When it's really cold I just take a cheap Costco down quilt and I fold it in half lengthwise and I sewed extra corner loops on the middle and I just place it between my 20* underquilt and my hammock for one more layer. Weighs less than a pound and I only have to take it when it's super cold but it has got me down to 0 to 10 degrees just fine
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Sorry, necroing this thread because I haven't really gotten this to work for me. I have a Ridgerunner bridge hammock with 30* and a 50* Lynx underquilts, and I get cold sleeping in the 20s. The 50 is a short, torso length quilt, and I have it underneath the 30 (which I basically never take off). I've tried the little warbonnet carabiners, and loops of shock cord about 2 inches in diameter to space the bottom quilt a bit below. What kind of distance between the two quilts do people go for when stacking quilts? It's hard to assess compression when I'm laying in it.
I do not have a bridge but,
I go for no space between the two. I'm stacked right now in lows in the 20°s but my first (inside) quilt is a synthetic so it's a little different. If I was stacking two down quilts I would want the outer quilt compressing the inside quilt just a little bit. Like enough to press it in a bit but NOT enough to totally crush it.
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I've got a 40° synthetic and a 20°. I usually stack those together when it gets really cold
Its a good day to be out in the woods no matter the weather.Mist One..
No gap but don't compress the down on the one UQ against the hammock. Maybe you need to migrate your down in the UQs....Originally Posted by mazotster
Shug
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You could try putting a simple adjustable suspension on the outer quilt. Same concept as the shock cord loops you said you have on it, but instead of fixed loops, you could try running both ends of longer pieces of shock cord through a cord lock at each corner. The 2" loops you made might be too long, might be too short. With adjustable loops, you can more easily experiment, to make sure there's no gap between quilts and also minimal compression of the inside quilt.
Shug's videos are great for seeing these ideas put to practical use. Check that out for sure. I think the adjustable shock cord loops on the outside quilt works really well. I have a homemade CDT UQ that has adjustable loops of shock cord on both ends, just for adjusting it when stacking it. I almost never use it by itself, and use it primarily to stack on the outside of my primary UQ for those times when I just need a little something extra for the night.
I'd say the "what....distance between the two quilts do people go for" should be NONE. Or realistically, a little less than none, i.e. the outer UQ should compress the inner UQ a small amount. With the inner UQ snugged up nicely against the hammock, assuming it has a differential cut. If it does not, you must also be on guard against too much compression of loft with the inner UQ because it is snugged too tight.
However, when it comes to having any space between the inner UQ and the outside UQ, I'm pretty sure that would have about the same effect as having a gap between the inner UQ (used alone) and the hammock. IOW, it would render it somewhere between 10 degrees less warm than rated and totally useless. Depending on size of gap most likely.
I'm pretty sure that- if ever needed- I could get stacked quilts to work for me exactly as theory would suggest. I.E. a 40F + a 30F good to "about" zero F. But that is assuming several different things. First, am I actually warm to 30F in the 30F UQ, and to 40F in the 40F UQ. I am. Are you? How about the TQs? Are you warm to the rated temps of the TQs? ( if not, the problem might be that you are a really cold sleeper. If so, then the problem might be a lack of near perfect adjustment of both UQs)
The next thing is: Based on reading many threads over many years where folks are not near as warm as expected with their high quality UQs, it is obvious that UQs are tricky propositions at best, particularly full length UQs used on gathered end hammocks(my opinion based on my experience. YMMV). But if it can be tricky to get one UQ to work as rated, imagine how muck trickier it might be to get TWO UQs to function 30 or 40º lower in temp than either is rated. It could be tricky! As your post seems to be pointing out!
Unless needing to go way lower than my UQ is rated for(and maybe not even then), the ready acceptance and need to stack UQs always baffles(no pun) me a bit. Of course, that is looking at it from a backpacker perspective. The added weight, volume and money is considerable compared to an UQ already rated ( and proven for me) at the expected temps. But of course, if car or backyard camping, all of that(except expense unless you already own both UQs) becomes irrelevant.
Still, for me personally, it all seems so unnecessary. But that might not be fair to say, since I am also one of the lucky ones who has not failed to be warm enough in any number of UQs or variations(including pads) down to the rated temps or lower. WB, JRB, AHE UQs and Speer PeaPods have all worked great for me, as has the much maligned Hennessy Hammock Super Shelter/HHSS. (I set my personal best in that mid 30s rated HHSS(augmented with 3 OZ extra insulation below), very warm at 6F above zero. OTOH, since I am lacking on below zero F temps in my neck of the woods, I have still long added to the challenge of taking my insulation way lower than rated by using various tricks. ( everything but stacking UQs so far ):
1: layering, mainly for boosing TQ warmth.(for ex: when I slept so warm at 6F, I was using a 20F rated 20 oz TQ(probably over rated and actually a 30 or 40F TQ), plus a layer or 2 inside the HHSS top cover) If using thick, poorly compressing fleece, this has helped some even for back warmth. As has getting inside a synthetic sleeping bag and zipping up rather than using it as a quilt. This also seemed to boost back warmth a bit. Layering always works for me.
2: Thick head insulation, equaling a mummy bag hood. This is a big one!
3: If the system allowed it- such as the Speer Pea Pod or HH Super Shelter- layering underneath as well. Usually, assuming my TQ was warm enough by itself, simply stuffing dry clothing I did not need for sleep between the hammock and the under system. This little trick could easily get me another 10 to 30F down below rated temps! But I never tried it with my dif cut UQs, which have to be quite snug against my back and thus would crush most of the loft. Still, even there it might help a bit, particularly if adding poorly compressing fleece.
4: vapor barriers(VB) in the form of either space blankets( inside either the HHSS or Speer Peapod) or even better wearing VB clothing. This always gives me a good 20F boost PLUS works to keep my outer insulation bone dry, free from condensation or sweat. It is a double winner if I am having trouble being warm enough, and even more important on longer trips where moisture accumulates each night, and maybe drying out opportunities are lacking. I have never added a light, cheap space blanket BETWEEN my hammock and my UQs, have not yet needed to. But if I did need extra, I have no doubt it would work.
5: Hot water bottles. Obviously, you must make certain nothing can spill inside your insulation!
6: Pads of various types(which are usually also VBs). CCF or inflatable. Usually shortened versions. Almost always have one with me anyway for various reasons. Particularly useful under my legs, or in the TQ footbox. Or smaller sections stuffed into clothing to deal with a small cold spot. If for some unusual reason I can't get warm enough in my UQ, slipping a small piece of CCF pad between myself and the hammock cold spot can absolutely save the night. Maybe not quite as comfy as as UQ alone, but beats shivering. Pads work much better for me if not full length, or if full length at least not in a gathered end hammock. I have even used a torso sized length of WM blue pad oriented from side to side, rather than lengthwise. Then it wraps around me! But, though I have done so successfully below 20F , full length pads in gathered end hammocks can get tricky indeed. Still beats shivering! Which is something I have done in a hammock. One time anyway.
Good luck, and keep us posted on how you are doing.
Last edited by BillyBob58; 12-04-2023 at 14:45.
Mazotzer, sorry, I just realized you have a bridge hammock. Which have been really easy for me to insulate with rectangular UQs or a custom model for the WBRR. You even have Lynx UQs especially designed for the WB bridge, which really should work! ( using AHE's synthetic version of the Lynx has worked wonderfully for me).
So, this makes me wonder even more: are you warm at the rated temps of the UQs (and TQs) when used alone? If not, since it is hard to adjust a lynx wrong(is there even anything to adjust?), this would lead me to think the problem is that you are a really cold sleeper needing quilts rated well below the anticipated temps. Even more so than the supposed rating for your stacked quilts.
If none of above, then something is going wrong with the adjustment while trying to stack 2 Lynx UQs. I'm just not sure what. Outer UQ too tight or too loose? Any gaps?
Last edited by BillyBob58; 12-04-2023 at 14:49.
I really appreciate all the thoughtful replies here. Thank you!
I haven’t had a chance to get back out in the cold, but maybe soon!
I think my 30* lynx UQ is okay into the 30s — I just didn’t notice any improvement from the stacking in cold temps. Maybe I’ll get it better next time! I don’t think I’m generally a cold sleeper but maybe that’s a factor also.
Thanks again! I’ll keep trying (though have to say I’m having daydreams about getting a 0* UQ and floating in a warm cloud).
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