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  1. #1
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    Typical to use a sleeping bag with an UQ?

    Hi all,

    Sorry, new to hammocks so I apologize if this topic has been brought up. I did a search but couldn't find anything. I have a bridge (Warbonnet RR) and I'd like to be able to be comfortable down to mid-30s. I'm a cold sleeper. Is it "typical" to use a sleeping bag WITH an UQ? I realize we should do what ever makes us comfortable but it seems to me like I'm now carrying 2 sleeping bags if I do that. I used a pad down to 35* the other night and I was very cold!

    Follow up question to those who have a RR: any recommendations on which one fits best with the RR besides the Lynx. I see the Arrowhead Equip Ridge Creek - how is the quality on this one? And I see the Jacks R Better Mt. Washington? Anyone have any insight into the compressibility of these 3?

  2. #2
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    Yes, this is a typical "transitional" set up for persons who dont have a specific top-quilt/underquilt combo. Its okay to use what you have. Some people even prefer having the full bag.

  3. #3
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    Thanks leiavoia. Yes, I think I'll stick with a full bag especially because I like having the attached hood. I think getting an UQ will really help.

  4. #4
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    I used sleeping bags & closed cell foam pads for many years before I started using topquilts & underquilts with my hammocks. I had (have) all that gear from my tent/tarp days, so it was easy to use it transitioning from the ground to hanging. Easy to make due with your sleeping bags & apart from the hammock, the underquilt was the 1st real piece of hammock gear I purchased.

  5. #5
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Well, yes, you are having to carry both a sleeping bag and UQ( or a pad). Just like on the ground, right? On the ground you need both cushioning AND insulation. In the hammock, you don't need any cushioning but you sure as heck need the insulation. So you have to carry the same as what you might need on the ground, unless it is well above 70F or so.

    However, if it is not very cold, you might get by with less pad than you need on the ground, since you don't need a lot of insulation and you don't need the cushioning.

    Sorry to hear you were cold. Can you give us some more details? Where were you cold? All over or just a couple of spots? Were you zipped up in your sleeping bag and hood, or trying to use it as a quilt? When doing that, drafts are always a possibility, especially in the learning curve.

    If your back/butt/arms were cold, what type of pad were you using? What R value( IOW, how warm), and how wide? There are some people here who have been warm below zero F with pads alone, so, I'm wondering what kind of pad you used. If inflatable, it was insulated, wasn't it?

    You can replace the pad with an UQ. The AHE and WB UQs that are meant specifically for the WBRR weigh 20 oz or less, and are both excellent and fit kike a glove. This may not be any heavier than the pad you are using, or possibly even lighter. In which case, you might actually save some weight compared to your bag and pad for the ground.

    Finally, many people replace their bags with TQs. These are generally lighter than a similarly rated sleeping bag. However, you will need a several oz separate hood to truly be able to equal the warmth of an equally thick mummy bag. And there might be a learning curve since you can develop some drafts that you would not have if zipped up inside a bag. But still, even with the hood, the TQs are lighter and take up less volume than an equally warm sleeping bag, since they cut out some of the back insulation which is not of much use, since your body weight crushes the insulation, flattening the loft. Which is why you need a pad or UQ.

    So, yes, you will need a TQ(or bag) and an UQ, but you should not also need a pad with that UQ. So, unlike when on the hard ground, you can get rid of the pad. Or you can use the pad, and not need the UQ.

  6. #6
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    Thanks BillyBob. I was using a Big Agnes inflatable insulated Air Core 25" x 72" pad. 3.25" thick, r-value 4.5 so it was probably the best I could do as far as pads. I was using a Big Agnes 30 degree mummy bag fully zipped up. And I had multiple layers of clothing, a buff neck gaiter and a beany . . . and I was still freezing! Did I say I am a cold sleeper ?

    I think if I replace the pad with an UQ rates to 20 degrees with my current sleeping bag (without the pad), I'll do better.

  7. #7
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jwbalcom View Post
    Thanks BillyBob. I was using a Big Agnes inflatable insulated Air Core 25" x 72" pad. 3.25" thick, r-value 4.5 so it was probably the best I could do as far as pads. I was using a Big Agnes 30 degree mummy bag fully zipped up. And I had multiple layers of clothing, a buff neck gaiter and a beany . . . and I was still freezing! Did I say I am a cold sleeper ?

    I think if I replace the pad with an UQ rates to 20 degrees with my current sleeping bag (without the pad), I'll do better.
    OK, thanks for the details, JW! That helps in figuring things out. You must indeed be a very cold sleeper, and these individual variations can certainly make it tougher to figure out how much an individual is going to need.
    Although, I'm just remembering my friend from North Carolina telling me about the time that he slept on some big Agnes pad I think it was big Agnes, inside one of those big Agnes bags that you slipped the pad into, using that in his hammock at about 15°, and he said it was the coldest he's ever been. And he is not a cold sleeper! But the thing is I can't remember which big Agnes pad or bag he was using, so can't really make any direct comparisons there.

    Since my experience with 2 closed cell foam pads rated at total 5.2R(under the torso where a short pad- 2.6R - and long pad - also 2.6R - were stacked, but only 2.6R under the legs) kept me toasty a bit below 20° F, I'm thinking that if your pad is actually 4.5R, I would probably be plenty warm into the 20s using that pad. Again, if it actually meets its rating of 4.9, AND it was fully inflated. Hard to know about if it meets it's rating, but 3 1/2 inch thick insulated pads are usually pretty warm. You, however, were uncomfortably cold at 35° F. So that's quite a difference in our experience on pads rated for approximately 5R. But what I don't know yet is: were you cold on your back and/or butt? Or were you cold on top? Or just kind of cold all over? Because your sleeping bag's rating is much closer to the temperatures at which you were cold, so assuming that your pad meets it's 4.5 rating, that sleeping bag seems like a more likely suspect to me. But of course, no way to know for sure.

    Getting a 20° rated under quilt might well solve your problem, or not. It's not like plenty of people around here do not report problems keeping warm at well above a quality UQ's rating. I don't think that's due to the inaccuracy of the rating, it has more to do with an individual being able to get the under quilt perfectly adjusted, particularly when trying to lay diagonal across both the Hammock and the UQ. That can be a lot trickier than just lying on a pad, assuming you can stay on the pad. But if you can't stay on it, at least you immediately know what's wrong. It can be a lot trickier trying to figure out what is wrong with your UQ.

    I don't mean to discourage you about that(UQ) approach. As for me, I have been for the most part plenty warm at or near a number of different under Quilts ratings. I have done great with JRB full and partial length UQs, a WB synthetic torso size Yeti, and the old Speer Pea Pod, no problems. But plenty of other folks here have not been so lucky, at least at first during the learning curve. I do think most of them, with the help of advice they get from the experienced folks here, get it worked out. On the other hand, there are still plenty of folks who routinely take Quilts rated for 20° warmer than the lowest temperatures they are expecting.
    Last edited by BillyBob58; 10-07-2020 at 09:22.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Pop_Eye's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jwbalcom View Post
    Thanks BillyBob. I was using a Big Agnes inflatable insulated Air Core 25" x 72" pad. 3.25" thick, r-value 4.5 so it was probably the best I could do as far as pads. I was using a Big Agnes 30 degree mummy bag fully zipped up. And I had multiple layers of clothing, a buff neck gaiter and a beany . . . and I was still freezing! Did I say I am a cold sleeper ?

    I think if I replace the pad with an UQ rates to 20 degrees with my current sleeping bag (without the pad), I'll do better.
    Welcome to the forums.

    There is a learning curve for dialing in UQs. Some have a bit of fiddling involved. Shug has a great video on the subject that helped me out.

    I’m a cold sleeper as well, and it seems counterintuitive, but wearing less layers allows your insulation to trap body heat. Give it a shot next time you hang after you get your UQ.

  9. #9
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    The important thing to remember about your sleeping bag is that the insulation you are lying on is doing you no good. Unzip it all the way and use it tucked around you... and, oh yeah, get an under quilt. I've been using my Big Agnes 15° bag that way for years and have no plans on changing it out any time soon.

  10. #10
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    Actually the insulation under you in the bag does do you good. You can definitely replace that with the UQ but it's not nothing. I'd say it depends on if you're buying new anyway or have gear already. I can definitely tell if I've tucked my sleeping bag under myself (I use it as a top quilt and I have an Underquilt) or not. This will depend on whether you're at the edge of what the UQ can do for you or not obviously. I can tell because I was having issues with my UQ and getting cold from below but tuck the bag under myself without even having to zip up and instantly better.

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