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  1. #1
    Senior Member Roadtorque's Avatar
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    UQ in AZ recommendations

    Just want to throw this out there for review by all-y'all familiar with Az winter conditions. From the day the JRB Mt. Washington 4 was debuted I have been saving my pennies. I plan on buying it this fall sometime (probably the next sale). I plan to use it mainly up on the Mongollion rim but also in parts of Flagstaff, Prescott, and Sedona during winter. I typically buy what I consider the best... in this case the lowest rated quilt so I dont find myself needing a warmer one. I think its probably easier to vent on a warm night then to find spare warmth from somewhere on a cold night. I am typically a very warm sleeper so my question to you guys is....Is the Mt Washington 4 overkill for Az? If so what would you recommend in its place? Keep in mind I will be using this on a JRB BMBH and I feel like the Mt. Washington is the perfect fit for that hammock. I dont plan on living in Az forever and my next move will probably be somewhere on the gulf coast so I also want something I can use in the winter there. Anyway there it is, what do ya'all think?

    P.S I use a 15 degree BA summit park sleeping bag and take fleece blankets as needed to lower temps.

  2. #2
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    Arizona UQ

    Funny you should ask...

    I live in Scottsdale, Arizona and I have recently purchased a Mt. Washington #3 for my Clark NX-250. After quite a long phone discussion with JRB, I decided on the Mt. Washington 3# so that I might have a bit more flexibility outside of the very coldest months on the Mogollon Rim.

    I hunt during the winter, and I know what you mean about how cold it can get in northern Arizona. The guys at JRB suggested that; if needed I can consider layering an additional UQ in addition to the Mt. Washington #3 to get extra warmth in the winter if needed. The idea would be to slip another quilt or poncho liner in between the UQ and the hammock or over the UQ (I am not sure) thereby getting added insulation when needed.

    Regarding the Mt. Washington #3; one of the Jack's that I spoke with was quite certain that using the Mt. Washington #3 without further layering would fully allow a a person to sleep comfortably down to 15 degrees in their skivvies and a top quilt only.

    I must tell you that I thought very hard about the Mt. Washington #4. I still wonder if I made the right choice regarding the coldest months. But, in the end I felt the Mt. Washington #4 was overkill for my needs.

    I used my new Mt. Washington #3 last weekend on the rim during the last weekend of bow season. You may remember that the hurricane that came up from Mexico, hit Arizona this past weekend. It was really wet in the woods and at night the temperature reached a damp/humid 40 degrees. I slept in the NX-250 with the Mt. Washington #3, no top quilt at all, and light underwear. I was actually sweating it was so warm.

  3. #3
    Senior Member te-wa's Avatar
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    Flagstaff, Arizona has more days below 0°F on average, than Anchorage, Alaska.
    I know the hills around Sedona get **** cold too, they can easily reach the mid teens on that side of the Rim. And then in the central Mogollon Rim, from Happy Jack all the way to White Mountains is 7400' and temps hover in the mid teens during Dec-Jan-Feb months. I did a trip to Haigler Creek below the rim at about 5600' and in January, the morning temp was 3°F. (tent camping a few years ago)

    Im working on a winter prototype that can handle those kinds of temps while keeping bulk and weight to a minimum.

  4. #4
    Senior Member TinaLouise's Avatar
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    [QUOTE=longbow;149472]Funny you should ask...

    I live in Scottsdale, Arizona and I have recently purchased a Mt. Washington #3 for my Clark NX-250.


    QUOTE]

    just throwing this into the mix.... please remember that the Clark has all those pockets under it and even if longbow isn't putting insulation into them, they are still making the hammock warmer just by being there. So insulation that works for him, may not be quite enough to work for you. An example I'd give is that my friend has a Clark NA and I have a Clark Tropical (made for warmer temps) I need more under insulation with my hammock to stay warm. I'd also rather err on the side of having more insulation than needed, than not having enough. You can always hang the quilt loose if it warms up, you can not make it warmer if you don't have the insulation to begin with.
    TinaLouise

  5. #5
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by te-wa View Post
    Flagstaff, Arizona has more days below 0°F on average, than Anchorage, Alaska.
    I know the hills around Sedona get **** cold too, they can easily reach the mid teens on that side of the Rim. And then in the central Mogollon Rim, from Happy Jack all the way to White Mountains is 7400' and temps hover in the mid teens during Dec-Jan-Feb months. I did a trip to Haigler Creek below the rim at about 5600' and in January, the morning temp was 3°F. (tent camping a few years ago)

    Im working on a winter prototype that can handle those kinds of temps while keeping bulk and weight to a minimum.
    Are the thoughts of someone who USED to live in Flagstaff and who uses a MWUQ of any use? IMO, if you are talking WINTER use above the Mogollon Rim, I don't think it is over kill at all. I don't see how it cold be, in fact I think you might occasionally have to augment it.

    Zero-10*F degree "rating" for the MWUQ, right? I personally was nice and warm on the bottom at about 10*F.

    Though it was a rare event, my coldest day in Flagstaff(I think it was in 85) was minus 26*F, with some locally reported lows in the out lying areas that were much colder. I remember another one or two -16. Those temps were not common, but zero or a little below were not uncommon. And that was only at tad over 7000 ft. Will you be up at 8000 or 10000 ft? I have a dim memory of minus 40s in Alpine, AZ in the 70s when I lived in Phoenix. OK, I know global warming and some say the cold doesn't feel as cold out west, but still!

    So if I was planning winter above 7000 ft in north AZ, I would not think of any thing less than a MWUQ unless I was planning on heavy augmentation with a pad or whatever.

  6. #6
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by longbow View Post
    I hunt during the winter, and I know what you mean about how cold it can get in northern Arizona. The guys at JRB suggested that; if needed I can consider layering an additional UQ in addition to the Mt. Washington #3 to get extra warmth in the winter if needed. The idea would be to slip another quilt or poncho liner in between the UQ and the hammock or over the UQ (I am not sure) thereby getting added insulation when needed..............
    I would think an extra quilt UNDER/outside the MW3, and carefully at that. It seems to me that any down between the MW and the sleeper/hammock would be flattened by the tight against your back design of the MW. This design is a big advantage of these types of quilts. It seems to me you would have to give up the advantage of this close fit to get much use of another down quilt between you and the MW. At the same time, you will have to use the usual cautions if layering a quilt outside/underneath the MW, being careful not to compress the MW loft with the added quilt.

    I have wondered if a flexible, narrow pad placed between a MW/Snugfit or Yeti style quilt and the hammock would help. If it is flexible enough, it seems that snug" fit of the UQs would hold the pad against the back. But this could also work against you if every thing didn't come together just right.

    But I don't see any reason why a vapor barrier/space blanket won't work fine and give you some additional warmth, when placed between the sleeper and any UQ. It has certainly worked for me in a Pea Pod and HHSS, but individuals may vary.

  7. #7
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    Arizona UQ

    I think that the points everyone has made about the temperature extremes in northern Arizona are very true. That argues strongly in favor of the Mt. Washington #4. Tina Louise also makes a very good point about the pockets in the Clark having a possible effect on the performance of the Mt. Washington #3 on my recent bow hunting trip. I didn't stuff the pockets. But, I do think they added some warmth anyway.

    I didn't mention it in my previous post, but last week I also purchased Clark's new Z-Liner system. I know, I know... how many UQs does a person need?

    My thinking is to layer the Mt. Washington #3 UQ over the Clark Z-Liner System when I am hunting in the ridiculously low temps that occur in northern Arizona during winter. I will adjust the hang of the UQ to hug the Z-Liner properly. For those times that I can get away with a 15 degree solution, I will use the Clark Z-Liner System on my NX-250 as my only UQ insulation and let my son or daughter use the JRB Mt. Washington #3 on their hammock. We will need to experiment to find the right combination of insulation for all of us. But, at least now the kids and I have some options to combine and test.

    It makes me smile to think that just a short time ago I had no real upscale hammock and only vaguely knew what an UQ was. Now I have multiple hammocks, UQ's, and who knows what else will be included in the future.

    Is this what is called "Hammock Addiction"?

  8. #8
    Senior Member Roadtorque's Avatar
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    This is all good to know. Part of the reason I want the warmest uq I can find is so I dont have to layer. I dont need a pad in the summer, a pad works fine in the spring and fall, so a UQ is in order for the winter. Now I just have to make plans to get out. Unfortunately it can be easier said than done. I'm trying now to convince my wife that solo outings are safe enough. If I can convince her of this I think I can get out monthly, if not well I probably dont need a UQ cuz she wont winter camp. Hopefully JRB will have another sale prior to the Az hang this fall.

    Billybob58 (or others who may know) how high up does a MWUQ go up the side of a BMBH? Its hard to tell from pic I have seen because I cant tell if the hammocks have bug nets on or not. In the center of the hammock (the lowest point) does the UQ come up to the omni tape? I'm mostly wondering because I am at the height limit of the hammock and my arms are sometimes sneak up on the side of the hammock and I often wonder if they will be cold or of the UQ goes up that high.

  9. #9
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Roadtorque View Post
    This is all good to know. Part of the reason I want the warmest uq I can find is so I dont have to layer. I dont need a pad in the summer, a pad works fine in the spring and fall, so a UQ is in order for the winter. Now I just have to make plans to get out. Unfortunately it can be easier said than done. I'm trying now to convince my wife that solo outings are safe enough. If I can convince her of this I think I can get out monthly, if not well I probably dont need a UQ cuz she wont winter camp. Hopefully JRB will have another sale prior to the Az hang this fall.

    Billybob58 (or others who may know) how high up does a MWUQ go up the side of a BMBH? Its hard to tell from pic I have seen because I cant tell if the hammocks have bug nets on or not. In the center of the hammock (the lowest point) does the UQ come up to the omni tape? I'm mostly wondering because I am at the height limit of the hammock and my arms are sometimes sneak up on the side of the hammock and I often wonder if they will be cold or of the UQ goes up that high.
    By memory, have not set it up in many months: I think that, when I am in it, it comes up a couple of inches higher than the omni-tape at the low point on the middle of each side. Are your arms OVER the side edges, where the bug net would attache? If they are inside, I'm pretty sure all is covered.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Roadtorque's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BillyBob58 View Post
    By memory, have not set it up in many months: I think that, when I am in it, it comes up a couple of inches higher than the omni-tape at the low point on the middle of each side. Are your arms OVER the side edges, where the bug net would attache? If they are inside, I'm pretty sure all is covered.
    If you lay on your back with your arms behind your head your elbows (mine do anyway) go up on the sides of the hammock but dont touch the bug net. If I'm laying on my side I tend to let my back rest on a "wall" of the hammock and would want that mostly covered as well. Pretty much at all times I'm IN the hammock and not hanging OUT of it. I would assume a JRB UQ would basically go straight across from one attachment loop to the other in which case most of the hammock would be enveloped by the UQ and it would provide plenty of coverage. Just one of those things you would like to know before droping the $300 + dollars to find out. Another forum member has kindly offered to meet up and let me see his UQ on my hammock (thank you very much for the offer). If I'm unable to visualize the "fit" from this thread I will take him up on it.

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