Sleeping bags in hammock not getting proper appreciation

**sir_n0thing** · 12-20-2009, 17:49

I am a bag user simply because that's all I have... That said, I do like the comfy, wrapped up feeling of being in my bag with the hood up. It's a nice cozy feeling. I'm one of those guys who likes feeling rapped up, the concept of shoulder-squeeze in a gathered end hammock doesn't bother me and I don't feel claustrophobic at all. Yeah, it's a bit of a wrangle to get zipped in to the bag inside a hammock, but it's not THAT bad. It's an extra 30 seconds of fooling around.
I'd like to try a top quilt some day to compare the two for myself. Shug always looks all happy in that black monster he's got himself!

**Mustardman** · 12-20-2009, 18:02

Originally Posted by pizza

Really, I think I was the only one that commented similar to that and it wasn't meant as an "argument" at all.

This isn't the first time we've had this discussion around here

**gRaFFiX** · 12-20-2009, 19:09

I believe Big Agnes makes all of their summer SB's with no bottom insulation; just a thin layer of ripstop. They claim it cuts weight and eliminates drafts that ultralite TQ's sometimes have. They have also shown that the insulation in all sleeping bags are compressed, similar to hammocks, against a sleeping pad, and therefore, it is unecessary to add it to the bag.

Scroll down to the first "description"
This is an example of one of their bags.

Not exactly sure what the weight savings/comfort/warmth of their bags are as I've done no research, but I had considered them at one point after finding out about hammocking and the need for an UQ.

Not sure what value anyone will get from this, but I just thought I'd share.

**TiredFeet** · 12-20-2009, 19:25

I have nothing against bags, but mummy bags and I just do NOT agree with each other.

When I was young, a mummy bag didn't bother me. Used nothing but an Army surplus bag - it was all my Dad would afford.

For some reason, the last 10 years or so, just the thought of my arms trapped inside a mummy bag and searching for the zipper is enough to make me never want to see another mummy bag. It still mystifies me why the change. I am not now nor was then claustrophobic ( I love this built-in spell checker

).

Rectangular don't bother me.

So, sleeping bags are okay, I just prefer quilts.

**opie** · 12-20-2009, 20:43

Originally Posted by gRaFFiX

I believe Big Agnes makes all of their summer SB's with no bottom insulation; just a thin layer of ripstop. They claim it cuts weight and eliminates drafts that ultralite TQ's sometimes have. They have also shown that the insulation in all sleeping bags are compressed, similar to hammocks, against a sleeping pad, and therefore, it is unecessary to add it to the bag.

Scroll down to the first "description"
This is an example of one of their bags.

Not exactly sure what the weight savings/comfort/warmth of their bags are as I've done no research, but I had considered them at one point after finding out about hammocking and the need for an UQ.

Not sure what value anyone will get from this, but I just thought I'd share.

BA makes their bags with a sleeve to slide a pad in. For the reason you stated that the insulation just gets compressed... So they made the underside a sleeve so you wont roll off the pad.

I have 2 of the Buffalo Park bags. Zipped together with a fleece liner, they were good down to 32 with me only wearing skivvies. Im a warm sleeper though.

**Just Jeff** · 12-20-2009, 21:18

I still use a sleeping bag sometimes...usually when I'm outfitting a few folks for a trip. I like to use the SD Wicked Fast, sometimes with the JRB Nest over top for colder weather. I love the hood on the Wicked Fast, and I think a sleeping bag hood helps share heat between body and head.

I don't find it hard to get inside the bag any more...just a technique to get down. Spend about as much time situating the bag as I do situating the quilt. A couple of times I had to look for the zipper during the night, b/c it's all the way on the side. That's why I was looking at the Nanutak center zip bag for a while. Ended up testing the MWUQ4 instead of buying that bag, though...love the MWUQ4 as well.

Re: the Big Agnes bags, I had one for Joker when he was younger. It's a good idea, even though they use heavy materials so the final weights are higher than comparable bags from other (generally more expensive) manufacturers. And it solves the "staying on the pad in a hammock" problem. The only real critique I could offer for BA bags is that a thick or wide pad in the sleeve can pull the edges of the bag away from the body, creating an air gap down the sides of the body. Draft tubes inside the bag at the pad/sleeve intersection may help.

**oldgringo** · 12-21-2009, 00:03

I have a BA...works okay, but I'm finding that I really don't like pads. Also, since only half of the bag is insulated, its awfully skimpy when used in the quilt mode.

**srestrepo** · 12-21-2009, 02:00

i love my mummy in the hammock!!

**pgibson** · 12-21-2009, 05:47

I think both have a place in the hammock or other wise. But one or two thoughts on the quilt issue. First off, sleeping bags can be readily had for 30 bucks on up, sky is the limit, but they start out very cheap from any place as basic of camping gear as what Walmart has. Quilts though start off at $200 or so....right? For some it's just simple economics. Lots of us love our quilts and spend a lot of time touting the benefits in a hammock, we have had a hundred conversations about that so I will skip it here. But there are pluses for sure. On the other hand lots of folks that want to get into hammocking are looking at the list we set before them and I am sure (cause I was) get overwhelmed. It is more than just grabbing a hammock and heading out to the woods, there are dozens of hammocks to chose from, even more options for tarps, suspensions, pads, quilts, guyline, stakes, carabiners, dutch clips, beaks, toggles, 1000 abbreviations to rap you head around -UCRHHDDWBBBJRBUQYMMVENOOESAHEBBOBMBHSPEIXTQ2QBB58 and the list goes on. Before getting into hanging I had a full set of top of the line groundling gear, actually several sets. I was actually working on selling off some of that gear as it was starting to get a bit dated. Then hammocking came up and well there just was not much in the budget to get a hole new system so I had to start slow and build up. One of the big things was a new bag, I had planned to buy a nice new light bag this spring, almost did a couple times. But then I got interested in using a hammock and well the Top quilt lust grabbed me and I pulled a 180 from what I had been planning and saved some more, and with some luck made a dealer price match and got a decent deal on a Golite. But like I said lots of folks just don't have a couple hundred dollars for a top quilt, and like Happy Camper brought up here we tend to...push is not the right word...but talk a lot about top quilts and less about bags. So many folks think that is the way to go. I like mine for sure and I know a lot of others do as well but there seems like there is not much on the market for a budget limited person for quilts.

So lets say Hypothetically speaking, there were an option in the ?125?-?150?-?175? range - maybe down, maybe 600-700 fill rather than 800-900 would more people be able to get into a quilt? Would it be beneficial to the hammock/backpacking community or would it just piss off a bunch of great vendors that make some excellent gear? Just thinking out loud here, not saying a $150 top quilt is a reality this week or next, just exploring the bag to TQ thinking.

Paul

**drewboy** · 12-21-2009, 07:56

When getting newbies into hammocking, I almost always recommend that they use their SB in quilt mode initially and focus their purchases on other more essential items. Their dollars are better spent on a bottom quilt in terms of having a good initial hanging experience. Eventually as the hook gets set they will end up having three of everything, including top quilts, just like the other sick people around here. :-)