This can't be a new idea, but I couldn't find a thread...
Has someone figured out how to use a TQ and UQ together to create a draft-free "quilt" when going to ground? I figure if you are going to ground, you could use that UQ clipped to at TQ to essentially create a sleeping bag, so no need for a wide TQ. (Or so my initial thinking goes.)
???
-jamie
Jamie, remember, the UQ under you will be compressed and hardly provide any additional insulation.But they’ve invented a way to gat that combination draft free. It’s called a “sleeping bag”
When you want to use it as a TQ, just unzip so it’s closed about 2 feet from the end, giving some closure for a foot box.
Another alternative that works for me is HammockGears WIDE option for their TQ. It only specs out to what seems like a few extra inches, but it’s plenty to wrap me up in down. The purpose of that Wide option is exactly what you are looking for - it’s for people who may have to go-to-ground and what more tuck-in ability.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
Right, most of the insulation will be crushed, but I'm thinking more about the scenario where yonu can't hang a hammock due to the site...
Let's say you have a 3/4 UQ and an narrow TQ and it's time to sleep on the ground. You would sleep your pack and footpad, then your UQ, then you, then the TQ. In this scenario if you just use a narrow hammock topquilt, there will likely be drafts. But if the top quilt is used on top and the underquilt is used on bottom and wrapped around, that will take care of the drafts. Obviously, the underneath insulation isn't idea, it's not a full length pad, but seems like this combination is the best alternative for a single night on the ground.
If you know you'll be going to ground it is best to carry a lightweight 3/4 (~48" length) air mat.
I've had to do that a couple of times and it really annoys my UL sensibilities, but if the rest of the kit is dialed in nicely it's 8-10oz that makes for a halfway decent night's sleep. Plus, very few packs these days are going to provide any cushioning at all... Arc Blast would be exactly zero, in fact.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
The plan is to never go to the ground, but should a .71 Cloud or 1.0 fabric fail it could happen.Originally Posted by jamie shard
Other than adding a Polycro Sheet and 6 or 7 sections of Therm-a-Rest Z Lite, I see the OP's solution as making the best of a bad situation. Am I missing something?
Last edited by Recalc; 04-25-2021 at 08:50.
That Wide option HammockGear TQ is for that scenario - more quilt to tuck in the sides. Another option is a simple bivi bag - just a nylon sack. I have a few from my climbing days. The bottom is (supposed too be) waterproof and the top breathable nylon. If you put your UQ and TQ in there, the sides of the bivi will pull the two quilts together and create an envelope of warmth. A pad underneath, tarp above, and you are good.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
In a pinch, you do whatever it takes.
One of the trips where I used an air mat was at Baxter State Park where one night we had reservations for Pogy Pond, where you absolutely must sleep in the shelter. If you've been there you know that it is a heavily managed park (not a complaint, an observation) and there's a high likelihood that your camp will be inspected by a ranger, so it's best to observe the rules. Anyway, I slept on the shelter floor and anything short of an air mat would've been absolute torture, especially after not having slept on the ground in quite a while. So if I were on a 4 or 5 night trip—and I have one coming up soon!—and my hammock split on the first night it would definitely put a damper on the trip. Therefore I'm going to take a Hexon 1.6 or Robic 1.7 hammock because I won't be required to go to ground due to park regulations or lack of trees and am definitely not going to carry an air mat.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
Yeah, good point on the air mat if you know you are going to be on a compacted tentpad or a shelter floor.
(p.s. Cmoulder: Great recommendation on the Blake's hitch for tarp tieouts, been swapping out my knots this weekend in preparation for my next trip.)
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