It does indeed. It doesn't compress down as well as down, of course, but not bad.Originally Posted by Agfadoc
It does indeed. It doesn't compress down as well as down, of course, but not bad.
The new style thermarest pros have a coating grip of sorts on the bottom, that really makes them "stick" in place a lot better than those of old....
i've used a lower leg pad in conjunction with a torso uq where i placed the ccf sit pad directly in the footbox of my tq, it seemed to work pretty well, only done it once so far.
After this weekend, I can offer a big more insight into the pros/cons of the Big Agnes pad-inside-the-bag model, versus the double layer...
My fiance usually uses a BA bag, with the pad in the slot, but this weekend was far too warm for her BA bag, so we each used a Marmot Pounder bag. Since the Pounder doesn't have a pad slot on the bag, she placed her Exped Downmat in between the double layers of her Blackbird.
She hated it
Inside the Big Agnes bag, she was able to turn and move however she wanted, and the pad stayed put underneath her, but the double layer pad slot of the Blackbird is so ridiculously huge, that there is tons of room for the pad to move around. Specifically, it tends to slide up to the right, towards the shelf, and refuses to remain underneath you.
If there was one design change I'd make to the blackbird, it would be to put some sort of stop on the double layer, to keep the pad from going way up against the shelf to the right, where it doesn't do you any good.
I'm wondering if you could deal with this the same way one deals with a sliding pad inside a tent, by painting silicon seam sealing "stripes" every few inches on the tent floor. I know it works in my silnylon tarptents to dramatically reduce the pad creepage to an acceptable minimum. Apply the seam sealer/silcone caulk (diluted appropriately with mineral spirits) with a disposable foam brush to the bottom layer of fabric. The pain-in-the-butt part of this project would be to keep the top layer of the double bottom away from the newly applied stripes for a day or so, long enough for it to cure.
"The more I carry the happier I am in camp; the less I carry the happier I am getting there" - Sgt. Rock
I took some 1.1 uncoated ripstop nylon and made a "pillowcase" for my ccf pad and it made it sooo... much easier to wiggle into place once your inside the hammock.
I combine that with my DIY Primoloft UQ and I'm good to about 20*!!!
Any of you considering doing a DIY UQ, I'd say go for it! I made mine for right around $100.( just don't look to closely at my stitching, it's solid but not pretty)
I got a Cabelas pad which is essentially a Thermarest, and it is 25" x 76" and a couple inches thick when self-inflated. What I have found is this pad wedges into place in both a Clark NX250 and Eno Doublenest, and does not move at all. It pretty much turns the hammock into a hanging mattress. This thing might fit inside a sleeping bag, but there wouldn't be much room left for an occupant.
It is totally comfortable and would be a perfect setup except it doesn't breathe which can get a little uncomfortable by morning. So, I got an underquilt and this has pretty well solved the clamminess issue.
However, it may be necessary to use both the pad and underquilt when the weather gets really cold here in MN. If so, I'm planning to make a cover for it out of towels to hopefully soak up condensation. This may be a heavy solution, but I'm planning to transport it to the viscinity of my "hangs" by pickup truck.
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