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  1. #1
    Member Photoman's Avatar
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    Testing my gear.

    I continue to test my system. I stayed out in the hammock last night again. It got down to 27 degrees. I remained warm for the most part. I had a few cold spots at times but after adjusting my under quilt the cold spots went away. I tried a fleece sleeping bag under me this time for a little extra barrier between me and the hammock but had a hard time keeping it in place. I tried the foam mat last time. It worked out good but it is to bulky to pack. I know I would have been much colder without the fleece under me. I don't think my Over quilt and under quilt will be enough on these cold nights. I think I'm going to have to go with a full size winter under quilt. My equipment: WBBB, Mamba winter top quilt, 3 season Yeti under quilt.
    Doing what you love is like having a license to steal!
    ~StephenKing

  2. #2
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    Another neewb here. Agree with your findings. Using my JRB Greylock 3, I'm 0nly comfy with an additional pad (in my WBBB) into the high 30's.

    So I just picked up a Arrowhead full-length New River UQ with additional APEX. First trialwill be tonight in the backyard, expecting 24* tonight. Also am awaiting a down 20* topquilt with overstuff-from Underground Quilts- to arrive in about a month.

  3. #3
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Photoman View Post
    I continue to test my system. I stayed out in the hammock last night again. It got down to 27 degrees. I remained warm for the most part. I had a few cold spots at times but after adjusting my under quilt the cold spots went away. I tried a fleece sleeping bag under me this time for a little extra barrier between me and the hammock but had a hard time keeping it in place. I tried the foam mat last time. It worked out good but it is to bulky to pack. I know I would have been much colder without the fleece under me. I don't think my Over quilt and under quilt will be enough on these cold nights. I think I'm going to have to go with a full size winter under quilt. My equipment: WBBB, Mamba winter top quilt, 3 season Yeti under quilt.
    Consider if the suspension is allowing it to sag in the middle, and if so add some shock cord that will pull from the ends(see below). Also make sure the perimeter suspension is tight enough so that it lifts the middle of your hammock a couple of feet before you get in. Try adding a space blanket/Vapor barrier right under your hammock(but read up on VBs)

    With any quilt, TQ or UQ, drafts and gaps are the cause of almost all problems. With the UQ this is often related to it not being snug enough against your back, or some gap on the ends or side. With the Yeti, make sure the UQ stays positioned with the top edge right about at the intersection of your neck and shoulders, and especially not higher. Even one or two inches higher will allow major venting(a good thing in the summer, will freeze you in winter! ).

    Don't think a full size quilt will automatically solve the cold back problem, drafts or gaps can defeat them also.

    Quote Originally Posted by BigCarDaddy View Post
    Another neewb here. Agree with your findings. Using my JRB Greylock 3, I'm 0nly comfy with an additional pad (in my WBBB) into the high 30's.

    So I just picked up a Arrowhead full-length New River UQ with additional APEX. First trialwill be tonight in the backyard, expecting 24* tonight. Also am awaiting a down 20* topquilt with overstuff-from Underground Quilts- to arrive in about a month.
    Look forward to the results. It is rare to see a comment for a JRB not being warm to it's rating, although there can be so many variables: how warm you sleep, top and head insulation used, etc etc. Still, this model JRB uses the newer perimeter style suspension, although the older "pulls from the ends" is an optional set up. I have had an unproven suspicion that the perimeter styles are prone to the accordion effect, or a bunching up towards the middle, with a resultant gap. If this is causing a problem, an easy mod should be done to also apply some tension pulling from the ends.

    BTW, I think all of the AHE quilts pull from the ends, old style? I know my Jarbidge does.
    Last edited by BillyBob58; 10-27-2013 at 14:02.

  4. #4
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    Thx BBob
    I need a photo of the rig while I'm sleeping in it...that would tell some.

    Just learning about quilt suspensions. Bought myself arrowheads "Triangle Things" for a try at a more "upright" tug on the suspension/UQ

  5. #5
    Member Photoman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BigCarDaddy View Post
    Another neewb here. Agree with your findings. Using my JRB Greylock 3, I'm 0nly comfy with an additional pad (in my WBBB) into the high 30's.

    So I just picked up a Arrowhead full-length New River UQ with additional APEX. First trialwill be tonight in the backyard, expecting 24* tonight. Also am awaiting a down 20* topquilt with overstuff-from Underground Quilts- to arrive in about a month.
    Let me know how it go's.
    Doing what you love is like having a license to steal!
    ~StephenKing

  6. #6
    Member Photoman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BillyBob58 View Post
    Consider if the suspension is allowing it to sag in the middle, and if so add some shock cord that will pull from the ends(see below). Also make sure the perimeter suspension is tight enough so that it lifts the middle of your hammock a couple of feet before you get in. Try adding a space blanket/Vapor barrier right under your hammock(but read up on VBs)

    With any quilt, TQ or UQ, drafts and gaps are the cause of almost all problems. With the UQ this is often related to it not being snug enough against your back, or some gap on the ends or side. With the Yeti, make sure the UQ stays positioned with the top edge right about at the intersection of your neck and shoulders, and especially not higher. Even one or two inches higher will allow major venting(a good thing in the summer, will freeze you in winter! ).

    Don't think a full size quilt will automatically solve the cold back problem, drafts or gaps can defeat them also.




    Look forward to the results. It is rare to see a comment for a JRB not being warm to it's rating, although there can be so many variables: how warm you sleep, top and head insulation used, etc etc. Still, this model JRB uses the newer perimeter style suspension, although the older "pulls from the ends" is an optional set up. I have had an unproven suspicion that the perimeter styles are prone to the accordion effect, or a bunching up towards the middle, with a resultant gap. If this is causing a problem, an easy mod should be done to also apply some tension pulling from the ends.

    BTW, I think all of the AHE quilts pull from the ends, old style? I know my Jarbidge does.
    Great advice Billybob58. I don't think I had my head end low enough or at least lower than my feet. I kept finding myself sliding a little. I think this could have been my concern with the UQ getting gaps and letting cold air in. Good advice on that Winter UQ. If its not used correctly it will fail too. I have a 20* UQ, realistically how cold can it take me?
    Doing what you love is like having a license to steal!
    ~StephenKing

  7. #7
    Senior Member scottpash's Avatar
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    I too am still testing my Puffer jacket quilts just waiting for the temps to drop a little more here in Chicago area

    coldest so far with no problems was about 40F
    "HANGING OUT" has taken on a whole NEW MEANING

  8. #8
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Photoman View Post
    Great advice Billybob58. I don't think I had my head end low enough or at least lower than my feet. I kept finding myself sliding a little. I think this could have been my concern with the UQ getting gaps and letting cold air in. Good advice on that Winter UQ. If its not used correctly it will fail too. I have a 20* UQ, realistically how cold can it take me?
    It is hard to say, because people and conditions(wind,humidity,any slight dampness in the insulation or worn clothing, how tired you are or if you are already cold before bedtime, food eaten/hydration etc) are so different, there are so many variables. But normally, the average person or at least a warm sleeper is warm to the rated temp in a high quality quilt, assuming they don't run into the many little problems- like gaps or drafts- that can be a part of the learning curve of quilt use. As evidenced by the many threads on this subject, sometimes it is tricky. But still there are plenty of folks who take quilts near, at or even beyond the ratings. I don't have a 3 season 20F Yeti, but I think I have seen a number of posts where folks started getting cool right between 25 or 30, although there is some confusion about the early models vs the slightly warmer later models. Maybe some users of current models will chime in for you. But a guess for me is that, if all is adjusted right and your TQ is working well(keeping drafts out), you should be warm at least to 25-30 and maybe even 20F, even without any of the well known tricks to push a quilt further. If, of course, you are not a colder than average sleeper. Variations between people can make 20F difference easy.

    If you are slipping downward, try raising the foot end of your hammock between 3" and 12". If anything is causing you to end up with the top edge of that Yeti even as high as the middle of your head(in my experience anyway) you are going to be real cold!

    And try to figure out if you have any (even slight) accordion effect where the top and foot ends of the quilt migrate towards the center during the night. If so, add some grosgrain(sp?) loops to each end of your UQ and rig up some shock cord to pull the head and foot of your hammock towards the suspension. You could either replace the perimeter suspension or or use both together. I am talking about this type of suspension here:
    http://www.jacksrbetter.com/under-qu...-instructions/

    scroll down to "gathered end" and click on the pics for a blow up. Maybe some one will post a simple mod, they are out there, but pulling towards the ends is what you are trying to accomplish. Assuming this is your problem, may not be.

    BTW, to clarify, when I said a winter UQ might not help, what I was mainly referring to is going to a full length UQ rather than to a torso length winter Yeti or any other short UQ might not help. IOW, torso or full length either way, if gaps or drafts are the problem causing cold back or butt, going full length won't automatically help that, it might even be worse. The only thing that will help is getting rid of the gaps/drafts. Conversely, there are people here who have taken a zero rated Winter (short/torso) Yeti lower than minus 20F with a leg pad and no doubt appropriate layers. So you can go plenty warm, at least with a warm back/butt, with a torso UQ. Torso or full length, the fit and adjustment is all important! Good luck!
    Last edited by BillyBob58; 10-28-2013 at 17:53.

  9. #9
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    last night used the WBBB, CCF pad in between layers. Arrowhead synthetic New River UQ with extra APEX. My "fanken-topquilt" (an old down 15* bag with zipper cutout). I suspended the New River UQ from 2 ft up my whoopies (not the hammock ends). I did not use the "triangle things" yet.

    Well it got to 27* and I was quite comfy below. No sensation of coldness on my backside at all. My frankenquilt worked as long as I could keep my behemouth body covered (I'm 6' and 270 lbs). Problem-it is a medium width mummy bag. I'm looking forward to my real down 20* TQ-overstuffed. It will be another 4 wks though before I'm likely to see it. Thinking it's goonna provide much more width to cover me.

    Another problem....my left shoulder (my shoulder lying on entry side of the WBBB), kept slipping out into the cold, off of the hammock and UQ...several times.

    We had about a 20-25 mph COLD wind gusting in from the N all night. I was oriented N-S. Was covered by my WB mambajamba, but I can see a door kit in my future now!


    I'm fairly confident now I can be comfortable in early and late season sleeping in my neck of the woods!


    sorry I jumped on your thread photoman
    Last edited by BigCarDaddy; 10-28-2013 at 19:37.

  10. #10
    Member Photoman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BigCarDaddy View Post
    last night used the WBBB, CCF pad in between layers. Arrowhead synthetic New River UQ with extra APEX. My "fanken-topquilt" (an old down 15* bag with zipper cutout). I suspended the New River UQ from 2 ft up my whoopies (not the hammock ends). I did not use the "triangle things" yet.

    Well it got to 27* and I was quite comfy below. No sensation of coldness on my backside at all. My frankenquilt worked as long as I could keep my behemouth body covered (I'm 6' and 270 lbs). Problem-it is a medium width mummy bag. I'm looking forward to my real down 20* TQ-overstuffed. It will be another 4 wks though before I'm likely to see it. Thinking it's goonna provide much more width to cover me.

    Another problem....my left shoulder (my shoulder lying on entry side of the WBBB), kept slipping out into the cold, off of the hammock and UQ...several times.

    We had about a 20-25 mph COLD wind gusting in from the N all night. I was oriented N-S. Was covered by my WB mambajamba, but I can see a door kit in my future now!


    I'm fairly confident now I can be comfortable in early and late season sleeping in my neck of the woods!


    sorry I jumped on your thread photoman
    No worries! Its good to see things getting worked out and passed on what's working and what's not.
    Doing what you love is like having a license to steal!
    ~StephenKing

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