gotcha. thanks.
gotcha. thanks.
I have a 0 degree Wookie and my lady just received her SLD 10 degree Trail Winder. It is a very nice piece and very warm. It does not pack down nearly as small and is not nearly as light as the Wookie but works great and the craftsmanship is spot on. She had no issue setting it up with her Chameleon right off the bat. The Wookie is an amazing piece of kit and super warm. Construction is top notch as well and I would not trade it for any other in its temp range. If I decide to go for a summer UQ it will definitely be a Trailwinder. Would make for a great pair.
I also feel the short UQs are easier to consistently get adjusted correctly, compared to at least some full length UQs on a gathered end hammock( might not apply to Wookie or Trail Winder type though, do not know).
It is my impression( Y'all correct me if I am wrong, I might be) that 90-95% of the threads over the years with folks complaining about not being warm enough(and that is a bunch of threads) are for the full length under Quilts, almost always on a GE hammock. Of course, maybe that's just because 95% of under Quilts in use are full length? Although, some might complain about not being warm enough in their legs or feet with the shorties, but that seems to me to just be a function of the leg pad used, considering some people have gone way below zero with full length pads, or even short UQs and leg pads, and been toasty warm.
So, I have a theory, with zero proof. And that theory is: it can be very tricky to avoid cold spots when laying on the diagonal not only across the Hammock, but across a full length under quilt that is hanging below the Hammock. It just seems to me there is more to go wrong during set up. Or, if changing positions after set up while sleeping. I, along with many others, have certainly pulled it off. But it is just trickier in my opinion, just more to go wrong. Or, maybe it's just me?
I have 3 partial length under Quilts(JRB Greylock 4, synthetic WB Yeti, AHE Jarbidge, plus a full length JRB MW3 that converts into a short under quilt. Neither I nor friends and relatives who have used any of these have ever had any issues staying warm down to the rated temperatures. Now don't get me wrong, I have also use the MW3 in full length mode, and a full length MW4 that I used to have, right down to rated temperatures, and been plenty warm. However, I'm pretty sure almost all of those very positive experiences were using those full length JRB UQs on a JRB bridge Hammock. That is almost a custom fit sometimes(depending on which quilt on which bridge hammock, but always close and functional) but also notice: there is no lying across a diagonal with a bridge Hammock. So, I have never failed to be plenty warm at or near the rated temps with that combo. With zero cold spots anywhere along the hammock where a body part might land as I change positions during the night. But I find things can definitely get trickier with a gathered end hammock especially when changing positions.
It just seems to me that when I go diagonal using one of the short under Quilts, nothing much changes, at least on my back. All is always a snug fit butt to neck(unless the UQ is to far towards the head, which vents it), with no worries about the foot end edge being too loose or too tight. (Might be trickier on my side, in full length or short) The first one to use (in actual cold-weather) my WB synthetic Yeti( with only 3 of 4 Climashield layers installed) was my step son, on a Sept high mountain trip in WY at 10K to 11000 ft, lows in the 20s. On his first ever night in a hammock. I think we all know there was a lot to go wrong there, and I was a bit nervous about it. In fact, one other of the group was using- like me- using the Speer Pea Pod, and he froze on top(I was toasty, total noob user error on his part which we mostly got corrected on the following nights). But my noob step son was toasty warm on all nights in about 17 oz of short synthetic UQ, and on all nights he has used it since then.
One thing I have often noticed on my full length models, including even my wonderful Pea Pod: When I lay feet right, there is usually a gap that develops along my left leg. This was never really a noticeable problem with my Pea Pod( should not have sold that, but who knew TTTG was going to go out of business before I could buy a new one), I think because it was fully enclosed around the full length of the hammock. But I'm not so sure it might not be a problem with a regular UQ. (and I suppose this does not happen with Wookie style designs?) But, it is a non factor with a short UQ in my experience, because my legs are laying directly on pad(if needed), while leg sides and top are insulated by TQs. And where the pad quits and the UQ takes over, I never seem to have any gaps or drafts all the way to the head end of the UQ.
So, I always have a sit pad with me anyway. The shorter UQ is always the lightest and least bulky, and never seems to have any adjustment problems for me. Nor does, for me, a full length(or short) on a bridge hammock. But full length on a GE can get trickier for me.
Last edited by BillyBob58; 08-11-2020 at 10:22.
Bookmarks