spinning round and round

**mountainhanger** · 05-26-2012, 17:28

Which UQ/TQ to buy? Does anyone else have this problem? I think that i need a summer set but money says buy one you can use all year round, then again kinda warm sleeper so 2/3 vs full, and then theres the IX vs down, and yes of course there is the ease of hanging and being a noob not real good at fixin things yet......see what i mean? LOL!
seriously though i am thinking for a noob set up considering weight time and set up that a set of 20 deg tq/ uq will take me to about teenish with the right clothing and with the right venting i can use it too sixtyish, so what does the gathered experience say?
i am using a wbbb btw and did I say I am getting seriously confused?

**lazy river road** · 05-26-2012, 18:47

In order not to confuse my self as such I decided to buy a Hammock Gear quilt set for each season plus a few extras. If I could only have one set, oohh that be touch but I'd probably go with a 20 3/4 Phoenix and a 20 Burrow. Vent in the summer and add clothing and a pad in the winter. Or like me keep it simple and buy them all

**TinaLouise** · 05-27-2012, 06:58

I camp year round here. Temps range from low of 17F to 110F. On top of that I have to figure in back surgery and now my back is even colder. I went with two sets, a deep winter set (takes me from 17-50F degrees). And a warm set (used from 45-80F degrees). Above 80F and even I don't need a quilt under me!!!

So to help you, first figure out what the actuall temps range that you will be hanging in. Then figure in if you're a warm or cold sleeper. You will either add or subtract this to the actuall temps to determine what your quilts need to be rated at. When I did this I concentrated on the coldest temp that I would be hanging at and chose an underquilt so that I would stay warm at that temp. (If you use extra clothes to increase your underquilt ratings then figure this into your choice). I found that my total temp range was just to much for any one quilt to compensate for. Meaning for me to stay warm at 17F, if I used that quilt at like 55, I sweated all night no matter how much I tried to vent the quilt. So I needed two quilts.
After you get a handle on what temps you'll be hanging in, you'll be in much better shape to figure out which quilt to buy. Oh, I concentrated my answer on underquilts only because I think that a good underquilt rated properly for you, will compensate for a lighter weight top quilt.

**Dblcorona** · 05-27-2012, 07:12

I use a 3/4 quilt. Works for me except deep winter. I used a 20 degree quilt even in summer for awhile. I just vented it more. I have since made an ul summer quilt mainly for weight saving. So I guess I am suggesting to go with a 20 degree set and than adjust as your needs change.

**BillyBob58** · 05-27-2012, 07:44

Originally Posted by mountainhanger

Which UQ/TQ to buy? Does anyone else have this problem? I think that i need a summer set but money says buy one you can use all year round, then again kinda warm sleeper so 2/3 vs full, and then theres the IX vs down, and yes of course there is the ease of hanging and being a noob not real good at fixin things yet......see what i mean? LOL!
seriously though i am thinking for a noob set up considering weight time and set up that a set of 20 deg tq/ uq will take me to about teenish with the right clothing and with the right venting i can use it too sixtyish, so what does the gathered experience say?
i am using a wbbb btw and did I say I am getting seriously confused?

I once was camping at one of Ed Speers hammock hangs in NC, I think it might have been late April. It was warmer than usual for the time of year, don't remember temps exactly. I slept in my JRB bridge, and the only UQ I had for that was a winter MW4 UQ. I had my Golight 20F Ultra TQ on top ( these days they rate the same 21 oz TQ at 40F). Probably just had it loosely draped over me and no hat and just shorts and tee shirt. Anyway, middle of the night I woke up soaked in sweat and went inside the RV.

So it can be tricky to make one system work for everything, just like it can be hard to be inside a 20F mummy bag at 60F.

The torso length Yeti UQs ( and probably other brands) can be vented quite a bit my just moving them a few inches closer to the head end of the hammock. This causes a larger gap the further you move it, letting in plenty of cooling air.

A Speer Pea Pod can be very versatile, by just hanging it loose enough for a small or very large gap underneath, and varying the head to toe Velcro top closure from ~ completely closed to a few open vents to wide open.

**Two Tents** · 05-27-2012, 07:56

I'm not always confused but when I am it is in hammock related matters. Stay hanging my friend! I tried the single set up for all seasons and it worked OK. Then I got a summer set up and put the three season along with the summer to use for winter and it worked OK. Finally I got a winter TQ and UQ for really cold stuff. Now I have all four seasons covered. Get the 3 season set and make it work from that. ( to start out anyway!)

**Sidewinder** · 05-28-2012, 23:20

When you say year round, what temps are you talking about? How cold is your winter? I think you could use a single set of quilts for all seasons, you just may not be happy in all situations. For me, I think I could do with 2 sets of quilts. A winter set that will work from 0-50 degrees and a Summer set that will go from 40* and up. You could also mix and match these quilts to suit the specific situation.

S

**Bannerstone** · 05-29-2012, 06:12

I would echo what others have said about the broad range of the 20* set, you will be amazed by their performance so much that it will only make you contemplate your next quilt purchase.

David

**Pj1008** · 05-29-2012, 06:31

I had the same problem as you! I couldn't decide on what quilts would be best for all seasons and I can only really afford one set so I kinda had to get it right. For me, I decided to order a 20* UQ and a 40* TQ from hammockgear.

I figured it's harder to keep your back warm because anything you lay on is compressed and I can just add a down sweeter or fleece liner to the top quilt if I get cold. And in the summer I can just vent the UQ. I still haven't recieved my quilts so I can't say for sure but I suspect I'll be able to get this set up into the mid to low 20's with the right clothes. And concidering I'm a warm sleeper, maybe even colder...

**zukiguy** · 05-29-2012, 20:23

For me a modular system has worked pretty well. I've only got the one Te-wa UQ that takes me down into the 40s with no problem. If it's colder I can supplement with a thin pad (doubles as a sit pad around the fire). In the case of wind I add on my 2QZQ UQ protector (it works like an undercover to break the wind). So far I think the next step would be adding a space blanket into the mix.

On top it's kind of the same idea. I've got one quilt but I can supplement with a poncho liner, more clothes, etc as it gets colder. Staying warm on top has been no problem since it's basically the same as being warm on the ground. Avoiding CBS has been the issue and so far I've managed to be pretty successful.

I did break down and buy a 4-season tarp (basically a hex with doors). I can rig it open to shade a bunch of area or batten down the hatches in the case of wind and rain. All these different factors go together to optimize my system depending on temp.