Trying to decide on temperature rating for UQ for very cold person

[ken&me]

here's to complicating it even more... Jacks R Better just put out a HF coupon code for $30 off the Mt Washington 4 (4 season quilt, down to 0*) making it $264.95

[Chesapeake]

Welcome from Cecil county! Im a cold sleeper as well, and i started out with Snugpak UQ, TQ and a Snugpak jungle blanket I turned into a 3/4 length UQ. That combo was good for me untill around 38° when I needed to double up the UQ's and add a fleece blanket on top. So since I wanted to hang this winter and we have such crazy temp swings here, I got a custom length HG 0° Burrow +3 oz overstuff and a HG 0° Incubator. So far that combo has got me down to -1° and I was toasty warm. Recently I added a Costco down throw UQ with a bit of extra down, a DIY climashield 3.6 TQ and another Snugpak jungle blanket. I'm pretty much set for any temp we could get here in Maryland. I would go with a 20° set if your a really cold sleeper. You want at least a 10° buffer and you can always vent if it gets too hot. For summer a 40° or 50° synthetic set should do you good I would think.

[Zilla]

In my opinion, being a cold sleeper, go with a 0° Zepplin from UGQ',no need for overstuff and you will be more than warm enough !!
When we recieved our UGQ Zepplins i was amazed at the quality and craftmanship that went into this uq, not to mention the loft.
When we took it out of the shipping box i thought it was never gonna stop growing, it just kept getting bigger and bigger by the minute.
Very easy to adjust and set up, it took us about a minute to dial it in the very first time and the second time we used the uq it was like it was allready adjusted, i had to tug just once on one end and it was set.
Imo you cannot go wrong with UGQ, Paul offers great customer service and i'm sure if you send him your questions about temp ratings he will be more than happy to help.
They also have a phone number on thier website and they allways answer the phone or get back to you within minutes.
Then again, this is just my humble opinion, but we are very happy with all of our UGQ purchases!!

[souperjen24]

Thanks everyone. This is really difficult. I emailed Brandon at Warbonnet the other day and we've been going back and forth with my questions, especially regarding the difference in his UQ vs. other brands. He said he's also a cold sleeper and he feels like a 20° would be fine for me, and if I wanted the overstuff he suggested only 1-2oz. He said if I go into the 3oz range, I might as well get the 0°.

As I’ve said, all of my camping will be done in 3 seasons that do not include winter… but many nights in the Spring and Fall will feel like winter to me, but will most likely not go low enough to actually need the 0° if I have the UQ on correctly and do the things that Shug suggested. I’m wondering if carrying the extra weight and bulk would be worth it.

I looked into some historical weather data on wunderground.com and played around with dates in which I think would be around the earliest or latest in the year that I would camp, including some possible areas.

For Luray, VA, in mid-November, the low was 33° the last 2 years, but in 2014 it was 12°!!!!
For Luray, VA in mid-March, the low was an average of 32° the last 2 years, but in 2005 it was as low as 23°.

So if I had to guess, then the average low temperatures I’d be camping in would be low 30’s – some nights might dip into the 20’s. If I have a 20° UQ with an extra ounce of overstuff and I’m dressed properly, this should work, right?

Also, the sleeping bag I purchased pre-hammocking (and that I plan to use in place of a TQ for a while), has an EN rating of 35°. How much will this affect my comfort and temperature if it hits 30° but I have the good UQ? When I was in my hammock last year and it was in the 30’s, I was definitely cold, but it didn’t seem like it was from the sleeping bag, more like it was from the sleeping pad and air coming through.

I’m sorry for all of the rambling and back and forth – I’m truly not sure which way to go, which is very much unlike me

[OneClick]

I looked into some historical weather data on wunderground.com and played around with dates in which I think would be around the earliest or latest in the year that I would camp, including some possible areas.

For Luray, VA, in mid-November, the low was 33° the last 2 years, but in 2014 it was 12°!!!!
For Luray, VA in mid-March, the low was an average of 32° the last 2 years, but in 2005 it was as low as 23°.

I would also check accuweather.com. In addition to checking the averages, you can go back a couple years to see the actual temps. That can give you a good idea of how temps swing up and down.

Being new to backpacking makes it a little harder to nail down. Since I've been doing it for a while, I can look back and think "It seems to be 25-40° 80% of the time I'm out". That made it easy for me to settle on a 20° UQ as my goto quilt. The other 20% can be handled by the 0°. Or if it's warmer like 50°, the 20 quilt isn't really overkill.

I would hate to overshoot with a 0° as my goto quilt, only having it hit the single digits or teens on occasion...likely when you're not even out backpacking. Then you have to carry that bulk on every other warm trip. That's just my opinion; others may disagree and say be safe with the 0°.

I think you will like the 20° with 1-2oz of overfill. If you end up getting cold often, or get out more in the cold weather, you could always buy another quilt or sell the 20. Finally, it's all about the setup. I've been warm with my 20° UQ at 3°, but cold with my 0° UQ at 35°...obviously a problem getting a snug fit on that night.

[DuneElliot]

I'm also a cold [female] sleeper and went with a 10* for 3 season in the mountainous western states at high altitudes. I was comfortable down to about 25* and probably could have gone lower as I slept well. I know me and how my body reacts and think going with the 10* over the 20* with overfill was the better choice

[souperjen24]

I would also check accuweather.com. In addition to checking the averages, you can go back a couple years to see the actual temps. That can give you a good idea of how temps swing up and down.

Being new to backpacking makes it a little harder to nail down. Since I've been doing it for a while, I can look back and think "It seems to be 25-40° 80% of the time I'm out". That made it easy for me to settle on a 20° UQ as my goto quilt. The other 20% can be handled by the 0°. Or if it's warmer like 50°, the 20 quilt isn't really overkill.

I would hate to overshoot with a 0° as my goto quilt, only having it hit the single digits or teens on occasion...likely when you're not even out backpacking. Then you have to carry that bulk on every other warm trip. That's just my opinion; others may disagree and say be safe with the 0°.

I think you will like the 20° with 1-2oz of overfill. If you end up getting cold often, or get out more in the cold weather, you could always buy another quilt or sell the 20. Finally, it's all about the setup. I've been warm with my 20° UQ at 3°, but cold with my 0° UQ at 35°...obviously a problem getting a snug fit on that night.

Thanks Mark. Wunderground.com does have the actual temps as well, and I was seeing mostly low 30's. You pretty much hit the nail on the head with my thought process - how often would I really be out if it's in the 20's? And since it's probably not often (or never), then it really does seem overkill to have the 0°. I think part of my problem is that I just don't know if for me, 30° means it will feel like it's 10°, you know?

I'm leaning towards getting the 20° ... and like you said, if I find that it just doesn't work for me and I'm constantly cold (with the right setup), then I can always sell it and get a 0°. Or keep it for warmer weather.

I really appreciate the perspective.

[souperjen24]

I'm also a cold [female] sleeper and went with a 10* for 3 season in the mountainous western states at high altitudes. I was comfortable down to about 25* and probably could have gone lower as I slept well. I know me and how my body reacts and think going with the 10* over the 20* with overfill was the better choice

Thanks Dune for the perspective! I think if I went with UGQ, I'd go with the 10° instead of the 20° with over stuff. If I go with the Warbonnet, I'm leaning towards the 20° with a few oz of over stuff. I think this would give me the assurance I'm looking for for most situations.

[souperjen24]

I just want to thank everyone who contributed their experience, expertise, and insight to my question. I surprised myself by doing a 180 on what I was going to get and pulled the trigger this morning on the Wooki - 20° with 1oz of overstuff. I'm pretty stoked!