Hello all.
I'm in the initial stages of prepping for 8-9 weeks on the AT (maybe longer if I can swing a few months between military retirement and my next job, possible thru-hike, but doubtful) starting March 2021.
I'm going to spread my gear buys out between now and then, and am about 99% sure I'm going to hammock it due to age (50 now) and a deep appreciation for what a restful nights' sleep does for you over time. I hiked a bit of the AT in the Smoky Mountains way back in '91, slept in the shelters in a crappy Wal-Mart sleeping bag (the zipper broke the first night) on a crappy Wal-Mart pad and was absolutely miserable. I can put up with a lot during the day, but I want my sleep to be as restful as possible.
I'm aiming toward a WBBB system including UQ Protector, and I have a (probably dumb with painfully obvious answers) question I need some clarification on if you don't mind.
I don't know what temperature rating TQ/UQ to purchase. I sleep warm to hot and would prefer to have one set for the entire trip even if the trip gets longer as I hope it will, but I'm not sure if this is feasible/recommended. In my head, I see two options and need a sanity check/critique...
1. I buy a colder rated TQ/UQ set (20-30 deg), add clothes as needed on cold nights and use less clothes/kick a leg out or whatever on the warmer nights.
2. I buy a warmer rated set (40 maybe?), add a Top Cover to the UQ Protector (this is called The Chinook, yes?) and lot of clothes for the colder nights, and as before use less clothes/kick a leg out for the warmer ones.
I'd really like to buy once, cry once on this.
Thanks very much!
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