Does anyone know of an under quilt protector for a 3/4 Yeti? Do I really need one? I was thinking 1. for warmth (I'm a cold sleeper) and 2. for rain splatter protection on the AT. Are they necessary or overkill?
Does anyone know of an under quilt protector for a 3/4 Yeti? Do I really need one? I was thinking 1. for warmth (I'm a cold sleeper) and 2. for rain splatter protection on the AT. Are they necessary or overkill?
Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad!
It really depends on your tarp if you "need" an UQP. If you have a tarp you can stake very close to the ground (Superfly, Mountainfly, Palace, Winter Dream, etc) you'll be protected from wind and blowing rain almost all the time. The one exception is when you get in one of those super heavy fogs that saturate everything and can roll in under a low pitched tarp. On those nights and on nights when you are pushing the limits of your UQ, you'll be glad you brought the protector. Frozen (Outdoor Adventures on YouTube) just finished his AT hike using a HG Standard DCF with doors and said an UQP would've come in handy on many nights for him.
I actually have a large tarp with doors in mind, just haven't got it yet. I watched Frozen do the AT this summer and have actually purchased some of the same gear b/c he loved it so much. He was great. But just as important to me is the warmth b/c I get cold so easily, I think a UQP would help, I just can't find anyone who makes it for a 3/4 UQ.
Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad!
I bet few here will remember this, but the original(ca.2007? 2008?) Yeti(Climashield rather than down), which one warm sleeper here took well below zero more than once, came with(optional?) a sil-nylon UQP/Vapor barrier(VB). I always regretted not getting that, not that I have needed it, but because I am a fan of UQPs and VBs. If memory serves it was like a pillow case, it covered both the inside and outside, thus giving total wind and water protection from the outside, and working as a VB on the inside, to stop evaporative cooling for a stout boost in temp rating, and even more important keeping all of your body's vapor/sweat out of the insulation. Here it is in one of it's first tests on a single Digit Christmas in Denver, no tarp, he slept warm in an old synthetic bag:
When considering the added weight/bulk of an UQP, remember it allows for the use of a smaller tarp while still providing even more protection than that larger tarp used alone, in my experience. YMMV. I have always considered my most bomb proof insulation system my HH Super Shelter, even with the small HH asym tarp because it's sil-nylon under cover totally blocks wind, side ways rain/fog/snow that gets past the tarp. It has never failed me, not even when high winds were blowing in the open foot end of that tarp all night and bouncing my hammock around. It was at least in the 40s that night, but I never felt any of that wind and slept warm and snug. So count me a fan of UQPs. But don't use water proof ones like sil-nylon unless you are also using VBs immediately under or inside the hammock, or you will end up with condensation. Because that sil-nylon UQP will also be a VB which is at the dew point. Any vapor reaching it will condense. (OTOH, if a breathable UQP or outer shell/insulation of a quilt is at the dew point, vapor is still going to condense, I have had it happen)
Since you get cold so easily, you owe it to yourself to research VBs and learn the theory so that you can do it right. Done wrong you will end up with wet insulation, done right it will keep your insulation much drier, as well as providing a major boost in warmth. Even if you only used it once you were already cold and all else has failed, adding that thin layer of water proof, not breathable nylon next or close to your skin can- by 100% blocking evaporative cooling- can give you an instant 20F+ boost. Used more often, it can keep body moisture out of(and from condensing in) your down night after night and prevent loss of loft. The coldest sleepers particularly need to look into this. Evaporative cooling can be significant. It's how ACs and swamp coolers work. Moisture evaporates off of your skin(cooling) and then not uncommonly re-condenses into liquid near the quilts outer shell(or even freezes into ice) if the dew point is inside the shell, as it can be on the coldest nights. These 2 problems can be a major hindrance to staying warm especially on longer trips, or if there is a lack of sun for drying. VBs are the only approach that stops both 100%. Just food for thought. If nothing else just keep it in mind if you find yourself shivering. I have been told that even breathable rain gear still makes a fair VB when worn under insulation.
Last edited by BillyBob58; 10-31-2019 at 11:41.
Having an under quilt protector will give you more options for setting up your camp. You are correct about rain splatter and warmth (less heat loss). It also allows you a little more latitude in setting up your underquilt, and keeps things cleaner when the hammock w/UQ slips out of your hands and falls on the ground.
You don't have to get a specific UQP for a ¾ length UQ. Many order from 2QZQ but UQP's are available from a variety of vendors.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
Chris, also known as Two Speed, made mine for me to fit my UQ
He’s got a shop on Etsy called Two Speed Hammocks and he’ll help you out.
Edited to add; Two Speed is also a member here as well as a two time Thru hiker. The dude knows his stuff.
Last edited by Shrewd; 10-31-2019 at 15:10.
If you want more warmth than a normal UQP, you could get one of the insulated ones from SLD to layer over it.
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