View Full Version : underquilts
HIPOCKETS
08-20-2009, 18:48
I plan to hike for 2 weeks in PA this October. Plan to carry a hammock but have no experience with an underquilt. I plan to make a DIY quilt. Would a poncho liner be warm enough? I have tried to stay on top of a thermo rest pad with out much luck.
yep! Hammockforums is the best source for info like this. The exact solution to your query is here:
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1928
take-a-knee
08-20-2009, 23:28
I plan to hike for 2 weeks in PA this October. Plan to carry a hammock but have no experience with an underquilt. I plan to make a DIY quilt. Would a poncho liner be warm enough? I have tried to stay on top of a thermo rest pad with out much luck.
Poncho liner as UQ, in PA in OCT? No way. It might work in GA in OCT, not PA. Check out the SPE (Segmented Pad Extender) from Speer Hammocks. That will solve the problem of a thermarest squirting out from under you, and it will provide the estra insulation to keep your shoulders/arms warm.
If you don't have a Hennessy hammock already, you might be able to save some money by doing this:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/237103382ByZIeG
The tighter the bag fits around you the better it works. You can take a hot water bottle to bed to keep you warmer. Make sure it doesn't leak! :D
MedicineMan
08-21-2009, 01:29
and when you study UQs look at the new generation by Speer and Jacks-r-better; they are differentially cut--no matter how you push against you cannot create a cold spot. Also look at the 2/3's UQs. Warbonnet Hammocks makes a 2/3 rate to the 30s that is only 12 ounces--sweet!
Cannibal
08-21-2009, 12:24
I'll second MediceMan's suggestion on the torso quilts. The Warbonnet Outdoors' (http://warbonnetoutdoors.net/blackbird_h.htm) torso underquilt is called a "Yeti" and it is a fantastic piece of gear. Very warm where you need it and exceptionally light. I've taken the winter version well below 0F. It is differently cut as well, so you don't have to worry about it compressing. I think he's still selling the 3-season Yetis for less than $200. They are very easy to vent from the hammock, so you can use the same uq for most temps that the average hiker/camper would encounter. Very sweet system and it's all I use these days. They are not on his website, so you have to contact him directly.
The GI version of a poncho liner is more than a pound (>20oz if I remember correctly). For less than a pound you can have an insulation system with a much wider temp range. Just sayin.
Wise Old Owl
08-21-2009, 13:23
That appears to a good step up over the Byer Moskito! Why is she choking herself in the picture?
Cannibal
08-21-2009, 13:31
That appears to a good step up over the Byer Moskito! Why is she choking herself in the picture?
:D
Isn't the best picture of Mrs. Warbonnet, is it?
Over a Byer Moskito, no comparison. That's the Warbonnet Blackbird hammock and it's widely considered the Meth of hammock camping. If you try it...even once....you're hooked.
ky chris
08-26-2009, 15:55
I'll second Cannibal. The Yeti is great. It's light, compresses down small, and is quick and easy to attach. I have used mine so far from the 50s to 70s and it is easy to change how warm it is by simply reaching out and adjusting it up or down the hammock.
I'll second MediceMan's suggestion on the torso quilts. The Warbonnet Outdoors' (http://warbonnetoutdoors.net/blackbird_h.htm) torso underquilt is called a "Yeti" and it is a fantastic piece of gear. Very warm where you need it and exceptionally light. I've taken the winter version well below 0F. It is differently cut as well, so you don't have to worry about it compressing. I think he's still selling the 3-season Yetis for less than $200. They are very easy to vent from the hammock, so you can use the same uq for most temps that the average hiker/camper would encounter. Very sweet system and it's all I use these days. They are not on his website, so you have to contact him directly.
The GI version of a poncho liner is more than a pound (>20oz if I remember correctly). For less than a pound you can have an insulation system with a much wider temp range. Just sayin.
peter_pan
08-26-2009, 20:50
Hipockets,
The GI Issue poncho liner comes in at 21.5 oz.... By itself it is a 55-60 degree answer.... If you want the low budget approach use it and a Dri Ducts poncho with the JRB Mod...(9 oz)... $ 39.... it will go to 45-50.... Need more get a space blanket between the PL and hammock 1.5 oz... $2.
Down Under quilts are much better option to save weight and bulk.... Options run from 40* at 15 oz at $170 to zero* at 28 oz at $300...and 20 options in between.
Pan
Camping Dave
08-27-2009, 09:06
Is it just me, or does the woman in the lower Warbonnet picture look like she has no legs? It's an optical foreshortening illusion caused by the camera angle, but still ...
Back to the OP. You can get good insulation for around $12. Take two cheap blue CCF pads and lay them lengthwise in your hammock with a little overlap. Or lay one pad lengthwise and two pads (or partial pads) crosswise, one at your shoulders and one at your hips. Something like this: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=35379
There is an obvious weight-and-bulk v cost tradeoff here.