Results 1 to 9 of 9
  1. #1
    New Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Connecticut
    Hammock
    Dutchware DL Hexon 1.0
    Tarp
    WB Minifly
    Insulation
    LL SS Serrano 20
    Suspension
    Becket Hitch
    Posts
    24

    Determining lower temp limit vs poor setup

    Hello all, how do you determine whether your hitting the lower temp limit of your underquilt vs it's just not dialed in properly?

    Context, I've spent two nights outside below 40 degrees with my new 20 degree Saver Series Serrano and it has surpassed all of my expectations, it's great and warm and awesome. My underquilt system however is struggling to keep up. I'm rocking a Costco down throw (CDT) underquilt made per that popular imgur link and both nights I've inserted a second CDT in between the hammock and my primary UQ (I added snaps to hold everything together). The first night I had a cold spot between my shoulder blades for most of the night so I did a bit of research and added a secondary suspension to reduce the gapping that I think was causeing the cold spot. The second night worked out much much better, I am pretty sure I fixed the gapping issue but I had to keep fiddling with it. This morning when I woke up and shifted around I could not get rid of the cold spots / get the uq to warm back up and that got me thinking, am I just hitting the lower temp range for this system?

    More experienced hangers out there, how do you know whether your hitting the bottom of your uq's performance range vs you don't have the right setup?

  2. #2
    dakotaross's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Chamblee, GA
    Hammock
    SuperiorGear or Dutch netless
    Tarp
    custom pentagon
    Insulation
    down hammock or UQ
    Suspension
    Dutch Mantis
    Posts
    3,081
    Images
    19
    Likely that you are hitting bottom. Hard to say, but with anything DIY and multiple parts, experience is going to be the key there. Another person might sleep warmer with the same setup, but it really doesn't matter, its yours. Now, a regular quilt is made to certain standards. Given a 10 degree cushion for your own parameters (how you sleep given a setup with no drafts/gaps), then the limit of the gear is pretty well set. At that point, its more about managing your own parameters in order to get what you know you should be getting out of it.

    Be careful of adding to much clothing. I know some folks say insulation is insulation, if you're cold, add more. But if you're colder than you know you should be with the rating of your quilt system, then try going the other direction with clothing. As the down warms up from trapping your body heat, you can physiologically benefit from feeling that. Has a relaxing effect that calms your body's cold response helping to more efficiently reach balance in heat loss.
    "I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
    - Kate Chopin

  3. #3
    Senior Member Chesapeake's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Carpenters Point, Maryland
    Hammock
    HG,Dutch,XLC ,RR
    Tarp
    Superfly, AH hex,
    Insulation
    HG, Snugpak, SLD
    Suspension
    Whoopie Ti toggle
    Posts
    2,217
    Images
    9
    With my CDT UQ and it's 2-3 extra oz's of down from an old xl vest , I've been comfortable in the mid 30's when using it in conjunction with my -10° Incubator and either just my Warbonnet XL sock or UQP and tarp pitched tight and doors closed. However, my overstuffed CDT TQ is only good to about 40° for me. So like Dakota mentioned, your probably hitting it's lower limit. In general, the mid - low 40's is about as low as I've seen most people be comfortable with them. Now obviously there are several other factors that come into play and it's very possible to push them lower like I have done with mine, but if you've got it right up against your backside without any gaps and the foot end isn't cinched too tight creating a "dip" under your calfs/lower legs, then I'd say that's most likely not the issue. Over tightening the end cinches can draw the quilt away from the hammock under your legs /shoulders which will then create cold spots even though the primary and secondary suspensions are dialed in correctly.Also, ridgeline quilt hooks/ triangle thingys or a simple mini biner on a prussik will help to a) pull the quilt up against you , and b) help keep it locked in place so it doesn't shift during the night. I use them with all of my UQ's. If you don't have anyone that can lay in the hammock while you adjust it , add some pillows from your bed and place weight on top of them to mimic the shape and weight of yourself so you can adjust your quilt. Good luck
    " The best pace is a suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die." ~ Steve Prefontaine

  4. #4
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Ossining, NY
    Hammock
    DH Darien, SLD Tree Runner
    Tarp
    HG hex
    Insulation
    Timmermade, Revolt
    Suspension
    Kevlar, Lapp Hitch
    Posts
    4,912
    Images
    356
    It's hard to beat the design and differential cut of a quality, proven UQ. Maybe get a good LL UQ to go along with that Serrano?!
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  5. #5
    Senior Member Vanhalo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    East TN
    Hammock
    XLC/SLD 11' Tree Runner/BB
    Tarp
    WB MiniFly/SLD WH
    Insulation
    Jacks 'R' Better
    Suspension
    MyersTech/Dyneema
    Posts
    1,377
    Images
    78
    More experienced hangers out there, how do you know whether your hitting the bottom of your uq's performance range vs you don't have the right setup?
    Lots of nights outside in the cold.

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=2042197767
    "...in Florida, she felt air conditioning for the first time, and it was cold and unnatural upon her skin."


  6. #6
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    IN
    Hammock
    DIY 10.5' HyperD 1.6
    Tarp
    Warbonnet, SLD
    Insulation
    Hammock Gear
    Suspension
    WB Straps+Buckles
    Posts
    13,158
    Images
    20
    The primary and secondary (if you have it) suspensions are important, but the end cinch can easily spoil the whole thing even if everything else is set properly. It's easy to overtighten them because when you're outside the hammock, it's just a bunch of hammock fabric about 4" wide...so you tighten the cords to seal it up. But when you get in, and then lie at an angle, you're talking about a space of nearly 12" wide. So the end is way too tight and creates a deep U shape, letting in a lot of cold air. On the foot end, your butt and sometimes legs will get cold. On the head end, it's usually the upper back/shoulders.

    Here's a shot of my foot end with the ends hardly cinched up at all; maybe 3" of cord pulled thru the lock on each end. It looks way too loose when I'm out of the hammock, but once two feet are in there at an angle, all the gaps are filled up and it's not over-stretched.



    If you're hitting the limit, IMO, you'll get cold a few hours before waking up and won't be able to get warm. Bad sleep! If you're simply not set up properly, you'll probably feel cool from the start even when the temp is well above the limit. Again, you may be able to sleep and ignore it, but that gets worse as the temp drops. This is much more aggravating since a lot of fiddling sometimes still can't seem to resolve the issue. At least that's my experience.

  7. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    Saskatoon, SK
    Hammock
    Amok Draumr 3.0
    Tarp
    Amok
    Insulation
    Synmat 9 LW
    Suspension
    cinch buckles
    Posts
    1,702
    Quote Originally Posted by onlysmallexplosions View Post
    I fixed the gapping issue but I had to keep fiddling with it.
    redoleary was the first I saw, but I've also done kind of a wooki style costco down throw suspension, and it works much better (imo) at maximizing the costco throw

    make sure you've seam ripped it (holy man does that make a difference) and having the wooki style keeps it from compressing much better (imo) and it really helps eliminate gaps/draughts

    20170505_142118.jpg20170505_142506.jpg20170505_190151.jpg

  8. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    fort collins, co
    Posts
    4,648
    Images
    47
    Cold "spots" that are noticeable right away or start to develop within an hour (in cold weather) generally mean an air gap between the quilt and your body somewhere (not necessairly along the edges) or it could be crushed insulation, like if you didn't put enough differential in the right spot and the shell is compressing the insulation some under your butt.

    Reaching the bottom limit of the quilt should take longer (usually hours before you get a cold backside) and it would normally feel pretty dull and even over a large % of your body.

    So a small concentrated cold spot would indicate an issue of some kind, and feeling a dull even coolness over your whole backside would indicate the lower limit of the UQ was reached

    Using something without a differential cut made for a hammock, I'd say you run the risk of compressing the insulation if your suspension is too tight and having gaps if it's not tight enough. And you may not be able to get it snug all over without it getting a little compressed under your butt and hips
    Last edited by warbonnetguy; 05-08-2018 at 12:32.

  9. #9
    Senior Member m00ch's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Appleton, WI
    Hammock
    SLD, Townsend bridge
    Tarp
    HG Cuben
    Insulation
    WB,UGQ,Nunatak
    Suspension
    Beckets
    Posts
    405
    Quote Originally Posted by OneClick View Post

    If you're hitting the limit, IMO, you'll get cold a few hours before waking up and won't be able to get warm. Bad sleep! If you're simply not set up properly, you'll probably feel cool from the start even when the temp is well above the limit. Again, you may be able to sleep and ignore it, but that gets worse as the temp drops. This is much more aggravating since a lot of fiddling sometimes still can't seem to resolve the issue. At least that's my experience.
    I agree here with OneClick.

  • + New Posts
  • Similar Threads

    1. Low Temp Limit Testing Thread
      By OldRagFreeze in forum General Hammock Talk
      Replies: 91
      Last Post: 05-02-2014, 07:11
    2. Which should have lower temp rating?
      By f5mandopicker in forum Bottom Insulation
      Replies: 10
      Last Post: 10-12-2012, 10:58
    3. Do you hang lower in poor conditions?
      By danfromnb in forum Weather Protection
      Replies: 17
      Last Post: 01-08-2012, 09:53
    4. Thoughts on setup/temp ratings
      By mgeller in forum Top Insulation
      Replies: 9
      Last Post: 01-27-2011, 22:55
    5. Stretching the UQ Temp Limit
      By Buckeye Dave in forum Bottom Insulation
      Replies: 4
      Last Post: 10-18-2010, 08:00

    Tags for this Thread

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •