Musing on cold weather gear...

**Mustardman** · 02-18-2009, 14:51

So last weekend my fiance and I had our two Blackbirds hung from two parallel trees, with a single Mamajamba tarp over us. We were both using down sleeping bags and exped downmats. All in all, I love the downmats - lots of insulation, have that versatility if we need to go to ground, and they pack reasonably small.

That said, we were a bit chilly - I believe mostly due to lack of wind protection from the tarp, although also potentially due to coming off the downmats.

Due to that, I'm considering a couple new purchases... one being a set of underquilts for both of us. I refuse to even consider anything that's not differentially cut, as I already do enough fiddling with setup, and do NOT want to fiddle with underquilt suspension. I want to yank that sucker tight and go to sleep.

That pretty much leaves me considering the WB Yeti, JRB Mt. Washington, and the Speer Snugfit. The snugfit and mt wash both obviously have awesome coverage, but they pack HUGE. These things would easily take up twice as much pack space as even my downmat 7 deluxe. I'm not a big fan of sacrificing that amount of volume. So, I'm at least leaning towards the Yeti - BUT I've never seen a picture of it in a stuffsack. How does the stuffed size of the Yeti compare with the full size diff cut UQs?

The second thing I'm considering purchasing is a big tarp that could be used by one of us as a full winter enclosure (most likely my fiance, as she's a colder sleeper than me), or both of us when we find trees that let us hang side by side like we did this weekend. Since we want to be able use it for the two of us, I guess that makes the Superfly less suited, and a huge square-ish tarp a better choice. Our options there seem to be a Speer Winter Tarp, JRB 11x10, or 10x12 from OES. The OES tarps seem to be a bit heavier than similar sized tarps from others, which is a bit curious, but I could live with that if there's a good reason to go with them. Here I have a bit harder time forming any kind of preference, so I'd appreciate comparisons.

Overall, a lot to think about, but I've been mulling it over for a while, and decided to throw it out here for discussion.

**fin** · 02-18-2009, 14:55

Just to throw a little more confusion into your mix, Brain at OES will make you a custom size tarp.

**sclittlefield** · 02-18-2009, 15:05

You may consider an SPE to go along with your downmat to give you some extra coverage. Not sure if that will get you down as far as you want to go temp wise, but it's sure cheaper than an underquilt.

**animalcontrol** · 02-18-2009, 15:07

I can get a pic of my stuffed winter Yeti but it won't be for a few days...even then, WBG's stuffsack is generous in size (as I assume to keep suffing to a minimal) and I'm not sure what it will tell you. I could probably put compression caps on the stuffsack, but that would be a bad idea for the down.
The volume of a stuffed quilt (any quilt) should be fairly close assuming they use similar down, shell material, etc. The main difference will be stuffsack volume and that can be adjusted, so...
If a Yeti is 2/3 the size of a Mt Washington (for example I don't personally know) I would guess the Yeti would stuff to 2/3 the size of the Mt Wash, everything being equal. And I can't imagine it would be any bigger.
Compared to a Exped 7 (which I also have) the Yeti will take more space...2X, no...more yes
OES tarps are slightly heavier (than some) due to his serious reinforcing of tie-outs, ribbon edging, and use of d-rings instead of gg loops. His tarps are made for the long haul.
Just my .02

**photomankc** · 02-18-2009, 15:14

You already are on a pad so I would cut a section of cheap blue CCF pad to go under the major pressure points. For me, the one are the Exped doesn't always cut it with is my hips/butt. That is where I naturally compress the pad and it can get cool there by morning. I bet that a 1/2" CCF pad right under that spot on the colder nights would help enough. I can also do the trick where you boil some water, put it in a Nalgene and stuff that in a sock, and put that in the foot of my bag for my feet.

**animalcontrol** · 02-18-2009, 19:27

Already, how is this for service...
This pic compares a stuffed Exped Downmat 7, a Nalgene bottle, and my Winter Yeti stuffed.
The Downmat 7 and my Yeti are nearly the same size.
I assume WBG is still using the same size stuffsack...it stuffs very easily.

Hope this helps

**Mustardman** · 02-18-2009, 19:40

That's certainly service! Thanks!

And it makes the decision a whole lot easier, too... here's hoping Brandon still has some yetis left (already PMed him earlier today to ask!)

**fin** · 02-18-2009, 19:44

Animalcontrol, you gonna bring some of that wine on our next hang?

**Mustardman** · 02-18-2009, 20:03

I just showed my fiance the yeti, and she's unconvinced that it will take her into the mid 20s, which is about the lowest we hang. We might end up with a snugfit AND a yeti.

She's gonna have to start paying for some of this stuff