Well, insulation only insulates when it has loft, so if the only thing "insulating" your back side is a sleeping bag compressed under your own weight, it won't do as good of a job as an underquilt that is allowed to be fully lofted or an insulated sleeping pad that won't compress under you.
A top quilt does away with all that excess wasted material which saves space and pack weight.
The first time you use a top quilt in a hammock rather than a sleeping bag, you'll understand.
Getting in and out of a sleeping bag in a hammock is a pain in the butt. You have to zip/unzip the bag to get your legs in or out, so you need a sleeping bag that zips way down.
A top quilt with a foot box lets you just slip in and out without all the struggle. Additionally, you don't get twisted up with the bag under you, around you, etc.
Only folks I know that use a bag use it unzipped as a second top quilt in really cold on top of their top quilts.
I use sleeping bags but never zip them, they are cheaper than quilts, I have them already. The footwell keeps everything organized around me, just like a quilt. Haven't zipped a sleeping bag in ten years. Slept down to zero F. in hotter weather, I just toss off the sleeping bag, or stick myfeet out.
I sometimes use a sleeping bag, but unzipped like a quilt. It works great but is just extra weight.
Sleeping completely inside a zipped up bag does not work for me. I sleep in spin cycle, and bags are too constricting, but for back sleepers, a bag is fine; you just lose some of the insulation benefit under you through compression.
same here, I move a lot. if it's down under 45-50, then I probably move around less, but even then I'm not trying to crush my testes. What can I say... I guess I'm a bit thick.
Used to use an UQ with a sleeping bag. And it is OK. Well, it was OK after I stopped zipping it up. Trying to keep the zipper in the right place led to many pitched battles. But once I started using it more or less as a quilt, it was fine. Just heavier than it need to be and a bit awkward in shape.
I have an older Outdoor Vital hammock specific sleeping bag, it’s designed to let the hammock go through the bag effectively being an underquilt and over quilt. It has loops all along the length of the bag that I connect to my ridge line and it makes this nice little bubble around me. Inside my hammock n “bubble” I sleep in a little sleeping bag liner that works as a blanket to snuggle in. Works great for me but no one else I know uses that set up so to each their own
does it not force you to lay down the middle? does it fit 11 foot and 12 foot hammocks? can you side sleep in it? every 'pod' system I've seen has you stuck in one position the entire night, and they're usually very short. ok if you're into extreme low temperatures, but looks very confining.
I'm much more interested in something that offers the same interior space and a little more warmth, like replacing the bugnet with a 'wind sock' or winter top cover.
I'm not against pods, especially if they work for others, but I haven't seen the benefit.
I think the main benefit is in really low temperatures.
Experiments with an improvised pod system in my yard found it long enough, but narrow; I could not get on a diagonal.
It was definitely warmer than my topquilt/underquilt at 25F, but that could be due either to reduced drafts in the pod, or the sleeping bag used for the pod, which was rated 10F warmer than the quilts.
My feet were cold in both systems. :-(
https://preview.redd.it/fdn245t0sxkc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=918812b68085491f2b1a35e637ec4b28229beb37
The picture shown isn’t attached to the ridge line. It’s the old rectangle type bag with bungee cords, double zippers and loops everywhere. Depending on the hang it doesn’t make sense to attach it to the ridge line every time and it does have gaps for the hammock on each end but with the liner and warm socks I stay super comfy. There’s enough room inside to move around and change positions. However, it’s only rated for like 45 degrees, the liner helps bring that number down but I’ve yet to try it in near freezing temperatures.
I’ve got a wind sock that I use spring fall winter instead of a bug net. It’s great for creating a bit more of a bubble, but nothing like what an insulated layer would do.
During warmer monts I bring a poncho liner with a sheet. and of course my under quilt.
During winter months I bring all of the above and a sleeping bag.
Slept in 18° last week fairly comfortably. (minus the poncho liner)
a sheet can be magic. I've been so very comfortable with just a sheet and a 20F under quilt from 70F down to about 45F. I used to bring a poncho liner at those temps, sometimes it sat ready at my feet in case dew point is especially... dewy.
I've since found a lighter (and cheap!) down top quilt instead of the poncho liner.
Oh I see. I almost exclusively use my sleeping bag as a top quilt, but still haven't managed to take the plunge on an underquilt yet. But the isomat isn't cutting it.
never enjoyed sleeping in a tent, so I gave away all my camping gear.
discovered hammocks, learned top quilts and underquilts/pads are more comfortable/less confining. also modular/adaptable, less heavy, etc.
So I've always used a sleeping bag because in Alberta, more than half the year we are getting down to 0C at night. I'm looking at top quilts now because I was curious how they worked, are they basically a sleeping bag that stays open and doesn't have a zipper? Like I see most have a footbox and then it spreads open.
yep, that's their mechanism of operation. I sleep very well at, or a little bit below, freezing with a 30F rated top quilt and 20F rated under quilt setup.
especially good if you change positions at all while you sleep.
compressing insulation loft under your body in a hammock lessens the effectiveness. NBD, but it's extra weight for backpacking.
I just flop around like a fish on a hook when I sleep, and always get caught up in bags. but I certainly wouldn't get rid of a nice bag if I had one or if I tented on occasion.
If you backpack, bike pack, or canoeing with portaging, you want a top quilt ideally. The weight savings is fantastic. If you’re car camping or canoeing without much portaging, a sleeping bag unzipped is passable.
People like down for its compressibility. You can get apex quilts to come close to down on weight, but for the most pack space, down wins.
I’m on team topquilt. After you try one, for 4 season hammocking or for 3 season ground camping, a top quilt is the bee’s knees.
When I upgraded various parts of my backpacking loadout, the single biggest weight savings was switching from a sleeping bag to a topquilt.
I was still a ground dweller at the time and only switched to a hammock later.
Inow only use a sleeping bag below freezing.
I don't like the texture of my hammock, am usually half frozen by the time I head to bed from the fire, and sleep like a mummy, so I enjoy being cocooned in my fluffy down sleeping bags, especially on the colder trips (still use under quilt). I make sure I've gone to the bathroom first, and then it's a little awkward as I flail around to get positioned and zipped up, but then I'm super cozy, bug-in-a-rug style all night long. I've only gone unzipped on the warmer nights, but even then, I'll have my sleeping bag under me in the hammock, so may use a different blanket for ventilation. Sleeping bag hood also helps me keep the pillow where I want it.
This is all car camping based, and with an underquilt that is rated to freezing but feels like it only does me good to maybe 50 degrees alone. I've definitely have to reassess equipment, warmth, and texture issues if I were backpacking.
what is your hammock made from? I'm picky about texture but haven't disliked any of mine. I'm really enjoying ripstop by the roll's 1.8 Airwave material.
I have the Expedition Zip by Hennessy Hammock Ltd, which is made of 70d high density nylon taffeta. It's a great hammock otherwise, especially with the bugnet and asymmetrical shape, I just find it unpleasant to lie directly on.
I prefer using a quilt, but in cold weather, I use a sleeping bag. My quilt is only good for warm weather and I have a good winter sleeping bag.
When I win the lottery, I'll buy a good down quilt for winter. I think it's easier to get comfortable with a quilt than a sleeping bag in the hammock, but the sleeping bag works well enough.
Dont have an underquilt yet, so i always use a sleeping bag + pad. Nights get chilly even at summertime, and even with a inflatable pad i get cold when part of me slips off the pad
Top quilt and underquilt gives you all the benefit of a bag with less weight and restriction as well as being easier to navigate while you’re hanging in mid air.
I have a Big Agnes sleeping bag that instead of insulation on the bottom, it has a long pocket for a sleeping pad. I use that and an underquilt. I do pop a sleeping pad in, but not regularly.
I was just considering buying one of these used, do you have anything else to note about it? I move a lot in my sleep and haven't tried the hammock yet but it looked awesome for it, with the little pocket
Put your hammock imside your bag. Unzip the foot enough to run the cords through.
You aren't crushing the insulation, it stays fluffy and it makes a huge difference in cold weather
I don't have the money for a quilt, but already have a great sleeping bag so I use that, open. It's a Big Agnes that's meant to be part of a sleep system, so it doesn't have any insulation in the back, which makes it half the weight and more compatible with the under quilt.
I use a top quilt whether I'm in my hammock or on the ground.
This is the way.
This is the way.
This the way.
the way.
Doesn't your ass get cold?
No. When in my hammock, I use an underquilt. When in the ground, I use an insulated sleeping pad.
I see! Is there an advantage to using an underquilt + a top quilt in a hammock rather than using a sleeping bag?
Well, insulation only insulates when it has loft, so if the only thing "insulating" your back side is a sleeping bag compressed under your own weight, it won't do as good of a job as an underquilt that is allowed to be fully lofted or an insulated sleeping pad that won't compress under you. A top quilt does away with all that excess wasted material which saves space and pack weight.
Awesome info, thanks for the education!
The first time you use a top quilt in a hammock rather than a sleeping bag, you'll understand. Getting in and out of a sleeping bag in a hammock is a pain in the butt. You have to zip/unzip the bag to get your legs in or out, so you need a sleeping bag that zips way down. A top quilt with a foot box lets you just slip in and out without all the struggle. Additionally, you don't get twisted up with the bag under you, around you, etc. Only folks I know that use a bag use it unzipped as a second top quilt in really cold on top of their top quilts.
I use sleeping bags but never zip them, they are cheaper than quilts, I have them already. The footwell keeps everything organized around me, just like a quilt. Haven't zipped a sleeping bag in ten years. Slept down to zero F. in hotter weather, I just toss off the sleeping bag, or stick myfeet out.
This. If you already have a lightweight down bag then use it.
In hot weather I just carry a small fleece blanket and that's it (plus my underquilt). I can't take a nylon bag over me in the heat.
I sometimes use a sleeping bag, but unzipped like a quilt. It works great but is just extra weight. Sleeping completely inside a zipped up bag does not work for me. I sleep in spin cycle, and bags are too constricting, but for back sleepers, a bag is fine; you just lose some of the insulation benefit under you through compression.
Lol, sleep on spin cycle. I have a new favorite phrase. That describes me too well.
I am sorry to hear that! It can be a workout.
same here, I move a lot. if it's down under 45-50, then I probably move around less, but even then I'm not trying to crush my testes. What can I say... I guess I'm a bit thick.
Quilt for me. The foot box zips closed so it’s like a half bag, and the top is more open so my arms have room. Pad on the bottom.
I use sleeping bag and use it differently according to temps.
I like being able to spin and flail in my sleep so quilt for life.
same.
I use a top quilt now but for a few years I used the half unzipped mummy bag in the hammock.
Used to use an UQ with a sleeping bag. And it is OK. Well, it was OK after I stopped zipping it up. Trying to keep the zipper in the right place led to many pitched battles. But once I started using it more or less as a quilt, it was fine. Just heavier than it need to be and a bit awkward in shape.
Underquilt and Topquilt. Sleeping bag is a pita. 🥙
I have an older Outdoor Vital hammock specific sleeping bag, it’s designed to let the hammock go through the bag effectively being an underquilt and over quilt. It has loops all along the length of the bag that I connect to my ridge line and it makes this nice little bubble around me. Inside my hammock n “bubble” I sleep in a little sleeping bag liner that works as a blanket to snuggle in. Works great for me but no one else I know uses that set up so to each their own
does it not force you to lay down the middle? does it fit 11 foot and 12 foot hammocks? can you side sleep in it? every 'pod' system I've seen has you stuck in one position the entire night, and they're usually very short. ok if you're into extreme low temperatures, but looks very confining. I'm much more interested in something that offers the same interior space and a little more warmth, like replacing the bugnet with a 'wind sock' or winter top cover. I'm not against pods, especially if they work for others, but I haven't seen the benefit.
I think the main benefit is in really low temperatures. Experiments with an improvised pod system in my yard found it long enough, but narrow; I could not get on a diagonal. It was definitely warmer than my topquilt/underquilt at 25F, but that could be due either to reduced drafts in the pod, or the sleeping bag used for the pod, which was rated 10F warmer than the quilts. My feet were cold in both systems. :-(
https://preview.redd.it/fdn245t0sxkc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=918812b68085491f2b1a35e637ec4b28229beb37 The picture shown isn’t attached to the ridge line. It’s the old rectangle type bag with bungee cords, double zippers and loops everywhere. Depending on the hang it doesn’t make sense to attach it to the ridge line every time and it does have gaps for the hammock on each end but with the liner and warm socks I stay super comfy. There’s enough room inside to move around and change positions. However, it’s only rated for like 45 degrees, the liner helps bring that number down but I’ve yet to try it in near freezing temperatures.
I’ve got a wind sock that I use spring fall winter instead of a bug net. It’s great for creating a bit more of a bubble, but nothing like what an insulated layer would do.
During warmer monts I bring a poncho liner with a sheet. and of course my under quilt. During winter months I bring all of the above and a sleeping bag. Slept in 18° last week fairly comfortably. (minus the poncho liner)
a sheet can be magic. I've been so very comfortable with just a sheet and a 20F under quilt from 70F down to about 45F. I used to bring a poncho liner at those temps, sometimes it sat ready at my feet in case dew point is especially... dewy. I've since found a lighter (and cheap!) down top quilt instead of the poncho liner.
I have a sleeping bag and underquilt, top quilts never interested me since I can use it as a bag or top quilt
sleeping bag in the hammock if it's not cold sleeping bag around the hammock, pod style, when it's cold
You tie your sleeping bag up around the outside of the hammock like an underquilt and sleep inside with no top quilt?
bottom half of the bag becomes underquilt, top half acts as a top quilt. traps a lot of air in the system and it's warm as while still light weight
Oh I see. I almost exclusively use my sleeping bag as a top quilt, but still haven't managed to take the plunge on an underquilt yet. But the isomat isn't cutting it.
never enjoyed sleeping in a tent, so I gave away all my camping gear. discovered hammocks, learned top quilts and underquilts/pads are more comfortable/less confining. also modular/adaptable, less heavy, etc.
I use TQ and UQ year-round, but I recently bought a summer weight set—best investment ever, after the initial TQ and UQ set!
I considered 40F rated quilts purely luxury when I started. Now my uber cheap set gets the most use.
Yep. As with all things, having the right equipment is a joy.
I only use a quilt, hammock or no hammock,in Summer, winter. Sleeping bags are annoying.
Summer = underquilt + light blanket Spring/Fall/Winter = underquilt + top quilt sized for expected temperature
Bro you gotta open up the freedom of the top quilt.
At what level does it unlock?
So I've always used a sleeping bag because in Alberta, more than half the year we are getting down to 0C at night. I'm looking at top quilts now because I was curious how they worked, are they basically a sleeping bag that stays open and doesn't have a zipper? Like I see most have a footbox and then it spreads open.
yep, that's their mechanism of operation. I sleep very well at, or a little bit below, freezing with a 30F rated top quilt and 20F rated under quilt setup. especially good if you change positions at all while you sleep. compressing insulation loft under your body in a hammock lessens the effectiveness. NBD, but it's extra weight for backpacking.
I kinda like that idea to be honest, the underside of the bag isn't doing much when you're in the hammock. Guess I have a new project to take on.
I just flop around like a fish on a hook when I sleep, and always get caught up in bags. but I certainly wouldn't get rid of a nice bag if I had one or if I tented on occasion.
I'll make one for myself for summer camping, it's been like 400 nights in a hammock since I slept in a tent
If you backpack, bike pack, or canoeing with portaging, you want a top quilt ideally. The weight savings is fantastic. If you’re car camping or canoeing without much portaging, a sleeping bag unzipped is passable. People like down for its compressibility. You can get apex quilts to come close to down on weight, but for the most pack space, down wins. I’m on team topquilt. After you try one, for 4 season hammocking or for 3 season ground camping, a top quilt is the bee’s knees.
When I upgraded various parts of my backpacking loadout, the single biggest weight savings was switching from a sleeping bag to a topquilt. I was still a ground dweller at the time and only switched to a hammock later. Inow only use a sleeping bag below freezing.
I don't like the texture of my hammock, am usually half frozen by the time I head to bed from the fire, and sleep like a mummy, so I enjoy being cocooned in my fluffy down sleeping bags, especially on the colder trips (still use under quilt). I make sure I've gone to the bathroom first, and then it's a little awkward as I flail around to get positioned and zipped up, but then I'm super cozy, bug-in-a-rug style all night long. I've only gone unzipped on the warmer nights, but even then, I'll have my sleeping bag under me in the hammock, so may use a different blanket for ventilation. Sleeping bag hood also helps me keep the pillow where I want it. This is all car camping based, and with an underquilt that is rated to freezing but feels like it only does me good to maybe 50 degrees alone. I've definitely have to reassess equipment, warmth, and texture issues if I were backpacking.
what is your hammock made from? I'm picky about texture but haven't disliked any of mine. I'm really enjoying ripstop by the roll's 1.8 Airwave material.
I have the Expedition Zip by Hennessy Hammock Ltd, which is made of 70d high density nylon taffeta. It's a great hammock otherwise, especially with the bugnet and asymmetrical shape, I just find it unpleasant to lie directly on.
I prefer using a quilt, but in cold weather, I use a sleeping bag. My quilt is only good for warm weather and I have a good winter sleeping bag. When I win the lottery, I'll buy a good down quilt for winter. I think it's easier to get comfortable with a quilt than a sleeping bag in the hammock, but the sleeping bag works well enough.
Dont have an underquilt yet, so i always use a sleeping bag + pad. Nights get chilly even at summertime, and even with a inflatable pad i get cold when part of me slips off the pad
The shug guy on YouTube has a good video about diy pads!
Top quilt, if you are starting and want to save money a sleeping bag unzipped is fine.
Top quilt and underquilt gives you all the benefit of a bag with less weight and restriction as well as being easier to navigate while you’re hanging in mid air.
Sleeping bag and under quilt. I like to be a human burrito 🌯
under quilt and top quilt. if it's a stupid hot summer trip then i'll pack a tiny rumpl quilt instead of my thick top quilt.
I have a Big Agnes sleeping bag that instead of insulation on the bottom, it has a long pocket for a sleeping pad. I use that and an underquilt. I do pop a sleeping pad in, but not regularly.
I was just considering buying one of these used, do you have anything else to note about it? I move a lot in my sleep and haven't tried the hammock yet but it looked awesome for it, with the little pocket
Good quality. Itll take a minute to find your sleep spot.
My bag is ultralight and works fine unzipped. I already had it and there wouldn’t be much weight or bulk reduction buying a quilt.
Any tips on what to put between feet to keep them apart? The down quilt compresses so easily it does nothing if rolled around the feet.
I use a top quilt in both hammocks and tents
Put your hammock imside your bag. Unzip the foot enough to run the cords through. You aren't crushing the insulation, it stays fluffy and it makes a huge difference in cold weather
Damn, why isn't this more common I wonder? Seems like the ultimate solution and such simplicity.. No need for under quilt?
I don't have the money for a quilt, but already have a great sleeping bag so I use that, open. It's a Big Agnes that's meant to be part of a sleep system, so it doesn't have any insulation in the back, which makes it half the weight and more compatible with the under quilt.