UQ Length Advice

**HillbillyHanger** · 02-04-2014, 08:21

I'm a cold sleeper. Coldest temps in my neck of the woods are in the 20s. I'm looking at uq lengths. I'm 5'8. Would a 3/4 length and pad be comfortable or should I go full length? Hate I missed a Leighlo 66" quilt as I think that would have been perfect for my height.

**SwinginIt** · 02-04-2014, 08:43

You could go with a 7/8 and it would pretty much be full length still. But yes, a 3/4 and a foot pad would work fine.

**fishwater** · 02-04-2014, 09:05

Originally Posted by HillbillyHanger

I'm a cold sleeper. Coldest temps in my neck of the woods are in the 20s. I'm looking at uq lengths. I'm 5'8. Would a 3/4 length and pad be comfortable or should I go full length? Hate I missed a Leighlo 66" quilt as I think that would have been perfect for my height.

Just depends on what kind of hiking you do and whether you need a lighter underquilt and one that is less bulky in your pack. A lot of folks seem to enjoy the partial length underquilts and stay plenty warm and comfortable with the use of a small pad to insualte the feet/legs.

If pack space and being light is not a concern, then a lot of folks like the ease and warmth of a full length underquilt. If you go 3/4, you will need a pad and something warm for you head. You can be warm with a 3/4, but they have a learning curve and require more fiddling and adjusting to dial in what is comforable for you. (Many threads on here disucussing what type of foot pad people prefer, etc.)

I am 6' tall and my 3/4 length Hammock Gear Phoenix (52'' long) goes from the top of my shoulders to mid calf.

I usually hike 9-12 miles per day on my trips, so I wanted something smaller and lighter. And I already carried a sit pad, which can now also be used as pad under my feet in the hammock.

If you are having to carry more stuff (like a sit pad) just to take a 3/4 length quilt, try doing a weight analysis of your gear. Just taking the full lengh quilt may actually be only 1-3 ounces more weight in the end.

Also take advantage of the "search" function of the forum and you should find other good disucussions on this subject.

Good luck.

**Yukon** · 02-04-2014, 09:09

Always been a fan of the 3/4 length quilts myself, but that's me. You really won't know for sure until you try each out. Try to attend a hang if you can sometime, great place to see different equipment.

**SnrMoment** · 02-04-2014, 09:46

I'm a cold sleeper and would not consider anything less than a full length UQ.
5' 9" tall and need my bottom side covered upper neck to past the tips of my toes (which are covered with Flame Throwers).
Also keep UQP on my 20* quilt full time.

**Shane** · 02-04-2014, 11:14

The beauty of the full length UQ, to me, was that no matter where I flopped around I was still warm. Before when I was on pads, there was always an unconscious awareness of where I needed to be in the hammock to be warm and I sleep better without that nagging me. To that, I would never be able to keep a down jacket or second pad positioned just right on my legs. I just would not sleep as well. I backpack and the extra down weight is my luxury item.

Go Full.

**MAD777** · 02-04-2014, 11:17

I prefer 3/4 length quilts with a footpad. I attach the footpad to the footbox of my top quilt so I don't have to worry about where the pad is.

**overthinker** · 02-04-2014, 11:34

The 3/4 option from Underquilts.com, the Foyle, is 60". I'm 6'1" and it's a great size - something closer to SwinginIt's 7/8's suggestion than most 3/4's would be. And now they come finished, in case you don't want to mess with the DIY aspect, although Dave's handiwork makes this pretty easy to accomplish.

**Boston** · 02-04-2014, 15:48

I'm a cold sleeper, and I prefer full length quilts. Easier to set up, and less risk of drafts IMO.

**hutzelbein** · 02-05-2014, 04:51

As usual: it depends.

I have only ever been using full-length underquilts, and I'm doubtful that a pad under the legs would work for me because I'm using sleeping bags and often have the bottom zipper open to regulate my sleeping temperature. If you generally sleep with a closed footbox, this might not be an issue. I would assume, though, that in order to keep the pad under your legs you would have to sleep without much movement.

Full-length underquilts stay in place better than pads, but the set-up can be a bit fiddly. I also had problems with going very diagonal. My uq is set up pretty tight, and tends to force me into a more inline lay. This is supposedly not a problem with partial underquilts.