Hammock Gear - Economy Compressability

[jmarndt]

I recently got a HG Econ Incubator (w/ 1oz overstuff) I have a question for those who might have experience with this.

First - I've used the UQ a few times, and it is AWESOME. Highly recommend to anyone who is considering. Top notch gear. My question is about how much it can be compressed, specifically with a matching TQ, and how much compression is 'too much'/will damage the gear (if that's possible?).

There appears to be 3 sizes of stuff sack that HG provides: 4.5L, 5.5L, 8.5L. If I read the chart correctly, it looks like I have the 5.5L sack. With the quilt stuffed into it, there is still a fair amount of room left. At some point I want to pick up a matching TQ and I'm wondering if I can safely cram both into the one sack, or if I would need to get the bigger 8.5L sack. And I'm also wondering if this is 'safe' or if it will damage the quilts being too tightly compressed. I know to store it in the huge loose sack when not in use, I'm just wondering if its safe to compress it this much during an outing.

Joe

[OneClick]

I'm not sure we'll ever have a definite answer on this, but if you take both and struggle to get them in together I would pass. You just kinda know when it's too much.

A good option would be to put the larger quilt in the stuff sack, then put that into a pack liner. Then pack the other quilt around that inside the pack liner. That way you sort of "contain" the mess with the sutff sack, but fill up all the voids around the irregular shape of the quilt in the stuff sack. No wasted space.

[deadeye]

I'll pass on the question of damage, but many find it easier to pack things that can yield somewhat (or a lot) and conform to the pack contents, instead of a "brick" of down that will leave gaps. Personally, I just stuff my quilts into the bottom of my (lined) pack. It takes up half the pack, but always leaves room for more things to be stuffed in.

[FLTurtle]

You didn't mention which temp rating for the quilts, but I doubt you'd be able to cram a similar rated Econ Burrow into the stuff sack with an Econ Incubator. Besides, the Econ fabrics are pretty bulky compared to the Premium line. So much so, I've been thinking about replacing my all Econ gear with the HG Premium.

[jmarndt]

You didn't mention which temp rating for the quilts, but I doubt you'd be able to cram a similar rated Econ Burrow into the stuff sack with an Econ Incubator. Besides, the Econ fabrics are pretty bulky compared to the Premium line. So much so, I've been thinking about replacing my all Econ gear with the HG Premium.

Ah! You're right... the UQ is 20° and that's what I was thinking of for a TQ as well.

These are all good thoughts. I hadn't considered just cramming the quilts into the bottom of the pack to let them fill out the space without using a stuff sack. I think I'll have to just do some expirementing with this to see what works.

[mcimes]

I can compress my quilts much more than I do, but intentionally let them take up as much room in my 60L pack as I can, compressing them only enough to fit the rest of my crap in the bag. My 20/20 combo + Chameleon in the SLD slug tube takes up half my main body on a GG Mariposa 60. I think the main pack is ~36L so I give my hammock, 20/20 quilts, and sleep clothes almost 18L space. My 30/40 setup is a little smaller, maybe 12-15L. All are 20D Econ.

I could compress them quite a bit more, but why bother? Its probably worse for the down over many years, but im sure there are people who do it without issue.

Im looking for 10D quilts to reduce the packed size, but nothing is for sale 2nd hand right now.

[cmoulder]

I can compress my quilts much more than I do, but intentionally let them take up as much room in my 60L pack as I can, compressing them only enough to fit the rest of my crap in the bag. My 20/20 combo + Chameleon in the SLD slug tube takes up half my main body on a GG Mariposa 60. I think the main pack is ~36L so I give my hammock, 20/20 quilts, and sleep clothes almost 18L space. My 30/40 setup is a little smaller, maybe 12-15L. All are 20D Econ.

I could compress them quite a bit more, but why bother? Its probably worse for the down over many years, but im sure there are people who do it without issue.

Im looking for 10D quilts to reduce the packed size, but nothing is for sale 2nd hand right now.

This is why I try to convince backpackers to get 10D right out of the gate. Many times I've seen folks selling 20D to replace with 10D, but the reverse is quite rare.

7D is a bit different story because although I have a couple of them I don't have enough experience with them yet. So far so good, thankfully!

[taraH]

What is the difference between the 10D and 20D? I am looking to upgrade my HG TQ with a lighter temp and to their 950 line but forgot about the question of the material

[binfordw]

What is the difference between the 10D and 20D? I am looking to upgrade my HG TQ with a lighter temp and to their 950 line but forgot about the question of the material

10D is roughly 0.65 oz per sq/yard

20D is roughly 1.10 oz per sq/yard


Essentially there is almost the same fabric in one 20D quilt to make 2 10D quilts.

[cmoulder]

What is the difference between the 10D and 20D? I am looking to upgrade my HG TQ with a lighter temp and to their 950 line but forgot about the question of the material

10D compresses a LOT smaller than 20D, and of course it's considerably lighter. Important if you're involved in backpacking or other self-propelled adventures where space and weight are concerns.

I once bought a second-hand 20D quilt and forgot to ask about the shell material so I got a somewhat expensive object lesson on the topic.

There are occasionally discussions about wind permeability, heat retention etc with the thinner materials but these have not been issues for me. Durability is also a common question, however I've used 10D quilts for a decade now with no problems, and 7D the past couple of years and nothing negative to report.