Too cold!

[BasecampMom]

Depends, you could just be a cold sleeper too! Much to the chagrin of my MN friends I got the 0 degree HG UQ. I usually camp in shoulder seasons (April/May and Oct/Nov). So I wanted to be nice and toasty. Nothing worse than crawling into bed and being cold. You can always cool off by opening the draft on your UQ, or even not even putting it on in extreme conditions, but if you're cold - you're cold.

[jhawk]

I would definitely say the sooner you get some pictures up, the better. People on here should be able to help you with the UQ setup pretty quickly.

Based solely on my own experience, this simply sounds like a failure of insulation, which is most often caused by gaps in the UQ between the hammock, or a poor hang (I've had cold, cold bouts of CBS with a 0° UQ in 20° temps - woke up and realized I just didn't test my hang and I'm only about 1" off the ground!).

There's definitely a learning curve getting the standard UQs just right on the Blackbird/XLC, but it's entirely doable, and doesn't require a different UQ just for fit. It just takes some fiddling. I can't stress enough the importance of just a few key items (step 1 should be completed before staking down a BB hammock):

1. Ensure that the primary UQ suspension is pulled tightly so that the bottom of the UQ is well up above the bottom of the hammock. Place the hammock inside, and ensure that it is lifting the hammock up. The "U" shape of a hammock should now look more like a W+U, with two little dips coming out each end.
2. Stake down the shelf and fly side of the BB/BB XLC
3. Ensure that the primary suspension of the UQ on your head and foot end is properly separated between the left and right sides of your hammock. They need to be dividing your hammock in half.
4. Pull the secondary suspension by your head/outside shoulder really tight, and loosen it at the opposite end. Pull the secondary suspension tight on your foot box, and loosen a little near your inside shoulder.
5. Cinch up the draft suspension so that it will conform nicely to the hammock, but will not be constrictive when you stretch out. It needs to still be able to stretch with you, or else it will cause gaps when it turns into a kind of "accordion" shape.
6. Ensure that the draft collars are tucked inside underneath you.

Hopefully these steps will help a little bit. These were just things that really helped me get my Incubator right on my BB XLC, and now I will never look back, and haven't had a cold night since finally getting it right!

Best of luck to you! Happy hanging!

[Double]

My first diy underquilt i made out of membrane .67 on the inside and .9 silpoly on the outside. Living in Kansas you deal with wind. While a tarp helps block wind the layer of silpoly lets me set up on the windest of nights without worrying about being cold. Granted i wouldn't take this on a multi-week hike. Would have condensation issues out the whazoo. Mainly use it for setting up at state lakes for a weekend of car camping, at home, and quick overnighters in the ozarks. That said if i know it will be windy i always set up my tarp. It's the first line of defense against the elements.