I had posted these pics in the "Current Wait Time" thread originally but thought it might be more beneficial to do split it out into a mini review. I found user reviews quite helpful when I was doing my research trying to decide what I wanted.
I received a new 20⁰ Incubator as a gift so of course I "had" to order the matching 20⁰ Burrow.
Both are made with 10D black inside and 15D woodland camo outside and overstuffed 2oz each.
I requested custom draft collars on the Burrow just like on the Incubator and they look great. I chose to add the draft collars because my summer topquilt(someone else's diy) feels claustrophobic when closed up tight around my neck and the snap footbox lets some air in unless plugged with a spare piece of clothing. My hope was that the foot end draft collar would pull through and plug the hole created by tightening the foot end shock cord and the head end is just extra fluff around the neck while not feeling too tight.
Conditions-
I tested these last night in my back yard and they worked great in spite of not having any time to test/adjust before dark. I simply connected the S-biners to my suspension triangles and cinched up the shock cord on the ends to close up the gaps around the hammock. I used my Clark North American hammock and a ~13'x10' rectangle tarp(TenthWonder Sargasso-no doors) pitched tight.
Prior to crawling in for the night I ate a protein bar and drank 10oz of hot chocolate to help my body generate heat overnight. I got comfy and zipped the netting of the Clark fully and the weathershield closed to just above my shoulders to vent so I didn't get any condensation.
I slept from 9pm-6am and only woke once for a few minutes around 3am when I heard the newspaper delivery truck crunching the ice as it made it's route from box to box. I noticed while awake that the wind had shifted and blew right into my foot end, but I was still toasty warm. Had it been blowing into my open/vented end it would likely have been a bigger deal and I would have had to add additional layers.
Speaking of layers, for sleepwear I wore my winter hiking baselayers(Ibex Indie merino hoody, wool/poly mix long underwear, smartwool socks, fleece beanie), and down vest(North Face Diez 9oz) under my mid-layer fleece jacket(Rab Shadow jacket).
Overnight weather stats showed a low of 18.3⁰ with 8mph wind for a realfeel/windchill of 8⁰ and we got about 1/4" of snow.
Specs-
Burrow weighed in at 637g or 22.5oz -vs- listed 20.2oz(17.3 standard + .9 camo + 2 down) -> so collars added about 2.3oz or I got more than 14oz inside the bag, I suspect I got more down as Jenny estimated the collars would only add an ounce or so for both.
Incubator weighed in at 696g or 24.5oz -vs- listed 24oz(22 standard + .9 camo + 2 down) -> it would appear I got an extra .5oz of down.
These replaced my old SlumberJack mummy bag(6.5lb) and diy down jacket(2) underquilt(2.5lb). My pack just got 6+lbs lighter. I'm happy!
Next up-
Being comfortable in these conditions means my next goal is to try going colder (below 0⁰?) by adding extra layers. I can layer my summer quilt or a PLUQ outside the Incubator and add some down(booties, pants and hoody) as needed. Also in the works is a diy silargon tarp with doors and underquilt protector both in matching woodland camo.
Thanks-
Thanks to my wife's parents for the awesome gift!
A big Thank You to Jenny for answering all my questions quickly, even during what's probably their busiest time of year.
I had emailed Jenny a few months ago trying decide which camo I wanted(woodland, multicam epsilon or RBTR 1.1 multicam). I think I made the right choice as it took me longer to find the tag on the incubator than it did to setup my whole hammock/tarp.
Pics or it didn't happen right?
Burrow-
If you look closely you can see the draft collars(black) on either end.
Draft collar plugging foot end hole
Head end draft collar
Incubator-
Standard config but still completely awesome!
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