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  1. #1
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    MMG Shamu UQ review after two years

    I’ve been camping in hammocks since I was a kid, but it’s only been over the last 5 years or so that I’ve started to get more serious about hammock gear. I used sleeping bags and CCF pads for a long time. 2 years ago, I was getting ready for a 3-day hike, and really wanted to start cutting weight and volume. I started researching UQs and discovered that they were all way out of my budget. I started to think I was just going to have to live with my setup until I stumbled across MacEntyre’s sale on the Shamu. I jumped on it, and have been extremely happy with it ever since.

    My biggest concern when purchasing was the minimal thickness of the Climashield he uses in that UQ. It was thinner than my 50* sleeping bag, so I thought there was no way it could take me colder than that! MacEntyre was saying that it took him down to just below freezing, so I was eager to test that! Since then, I have spent quite a few very happy nights sleeping with that UQ. And I have come to the point of agreeing with MacEntyre on the temp, at least for me. The coldest I have used it was down to 28*. That’s where it started to break down for me. Down to 30*, it is good, as long as it is positioned correctly. I can tell almost instantly if it slips off my shoulder, or away from my feet. If is is hanging too loosely, I begin to feel CBS. As long as I take the time to position it right (true with any UQ), it works just great. Basically, if I am reasonably confident that it’s not going to get below 30*, the Shamu is what’s in my pack. It’s an excellent UQ, quality construction, and my go-to.

    Along with the Shamu, I also purchased the MMG overquilt. It has been excellent! The amazing thing is that it gets me far lower than 30*! I have camped in temps down to the teens. For that, I use a thicker DIY UQ, but I still use my MMG overquilt, and it has never failed me.

    I don’t see a lot of recent posts about MMG gear, so thought I’d throw out a plug!

    Thanks for a great product at a good price.

  2. #2
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Humneso View Post
    I’ve been camping in hammocks since I was a kid, but it’s only been over the last 5 years or so that I’ve started to get more serious about hammock gear. I used sleeping bags and CCF pads for a long time. 2 years ago, I was getting ready for a 3-day hike, and really wanted to start cutting weight and volume. I started researching UQs and discovered that they were all way out of my budget. I started to think I was just going to have to live with my setup until I stumbled across MacEntyre’s sale on the Shamu. I jumped on it, and have been extremely happy with it ever since.

    My biggest concern when purchasing was the minimal thickness of the Climashield he uses in that UQ. It was thinner than my 50* sleeping bag, so I thought there was no way it could take me colder than that! MacEntyre was saying that it took him down to just below freezing, so I was eager to test that! Since then, I have spent quite a few very happy nights sleeping with that UQ. And I have come to the point of agreeing with MacEntyre on the temp, at least for me. The coldest I have used it was down to 28*. That’s where it started to break down for me. Down to 30*, it is good, as long as it is positioned correctly. I can tell almost instantly if it slips off my shoulder, or away from my feet. If is is hanging too loosely, I begin to feel CBS. As long as I take the time to position it right (true with any UQ), it works just great. Basically, if I am reasonably confident that it’s not going to get below 30*, the Shamu is what’s in my pack. It’s an excellent UQ, quality construction, and my go-to.

    Along with the Shamu, I also purchased the MMG overquilt. It has been excellent! The amazing thing is that it gets me far lower than 30*! I have camped in temps down to the teens. For that, I use a thicker DIY UQ, but I still use my MMG overquilt, and it has never failed me.

    I don’t see a lot of recent posts about MMG gear, so thought I’d throw out a plug!

    Thanks for a great product at a good price.
    Thanks for the review! And for proving a point that is seldom understood: different materials do not have the same temp rating relative to thickness! Much as a CCF or even OCF(HH only 5/8" thick) pad, Climashield(or Polarguard or Primaloft) always seem to me to be much warmer than their thickness indicates, and really not very far behind down when it comes to warmth for weight.

    Hence, people will often look at a 20 oz CS UQ and think: "Man, my 20 oz down UQ looks much warmer than that, because it is in fact noticeably thicker than the CS". But in my experience, that is simply not correct about being warmer. For one example of many: I have- one time at least- taken 2.5 oz/sq/yd CS XP(old style) into the high forties and was warm with no other insulating layers(just cotton T shirt and jeans, 40-50*F syn TQ). Surprisingly warm. Not only is that only a total of 2.5 oz insulation in a Yeti size torso UQ, the loft was a pathetic 0.6"!

    How warm would you expect to be in a down UQ with .6" loft, if such a creature even exists? I bet you would need at least 1.5" of dry down to get into the 40s, 1.25 absolute minimum, 2 or 3 times as much thickness as CS. As your experience has proved. I rest my case: you can not compare the warmth of synthetics vs down just by looking at the thickness, though many do exactly that.

    But, as always, that down of equiv warmth WILL pack down smaller. So if pack space is at a premium..............

  3. #3
    Senior Member ShortRound's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Humneso View Post
    I’ve been camping in hammocks since I was a kid, but it’s only been over the last 5 years or so that I’ve started to get more serious about hammock gear. I used sleeping bags and CCF pads for a long time. 2 years ago, I was getting ready for a 3-day hike, and really wanted to start cutting weight and volume. I started researching UQs and discovered that they were all way out of my budget. I started to think I was just going to have to live with my setup until I stumbled across MacEntyre’s sale on the Shamu. I jumped on it, and have been extremely happy with it ever since.

    My biggest concern when purchasing was the minimal thickness of the Climashield he uses in that UQ. It was thinner than my 50* sleeping bag, so I thought there was no way it could take me colder than that! MacEntyre was saying that it took him down to just below freezing, so I was eager to test that! Since then, I have spent quite a few very happy nights sleeping with that UQ. And I have come to the point of agreeing with MacEntyre on the temp, at least for me. The coldest I have used it was down to 28*. That’s where it started to break down for me. Down to 30*, it is good, as long as it is positioned correctly. I can tell almost instantly if it slips off my shoulder, or away from my feet. If is is hanging too loosely, I begin to feel CBS. As long as I take the time to position it right (true with any UQ), it works just great. Basically, if I am reasonably confident that it’s not going to get below 30*, the Shamu is what’s in my pack. It’s an excellent UQ, quality construction, and my go-to.

    Along with the Shamu, I also purchased the MMG overquilt. It has been excellent! The amazing thing is that it gets me far lower than 30*! I have camped in temps down to the teens. For that, I use a thicker DIY UQ, but I still use my MMG overquilt, and it has never failed me.

    I don’t see a lot of recent posts about MMG gear, so thought I’d throw out a plug!

    Ive used a MMG Bivy Hammock for 2 years & its worked great ! I actually just sent it back to have a winter cover mod done. Innovative stuff at MMG

    Thanks for a great product at a good price.
    HAMmock po·lyg·a·mist

  4. #4
    Senior Member ShortRound's Avatar
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    Ive used a MMG Bivy Hammock for 2 years & its worked great ! I actually just sent it back to have a winter cover mod done. Innovative stuff at MMG
    HAMmock po·lyg·a·mist

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by BillyBob58 View Post
    Thanks for the review! And for proving a point that is seldom understood: different materials do not have the same temp rating relative to thickness!
    ...

    As your experience has proved. I rest my case: you can not compare the warmth of synthetics vs down just by looking at the thickness, though many do exactly that.

    But, as always, that down of equiv warmth WILL pack down smaller. So if pack space is at a premium..............
    Good points, and that was one of my hang ups about it prior to using it. I didn’t think there was any way that thin of a UQ would be able to keep me warm. But it does great. And since my hikes tend to be no more than 3 nights, I don’t really have much of an issue with pack space. Add to that the fact that I also use the Molly Mac Pack, so space really isn’t an issue!

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by ShortRound View Post
    Ive used a MMG Bivy Hammock for 2 years & its worked great ! I actually just sent it back to have a winter cover mod done. Innovative stuff at MMG
    Sure is; I’m surprised he doesn’t have more mentions and reviews! But it doesn’t look like he’s focused on marketing very hard either. It’s great to be able to find guys doing quality work and thinking through the way gear does and should work!

  7. #7
    Senior Member ShortRound's Avatar
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    I will soon do a video featuring the mmg bivy hammock. In time I will have another made with a different ul material as the original robic 1.0 has been red flagged for failure. The hammock is so unique & Light.
    HAMmock po·lyg·a·mist

  8. #8
    Senior Member QFT's Avatar
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    Your timing is impeccable. I am looking for an ultralight full-length underquilt that can comfortably do 40-60 degree nights. The MollyMac website is a little short on pictures and some details, but for 16oz (or 12, depending where it's listed) for $135 it seems like a steal, and practically the same as Enlightened Equipment's which is $50 more.

    How much does yours weigh? How small does it pack, if you know, compared to a 40deg down quilt? And do you think it would be comfy at 60 degrees? Is there anything that you wish were more like a down quilt?
    Last edited by QFT; 03-19-2018 at 14:53.

  9. #9
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    For 40-60 degrees, IMHO, it is perfect. At 60, it's still good, and at that temp, I'm usually using the TQ much less, with the bottom warmth being generally sufficient. I'm not sure about weight; I've never weighed it - it's light enough, so never bothered. As far as size, it packs into a stuff sack about the size of a cantaloupe. I can't compare it to down, as I've never owned a down quilt.

    For the price, it's the best value I've been able to find. It's light enough to not be a bother, fits exactly the way I want it on my Molly Mac Pack, and keeps me warm down to freezing. YMMV, but I don't think you'd regret having one in your kit.

  10. #10
    Senior Member QFT's Avatar
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    Thanks for the reply. It kinda blows my mind, because synthetic quilts are known as heavier and less packable than their down counterparts - but you and Molly Mac are saying that this is absolutely fine as a full length 40 degree underquilt which weighs 12-16 oz and packs down below 2L size.

    If that's the case, I don't understand why anyone would bother buying a down UQ. 40 deg down UQs aren't that small and light.

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