need a-little guidance

[2001tj]

I have a really cool upcoming camping trip to Gettysburg this May with our Cub Scout pack. My wife who is by no means a camper is joining us for this outing. My problem is that my tent will only fit 1 adult and my 2 boys. So I am being forced to give up my spot, and sleep in the hammock for the weekend. I made sure to explain the sacrifices I would be making, to insure her comfort and security of the tent. lol.....

I have a HH UL Explorer A-Sym Zip, that I have been slowly making my own. Now I need to finish it, to the point that I'm comfortable enough to take it in the field 3 hours from home. I have upgraded my tarp with a HH Hex. I then added some amsteel self tensioning shock guylines. (Thanks headchange4u and youngblood for that wealth of information, great post...)

I dialed in my suspension in with Atlas Straps, rings and biners. But that may change as I have some left over amsteel from the guylines to play with. There maybe a set of Whoppies in my near future...

The final piece of this puzzle that I need is the under quilt. I'm looking for a full length, I have narrowed it down to HG's Incubator or AHE's Potomac. My main question is, does one fit better then the other for a HH? AHE's website says the Potomac is made for Hennessy. Hammock Gear's Incubator looks to be universal? And does not list the hammocks that it fits.

Lastly I'm not sure of the rating I should go with. This will be my only underquilt for quite a while, so it will need to serve a wide range of uses. It will be used mainly as a 3 season in the northeast Pa area. But as the boys get older we are starting to winter camp. Last winter we went tent camping it was a low 17* with 4" of snow. (They are 8 & 10, and loved it..) So there is a chance that I will be pushing the envelope depending on the my rating.

If I get a 0* will I be sweating like a pig in the summer? Should I go with a 20* and dress warmer on that 1 or 2 trips a year. But as the boys get older and enter Boy Scouts there will more chances for winter camping...

I know this has been asked many times before, but any guidance you could give would be greatly appreciated... Especially those with HH a-syms.

Thanks
Mike

[SwinginIt]

The only time you may want a HH specific UQ is if it's a bottom entry hammock, which yours is not, so any UQ will work with it. I'd go with a 20* that will get you through 3 seasons pretty well and for winter camping you can supplement it with a pad and extra clothing layers. You could always vent the 0* in the summer, but I personally wouldn't go with a 0* if you only need that much of a rating 1 or 2 times a year. If you use a sock in the winter you will increase your warmth by a few degrees. Your UQ will probably gain a few degrees and your in hammock temp will go up 10-15*.

[2001tj]

Thanks for the info about the sock. I have not heard of them before, I will look into them as another option. Would adding a underquilt cover help with windshear? Do they add to the temp rating or are they just for keeping your gear clean and dry? If it is a breathable fabric will it let water / moisture in? Are they worth the added weight / space...

It seems from reading other posts similar to this one, that the general consensus is a 20* underquilt is pretty much the standard go to for most people with only one quilt?

I guess a question that keeps popping into my mind is, has anyone ever been to warm with their underquilt? I know you can overheat with the wrong upper level, but can the underquilt trap that much body heat?

Sorry for the entry level questions, but I have been a ground guy for the last 30+ years and I'm still trying to iron out some wrinkles with this hammock stuff...

[Nickoli]

I find that my underquilt breathes well enough--I have a winter yeti rated to 0*--to be not too hot in almost all conditions. If anything I just adjust the airflow by repositioning it, and wearing less clothing/using a lighter bag inside the hammock. Being in Colorado, it's nice to have my 3 season gear prepared for colder temperatures because you never know what you'll get in the high country out here.

YMMV, but it's sortof like a bed. Although you have ~12 inches of insulation with a mattress, it breathes well so it's not too hot when it's warm out. That could be completely false scientifically, but it's what I've experienced in my outings. I'm much more likely to overheat at night by overdoing my topquilt/clothing choices.

[SemperFiGuy]

Mike,

Your questions are well thought out. Regarding which quilt to get if you are only going to be able to have 1, I'd recommend a 4 Season. Especially since you pretty much anticipate going out next winter with your boys. While AHE's Potomac was clearly developed for Hennessey Hammocks, I can assure you that the AHE New River will also work very well with your Hennessey and if you get a 4 season long, it will only be $209 vs a 4 season Potomac which I believe would be about $239.

All of Paul's 4 season synthetic quilts are rated to 10 degrees. In the Summer, if you get too warm you can always adjust your tensioners and let some air flow come through. If the air isn't stirring you can pull the quilt off to one side or the other and you'll cool down pretty quickly. Then around 2 in the morning when you have to get up for that cursed pee break, you can merely pull the quilt back under you if its starting to get too cool.

Take it from an old dog....... It's better to be out in the middle of nowhere with a little more warmth than you might need, than to be out there and not have enough and suffer the consequences of either being very uncomfortable or even risk hypothermia. I truly believe you won't regret getting a 4 season set up.

Good luck with whatever you choose. You're going about it the right way.

All the best !
Gil

[Rolloff]

Sounds like you're a 20 degree UQ.

A few things to consider.

Do you intend on hiking? Doing serious mileage?

How often do you really intend on going beyond the 20 degree limit and how far?

The answers are here and there already, but that should help zero things out for you in your mind.


UQ protectors do help keep insulation clean and dry, and they also impead convection heat loss from wind. They also breath better than socks.

My experience in Indiana has gotten me comfortably down to 17 degrees using a 20 degree UQ + 40 degree TQ, supplemented with, Med base layers, fleece hood, wool socks.

Using a CCF pad or Reflectex, in addition to heavier base layers or adding a fleece top, down hood, the list goes on, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard for me to close in on 5-10 degrees, without going into total overload on weight penalty.

[2001tj]

Thanks for all the replies...

The system I'm trying to put together is going to be my go to system for hiking. but with that said, most of the hikes are going to be 25 miles or under, maybe a 50 miler once and a blue moon. I will not be thru hiking as much as I would love to. Work, family, and life would prevent me from doing that (unless I buy that winning ticket, here's to pipe dreams...) so the difference in weight is not that big of a deal to me between the 20* and 0* UQ. Some of you may want to sit down for this, but my average pack weight right now is 50 to 60lbs. I'm planning on getting down to 30 - 35lbs with this new setup.

After rereading a few post asking the same question. I've found that I now have more questions. I think I have narrowed it down to a HG Incubator. My thought process is that if I'm not happy with it, I should be able to sell it a little quicker as they seem to have a fair amount of followers.

One of the questions I have is with the down settling when wet. Would over-stuffing by an ounce or 2 help with keeping it in place? I'm not ready looking to change the rating , but I'm thinking if this is going to be the only UQ I own. I might as well make sure this thing is as bomb proof as I can make it.

Also is one type of fabric more durable then another? Again not overly worried about weight savings right now.

[Gnarrkills]

I have a HH UL explorer with a 3 season potomac. Fits like a glove and keeps me warn to 30 degrees no problem. That is the lowest I have taken it but I'm sure it can go a bit further.

[ShooTa]

the overstuff options is avariable that in a way can only be answered by you.
from all my reading the temp added per oz of overstuff is somewhere in the range of 1.25 -5 degrees
how you sleep will also affect your decision - are you a hot/cold sleeper - cold will make you lean more toward overstuff.

ive recently ordered a pheonix - so im only talking about my DIY experiance - so others with actual use of the incubator will be along shortly

overstuff will prevent down movement and will prolong the life of the UQ but our wonderful cottage vendors will have done alot of their own testing to come up with their oz fillings
i personally feel that overstuff is a wasted investment for me - im lightweight (less down compression) im a warm/hot sleeper -- and here in the UK the temps dont tend to drop sub -5 degrees celcius
so my choice of a 20 deg farenheit pehonix with 0 overstuff makes sense.

also you do not really want your down to get wet- so if your really bad at looking after your kit/ in humid wet conditions alot then down maynot be what you want.

good luck with your choice.

[2001tj]

Thanks for all the input guys... I'm still on the fence with the temp rating , but I think I'm going with the AHE Potomac. It seems like the best fit for my current set-up. Thanks again....