Heartbreak hotel over here HELP

[AlaskanHanger]

For your hammock, do you have these pack hooks sewn on? You mentioned a Chameleon, so it should have them. If so, run your Incubator suspension cords on your outside shoulder through these. I think there's like 2 on each side, at each end (8 in total). This should help keep the uq on your outside shoulder. Now, if you flip flop back and forth in a symmetrical hammock (I do), you might not be able to use them on both sides. For me, I hook on the left shoulder and for the most part sleep that way...I tuck in the sides of my top quilt to help keep drafts out, but I find the uq wide enough for coverage. However, if flip over to the right side, I'm barely on the uq and either move back, or just unhook the shock cord from the pack hook and do the underquilt tug from left to right. I'm 6'1" and 270, regular shoulder width.


Attachment 191528

I do have the pack hooks, and I was running the primary suspension through both sides at the top at first, which admittedly could have absolutely been part of my issue- I’m gonna set it up and fidget with it some more this evening and see if I can get some pictures as well. Thank you for the advice!

[FLTurtle]

If you don't have someone around, try setting your phone up to record video of the problem area and get in the hammock. Comment what you're feeling, makes some adjustments, etc. then review the video...that should help you zoom in to see what's going on.

[cmc4free]

Yeah, now that you mention it...how? From DW site:

The Chameleon Zip-on Underquilt works in conjunction with ALL of our Chameleon accessories as well as our Wide and 12-foot Chameleons.

Below is from their customer service, answering a user's question about it in February this year. Not a super reassuring answer!

Greetings, thank you for sharing your concern. Dutch explains that since you are laying on a diagonal, you are not using the full width of the hammock (as in laying completely sideways) and that is why this zip-on chameleon works with the wide and 12-ft Chameleon options. Perhaps it will be best for you to hold tight for now and see what kind of feedback others who use it for their wide and 12-foot hammocks have. =)

[AlaskanHanger]

AlaskanHanger Welcome to the forum.

Your thinking might be off just a bit, or not. Your size certainly moves you out of the norm - not that there is anything wrong with that. Just that you will have size challenges to solve. For example, it sounds like you are expecting the UQ to come up on the sides, and admittedly many designs do that for many hammockers. But my WB Wookies don't hug up the sides of the hammock yet they function very well. The trick is to compensate with your Top Quilt. And given your shoulders and such, I'd recommend something like the HG TQ in your required length but importantly, with the WIDE option.

The Wide option was conceived for people who might need to go-to-ground so it provides more tuck-in-ability. When I use it in a hammock I am swimming in down comfort. Because I am small. In your case, the extra width may be just the ticket to cover your sides from above rather than below.

The other issue is UQ Fit. In days of old, we were told to cinch the ends tight (I'm talking about end cinch, not lift). But photos showed that a tight end cinch could possibly create a gap when lying diagonally - because of the feet push out. In other words, a tight cinch looked good if lying parallel to the hammock, but not at an angle. So it was advised to keep the end cinch a bit loose so the ends of the UQ could better conform to body position (which the Wookie does on the BlackBird by design).

It is difficult to be in the hammock and at the same time being outside of it checking the setup. Shug has a video showing the UQ suspension should be tight enough to lift the hammock when nothing is in it. That's a start. Note that because of the differential cut - the bottom of the UQ cut fuller than the top - you can snug the UQ firmly up the bottom of the hammock without compressing the down loft.

It's not hard to find a volunteer to lie in the hammock while you adjust the lift - secondary suspension (not end cinch) - and primary suspension for a snug fit. Usually, the hammock occupant feels the difference right away. Because I use different hammocks and UQ's, I almost always also add an UnderQuilt Protector (UQP). It's like a lightweight, breathable, mini-hammock that hangs under your UQ and provides an additional barrier to convection heat loss. There are other benefits listed in other posts but for me, the most benefit is I don't have to get the UQ fit as precise as I would would out the UQP.

The short of it is - get the UQ fit as good as can be, then handle the side coverage with your Top Quilt - or use a sleeping bag in the hammock because it will cover the sides by design. If you try a sleeping bag, get in it - standing - next to your hammock, then sit in your hammock and bring your legs in. If you try to get into the sleeping bag while in your hammock, have friends stand by with a video camera so they can submit the footage to AFHV.

Or you could just open the sleeping bag - unzip it down to about 2 feet from the end to keep a foot box - and use it like an extra wide top quilt.

Thank you! Happy to be here!
Now that I’ve had some time to chew on it a little bit I think you’re probably right about my thinking being off, the image in my head was definitely more cocoon-esque with the UQ riding up the sides and the TQ functioning more like a blanket than a true “second half” of the system? But reading here the latter explanation certainly makes sense to me! I don’t ~think~ I had the ends cinched too tight but as you said, I also couldn’t see so tonight I’m gonna take another stab at it all and I will certainly film it both for visual aid and for the potential entertainment value for all of you nice folks here! I did also pick up a UQ protector at the same time but I haven’t messed with it yet- it’s definitely nice to hear that it’s been effective for you in terms of some insulative value as well as helping with the fudge factor! Regardless of how it goes tonight, i will be taking it on an overnight car camping trip this weekend to give it its maiden voyage and a true shake down beyond getting in and out a few times to play with it, while still being in “bail out” range. keeping in mind that I’ll be using and old sleeping bag as a TQ (the burrow is the last piece of the puzzle I haven’t acquired yet) and that when I get a proper quilt the experience will, I’m sure, be improved. In any case I’ll keep updating as I get it figured out! Thank you very much for the reply

[AlaskanHanger]

Maybe this will give some set-up insight. Hope you get it all sorted out.
Shug

Wow a celebrity reply on my first post? Christmas came early! Thanks shug, having had some time to ponder on it and take a breath, I think It’s gonna come down to a little extra fidgeting and tuning on my end but I’m ready and excited to take another stab and I have faith that I’ll be able to make ‘er work!

[cmc4free]

AlaskanHanger - though I have UQs and TQs in the stable, at home I will occasionally use a CCF pad and sleeping bag in the hammock just to keep myself honest, and simply because I like sleeping in the bag I have, even though it's probably over a decade old and quite bulky.

Mine has more loft on the top than the bottom, so I use the bag as intended rather turn it on its side to mimic a TQ. Easiest way to get in I find is to unzip the bag from the foot up, enough to get my feet out, then get in the hammock and situate things. Takes a bit of maneuvering, especially with the pad in there. I don't like doing the potato sack race thing, with the foot of the bag actually on the ground.

[cougarmeat]

If you ever go with HammockGear for the TQ, given your size, I'd say definitely go for the Wide option.

As for temperature range, I like a 10-degree cushion - so a 20-degree TQ works for me into the low 30's and maybe high 20's. YMMV

I can still use the 20-degree TQ in colder weather but I use that UQP, and most often a full sock. That's when I sleep outside but under a roof. In the real outdoors, I'd have a tarp (probably in addition to the sock - which is not water/snowproof).

There's a tendency to consider "overstuff" for a temperature fudge factor. I discussed this with HG long ago. They said "overstuff" may help minimize the down shifting, but the temperature rating, i.e. the R factor, is usually determined by loft - the cut of the UQ. They recommended no more than a 2 oz overstuff and if you wanted more warmth, then just go for the warmer-rated TQ.

[Countrybois]

UGQ does a wide underquilt if nobody has mentioned them yet.

https://ugqoutdoor.com/product/wide-...er-quilt-2023/

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

[goobie]

UGQ does a wide underquilt if nobody has mentioned them yet.

https://ugqoutdoor.com/product/wide-...er-quilt-2023/

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

They brought em back!!

[Crazytown3]

Welcome AlaskanHanger! I have the same HF 0 deg incubator UQ. It took me a little more time to get it figured out than some of my other UQs. Initially I did wonder if I had made a mistake buying that UQ vs something else, or just stacking some of my other quilts together. It's such a big bunch of down and stuff that I think it doesn't fall into place quite as easily as some higher temp rated quilts. I lost track of how many times I watched and re-watched Shug's video he posted above.

Anywho, I did eventually get it dialed in, and I love it. The suggestion of making a video of yourself laying in the hammock with the UQ is a good one. I did that several times when I was working to get it adjusted right.

Keep at it, I think you will get there. If it does end up that you need something different, so fret too much about it. Part of hammock camping is near constant gear tinkering, for me anyway.

Post some pictures when you can. That may help. The people here are really good about helping with stuff like this.