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  1. #1
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    Please help me choose UQ temp ratings

    I'm in the process of upgrading to under quilt(s) and have a few questions. I'm pretty focused on HG but will take suggestions on other manufacturers (HG just seems to have what I want and their prices seem fair).

    I live in Oklahoma and camp year round so temperatures range from 70-degrees at night down to sub-zero sometimes. I'm trying to figure out what combination of under/top quilts would suit me year-round.

    At first I was thinking I'd need three sets of TQs/UQs:
    Under quilts would be a 0* and 20* full-length and a 40* 3/4-length
    Plus matching temp ratings for three top quilts (that's a lot of money!).

    Then I got to wondering if I really need that many quilts. Will the 0* full-length pick up where the 40* 3/4-length leaves off without making me too hot at, say 35*? What about just the 0* full length and a 20* 3/4? Is there a better combination I should consider?

    Any suggestions on how I can get the most for my money and still be comfortable within the overall temperature range we have here?

    Thanks,

  2. #2
    Boothill's Avatar
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    everyone is different but for me this is what i use

    i have a diy tq & uq, they are good down to 15º, that being said i use them year round and in temps up 75º and everything inbetween, when it is warmer out, there will be times that i just have my tq covering my feet, down has a very good ability to give you the right amount of "heat" in my experience, when it's colder out they seem to keep you warm and when it's warm out they don't seem to overheat

    most people will tell you it's more important to have the uq rated to the temp you want to get to more so than the tq, for example if you want to get to 20º then you want an uq rated to that and say a 40º tq might be enough, but usually not the other way around

    if you are worried about your uq being to warm for you on warm nights you can always vent one end of it and that will help keep you cooler if you're too warm

    there is alot of dialing in when it comes to this kind of stuff, and most all of it will only be able to be done by you no matter what people tell you

    but if i were forced to pick one set of quilts from say hammock gear or underground quilts i would go with a 20º tq & uq, good for all around use most of the year

    sorry if all this is kinda a vague answer, but it's a pretty individual thing depending on how warm or cold you sleep and on what temps your going to be hanging in

    boot
    The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us. ~Bill Watterson

  3. #3
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    Please help me choose UQ temp ratings

    Thanks for the input - keep it coming.

    I've read elsewhere exactly what you're saying. Namely (1) you are more comfortable with too much under quilt than too much top quilt and (2) you are more comfortable with too much under quilt than with too little.

    That being said, I would gravitate toward a 0* UQ.

    I don't like sleeping with extra clothes on (usually just silk or Ice Breaker lightweight long johns) so that's also pushing me toward the warmer UQ for Winter.

    If I got that a 0* full length, what should I use in Summer? Should I look at a 40* 3/4 length or is that even worth considering?

  4. #4
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tylojuky View Post
    Thanks for the input - keep it coming.

    I've read elsewhere exactly what you're saying. Namely (1) you are more comfortable with too much under quilt than too much top quilt and (2) you are more comfortable with too much under quilt than with too little.

    That being said, I would gravitate toward a 0* UQ.

    I don't like sleeping with extra clothes on (usually just silk or Ice Breaker lightweight long johns) so that's also pushing me toward the warmer UQ for Winter.

    If I got that a 0* full length, what should I use in Summer? Should I look at a 40* 3/4 length or is that even worth considering?
    Sure it's worth considering, for summer where sometimes you don't need anything at all, or you might even be looking for an AC! Like you said, 3 sets of TQs and UQs is some serious bucks! And I would never do that unless I just felt like blowing a bunch of $ just to have some nice gear to play with and test(and indeed I have done a lot of that).

    First, how often do you think you will actually camp way below 20F in OK? If very often, then OK. ( or for that matter I guess, who's to say you won't join the boys over in CO for some below zero hangs). But have you considered having a 20F UQ for 90% of your hangs and then augmenting it in various ways for the occasional or rare below 20F hang?

    For example, I started with HH Super Shelter which HH seemed to think was OK into the 30s, and that ended up being pretty much how it worked for me. But by adding some clothing I did not need to sleep in to the under cover as well as the HH 3 oz small kidney/torso pads, I slept toasty at 14F with no tarp in a 6F windchill. Probably could have gone to zero and been OK. Other members have added even more insulation to do way below zero. By adding a space blanket to a 20F PeaPod, I have been warm enough at 10F. And as a last resort there is always the added pad. Etc Etc.

    So no, I don't think you NEED a 0,20 and 40F set of quilts. Then again you may WANT them, and if so, so be it! If it was me, I would start with a 20F set unless I really expected to be out at zero more than once or twice a year.

    But, there is one other thing to be considered. Do you sleep way cold? Some folks need a 0F UQ to be warm at 20, some are just the opposite, so there's that.

  5. #5
    Herder of Cats OutandBack's Avatar
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    I will recommend a 40 degree 3/4 UQ with +2oz down and a 20 degree full UQ.

    Then stack them for winter.



    For a TQ go with a 20 for year round. Add or subtract clothing to adjust for temp.

    I will never recommend venting because venting sucks.
    When you are hot you vent and somewhere between 2 and 4 AM you are freezing.

    Anyway that is what I do and have been very happy.

    You can't go wrong with HG you'll always get more than what you paid for.

    hth

  6. #6
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    Please help me choose UQ temp ratings

    O&B,
    In your picture, how do you keep the 40* UQ from compressing the down in the 20*? Is it tough to get the tension right on the 40*?

  7. #7
    Herder of Cats OutandBack's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tylojuky View Post
    O&B,
    In your picture, how do you keep the 40* UQ from compressing the down in the 20*? Is it tough to get the tension right on the 40*?
    I'm sure there has to be some down compression going on but I have never been cold with this set up. I've been down to -5F with a 20mph wind blowing all night.
    I don't do anything special with the suspension. I was using a 2QZQ UQP also in this pict.


  8. #8
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    Please help me choose UQ temp ratings

    This is very informative. Thanks so much.

  9. #9
    Herder of Cats OutandBack's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tylojuky View Post
    O&B,
    In your picture, how do you keep the 40* UQ from compressing the down in the 20*? Is it tough to get the tension right on the 40*?
    I just realized I may have miss lead you here.
    I was recommending a 40 3/4 and 20 full for you in OK.
    That is not what I am using for CO at 10,000ft in January.
    My 20 full has +2 oz and the 3/4 is a winter Yeti pictured above in my first example.

    My HG 20 (pictured below) takes me to +10 with no wind easy. Add a 40 3/4 on top you would be good for 0 IMO

    Last edited by OutandBack; 11-25-2013 at 22:06.

  10. #10
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    Re: Please help me choose UQ temp ratings

    I second what OutandBack said.
    I started with a 3/4 20* bag. I tried it during the middle of summer and it was too hot. Tried to vent it, but then I was cold (might have been the conditions, it was hot and there was a breeze). It seems to work for some but not for me.
    So I got a 40* bag, worked great the rest of the summer.
    These 2 bags cover 95% of the weather I am out in.
    For below 20*, I plan to try stacking them, but honestly don't expect I'll do much camping below 20.

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