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Thread: I don't get it.

  1. #21
    Senior Member newlease's Avatar
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    I guess I'm the only one, but I tend to agree with the OP. I'll take my 1/4" and 3/8" torso pads over my UQ most nights. With my DL non military hammock I just pop it right in and it doesn't move and both together are still lighter than my UQ. I find the UQ is fiddly from hammock to hammock and needs some kind of something added to prevent CBS. I am honestly very comfortable with the pad and have had no big problems with condensation so far. I agree it's no contest if I have to use it in a single layer hammock though.

  2. #22
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ewker View Post
    Neo is that you?
    He went back to pads because nobody ever steals pads.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  3. #23
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    OP, you're definitely an unconventional thinker and I suspect you're definitely not a hiker: Pak-It Lite system 5 lbs., MSS 7 lbs., Thermarest 1 lb. 3 oz. That's 13 lbs., a lot of weight, and I can't even imagine the bulk. Also, keep in mind that the Thermarest's R-value is for sleeping on the ground, not in a hammock.

    I could never get past the condensation issues using pads. The colder it got, the more condensation I had. I also needed a double-layer hammock to comfortably use a pad, and eventually decided the penalties for pad use (weight, condensation, and comfort) were too great.
    Last edited by SilvrSurfr; 02-02-2015 at 09:02.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  4. #24
    Senior Member DuctTape's Avatar
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    There are certainly some of us who use pads. I have been saying for a while it is hammock dependent on whether a pad will work. I also have noticed that many try the inflatable pads instead of ccf. I have found the hammock type in conjunction with inflatables to be where many start and then immediately go to UQs. Pads work very well as insulation, and can be very comfortable, however it takes some time to learn how they work and with which hammocks. Like all systems, one must learn how they work. Even UQs have a learning curve. I, too use UQs, but only in the warm weather. When the temp goes sub zero, I use my ccf pads. I use the same Claytor hammock year round. Attached bugnet even in winter. It works, I am warm and comfortable and a lightweight backpacker. There isn't a right way or a wrong way for everyone, but each individual will find their own right/wrong way. Happy hanging.
    "There's a whisper on the night-wind, there's a star agleam to guide us, And the Wild is calling, calling . . . let us go." -from "The Call of the Wild" by Robert Service
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  5. #25
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    Over the years I've read about a lot people switching from pads to UQs after trying them. Don't really read about any one going the other way, just saying.
    Num Num Num

  6. #26
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DuctTape View Post
    I, too use UQs, but only in the warm weather. When the temp goes sub zero, I use my ccf pads.
    I will never understand why some people have condensation issues with pads, and others don't. It seems that the type of hammock would be irrelevant - condensation doesn't care what type of hammock you use. I also can't think of any way to mitigate condensation. On my last trip with a pad, I woke up in the morning soaking wet in 20 degree weather. The sleeping bag and my clothing was saturated, with pools of moisture on the pad. That was my last night with a pad.

    I don't think there's any amount of pad learning I could get that would overcome the condensation issues. Are you one of those people who don't have condensation issues with pads?
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  7. #27
    Senior Member Dead Man's Avatar
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    For some it is also a matter of pack space. I have used pads and they were okay for me. I struggled with keeping them in place and then packing them adequately in my back pack. I found the UQ to be more comfortable, near zero fidget factor and it packs perfectly in the pack. As to internal temps inside the hammock, using a TQ I found that my inside the TQ temp was in the mid to upper 70s. Far warmer than most will sleep in their own homes. I've grown accustom to using the quilts. If I didn't have them or access to them then I would likely find a way to be accustom to the pads. Just wasn't my settling point. There is a weight variant for some but the difference in pads and quilts is small enough that most won't list that as a pro or con.

  8. #28
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    I started out using a sleeping pad and sleeping bag in my hammock. Like others, I quickly found that a pad doesn't adequately cover the sides of my body and, even inside my sleeping bag, I got cold at those contact points. Upgrading to an underquilt has me sleeping all night rather than waking up at 4am to stuff sweatshirts between my shoulder and the cold hammock. I think a pad is a great solution for someone that is trying to economize and already owns one. I think a pad is great if you suspect you might have to ground sleep. Having used a pad and an UQ, I think a pad will be staying home and UQ will be in my pack.


    I also used the MSS when I was deployed in the military and it kept me warm and fit nicely in my 130lb load. If I was car camping I wouldn't care so much about carrying things that size or weight. It's a cheap way to stay really warm which is why the military issues it. It's also well suited to take to ground if I couldn't hang.

  9. #29
    Senior Member Otter1's Avatar
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    I started with a pad.

    I gotta say that the only way I could EVER find pads more comfortable if I somehow became a mummy-style sleeper - taped up and never moved during the night. Moving around and pads is a great way to lose sleep. Re-positioning a pad sucks for me. I have better luck grappling in the UFC.

  10. #30
    Senior Member Deathstar77's Avatar
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    Cold shoulders is my biggest issue with pads. Followed by its bulkiness.
    Always last to the camp site.

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