At what temp do you guys begin to use an under quilt? If a guy could only afford one under quilt for now and hangs from early spring to late fall in MN what would you recommend?
At what temp do you guys begin to use an under quilt? If a guy could only afford one under quilt for now and hangs from early spring to late fall in MN what would you recommend?
I believe it’s anything under 70 degrees you will want some sort of insulation under you. It could be a pad. fleece blanket or under quilt. Remember cool air is curlicuing all around you in a hammock.
As for what to recommend I couldn’t tell you because I don't own one yet $$. But I have my eye on a Hammock gear Phoenix 20 Degree. The reason I am looking at the 20 degree is that I can use when it is cooler out but still vent when warm and only have to buy one quilt for now.
This is my first season with an underquilt and when I was looking to buy one I did the same thing you are doing. Everyone told me to get a 20 degree UQ. So I went with the 20 degree incubator by hammockgear.com. I have not been let down. I used it when it got down to 32 (I know it could go lower) and a couple weeks ago I used as high as 59 degrees. The 20 degree is a great all around temp range to start off. I am currently looking to get a 40 degree for summer.
tdomer said what I was thinking but then again I don't live in your neck of the woods. I've long thought that a 20* Phoenix made a nice first UQ for a backpacker, make that an Incubator if you don't backpack. It has a lot of range and you can go well colder if you add a pad.
David
Unfortunately, the answer is, "it depends".
Need to consider the conditions...is it wet, is it windy, is it humid, what's the temperature change expected, etc.
Need to consider how you sleep...do you tend to sleep warm or cold?
I've hung in temps of 70 degrees, low humidity when it was sunny and have been chilled on my backside by a consistent breeze running under the hammock. Other times, I've been toasty at 70 degrees with no UQ because there was no wind and it was a humid day.
My experience has been getting some insulation under you is very helpful. Even if it's insulation that is rated warmer than your conditions, you can adjust the amount of insulation ability as you need. Meaning, if it's warm-ish, you don't need to snug the UQ right up against your hammock. just having it hanging under you will help, but it doesn't have to be perfectly fitted. Having air moving between the UQ and the hammock will help keep you from over heating.
If it's cooler, you can cinch it so that there is no air moving between you and your hammock, which will trap warm air and help keep you comfy.
Would definitely suggest whatever UQ you go with to try it out before getting on the trail. Get used to fitting it under your hammock, get experience finding that correct balance of "snugginess" under you to stay comfortable.
FYI: I have a KAQ New River UQ now... It was a relatively inexpensive UQ option for colder weather camping. I had started out trying to just make do with a pad. For me, the pad worked fine in the Spring....until it didnt. On one outing, temps were warmer than expected and humid.... I ended up soaked in sweat and had an unpleasant experience. Enter the KAQ. It's been very helpful over the past 8 months or so.... It is much more adjustable than a pad and does a good job keeping me comfy. However, I'm going with a down UQ now.
The KAQ New River is not down... It's not nearly as compressible as a down UQ. I realized that i should have gone with something different when I was first gearing up. I tried to stay frugal, but ended up spending more money in the long run. I'm buying something else that will better suit my needs.
So, what am i getting? i just ordered a 40 degree UQ (with extra down added)...Hammock Gear Incubator. My expectation is that this quilt will cover most of my Spring -Fall needs for East Coast - Mid Atlantic camping. I'll change the top quilt/insulation depending on the conditions. I know I can add a pad if there's a possibility of the temps dropping below ~30 degrees or if it's really windy.
Just like when you are camping as a ground dweller, you may need different sleep insulation system set up for different conditions.
Good luck!
Good luck!
70* is a good rule of thumb, IMHO.Originally Posted by tdomer
I live in Texas and sleep in my hammock at home. I just stopped using my underquilt about two weeks ago when temps started getting above 70* overnight. Since then there's been a couple of nights where the temps dipped down into the high 60's. When that happened I slept in a fleece mummy bag liner and was OK.
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