Ok folks, hoping for some assistance in picking an underquilt. First, to give a little background info...I'm a fairly big guy, right at 6'0 350 (though that's coming down), and I'm built kinda weird (longish torso, shorter legs). My shoulders are 46" straight across (I have no clue what they are circumference-wise), my waist is 48". Obviously, finding stuff that fits me (and can hold me up) can be a challenge. I have an ENO Singlenest hammock, ENO's Atlas straps (thankfully I "listened" to the reviews of the slapstraps on Amazon), and the ENO Pro tarp. For a makeshift topquilt, I use an old sleeping bag (either my flannel 40* or my Coleman 0* mummy) unzipped. I've never messed with insulation beneath me before; the lowest I've taken my hammock-hanging was into the mid-50s. I didn't get cold or even chilly, just fairly cool, but it was enough that I didn't get the same kind of sleep I normally get while in a hammock (more of a light dozing sleep, instead of the deep hibernation style). I guess this makes me a "warm" sleeper?
Anyways, I've been reading up on different ways to add insulation to cover my backside, as well as trying them out. Pads didn't work...too uncomfortable, too sweaty, and the pad was sticking to my back the whole time. I have a fleece sleeping bag liner that I could put in the hammock which might get me down to 50* comfortably...but I'm looking for something that will cover all of the weather that VA can throw at me, which means getting down into the single digits occasionally, maybe even negatives (with wind chill factored in). From what I can tell, this pretty much leaves me with underquilts.
I've been doing a lot of research on these, and there are a few things that have me confused, but I've come up with a list of the quilts I'm considering (ENO's offerings didn't make the cut, mostly cause I can't find any reliable reviews on them, and the general consensus seems to be that they don't offer much bang for the buck). What I'm hoping is that folks who own or have used them can comment on which ones they prefer, and more importantly, point out small things that may or may not be in the product description, like "product X's suspension doesn't work well with gathered end hammocks" or "product Y is a bit harder to adjust while in the hammock." I'm trying to make this a buy once kind of deal, since this is a lot of money (honestly, if it weren't tax refund season, I wouldn't be thinking about doing this).
Before I jump into the list of underquilts, could someone please enlighten me on the concept of "hydrophobic down?" I can't remember which site I saw referring to this (maybe JacksRBetter?), but it confused me...hydrophobia means fear of water, and down really doesn't go well with water to begin with, so how does making it more "afraid" of water improve it...is this just a bit of marketing that I'm reading waaaaay too far into?
Anyways, here's the list I've narrowed everything down to...I'm leaning towards Arrowhead, as they're pretty darn cheap (comparatively) and that 48" width sounds like a good idea to prevent my shoulders from getting cold (assuming I understand how underquilts should fit)...however, will I notice a difference in a synthetic fill over a down fill?
From what I've seen on here, it seems that all of these companies are rock solid in both product quality and customer service, so no easy way to weed a choice out...so many choices, so small a budget...Thanks in advance for any and all input!
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Originally Posted by Zilla
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