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  1. #1
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    UQ Protector? Standard kit or largely unnecessary?

    I haven't read too much about them, or "noticed" them offered with many of the UQ makers (although I wasn't exactly looking to begin with), but are UQ protectors pretty standard kit or largely unnecessary as long as you have decent rainfly coverage?

    So far, I've had a handful or so of some adequately decent downpours and semi-proper winds, but hadn't especially noticed a need for something like that. I've heard of them though and someone else was just asking about one specific to his needs in another thread and got me to wondering.

  2. #2
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    I prefer a 4-season tarp - does the same and protects the UQ from splash. However, some people like them. It just seems like another way to add weight, in my opinion.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  3. #3
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    Remember, the UQP only needs to cover the UQ; not the whole hammock. That said, mine, from 2QZQ, are almost as long as the hammock itself. I use them because the times I need a full tarp with doors is minimal compared to day hikes or overnighters in mild weather. But frankly, even though I make a noble effort to always keep my UQ - or just hammock - off the ground, there are times when it slips out of my hand while setting it up. Or I can't quite reach that strap and have to set the hammock down to fetch it. For me, the UQP just keeps things a little cleaner, allows for a less critical hammock/UQ set up, and it worth the extra weight and bulk. As far as bulk, I keep it on the hammock and have always been about to stuff both it and the hammock together in the same stuff sack that came with the hammock.
    Last edited by cougarmeat; 09-30-2019 at 16:30.
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  4. #4
    cmc4free's Avatar
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    I don't think a UQP is a necessity, but in my opinion a winter tarp and a UQP don't serve exactly the same functions. Some tarps with doors still have relatively short walls, and so they don't offer as much wind protection as a wider tarp. A wide tarp with doors, what most of us probably think of as a true winter tarp, can eliminate most of the wind from reaching you. Wind will transfer heat away from your UQ through convection, specifically forced convection. If your tarp blocks wind, then heat transfer via forced convection will be largely reduced. There's still another mode of convective heat transfer which is natural convection, whereby heat will always flow from a warmer region to a cooler one.

    Looking just at the UQ, the outer shell will be approximately the same temperature as the ambient. The inner shell will be approximately the same temperature as your body, and heat will flow from the higher temp region to the lower temp region via the natural convection process. In the case of a down UQ, the function of the down is to slow that convective flow, keeping more of the heat trapped within the quilt longer. The down also lofts the quilt which puts a greater distance between the inner and outer shells, again slowing the heat transfer process.

    To cut to the chase, adding in an UQP puts another layer between the warm quilt and the cold ambient. You don't want the UQP to be "skin tight" against the UQ, rather leaving a slight gap between them which creates a layer or air. The outside of the UQP will now be approximately the same temperature as the ambient outside air and the layer of air between the UQ and UQP will be warmer. There will still be natural convection occuring within the layer of air between the UQ and UQP, but the additon of the UQP to the system will slow the heat transfer away from the quilt more than a quilt alone can. A tarp of any size doesn't mimic this function.

    Simply put, a UQP helps a quilt retain heat better and it can make a sub-optimal hang or quilt setup a little more forgiving.

    In terms of keeping the quilt clean and dry, I agree a properly pitched tarp of adequate size will accomplish that function just as well.
    Last edited by cmc4free; 09-30-2019 at 11:37.

  5. #5
    Senior Member ofuros's Avatar
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    For me it's a necessity...my tarp has minimal coverage & I hang around exposed summits for the sunsets & sunrises. Cool mountain breezes steal the body heat from my underquilt.

    Depending on where you hang, it may not be necessary...
    Last edited by ofuros; 09-30-2019 at 03:36.
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  6. #6
    canoebie's Avatar
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    I think an UQP cuts the penetration of air adding some additional warmth reducing draft. I am not a gram weenie, so weight is of little concern. I use mine every trip. On a hot summer night, it provides just a little warmth when the UQ is too much.
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  7. #7
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    Lots of discussions on HF discussing the pros and cons of a UQP. As always, HYOH.

    It's always a part of my kit when I'm using my various tarps: asym, hex, sol winter tarp with doors, hot tent and my HG standard CF with doors. UQP blocks wind, stray rain, splash up etc. If it's too hot for a UQ, I'll just use my UQP. Lots of uses for it and to me, the trade off of weight versus protecting my valuable UQ's is worth it.

  8. #8
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    I use UQ protector in harsh winter conditions when the humid cloud is everywhere, even under your excellent tarp, and you really dont want to pack the UQ with snow in the morning. You get frozen moisture everywhere, abouve your head, on the tarp from inside, on your organizer, pretty everything that is exposed to the air. So I have UQ protector with me, to keep my UQ safe and dry. Thats it.

  9. #9
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    7.5 years into this thing and haven't found a need.

  10. #10
    cmc4free's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by infrastellar View Post
    I use UQ protector in harsh winter conditions when the humid cloud is everywhere, even under your excellent tarp, and you really dont want to pack the UQ with snow in the morning. You get frozen moisture everywhere, abouve your head, on the tarp from inside, on your organizer, pretty everything that is exposed to the air. So I have UQ protector with me, to keep my UQ safe and dry. Thats it.
    That's a good point, too. Another situation where the functions of a UQP can't be replicated by a tarp.

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