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  1. #1
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    Pad/UQ Undecided

    I've been doing a lot of research to help me decide on some bottom insulation for my WBBB 1.1DL that will be coming soon. You guys are great!!! What an amazing amount of info here!

    I'm new to hammocks but I'm planning on using the WBBB in night temps 40°F-60°F. I plan on continuing tent camping below that...I know, blasphemy!!! Anyway, I'm contemplating some options.

    1. I currently have 2 Thermarest Prolite Plus mats from tent sleeping (short and regular). The regular is a great fit being about 3" longer than me. So my first option is to try either one of these with my Marmot 30° down sleeping bag. I know the 20" width may be trouble, but I would like to try it and see just how bad it may be without an SPE or multiple mats. I don't want to do that. Opinions on this setup, even as a starting point and to convince me to get a UQ?

    2. The 40° HG Phoenix UQ has really got my attention - great reviews, nice length for my height at about 5'9". Sounds like a good fit on the WBBB. Let's say it's 40° at night and I have the 40° Phoenix and my 30° down bag on top...will I be sleeping in a furnace? I can't seem to wrap my head around the UQ and how warm it keeps your whole body since it wraps around the sides a bit.

    I really appreciate all the info on this forum, and would appreciate any comments on my specific dilemma. I just can't picture the difference of 40° on the ground vs. 40° in a hammock. I have this notion that it's completely different, leaving me with no idea what to use for a TQ or wear to sleep. I'm sure testing it in my back yard will yield the best answer.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    May 2011
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    Sunbury, Ohio
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    Listening to the advise on this forum has saved me a lot of time and money. Still I have to discover some things for myself. I recommend that you try both pad and UQ.

    David

  3. #3
    Senior Member wildcrafter's Avatar
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    Jul 2010
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    the mean street of irons mi
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    everyone will tell you to go with an underquilt they are very popular on the forum. being a pad guy about to convert to a uq I will tell you if you want get a double layer hammock and use your pad since you have them already save your money and get a good uq eventualy if you do winter trips you will want to do them in a hammock so look at getting a 20 or lower uq.
    welcome to planet earth no one gets out alive

  4. #4
    Senior Member MAD777's Avatar
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    May 2009
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    White Mountains, New Hampshire
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    Go ahead and try the pad that you have; just do it in the backyard so that you can come inside for a good noght's sleep

    Seriously, do try it, but like all things new, have a bailout plan. Some have successfully slept on an air mattress in a hammock, but the odds are against you on that.

    If you want to explore pads further, try a wide (at least 30") CCF pad. They are lightweight, cheap, and your less likely to roll off it.

    After doing this, you will probably end up buying the underquilt.

    Top quilts are simple things. Your sleeping bag opened up will suffice for now. The advantage of a quilt is that you don't have to wrestle with all the extra material of a bag inside the confines of your hammock.

    Oh BTW, go ahead and put your tent up for sale. After sleeping in the hammock, you won't be using it.
    Mike
    "Life is a Project!"

  5. #5
    Senior Member Muskrat's Avatar
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    Aug 2009
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    +1 on trying out the pads you already have.

    However, if you have an opportunity to try out an UQ without having to purchase one, you'll discover the difference is tremendous. Waking on a routine basis throughout the night, because your arm or shoulder is cold because you are not situated correctly on the pad, gets very old. Swap that pad out for an UQ and there are no cold spots in the torso area if you go with a shorter UQ, considering you have adjusted the UQ to fit just snug to the bottom of the hammock.

    A very general rule of thumb is you will need some sort of insulation under when temps are in the low 70* and below. Pads may be lighter (pending which one you are using) but take up more space and lend to a lesser quality of sleep. So if you are holding out on an UQ because of $$$, thats reasonable. If you have the funds to purchase an UQ then I would ask yourself "do I want to sleep OK ...OR do I want to SLEEP!"

    I guess for me it was like that first roller coaster ride I made when I was a kid. Unsure of the unknown at first (aka... about to wet my pants! ) only to followup after the first ride with a "HELL YEAH! Let's do that again! !

    And while you mention it... I'll second the comment on selling the tent. UQs are made for winter
    “He doesn't know the meaning of the word fear, but then again he doesn't know the meaning of most words”
    - Bobby Bowden

  6. #6
    Senior Member JohnSawyer's Avatar
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    Muskrat is right. Pads are good, UQ's are, at your temps, more comfortable, fewer condensation issues, and more forgiving.

    Heck, for $20 go get a military poncho liner and make a PLUQ: (Poncho Liner Underquilt).

    I have 2, and they're good to 45 degrees or so, and cost very little. They're heavier than a down UQ, but I use mine in summer when car camping...
    http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...highlight=PLUQ
    "Do or do not, there is no try." -- Yoda


  7. #7
    Senior Member Festus Hagen's Avatar
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    I have an UQ, sometimes use that sometimes use pads sometimes even both. UQ is generally more comfortable but pads (especially closed-cell) are sorta no-brainers... you can rig an UQ incorrectly and have cold spots, pads just kind of WORK.

    It doesn't have to be a either-or proposition.

  8. #8
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    Thanks for the input everyone! I think I'll try the prolite pad just because I can, and will plan on getting the Phoenix UQ since I have the money in my "gear fund". Probably leaning towards the 40° UQ since I plan on hammocking above that temp. Who knows, maybe I'll hammock in winter as well and get a 0° eventually...small steps...

  9. #9
    Member pumkinpete's Avatar
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    to pad or to UQ

    I've used pads and U.Q under Quilt get my vote, light and very warm.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Muskrat's Avatar
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    Just my $0.02.... but if you are looking at getting an UQ, why consider getting a 20*burrow UQ? If you have pads that will suffice for mid 50's, having a 20* UQ will definitely keep you warm in the 40's and beyond. However if you are seeing a 0*and UQ in your future, personally, I would by the 0* and skip the rest. You can always vent the UQ if it gets too hot. I have a winter incubator that i love and i use it all the time up to 60*. After that, I use my 3 season yetti. Something about being insulated all around by down really creates great sleep.

    Again.... just my $0.02...
    “He doesn't know the meaning of the word fear, but then again he doesn't know the meaning of most words”
    - Bobby Bowden

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