Underquilts - what's the big obsession with them?

[Sunndog]

Thanks for the size guides guys, I'm trying to compare to my current snugpak but a bit tricky as I don't know what volume in litres that is when compressed, expect I could work it out though if I tried hard enough and did some googling ! The weight of the UKH one seems to be a little over half, and trying to picture 3 litres I would hazard a guess the volume might be around 3/5ths or there abouts, which would be meaningful improvements on both counts, although shame the cost and the wait wouldn't be !

I got my dad the snugpack UQ a while back, its huge compared to my UKH and no where near as warm....i reckon i could fit my hammock, UQ, and summer tarp in the snugpak stuff sack

[Paulm]

Wow, that's a much bigger difference than I thought, and very helpful thanks. Is your UKH one full length and winter weight like bopdudes's, just in case we're comparing apples and pears !

[bopdude]

That is way bigger than mine, thought mine was his winter weight (the actual weight of mine matches what the site says for his winter quilt) it aint 2.2mtr though, cant remember now but i bet its more like 1.8mtrs.....whats the weight of yours?
Mine packs down to like three liters if i really stuff it tight....usually have my UQ and TQ loose in the bottom of my bag and just compress them as much as needed with other stuff on top

My UQ is the full length one, 2.2m x 1.28m weight is 770g.

[GadgetUK437]

Have you tried an underquilt Stevie? That would prolly answer your question.

I have a Hammock Gear Phoenix 20 with an ounce of overstuff. Weighs in at 465g and should take me a fair way below 0°C. And that 850 fill down squashes down pretty small.

Saving up now for the Burrow 20, may take a few months!
But it will be worth it, fully winterized and under a kilo.

Going to ground? No plans for that. But in an emergency, a combo of my sit/foot pad, backpack and a length of reflectix should see me through.

--
Gadget.

[Stevie]

Thanks mate. Tried my mate's though not overnight and must admit it was toasty. Problem is that I'm warm enough when I the the correct sleeping bag. My hammock has a slot to fix the mat into and it doesn't slip at all so never really experienced any problems whenever I've carried the right equipment.

[Sunndog]

Paulm, just got my UQ out, turns out it is as long as bobdude's.....couldv'e sworn it was shorter than that same weight too

Heres a crappy pic i just took of it in a drybag, its not quite compressed fully solid but fairly tight in there

[Paulm]

Paulm, just got my UQ out, turns out it is as long as bobdude's.....couldv'e sworn it was shorter than that same weight too

Heres a crappy pic i just took of it in a drybag, its not quite compressed fully solid but fairly tight in there

That picture is so helpful, thanks bud. Looks like it's no more than a third, maybe even a quarter of the volume of my snugpak ! That's definitely on the list now

[bopdude]

Paulm, just got my UQ out, turns out it is as long as bobdude's.....couldv'e sworn it was shorter than that same weight too

Heres a crappy pic i just took of it in a drybag, its not quite compressed fully solid but fairly tight in there

Yours is more compact in the bag than mine, I was thinking of an event bag just to get all the air out as that seems to be my sticking point when getting down to compress to the max.

[Sunndog]

Its not the best thing for the down to compress em really tight. Have you tried packing it loose in the main compartment of your pack?
Just lightly push it in there and pack your other gear on top, that way you only compress it as much as you need to. I fit my winter quilt and a *20F top quilt in my bags that way and they do seem to take up less space than compressed into a hard ball

Stevie, totally highjacking another thread here sorry
I guess the obsession is just comfort. When i was using mats i never felt i was suffering but i wouldn't go back now
As they say on the other place...HYOH....if you are still happy with mats having tried an UQ keep at it. mats can certainly be less hassle than an UQ. No setting it up or worrying about drafts and CBS
Makes for a more compact and tidy set up too

i found a double layer hammock much better than single for a mat, never had one with a purpose made slot, i'd inflate the therma rest fairly hard jump in the hammock then slowly let air out until i was comfy
In winter i'd take an extra ccf mat (short and thin) and slide that crossways under my back and around the shoulders

As far as hammock failure goes when using an UQ then it would be therma rest sit pad under my hips (if i'v got it with me) and pack under me shoulders

[bopdude]

Its not the best thing for the down to compress em really tight. Have you tried packing it loose in the main compartment of your pack?
Just lightly push it in there and pack your other gear on top, that way you only compress it as much as you need to. I fit my winter quilt and a *20F top quilt in my bags that way and they do seem to take up less space than compressed into a hard ball

I've seen plenty of mention of this,my concern is puncturing the material or some other damage, after all, they ain't cheap, the other option was to carry it outside the pack ?

[Sunndog]

Yeah you have to watch what else you shove in there but its pretty easy not to puncture anything in practice

[bopdude]

Yeah you have to watch what else you shove in there but its pretty easy not to puncture anything in practice

When I think of it as long as a liner goes in first the UQ could go in first, bag second, might give that a go ?

[GadgetUK437]

What sharp stuff are you putting in?
I use a rubble sack as a pack liner, then inside that are three dry bags. Belt and braces I know, but for the mo it's what I have. In the long run, I'm looking for a full size dry bag and use three light stuff sacks inside.
The bottom bag has my spare/camp clothes and main food store. Middle bag has hammock and quilts. Top bag has food for the day, first aid kit, and extra day clothing (down gilet, waterproofs, etc).
The rest is stored out of the main compartment. Tarp, suspension, hammock suspension and anything else that can stay wet goes in the long front mesh pocket. Cook kit in one side pocket and extra water and sawyer filter in the other. Gloves, nibbles, maps compass, camera, etc go in chest and hip belt pockets.

--
Gadget.

[bopdude]

I tend to stuff my smaller dry bags containing clothes etc into the spaces then there's my machete, that goes full length inside my pack so, there are a few bits that could potentially do damage, may have to look again at carrying style

[GadgetUK437]

Carrying heavy metal eh? Must be more call for jungle clearance in Stockton on Tees than Devon.
The undergrowth on Dartmoor only comes to the knees! LOL

[bopdude]

Carrying heavy metal eh? Must be more call for jungle clearance in Stockton on Tees than Devon.
The undergrowth on Dartmoor only comes to the knees! LOL

I do like options whether it be machete, large cold steel kukri or axe, depending on where and when we go and group size.

[Stevie]

WOULD BE NICE IF WE COULD GET THIS THREAD BACK ON TRACK...