What is the best way to boost my under quilts performance?

**barchetta** · 01-05-2014, 21:46

-2 with my Clark nx250 and 0 incubator. Was really toasty with nothing else special but a 20 deg rei sleeping bag inside. My dyi dbl is setup in my garage with my Warbonnet sock, 11 deg snugpak bag, and DD under quilt. Curious to see how it would do tonight. Maybe I'll give it a shot?

**OutandBack** · 01-05-2014, 22:00

Originally Posted by timd

I'm hoping that my new 2QZQ UQP does that very thing. I'm planning to test the limits of my 20 degree Yeti tomorrow night in my unheated sunroom during the deep freeze here at 3000 feet. The zero degree incubator will not be far away!

Originally Posted by barchetta

-2 with my Clark nx250 and 0 incubator. Was really toasty with nothing else special but a 20 deg rei sleeping bag inside. My dyi dbl is setup in my garage with my Warbonnet sock, 11 deg snugpak bag, and DD under quilt. Curious to see how it would do tonight. Maybe I'll give it a shot?

-2 wow that would be a big jump. Do you have school or work tomorrow? You can always take the alarm clock out with you. Good luck.

I should have mentioned it, timd did in his post, the addition of a breathable UQP is a great way to boost an existing quilt system.
I swear I get 5-10 degrees boost out of mine and it helps hold the quilt in place.

**hutzelbein** · 01-06-2014, 03:49

I have had good success with Reflectix and a hammock sock. Since I have a double layer hammock, I just put the Reflectix between the layers. The sock also raised the temperature quite a bit.

**BigHat** · 01-06-2014, 07:04

i used reflectix the other night and was very successful. i also have a double layer hammock, got too warm in fact.

**barchetta** · 01-06-2014, 07:05

Originally Posted by hutzelbein

I have had good success with Reflectix and a hammock sock. Since I have a double layer hammock, I just put the Reflectix between the layers. The sock also raised the temperature quite a bit.

Originally Posted by BigHat

i used reflectix the other night and was very successful. i also have a double layer hammock, got too warm in fact.

That's good to know! Maybe I'll pick some up, rei a good place for that?

**hutzelbein** · 01-06-2014, 07:16

Originally Posted by barchetta

Maybe I'll pick some up, rei a good place for that?

I doubt you'll get it at REI or any other outdoor shop. I bought some at Home Depot when I was in the US. They might not know that they have it, but they usually do. Look for it in the insulation aisle.

**barchetta** · 01-06-2014, 07:18

Originally Posted by hutzelbein

I doubt you'll get it at REI or any other outdoor shop. I bought some at Home Depot when I was in the US. They might not know that they have it, but they usually do. Look for it in the insulation aisle.

Going there in 20 minutes anyways

**Shane** · 01-14-2014, 13:10

Originally Posted by DuctTape

Stop all air movement from stealing the trapped heat by blocking wind as much as possible. Tarp to the ground, etc...

I disagree with outandback regarding vapor barriers like ccf, etc... Not only are they effective insulators, the not breathable aspect eliminates the moisture from accumulating in the UQ. While it may not be noticeable since it is trapped within the down (or synthetic fibers) it is still there. The moisture will condense when it hits the dew point which is somewhere within the UQ's. No big issue for a weekend trip when one can air out their quilts when they get home, but on multi-day trips this can be a concern.

I don't know. I feel like my system breathes very well, and I have taken it out on week long trips. I think the problem with adding pads or space blankets is that they insulate you from your down. you want as much of your body heat as possible to warm the air in the down. With a barrier, you are reflecting that heat back. It's the same reason that I think you sleep colder if you sleep in heavy insulated clothing. Your whole system never has a chance to heat up. in really cold weather, I sleep in silk long johns, or nothing, just me, then hammock, then down.

Make sure you give your down plenty of time to fluff up before you sleep in it. Don't just set up with a long-compressed quilt and expect it to be instantly warm. One way to revive compressed down before you go is to put your quilt in a dryer with an old wool sweater on no heat . The static generated will make your down super fluffy.

Still, though, I think the best way to add a few degrees of warmth is to throw some handwarmers on your UQ under the hammock, and they will assist your body in warming up the air in the UQ down.