Quilts.

[Roughin' It]

Salutations,

I am looking into buying my first hammock before i thru hike next year and am just curious as to how important an underquilt is on the AT. I am willing to spend around $200 on a hammock, but on a quilt???!! i don't think so.
Is there a cheaper alternative than to buying a $300 down quilt, or is that pretty much the standard. I understand that a sleeping pad helps for warmth but is it feasible to just makeshift some thing to use as a quilt?
I just need to know before i do anything stupid.

happy trails

[Walkie Talkie]

I thru'd in 2003 with just a z-lite pad and Hennessy. I use quilts now, but they are a luxury I can afford now. IMO on a budget I would go with a z-lite and SPE from speers hammock. An SPE (http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/SPE.htm) is a semented pad extender that has inserts for your shoulder. I was able to make mine out of cheap walmart fabric and walmart blue pad. It will keep you just as warm as a quilt and is a lot less $$$$$. It is also nice not to have a down quilt to keep dry. The pad can go on the outside of your pack. If you still would want a quilt there are cheaper options than $300. You could make one for about $120 out of down or much less out of climashield. You also could buy a potomic (kickass) quilt if they make them still. Go to www.hammockforums.net for more ideas.

[Seeker]

some sort of bottom-side insulation IS necessary. your sleeping bag will compress under you, creating a cold zone. at what temp you 'need' insulation is a personal thing... i start getting too cool once it's in the 70s, which means that even in summer here in LA, i use something under me... i've read posts from others who say their lower limit is in the 50s... they probably can camp out all summer without under-insulation. i can't.

as far as WHAT to use, you can go cheap or expensive. i started out using a blue foam pad from one of the mega-marts... i cut a couple 8 x 14 'wings' and duct taped them to the top half of the pad to insulate my hips and shoulders. it worked fine and cost 2 x $7. but i didn't like wrestling with the pad, so i bought a down underquilt from JRB. that cost a bit more.

check out hammockforums for a more extensive discussion of options.

hope that helps.

[kayak karl]

Salutations,

I am looking into buying my first hammock before i thru hike next year and am just curious as to how important an underquilt is on the AT. I am willing to spend around $200 on a hammock, but on a quilt???!! i don't think so.
Is there a cheaper alternative than to buying a $300 down quilt, or is that pretty much the standard. I understand that a sleeping pad helps for warmth but is it feasible to just makeshift some thing to use as a quilt?
I just need to know before i do anything stupid.

happy trails
i started by using 1/4 inch pads from SPEER http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/Accessories.htm one pad 940 inch wide cut to shape) got me down to 45 with a 40 degree bag as a quilt. i then converted my stock HH tarp into an under tarp and put a cheap walmart kids bag in between. that worked down to 32 w/20 degree bag as top quilt. then i bought the JRB NEST and WINTER NEST for thru. you got all winter to test thinks out, but stay in hammock ALL night. if you are comfortable between 2 and 4 AM your OK:)

[QuebecRun]

I have a JRB underquilt but have friends who started out with pads and still use 'em. But they are the ones who also have the segmented pad extenders. You can get cheap Walmart fabric and make your own. That's what they did. Most people I know who stick with pad, use SPE.

[Bulldawg]

I have a primaloft underquilt that preachermanswife from over on hammock forums made for me that I just love. Sure it is probably a little on the heavy side (3.1lbs) and it doesn't pack down very small, but it was affordable and really does me a good job. If I hiked more than 8 or 10 weekends a year or was going to thru, then yes, I would definately get a down underquilt. But for me, it really works well. I have been down to 25*F with it and was sweating in the hammock.

[peter_pan]

Salutations,

I am looking into buying my first hammock before i thru hike next year and am just curious as to how important an underquilt is on the AT. I am willing to spend around $200 on a hammock, but on a quilt???!! i don't think so.
Is there a cheaper alternative than to buying a $300 down quilt, or is that pretty much the standard. I understand that a sleeping pad helps for warmth but is it feasible to just makeshift some thing to use as a quilt?
I just need to know before i do anything stupid.

happy trails

Lots of quilts currently on sale.... until 7 August..... some as little as $160...

Looks at the poll on HF on quilts vs bags.... 75 % use or wish they had quilts.... read up on the matter and you will find out why.

Pan

[Plodderman]

Have my own quit and trying the hammock out soon. No more shelter sand snorers.

[Ashman]

I got the quilt (under and top), it is lighter and more compact than my thermarest and sleeping bag. I've got two trips under my belt with them and I love them. Kinda pricey maybe but look at the hammack as your tent and the quilts as your bag and it is very comparable.

[take-a-knee]

My wife got through shortening an older (thinner-1.5-2in. loft) JRB Nest a couple of weeks ago. It is now 58in long. She just removed the last two baffles on the foot end. I first recovered the down from those baffles with a shopvac and added it to the 2nd -5th baffles from the head end, they are nice and puffy, almost as thick as current JRB quilts. It weighs 17oz. I'm ready for cooler weather. I now see pads as a way to extend the Nest, it is the go-to bottom insulation for a Hennessy Hammock.

[winger]

I started off using the Hennessey super shelter pad and cover and after quite a few uncomfortable cold nights I switched to the JRB quilt system. I'm using the Nest, ORM, and No Sniveler quilts. I would never go back to a pad system.

[Rifleman]

Salutations,

I am looking into buying my first hammock before i thru hike next year and am just curious as to how important an underquilt is on the AT. I am willing to spend around $200 on a hammock, but on a quilt???!! i don't think so.
Is there a cheaper alternative than to buying a $300 down quilt, or is that pretty much the standard. I understand that a sleeping pad helps for warmth but is it feasible to just makeshift some thing to use as a quilt?
I just need to know before i do anything stupid.

happy trails

You wanna go cheap? Use a Wally World blue pad cut in half and placed side-by-side in the hammock to lie on with a few inches overlap. Use a sit-pad sized piece of blue pad for your feet. Get some two foot long bungees (one for each end) and use them to hold an emergency mylar space blanket as an underquilt. You can get creative with a pebble and some duct tape for each corner so that the bungees have some hook holes to grab the space blanket with and hold it close to the bottom of the hammock. Use a decent 20 degree bag as an overquilt unless you start in May. Try it for a few nights in the back yard before you start from Amicalola.
R.

[kwpapke]

I started off using the Hennessey super shelter pad and cover and after quite a few uncomfortable cold nights I switched to the JRB quilt system. I'm using the Nest, ORM, and No Sniveler quilts. I would never go back to a pad system.
I have about 30 nights in on my supershelter, at temperatures as low as 26F. When used with a space blanket (gives an extra 10 degrees), and a mummy bag, it can work quite well for 1/2 the price of a quilt.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against quilts, I'm sure they're great. All I am saying is the HH SS if used wisely is a cost-effective solution.

--Kurt

[Tinker]

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/237103382ByZIeG

Note: I am currently using a Golite Feather-lite bag instead of the Marmot.
This obviously won't work for the Hennessy Hammock. You'll need a top loader.

[River Runner]

I really like my JRB nest down under for weekend trips, but if I think I might want to stay in a shelter part of the time (like during a thru hike), I believe I would take the RidgeRest Deluxe wide pad that I trimmed the corners from to fit my hammock. It provides a lot of warmth for the weight and can be used in a shelter, cowboy camping, with the Hennessy tarp only, etc. and still provide underinsulation whereas the quilt would compress if used on the ground or a shelter floor.

The downside is bulk, and a bit of nuisance trying to keep the pad under you from sliding around. That gets better with practice.

[Johnny Swank]

I've got a homemade down underquilt that I've been happy with, but to be honest, I'd use a pad system for a thru-hike. Not quite as comfortable, but I'd hate to not have a least a torso pad with me for those odd-ball times I'm crashing in a shelter or on somebody's floor.

[take-a-knee]

I've got a homemade down underquilt that I've been happy with, but to be honest, I'd use a pad system for a thru-hike. Not quite as comfortable, but I'd hate to not have a least a torso pad with me for those odd-ball times I'm crashing in a shelter or on somebody's floor.

A short ridgerest only weighs 9oz, evazote is even lighter, and you need a sit pad anyway. I'd take the Nest and the short pad.

[Johnny Swank]

I'm a non-committal hammocker, so take my post with a grain of salt. I probably still sleep on the ground about 50% of the time even if I'm carrying a hammock.