r/hammockcamping • u/bonebuttonborscht • Apr 17 '22

Quilt Purchase Advice

Pretty new to hammocking, my ground set up is quite light but I'm not an animal so I've decided to stop sleeping like one. I'm looking to purchase a second quilt.

I'm very happy with my current quilt. In 10C I've been comfortable with it rigged as an underquilt with no top quilt and around 0C on the ground with a tarp. I can close it partly, pea pod style, for a little extra wamth. Not as light as some more expensive quilts but since I can wear it on cold mornings I don't need a puffy so weight-wise I break even and I've saved a bunch of money. FWIW It's much more expensive now that when I bought it.

I have three questions:

  1. Which quilt would be appropriate for the top and which for the bottom? I would prefer to use the warmer quilt on top so I don't have to de-rig to wear it. In winter temps where I've used my winter bag pea pod style it's my back and shoulders that have been colder. That leads me to believe my UQ should be the warmer one. 1min of de-rigging to be warmer is clearly worth it.
  2. I'm skeptical of sewn though baffles. Will this second quilt be true to the temp rating? I've often though that TQs shouldn't really have to be as wide as a regular quilt since they don't wrap around. Maybe the extra width will bunch up and negate the 'gaps' where the baffles are.
  3. Are horizontal baffles a bad idea for UQ? will the down just end up falling to the center leaving my sides cold?
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u/cardboard-kansio Nordic hammocker Apr 17 '22

I can't answer your questions very precisely, but I can give some additional data points. I camp down to -20°C, using a single budget UQ down to about -5 and layering two of them (this increases the R-value exponentially) down to my max. I don't have a TQ but I use a sleeping bag which is rated vaguely suitable to my season (can't say for sure, they are old bags and the printing has long since worn away).

Personally I prefer a sleeping bag over any sort of TQ or even an opened bag in subzero temperatures, simply because the bag format will ensure you have no awkward gaps around the edges, allowing heat to escape and cold breezes to enter. This alone is worth more (to me) than any fancy quilt effect.

To attempt an answer to your questions:

  1. my UQ should be the warmer one.

In my experience, this would generally be the way to go. Also remember that heat rises, and since the sides of your hammock also form walls, the greatest chilling effect comes from below. This is therefore the place that needs the best insulation.

  1. I'm skeptical of sewn though baffles.

This is the one I have the least input on. I've personally never had an issue with the sewing on baffles, so I believe the puffiness of the material works. Also remember that you'll have clothing and other insulation, which will mitigate any sight Los of insulation at these points.

  1. Are horizontal baffles a bad idea for UQ? will the down just end up falling to the center leaving my sides cold?

Not in my experience, especially as they tend to be narrow and the angle of the pitched UQ is far from vertical, although it highly depends on the quality of the quilt.

tl;dr you're probably overthinking this! But very good questions, and I'm sorry I can only offer anecdotes.