which width is wonderful?

**Fiddleback** · 08-06-2011, 10:58

Wider is gooder, IMO. Insulation, wind block where it cups/wraps around the shoulders AND less slippage, I think. I've always used Oware's 60" X 40" ccf in my Hennessy and the slippage is minimal...at it's size it doesn't have much space to slip to.

The last I looked their current model is 6oz for ~$24. It's bulky but exceptional insulation for the weight and price, IMO.

FB

**evman** · 08-06-2011, 14:24

i think ima just got to a diy UQ

**BillyBob58** · 08-06-2011, 14:47

Originally Posted by Fiddleback

Wider is gooder, IMO. Insulation, wind block where it cups/wraps around the shoulders AND less slippage, I think. I've always used Oware's 60" X 40" ccf in my Hennessy and the slippage is minimal...at it's size it doesn't have much space to slip to.

The last I looked their current model is 6oz for ~$24. It's bulky but exceptional insulation for the weight and price, IMO.

FB

FB remind me again: how thick is that pad, and how low can you go before you get cold?

**Fiddleback** · 08-09-2011, 11:03

My Oware pad is their older model...it's ¼" thick. The newer ones are 3/16" thick @ 6oz, I think.

My sleep system is different from most. I don't use a bag or top cover in the hammock instead relying upon the cold weather clothing that I always carry in my home range. The system keeps me comfortable into the mid-20's...at 22° I felt cold coming through the pad. Adding my sit pad to the combo would probably drop me into the low-20's, high-teens...but I ain't tried that yet.

FB

**PDA** · 08-10-2011, 11:59

I use a WM blue pad ($5.88) cut in half, lay side by side, overlap to a suitable width - 30" or so, pierce a couple of holes, thread a piece of string through and tie. PLace in Hammock as a torso pad. With my legs in the foot box of a 20 deg hammock and the rest used as a top quilt, I was really warm to about 40 degrees, probably good to freezing. DOn't have to worry about getting wet, can use as a kneel/sit pad around camp, weighs next to nothing (12 oz?) is an emergency flotation device for river crossings

and is bomb proof. I don't anticipate ever spending a fortune for a piece of equipment with a much lower performance level.

**wisenber** · 08-14-2011, 09:44

Originally Posted by evman

im not dead set on a ccf pad, i just dont have 200$ to go blow on an underquilt

Then don't spend $200 on an UQ.

http://leighlounderquilts.webs.com/pricingorderinfo.htm

Pricing and Order Information

2/3 Underquilt 20* $150

2/3 Underquilt 40* $120

I have one of her winter UQ's and it is made exceptionally well and keeps me toasty in the single digits (could go lower) for about 18 ounces.

Pads certainly work, by UQ's help keep a hammock comfortable.

I use pads and UQ's. I normally reserve my pads for temps above 48 F or so and when I expect a lot of moisture.

**Fiddleback** · 08-14-2011, 10:07

I've never understood the, 'UQ is more comfortable than pad' argument. One reason might be is that I've never used an UQ.

But then, I wonder if the proponents of the argument have ever used one of the wide thin pads, e.g., Oware or Gossamer. I can easily see comfort issues with the common blue foam pads or most of the inflatables. I would expect them to slip a lot and I expect it might be hard to stay 'on' the narrow width. I dunno...I've never used them in a hammock, either.

I have used an Oware pad all my nights in a hammock and I've never had an uncomfortable night in a hammock. It doesn't slip (at 60" X 40", there's no room

), it doesn't bunch or wrinkle (when care is taken...ya' just can't plop down on it). I simply have had no issues with it but I imagine others will think I don't know what I'm missing.

Still, it cost barely over twenty bucks and weighs seven ounces.

FB
p.s. There is one issue...it's bulky to pack.

**DaleW** · 08-14-2011, 11:16

Another option is to get an undercover from 2QZQ and add some Garlington Insulators. That gives you full wind and/or rain coverage for about $50 cost. If you want to use a UQ later, the undercover will still have some use, especially with a partial UQ. An undercover and just a space blanket will work for taking the edge off of summer nights.

Garlington Insulators: http://www.garlington.biz/Ray/Hammoc.../Insulator.htm

My take on making Garlington Insulators with a space blanket for the bag: http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...t=36668&page=2

+1 on the 24"-25" CCF pads. There is a learning curve-- knowing where to place the pad and how climb in and end up with the pad in the right place without a wrestling match improves with practice. IMHO, CCF pads aren't as cozy as a well tensioned hammock surface, but they are the lightest and least expensive option.

**wisenber** · 08-14-2011, 18:37

Originally Posted by Fiddleback

I've never understood the, 'UQ is more comfortable than pad' argument. One reason might be is that I've never used an UQ.

But then, I wonder if the proponents of the argument have ever used one of the wide thin pads, e.g., Oware or Gossamer. I can easily see comfort issues with the common blue foam pads or most of the inflatables. I would expect them to slip a lot and I expect it might be hard to stay 'on' the narrow width. I dunno...I've never used them in a hammock, either.

I have used an Oware pad all my nights in a hammock and I've never had an uncomfortable night in a hammock. It doesn't slip (at 60" X 40", there's no room

), it doesn't bunch or wrinkle (when care is taken...ya' just can't plop down on it). I simply have had no issues with it but I imagine others will think I don't know what I'm missing.

Still, it cost barely over twenty bucks and weighs seven ounces.

FB
p.s. There is one issue...it's bulky to pack.

I too have a 40X60 which works well in some situations. It does still bunch up and it does result in moisture build up on your back. The temperature limits of a 1/4 inch ccf will handle my summer needs, but I wouldn't depend on it alone below freezing.

On the other hand..It does not fail when wet. You do not have to worry about leaving it compressed. They're easy to clean. They can also be used as a pad for kneeling or a chair. They can double as a pack frame.

**Fiddleback** · 08-15-2011, 08:58

Yup.

I'm a little guilty here of turning my back on my favorite admonition -- sleep systems are individual. The corollary -- sleep systems are dependent upon the conditions to be faced.

I don't do western Montana winters...most of my hammock outings are solo and I simply have no interest in going solo in those conditions. However, our summers regularly feature freezing temps (hence I always carry cold weather clothing) and my system works to the mid-20's. That translates to mid-May to mid-October. Around here, the rest of the at-elevation calendar is 'winter.'

On the basis of a suggestion from one of Sgt Rock's postings on another site, I orginally clipped a light fleece throw to the Oware pad to counter the condensation and 'wet shoulder' syndrome. It seemed to work...just as snapping my fingers kept the grizzlys away...I didn't have condensation and I never saw any gizzlys.

But then I dropped the 13oz throw and I didn't have condensation then, either. The point -- in this region, our summer humidity is low...sometimes sub-teens or even single digit. A far cry from the Atlantic Seaboard where I learned about backpacking. I think humidity and overdressing cause wet shoulder...I dunno...I simply don't have the problem here and I've never hammocked anywhere else.

Yup. Sleep systems and the performance of their individual parts are highly individual and highly matched to the regions/climates where they're to be used and the conditions to be faced. Further, change one part and the relative performance of the others change. Posters and responders need to always keep that in mind...but sometimes I forget.

FB