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  1. #1
    New Member
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    Aug 2021
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    Canada, Van Isle
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    Blackbird XLC
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    Thumbs up First time using an UQ

    241801243_369158431577503_3041388104585391366_n.jpg

    After messing around trying to make my existing gear (pads) work in a hammock for ages, I finally pulled the trigger on a 0F degree Wooki. I am blown away by the effectiveness of this thing. As well as being insanely simple to deploy, it felt like the forest gnomes were running a space heater underneath me for the duration of my hang. Aside from the UQ, I've put a bunch of time and money into my rig this summer, and I'm super excited to do some cold weather excursions this fall/winter!

  2. #2
    Senior Member Rolloff's Avatar
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    Dec 2010
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    Leveland
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    Bonefire Whisper
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    2,639
    There are a few things better...but those UQ gnomes are hard to beat when they are doing their jobs perfectly.

    Well done. You will never go back.
    Signature suspended

  3. #3
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Jan 2007
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    Tupelo, MS
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    Good to know!.............

  4. #4
    Member
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    Sep 2020
    Location
    Central NYS
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    Hummingbird Single+
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    Hummingbird Pelica
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    HG 850 20* TQ/UQ
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    What temps are you looking at being in this fall/wainter?

  5. #5
    cougarmeat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Bend, OR
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    WBBB, WBRR, WL LiteOwl
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    OES, WL BullFro
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    Assuming, "Canada, Van Isle" is Canadian for Vancouver Island, various historical records show winter temps rarely below 0° C (32° F). So your 0° F Wookie should serve you well. Here are some other thoughts on Winter ... Tarp: I usually run the ridgeline over the tarp. But in the winter, if I'm expecting snowfall, I'll run it under the tarp to give the tarp more support. When I do, I pay attention to make sure there's some kind of water break on the line so if it does rain, the rain won't follow the ridgeline down under the tarp.

    Extra shelter. I use a full shroud (WB Travel Sock) or at least a UQP. It just makes the setup a little less critical and keeps the hammock/quilts dry and clean. The common winter challenge is having enough draft to keep condensation at bay while not allowing airflow to steal too much heat.

    In addition, if there is snow, it can be used to build walls to block the wind, provide privacy, etc. Remember to pack down the snow around your hammock so you'll be standing on solid ground if you have to get up in the middle of the night. Along that same line, it's good to pack out a path to your favorite tree. That way, you'll be on solid ground rather than sinking in snow up to your knees. Note that you don't need to pack it solid. You just need to give it a reasonable compression, then don't walk on it for 10-15 minutes. The ice crystals will bond stronger. That's how the base for an igloo is made (along with a quarry to cut snow blocks).

    If you have a lot of snow, you'll have to dig out around your hammock anyway. As you walk to the tree to attach the suspension, you may find yourself sinking in the snow around the tree and can't reach very high relative to the new, white, ground. But you can lower the ground.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  6. #6
    New Member rjc149's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    North Jersey
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    Warbonnet Blackbird 1.7
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    WB Super Fly
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rolloff View Post
    There are a few things better...but those UQ gnomes are hard to beat when they are doing their jobs perfectly.

    Well done. You will never go back.
    I may be one of the few outliers here, but I tried an UQ for a bit, and have returned to the pad.

    I picked up a WB Yeti last year, and have taken it on several backpacking trips. The Yeti is just a bit too small for me. My calves and feet were cold, and I couldn't get my sit pad to stay in place. I was also frequently pulling the Yeti back up over my left shoulder throughout the night. It's just too much fussing and fiddling. I've never had any comfort or fiddling issues with the Thermarest. Once you set it under the double layer, it stays put, even when changing sleeping positions or getting out and back in the hammock in the middle of the night. Set and forget. I've also realized that the pad provides some rigidity and structure, not much, but enough to make it more comfortable than simply sagging down into the hammock fabric. One thing is certain – the most comfortable nights I've spent in my hammock were on a pad, not a UQ. The condensation and awkwardness of something hanging off the pack are acceptable prices for the comfort.

    That being said, I've never slept with a full UQ, but as I mentioned, I do prefer the structure the pad offers.

  7. #7
    cougarmeat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Bend, OR
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    rkc149, one of the few benefits of being height-challenged is a 3/4 length UQ is almost full length for someone 5'6" or shorter. That your feet/calves were cold with "just" the Yeti would be expected because it is only 46" long.

    That said, it is great that the pad works for you because your setup is ready to hang or go-to-ground (tarp + pad) if necessary. I can get by with a 3/4 length UQ but if it is not summer I sometimes need additional insulation at the end (a small piece of ReflexIt). When it's really cold, I'd use a Full-Length UQ. I like your post because it emphasizes that each person can find their "happy place" and "one size" does not fit all.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  8. #8
    Member
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    Aug 2019
    Location
    New Haven, CT
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    66
    Have to say that once I sank into a full size UQ (a wooki) and felt the soft warmth all around me, I can't imagine going back to anything else. For me now this is one of the reasons to even have the hammock. It's just a different experience than laying on a pad.

  9. #9
    Senior Member jadekayak's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    new zealand
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    DIY gathered end
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    OzTrail???
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pooty Skills View Post
    241801243_369158431577503_3041388104585391366_n.jpg

    I'm super excited to do some cold weather excursions this fall/winter!

    What is "fall"?

    Is that when your gear fails and you crash to the forest floor?

  10. #10
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    Nov 2017
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    Ossining, NY
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    fall = autumn

    tire = tyre

    rumor = rumour

    wrench = spanner

    hood = bonnet

    etc, etc
    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

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