only uq I have ever used or even seen in person, and I have to say, I was caught off guard at first. Upon removing the uq from its stuff sack, I was certain that I had been sent a summer version my mistake. There was simple no way something that light and that flatly compressed would loft up to 4". I set it out on the bed to loft. It did, but only to about 2". :confused: Then I remembered that I am a down noob, so I gave the uq a good shake-out to fluff it. That did it, and 4-5" of loft promptly erupted! :lol::lol::lol:

Excited, I ran outside to hang my ENO Single and attached the Incubator. Without my sleeping bag, it was a strange feeling to be cold on top and warm underneath, rather than the other way around. I rolled onto my side, and from this position, I had goose bumps on my right side (facing up) while my left side became toasty warm in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately, it began to rain right then, so I didn't get any pics, but I’ll try to post some tonight.

The workmanship appears to be top notch. I had never used an uq before, but I had it rigged correctly (at least I think so ;)) within minutes. A quick tightening on the shock cords on both ends to snug it up, and I was in business!

Got my uq from Stormcrow and a WBBB on order from Brandon. Now I just need to get a tarp from one of the other HF vendors to complete my random sampling...at least for now...

Cranky Bear
12-17-2010, 10:55
Congrats on the great purchase(s), that UQ will never let you down!!!

MattH
12-18-2010, 08:30
I was the same way with my Crowsnest when it came. As soon as I hung it and got it I could feel the warmth. It's awesome.

Str1der
12-18-2010, 13:00
Going to try my hand at posting some pics. I'll try to get some pics of it on my hammock later if it ever stops raining. :(

stormcrow
12-18-2010, 13:24
Going to try my hand at posting some pics. I'll try to get some pics of it on my hammock later if it ever stops raining. :(

Pics look great Wakozacho. If you notice a few areas that are lofting up a little less than you think they should, try moving some down around in that particular chamber. There should not be shifting problems when all of the insulation is positioned right. We typically wait a bit after we distribute the down in a new quilt to make sure we got it just right...but sometimes time is tight...:) Also, do not be afraid to shake the quilt a little to help things loft up. Just shake it from the sides and not the ends.

Also, the underquilt will sometimes look flat in areas when it is laid out on a flat surface. This is because the quilt has a 3 dimensional design. It almost always looks better hanging on the bottom of a hammock.

Clear as mud? :)

~Stormcrow

Str1der
12-22-2010, 11:26
Clear as mud? :)

Clear as mud indeed! It does look a lot better hanging from my hammock, but I need an extra set of hands (complete with the person attached) to take a picture with me in the hammock. ;)

Thursday evening the temperature is supposed to dip down into the high 20's with 0% chance of rain at my family's house where I'll be for Christmas, so hopefully, I'll get a chance then to test it out and maybe get some pics taken with it attached to the hammock. If I'm really lucky, my WBBB will have arrived also, so I'll get a chance to test them both out for the first time!

lazy river road
12-22-2010, 13:11
That is an awesome looking quilt. So pretty. Makes me crave my 3S incubator to come.



Also, do not be afraid to shake the quilt a little to help things loft up. Just shake it from the sides and not the ends.

~Stormcrow

Why from the sides and not from the ends, I never really thought about it and just shacked it from any and all sides. Good tip though will start doing this.

Cranky Bear
12-22-2010, 13:18
Why from the sides and not from the ends, I never really thought about it and just shacked it from any and all sides. Good tip though will start doing this.

If you do it from the ends you can accidentally shift the down to one half of the quilt because of the way the baffles run! So you do it from the sides to try and fluf it up and help to evenly distribute it a little at a time!
At least thats how it was explained to me!

lazy river road
12-22-2010, 13:23
Thanks CB I honestly never thought about it but makes complete sense.

Syb
12-22-2010, 15:44
Wow, what a great looking UQ. As it stands now I'm on a "spending freeze" until my pennies add up to buy enough HG items to support Stormcrow's and Thorwren's retirement. Come on year-end bonus!!!

Syb

Wags
12-23-2010, 00:27
geez that thing is massive. congrats

Jsaults
12-23-2010, 11:14
Earlier this year I received a 3S-3/4 length Crowsnest from StormCrow and was equally pleased. After years of futzing with sleeping bags and pads inside my hammocks it was a revelation to simply clip on an UQ and feel the warmth!

I was suitably impressed with Hammock Gear's quality that I ordered a 3S Burrow as well. Planning on test-hanging it this weekend (so far all I can say is that it works great on my bed). Hope you get a chance to hang as well!

Jim

ice man
12-23-2010, 11:31
I read all these rave reviews and know ordering an incubator was a good move. Meanwhile I'm drooling on the keyboard while waiting for the new "toy" to arrive. oooh!

cataraftgirl
12-29-2010, 19:45
[QUOTE=Wakozacho;371355]At long last, my winter Incubator arrived! This is the first and only uq I have ever used or even seen in person, and I have to say, I was caught off guard at first. Upon removing the uq from its stuff sack, I was certain that I had been sent a summer version my mistake. There was simple no way something that light and that flatly compressed would loft up to 4".

Ditto. I got my 3 Season Incubator & Burrow today and had the same reaction. No way, this stuff is way too light to be 3 Season. After a shake and a few minutes ....... Poof-o-rama. Sweet. I cinched up the Burrow, snuggled in, snapped the top around my shoulders......Ahhhhhhh. Down heaven.
KJ

BugHunter
01-04-2011, 23:49
My Winter Incubator arrived several weeks ago and man I do love it! I've had it down to 8 degrees Fahrenheit and I was toasty warm the whole night through with the added assistance of my new MollyMac Sock with SEEP and IX.

questtrek
01-04-2011, 23:58
Congrats ... I must get my hands on one ... Must buy more ...:lol:

Str1der
01-05-2011, 10:11
I have noticed one issue with the Incubator. :( It fits my ENO SN like a dream; however, I have had issues with it on my new WBBB. It does technically fit the Blackbird, but it doesn't fit it very well in my opinion. Since it connects to the hammock directly in line with the ridgeline, the more diagonal I lie (further off axis), the more problems I have with it not quite reaching my sides. It still covers my back no matter how I lie, but I do develop cold spots on my left shoulder and right foot with a strong diagonal lie. As I am only about 5'9", I don't believe this problem is caused by my height. It is very possible that there is some trick for attaching the Incubator that would correct this. I am a noob after all and am even more of a noob with the Incubator/Blackbird combo. Are there any other hangers out there that have this equipment combo and have any knowledge to share regarding the proper attachment techniques? :confused:

Another thought I had was to sell my Winter Incubator and get Stormcrow to custom build me another one 2-4" wider. I think a wider Incubator would better reach up around my sides when I lie off axis, but I am not completely sure about that, and I hesitate to make a custom order before I know for a fact that I would benefit from it. A wider Incubator would carry a whole host of complications with it in addition to the potential benefits. I'm not sure if it would still fit in the same stuff sacks; however, space in the pack isn't as much a concern for me as coverage in the hammock is.

stormcrow
01-06-2011, 03:03
Hi there WackoZacho

I have a few ideas I want to talk with you about regarding your fit issues. I am sure it is something we can figure out. I sent a PM for you to give me a call so we do some troubleshooting. I will be sure to let the thread know what we came up with in case there are others with the same issues he is having. Thanks everyone.


~Stormcrow

body942
01-07-2011, 15:14
How funny, I sent Stormcrow a PM last night regarding this same concern (mine is not purchased, but will be) :shades:

I'll be "subscribing" with interest.

whayneneal
01-10-2011, 19:25
So how was this resolved? I'm going to use this quilt with my Traveler. However, if I decided to get a 3 season Incubator I would use it with my Blackbird.

Str1der
01-12-2011, 09:07
Stormcrow was very helpful. He contacted me on his own within a few hours of my posting this! I definitely didn't mean to come across as unhappy with the Incubator. I have been able to make the Incubator cover the correct areas by holding it in place, so it is certainly large enough. My problem has been in getting it to stay where I want it overnight with the stock suspension. That suspension works perfectly btw on my ENO SN and still covers about 95% of the BB.

According to Stormcrow, there is a foot end and head end to the Incubator. The head end is slightly wider with the drawstrings fully loosened. Also, per his suggestion, I am also going to try looping a piece of shock cord with a cinch buckle over the ridgeline. To better keep the quilt where I need it, I will hook the shock cord to the right side (shelf side) of the Incubator near the foot end (looping over the foot box) and the left side (entrance side) near the head end, rather than just straight across the middle. I am confident that this set up will get me the results I want by pulling the Incubator into a slightly asymmetrical position. There has been a 3-day ice storm here in Conyers which has prevented me from getting out and testing this set up, but I will post back with the results as soon as I'm able.

Law Dawg (ret)
01-12-2011, 13:16
I have noticed one issue with the Incubator. :( It fits my ENO SN like a dream; however, I have had issues with it on my new WBBB. It does technically fit the Blackbird, but it doesn't fit it very well in my opinion.

So is this something others have noticed with the WBBB and Incubator? I wonder how Triangle Thingies would work to solve this? The Incubator is in the running for my next full length so inquiring minds.:D

Str1der
01-14-2011, 10:16
Ah yes, the Triangle Thingies. That's basically what they're designed to do, So I may have to order a pair and try them out.

whayneneal
01-14-2011, 10:19
I'm not sure they would help with the footbox. They are going to pull the quilt straight up.

Str1der
01-16-2011, 23:35
I'm not sure they would help with the footbox. They are going to pull the quilt straight up.

My thinking is that if I tightened the shock cord on the right side foot end (foot box) and the left side head end, then they might pull the Incubator into a slightly asym orientation.

Anyway, I tried another trick that Stormcrow recommended, and it did solve the problem. It doesn't look as good as the TT, so I may order those anyway and try them out too.

whayneneal
01-17-2011, 08:16
I had done the same and it did pull it into line somewhat, just not enough on the footbox. Please let me know how the triangles work out.

oldgringo
01-17-2011, 08:41
I had similar issues...I could have warm feet or a warm left shoulder, but not both. I tried TT's, and they were not the solution. Adjustable shock cords helped, but there was some distortion of the quilt that I didn't like.

I talked to Paul @ AHE, and he made me a small quilt that attaches to the left side of the WBBB with Omni tape, and rests between the Incubator and the 'bird, right under my shoulder.

Ahhh.....:)

Str1der
01-21-2011, 11:26
I talked to Paul @ AHE, and he made me a small quilt that attaches to the left side of the WBBB with Omni tape, and rests between the Incubator and the 'bird, right under my shoulder.

Ahhh.....:)

Any chance you could post sme pics of that quilt. I'm definately interested in ordering something similar.

lazy river road
01-21-2011, 11:45
I had similar issues...I could have warm feet or a warm left shoulder, but not both. I tried TT's, and they were not the solution. Adjustable shock cords helped, but there was some distortion of the quilt that I didn't like.

I talked to Paul @ AHE, and he made me a small quilt that attaches to the left side of the WBBB with Omni tape, and rests between the Incubator and the 'bird, right under my shoulder.

Ahhh.....:)

Id like to see this too, it may turn my 3/4 Crow's Nest into an optional full, I would def be down for that when car camping or just as an option. Oldgringo what are the dimensions on the quilt/pad thingie, weight, amount of down fill, any specs/pics would be great to see, I even encourage a new thread on it so not to get this one to far off topic.

I have only used my Incubator with my traveler so far but now I want to go home and test it out on my WBBB. I really like the idea of of the shock cord laying asym. from foot box to head, I'm gonna try that one out as well with all my quilts.

StumpJumper
01-21-2011, 12:07
Any chance you could post sme pics of that quilt. I'm definately interested in ordering something similar.

Hey Wakozacho.... you could try stitching a tiny loop on the outside of your footbox and attaching it to the Incubator bottom loop. This helps ensure my feet are covered at all times while in the footbox. Also allows me to pull the UQ up on my left shoulder as far as needed without ever worrying that it'll slide out of position at my feet.

I did a little youtube video, which might explain it better - right around the 3:30 mark.

XvJPKZnSXN0

Also, at about 1:20 I talk about adding an extra piece of shockcord on the ends to sort of - pull - the Incubator lengthwise. This doesn't affect the loft but does keep it very snug under my rear without needing to loop shockcord over the ridgeline. Works like a dream.

Hope this helps.

Str1der
01-21-2011, 15:55
Hey Wakozacho.... you could try stitching a tiny loop on the outside of your footbox and attaching it to the Incubator bottom loop. This helps ensure my feet are covered at all times while in the footbox. Also allows me to pull the UQ up on my left shoulder as far as needed without ever worrying that it'll slide out of position at my feet.

That's a fantastic idea. Lower weight, simpler, and probably more effective than any of my previous ideas. I know the Incubator is large enough as it comes to properly cover everything. The issue has always been how best to attach it so it actually stays where I need it. What did you use to pull the Incubator up on your left shoulder?

oldgringo
01-21-2011, 16:47
Any chance you could post sme pics of that quilt. I'm definately interested in ordering something similar.

Here's a pic of just the quilt...the omni tape is visible along the top edge. It weighs ~130g, is 16" wide and tapers from 25"-30" in length. I think the insulation is Climashield. Any construction details will have to come from Paul.

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w125/bashfulboy47/PaulsMini-pad011.jpg

StumpJumper
01-21-2011, 16:57
What did you use to pull the Incubator up on your left shoulder?

I haven't had much of a problem with the left shoulder because I'm able to yank away from the footbox, knowing it's not going anywhere, and pull ample UQ where I need it at the shoulders. In theory, you could attach another loop, but I'm not sure how this would affect the zipper, getting in/out, etc.

I also ended up putting a cordlock at the foot end of the shockcord loop. I think I made the whole loop 6-8" shorter (or tighter) and it just snugs up better now. The Incubator is plenty wide enough that you won't feel the shockcord tautness and this also does a better job of ensuring that less heat escapes.

I started a thread a while back (it didn't get much attention) about the effectiveness of a velcro strip hung UQ. I think this would solve a lot of issues, trap heat better and stay aligned diagonally (if that's how you lay) .... but I don't have the courage or sewing machine to attack my WBBB yet.

Roundtrip
01-23-2011, 12:28
... I also ended up putting a cordlock at the foot end of the shockcord loop. I think I made the whole loop 6-8" shorter (or tighter) and it just snugs up better now. The Incubator is plenty wide enough that you won't feel the shockcord tautness and this also does a better job of ensuring that less heat escapes. ...


+1 I attached a 12" long piece of shock cord with a miro-lock from the foot end of my Inc and I just tied a loop on the other end of it to run over the cinched end of the hammock.

It keeps my feet covered and the top of the UQ is about mid-head level for me. I don't have much trouble with the left shoulder slipping out.

I also tried TTs at first but went back to the original suspension. Fits equally well on my Traveler and BB.

-jeff

Muskrat
01-24-2011, 10:39
I have been negotiating the fit of my Winter Incubator to my 1.7 WBBB and have had issues with a 4" gap right in the CBS region. This past weekend I went out on the Palmetto Trail and found that if I took a good deal of slack out of the existing suspension it snugged up to the hammock perfectly. No issues with feeling the suspension inside the hammock and it stayed in place much better as well. Maybe in this thread or in another thread I read where Throwren mentioned this idea as they design their hammocks to fit just about any model other than the bridge hammocks (I think, maybe wrong about that...). Going with her suggestion worked perfectly for me in 22* weather. :thumbup1:

VFR
01-25-2011, 19:56
HobieCat, your fix looked like a sure cure for the fit problem. I have a WBBB & the incubator is at the top of my list for an UQ. The question of how it would fit at the footbox & shoulder was beginning to worry me. I had another UQ on the list that was the same length but 4" wider, which might also solve that issue.

I believe if I do pop for the Stormcrow UQ, I will ask him to incorporate those mods into it. It can't be too hard to do while making the quilt.

Str1der
01-28-2011, 15:57
I believe if I do pop for the Stormcrow UQ, I will ask him to incorporate those mods into it. It can't be too hard to do while making the quilt.

Hobie's solution doesn't mod the Incubator directly. He actually sewed that thread into the BB and merely used a detachable mitten clip to connect to the Incubator. The extra shockcord lines likewise aren't true mods since they are easily detachable. I use some extra shockcord myself.

I wanna try that technique, but I don't trust myself to modify the BB! It's probably the easiest thing in the world to do, but visions of a comprimised BB failing on me in the middle of the night are haunting my dreams now! :scared:

Str1der
04-11-2011, 09:02
I built a set of Triangle Thingies to try out as a way to solve the Incubator / Blackbird fit issue. I know other have tried them with mixed results, but I just couldn't understand why they wouldn't work. I've only had a chance to try them two nights in warm conditions (lows in the mid 50s), but I suspect they may have solved my problem! I need several nights of true cold weather to confirm, which unfortunately the southeast won’t see until winter! I attached the Incubator with its own suspension, and then attached the TTs also. I attached the cord that ran from the TTs to my left shoulder and foot box, to the second loop back from the corner in the Incubator and tightened those two lines considerably. The other two lines, (running to my right shoulder and left side foot end) I connected at the corner and tightened only slightly. The result was that the Incubator was pulled slightly out of alignment, favoring the foot box and left shoulder. I'll try to take some pictures to better illustrate this. Anyone else with a BB and Incubator should try this out, preferably, someone who lives somewhere where they still get some cold weather!