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  1. #1
    New Member
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    Sep 2014
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    First multi-night hang with pads

    new member with new hammock and tarp. I bought a WBBB XLC DL 1.7 and a Superfly. Extremely happy with both items. I bought the DL to use with pads. I have them from carcamping. I first set up with a partially inflated Thermarest camprest pad, 25"wx72"lx1.5"thick. My favorite pad. I slid it between the double layers on the diagonal and got in. Laying on the diagonal was very comfy, but too much side area was unprotected, probably a potential cold spot. I had a BA air-core mummy pad, and I tried it, but the fit and bulk didn't seem right. I had a ccf pad in my collection, so I tried it, laying roughly parallel with my main pad, and kinda tucked under it partially. Good side coverage but stiff and non-conforming. I figured this wasn't quite right, so I decided to cut the ccf pad(thermarest ridgerest) into 1/3rd"s and then install them at 90 degrees to the main pad along the sides, with some length tucked under the main pad to hold in place. The 3- 20"wide pcs laid edge to edge covered my side area well from head to toe. I positioned them just under the bugnet zipper line with the rest down the sides and excess length tucked under the main pad. I laid in the hammock again and moved around. Main pad under, and 3 pcs layered up one side. NICE!! Time to get 1 more pad and duplicate on other side.( Certainly not afraid to cut up a new $15 pad to suit my needs.)Pad purchased, cut into sections and laid in on other side. Got in again and wriggled around. Nice flat, diagonal lay with feet in BB footbox, ccf pad pieces laying nicely up both sides to just below zipper line, butted up edge to edge. I was comfy and well protected. Time for an overnighter. The hammock bottom kinda looked like the hull of a ship, with the side foam pcs, but ask me if I care. The sleep and warmth will give the answer.
    Using my DIY Ray Jardine Polarguard quilt, I spent my first nite. Longjohn top and bottoms, clean socks, my usual camping sleepwear. I've used the quilt to high 30's several times camping. any colder and I layer up and have been fine. The 1st nite was high 40's, very little wind. Had SF set up as well for morning dew. WONDERFUL. No cold spots, flat comfortable lay, even on my sides with knees poking forward. The side panels stayed in place nicely, as well as the main pad. Another night, same temps and lite wind. I'M GONNA LIKE THIS!! A 3rd nite. Wonderful again. Regardless of body position, I was always protected/insulated by side panels or main pad. Still looks like the hull of a ship, but I don't care. A very comfortable sleep, and plenty warm thru the night. I tuck in the quilt out of habit when i turn over, so it's automatic.
    With the cooler weather coming soon enough, I will try many more nites in my back yard. May have to put more air in main pad, we'll see when the time comes. REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE NITES IN THE HAMMOCK. By next spring/summer, I should have all the bugs worked out and establish my routines. Thanks for listening. UQ? WHY??

  2. #2
    Senior Member
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    Jun 2014
    Location
    San Diego, CA
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    Three reasons. Comfort, bulk, and complexity. In your case, with the Princess and the Pea approach of having seven pieces of pad underneath you, one might argue for a weight savings for an UQ as a fourth reason.

    To get a pad that insulates against the parts of the hammock that touch your back, shoulders or butt you need a wide bulky pad, or a pad plus extra pieces of insulation. Seven pad pieces is a lot to pack in/onto a backpack if you want to take that onto the trail.

    I've used five different pads with two different hammocks so far, and I've stacked them, and crossed pieces of them under me, and none of them has been nearly as comfortable or easy to use as my first UQ.

    Using what you've already got is great, but my advice is if the pad situation gets uncomfortable and unwieldy, and you find yourself looking at other pads to "fix it", that you look to an UQ instead.

  3. #3
    New Member
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    Sep 2014
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    Thanks for your thoughts, Dangling. I strictly car camp. My backpacking days are over. Older, and I have my mothers slim build and have trouble carrying much weight on my back. Strictly car camping now. I really like the lay of the hammock with the pads, and I am interested in trying the pads for awhile. Eventually I will most likely buy an UQ, but this is fun to experiment with. Besides, I kinda like doing things out of the norm, if you know what I mean. Much fun to fiddle. No need to worry about weight, and I'm comfortable/warm sleeping. My hammock does look like a boat hull,with the pads installed. I'm fine with that for awhile. On to cooler temps. Thanks again for your thoughts.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Sweeper's Avatar
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    Apr 2009
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    Charleston, SC
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    I hung using pads for a several years before the Jack's came out with their first UQ. I still have those DIY pads and occasionally use them for augmenting on really cold nights, they work well. Since you are car camping, pads will do you well. I used to use a reflectix pad in combination with a Big Agnes Horsethief bag and BA insulated aircore. Easily got me into the 20's every time!
    Hiking & Hanging is therapy, and much cheaper than medication in the long run. Carry on.

    Proud Member of the "Corps of Insanity" Hiking Group, 2000-2015. Semper Gumby!

  5. #5
    Senior Member GoatHanger's Avatar
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    May 2014
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    One of the main reasons I switched to quilts was condensation. I stay warm "enough" with a pad, but I prefer the lay of a gathered end without one. My Ridgerunner is actually a little more comfy with one. The condensation is the clincher for me though. Not that bad until it gets cooler, but that's exactly when I want to keep moisture to a minimum.

    This will be my first winter since I started hanging, and I'm really looking forward to using my quilts.

    Now, many people seem to use pads and never switch to quilts. That's cool too. HYOH definitely applies with most of this hobby. I've read where people have been using a pad and sleeping bag for years. That's great! The most important thing is to safely enjoy yourself. If it's making you happy, keep on keeping on. Just be safe, and have fun!
    Like thrash metal? Check out my nephew's band, Deathwatch. He's an amazing drummer... https://soundcloud.com/user-660860695

  6. #6
    Senior Member
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    I'm glad the pads are working out for you, and my wallet wishes they had worked as well for me. If I'm in the woods it is usually backpacking, and I don't have the same flexibility I might enjoy with a car and base camp.

    Quote Originally Posted by GoatHanger View Post
    One of the main reasons I switched to quilts was condensation.
    The fudging around factor was one of the things that made me lose confidence in pads, but warm weather condensation was the other major reason. A couple backyard hangs in the 60s had me in that no man's zone of needing some insulation under me, but my pads made me sweat too much.

  7. #7
    Senior Member GoatHanger's Avatar
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    I seemed to have the most problems with condensation when the dew point and temperature match up for long periods of time. I just seem to notice it more when it's cool out, I suppose?

    Fiddle factor was another reason, like you. It's not bothersome at all in the RR, but I always seemed to be adjusting the pad in a gathered end. Had to be more deliberate with my movements to make sure I stayed on the pad when changing position, too.
    Like thrash metal? Check out my nephew's band, Deathwatch. He's an amazing drummer... https://soundcloud.com/user-660860695

  8. #8
    New Member
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    During the several nites that I used the pads, I didn't experience any condensation anywhere in my sleep system, except on the underside of my tarp, which is to be expected with silnylon. I really like the flat lay of the pads. The fiddle factor is no concern to me yet. Maybe after I go camping a few times, hopefully this fall, I may find it's too much bother with my present arrangement. We'll see. Thanks for the replies, everyone. Overnite temps never below ~45F.

  9. #9
    Senior Member
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    My experience is that layering pads reduced the amount of their movement under me at night, especially if my bottom pad was a tacky closed cell foam type. It resulted in a bit less fiddling. Others have suggested a couple dots of silicon on a slippery pad to keep it in place.

    In my experience pad troubles really result from trying to minimize what you are carrying. 20" and 24" pads just don't give much coverage under and around you in a hammock. Wider pads are somewhat harder to come by, and don't pack nearly as well. I've got a 36" by 42" piece of CCF that gives great supplemental coverage if I layer it under a regular 24" pad, and would also do fine in its own right, but rolling it and carrying it in the woods just isn't going to happen. A piece of CCF like that might work well for you, since it would effectively replace the six cut up pieces of thermarest you are putting in under you perpendicular to your main pad. If trying that out appeals to you and you don't have a good local source for CCF let me know, as I've got never used large pieces in 1/4" and 3/8" thickness from buying in bulk when I was experimenting with pads.

  10. #10
    Senior Member hutzelbein's Avatar
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    What I liked with using a pad in my BB was the way the lay changed. I felt a bit like a water bed - but better. What I didn't like were bulk and weight (both not a concern for you), the fact that no matter what I did, the pad(s) occasionally slipped between the layers so that I had cold spots and needed to get out of the hammock to fix it, and the condensation. The condensation wasn't much of a problem in warm weather (never tested it in seriously hot/sweltering nights), but I didn't like it when it got colder.

    My reasons to use a full-length down underquilt were weight and bulk, but also the fact that once set up correctly, I hardly ever have to fiddle with it again. I also found that I like the special kind of warmth I get from the down. It's a very nice dry kind of warmth. It feels like somebody switched on a heater underneath me. I don't like that it's easier for the wind to rob my warmth, though. Still need to get an underquilt protector to fix that. I also get more calf pressure without a pad, but in other areas, the way the hammockfabric conforms to my body feels better than with a pad.

    So pros and cons for both. Whatever works best for you.

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