Quilts vs sleeping bag

[toolumpy]

Just started using a hammock and my sleeping bag works good for me. Whats as the buz about under and over quilts? Advantages and disavantages? They seem expensive.

[Bradley]

The issue is laying on the bed of the bag in the hammock compresses the fill in the bag . . .
. . . rendering the insul. val. of the bag deminished.
UQ; no compression = no compromise in insul. val.

That said there is still some value in your bag depending on its fill.

I will/do use a bag in X-trem cold even with UQ.

Hope that helps

[Raul Perez]

Here's a visual on Top Quilts vs the standard mummy bag:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhkYhlZ1LCg

Underquilts is a preference... in my opinion for a 2/3 underquilt you get less weight, easily packed in the backpack, and it is more comfortable to use than a pad in the hammock.

[JohnSawyer]

It's also hard (for me) to wiggle into a bag in a hammock....

So I use my mummy bag as a TQ. I use a safety pin to hold the zipper up to knee-height...

[Bradley]

It's also hard (for me) to wiggle into a bag in a hammock....

I get into my bag standing up, then sit in, and then laydown in my hammock.
Likely wouldn't work without a ground tarp of sorts . . .

[Trooper]

You must have insulation underneath you. Pads work fine, but most opt for the underquilt. I would personally say that an UQ is a must have. Like Bradley said, your body crushes the insulation underneath you, so it is really just dead weight in the sleeping bag. So, most of opt for a TQ that is half the weight of the sleeping bag, because your UQ is providing the warmth from below. Again, as Bradley said, I use a mummy bag with a UQ/TQ in extreme cold.

There's nothing wrong with using a sleeping bag, but a mummy bag can be a bit acrobatic and frustrating. The UQ/TQ is just easier to use in the hammock and is lighter than a bag. I wish I knew about TQ's before I bought sleeping bags--they work great on the ground too!

[Stumblefoot]

I have a 20*rated sleeping bag that I use as a top quilt. I unzip it but leave the bottom like a foot-box. I think that the real secret is using an underquilt. I use a JRB Nest or the Mount Washington 3 UQ. It's really toasty when I use both.

[MAD777]

If you backpack, ditch the sleeping bag. If you car camp, well you can bring the king size comforter off your bed at home, who cares, and store it in the trunk next to your cast iron skillet. But either way, you will need either an underquilt or a layer of CCF pads on cold nights.

Since I backpack, I prefer a narrow top quilt (with head hole so I can wear it) plus a 2/3's underquilt with small CCF pad under my calves and feet (which doubles at a sit pad).

[gunner76]

I have a BB double and I use a blue pad and my sleeping bags as a TQ. I have an old North Face down mummy bag I use when it is cold and a synthetic bag I use when it is warmer. So far I have gotten down to low
30's and stayed warm. I can not afford a UQ at this time (maybe next year)so I work with what I have.

[leepingreenlizards]

It's also hard (for me) to wiggle into a bag in a hammock....

So I use my mummy bag as a TQ. I use a safety pin to hold the zipper up to knee-height...

I simply lay the bag in my hammock with the zipper face up and unzipped halfway. Then I sit on it, turn and place my feet in, pull the bag up over my shoulders and head, zip it shut...or not, and simply turn the bag after laying down so that the zipper is in the correct position. Sometimes I simply leave the zipper facing up. Quick and easy in\out when you get the hang of it.

I also have a -8 half zip down mummy bag from C.A.M.P. with the zipper on top. Makes things easy and it could be used as a quilt if I desired...never have though. Great bag.