4 season?

**EricDR** · 01-13-2015, 13:31

I am new to the hammock camping scene. So far I love it! I have a question. What is considered 4 season? ENO just came out with an underquilt The Ember 2 and it says it is a 4 season UQ but is only rated for 50 degrees. Just curious what 4 season means?

**sargevining** · 01-13-2015, 13:42

A 50 degree quilt is barely three season for the Gulf Coast and desert Southwest.

ENO tries. They try real hard. They've been getting better. This one is head and shoulders above their last effort. I hope they keep trying as the price point on this is a good one, and for a lot of folks I'd recommend this as an economical entry level Spring/Fall quilt in most of the USA.

**Nodust** · 01-13-2015, 13:54

I think of 4-season gear as being able to withstand all 4 seasons in a northern climate, where it gets below freezing and stays there for considerable time. Here in Louisiana we barely have 3 seasons.

**trouthunter** · 01-13-2015, 13:55

Hey EricDR,

4 Season means that the gear you are buying has been designed to operate in Winter conditions, it's a little subjective but I consider 4 season to be below freezing. 3 season means Spring, Summer, Fall.

I certainly would not consider a 50*F bag or quilt rating to be 4 season, that is 3 season.

**dakotaross** · 01-13-2015, 14:00

A bit of a misnomer I guess. 3-season means all but winter, so 4-season includes that plus winter. I guess the focus is comfort in cold, not heat, because obviously most winter gear is not comfy in summer.

**EricDR** · 01-13-2015, 14:07

If something is rated 4 seasons, it needs to be rated to at least below freezing. Thank you for the info.

**Bubba** · 01-13-2015, 14:08

Wow, I would consider a 50 degree to be a almost exclusively a summer quilt.

**OutandBack** · 01-13-2015, 14:24

Originally Posted by Bubba

Wow, I would consider a 50 degree to be a almost exclusively a summer quilt.

I agree. In Colorado a well fitted 50F UQ would be summer only.

**SilvrSurfr** · 01-13-2015, 14:38

Originally Posted by dakotaross

A bit of a misnomer I guess. 3-season means all but winter, so 4-season includes that plus winter.

I've always thought of 3-season as anything above 20 degrees, and winter is 20 degrees and lower.

Everything I've read about ENO UQs is that they're heavy, overpriced and underperforming. Their target market is primarily people who know nothing about underquilts, that there are warmer, cheaper better-performing UQs on the market if you just do a little research. They're looking for the impulse buyer.

I can't find anything on their website calling it a 4-season UQ, though they do say it's for winter camping. That's an absolute joke with a 50 degree temperature rating! I'd call that a one-season quilt.

**lori** · 01-13-2015, 15:20

For me, 3 season is rated to 20F, and winter's gear is 1 season - you need 0 degree gear, a stove that works well when temps are below freezing all day and even lower at night, snowshoes or skis, and a skill set to go with the gear. I still take 3 season gear in winter only when I am on the coast, where elevations are below 5,000 feet and temperatures can still drop below freezing (they did, a couple weeks ago when I was in Point Reyes) but you're not going to see 10 or below.

In some places (particularly at high elevation) 4 season doesn't exist... you have winter, and the rest of the year, when it can snow in July, but not so deep that it sticks. The Ember looks like it might be 4 season in Florida.