Hammock under blanket/quilt, are they any good?

[Jonboy83]

Evening all,
I have a DD camping hammock, 3-4 season sleeping bag, liner and an inflatable sleep mat. Still get cold and have difficulty sleeping making my trips out less enjoyable than they should be.
Been looking at these under blankets, various makes and DIY, are they really any good or just a waste of money?
Cheers
Jon

 

[Broch]

I prefer an underquilt to a sleep mat; I just couldn't get the sleep mat to stay in the right place and ended up moving off it and getting cold. Yes the quilts work as long as you use them properly. The best way I have found (and I think the way they're supposed to be used) is with a small gap between your hammock and the quilt to make sure you don't compress the filling. Mine's a DD underquilt (though not a DD hammock).

 

[sunndog]

Yes they are

 

[mowerman]

Great question, I will follow this thread with interest.
I've got a dd xl hammock and I too can't get on with a sleep mat and have wondered about investing in and under blanket.
I just think that by the time I've loaded up my rucksack with hammock, under blanket, tarp, sleeping bag and extra blanket I haven't got much room for anything else

 

[MartinK9]

Go down, lighter, compress smaller for transport.

They are an initial expense, but having bought mine I'll not go back.

many variables out there, I have 4, 2 top quilts and 2 underquilts, they cover all 4 seasons.

https://www.hammockgear.com/

 

[bopdude]

Under quilt insulation is superior to anything else mat wise, I've had the UKHammocks winter UQ, sadly had to sell that for funds, made my own UQ which had mixed results, recently bought and used the Snugpak cocoon, way to warm for anything above 0 degrees imho, but you can scale down you sleeping bag to suit.

 

[Woody girl]

I have 2 hammocks . Hennessy bottom entry and a dd. Only got the dd this year and also got underquilt with it. What a revelation warmthwise the dd with underquilt was. Much cosier than the hennessy due to the quilt. Worth the extra weight in my eyes. I've spent some miserably cold nights in the hennessy as the mat wouldn't stay put, and I couldn't fit an underquilt due to the bottom entry. Underquilt all the way from now on for me.

 

[Janne]

Do an experiment:
Put your mat on the ground, sleeping bag and then a shelter/roof
Put the mat in an hammock, sleeping bag, then a shelter/roof
See which way to sleep is warmer.

 

[Woody110]

I’ve got a snugpak UB and a DD hammock. I thinks it’s wonderful, and having tried it with a mat, I much prefer the UB. I made one for the boys hammock out of a £5 sleeping bag, it’s blue and looks a little bit pants, however he’s never complained about the cold.
However all these things do add up in size and weight.
My mat is an air filed Exped down mat, so it packs to about the size of a large dog food tin, and weighs far less. The UB is bulky, and 8” square, however I’ve never had a poor sleep in it.

 

[Philster]

An UQ is a bit of an eyeopener when you first use one, the lovely feeling of warmth underneath! A game changer for hammock camping.

I prefer the Snugpak to the DD, just a little warmer. Sadly, finding a decent down UQ in the UK is very difficult or very expensive.

 

[Sundowner]

Great question, I will follow this thread with interest.
I've got a dd xl hammock and I too can't get on with a sleep mat and have wondered about investing in and under blanket.
I just think that by the time I've loaded up my rucksack with hammock, under blanket, tarp, sleeping bag and extra blanket I haven't got much room for anything else

Spot on!! I had to get a 100 ltr rucksack for arctic SB, tarp, hammock and snugpack UB. BY THE time I put in change of clothes and food, there isn't much space left. BUT, I'll never sleep on the deck again!!!

 

[Barney Rubble]

Initially you put up with the sleeping mat for a while because you don't want to fork out for an underblanket. But after a while you get fed up of the mat sliding around beneath you and take the plunge. That's pretty much how it went for me and I've never regretted it.

I have the DD underblanket which I use in conjunction with my woodsman hammock from ukhammocks.co.uk. It is considerably better than any sleeping mat as it doesn't slide around and even keeps your hips and shoulders warm. It has kept my bum warm in sub zero temperatures. I was also impressed with how much it compresses down in the stuff sack, when packed down, it's fairly comparable in size to my mulitimat sleeping mat.

You can get down underblankets from ukhammocks.co.uk, but they cost quite a lot more than the DD or snugpak underblankets.

 

[mousey]

Definitely get an underquilt, a down one if possible, my preference is for a full length.

I've got a modified down duvet, just sewed some tabs on the corners and put a bit of elastic cord, which is big and heavy as the down is carp. But does the job and is warm.
Got a 3/4 down from ebay a couple of christmasses ago, quite lightweight [not a winter one] but warm for what it is - doesn't cover me well enough [well it is 3/4 - ideal for kids] - hence my preference for a full length one.
I also use my jerven bag as a cocoon which works well. If oriented properly I can fully enclose it and open one of the arm hole zips just in front of my face so I'm not breathing damp air into the cocoon That's only if it's snowing as it gets pretty warm in there

 

[Duggie Bravo]

I have the Hennessy bubble mat and the DD under quilt

I have a bottom entry Hennessy, so it’s a little inconvenient with either, but no big deal.

Coupled with a surplus arctic bag I was seriously toasty in sub zero temps and in the summer use the DD top quilt and Under quilt and am never cold.


Sent using Tapatalk

 

[Jonboy83]

Do an experiment:
Put your mat on the ground, sleeping bag and then a shelter/roof
Put the mat in an hammock, sleeping bag, then a shelter/roof
See which way to sleep is warmer.

I slept on the ground for years but due to a back injury I can't ground dwell anymore. Switched full time to hammock about a 4 years ago but not done much winter camping. Hence the enquiry because if my back gets cold I'm useless the next day.

 

[Jonboy83]

Go down, lighter, compress smaller for transport.

They are an initial expense, but having bought mine I'll not go back.

many variables out there, I have 4, 2 top quilts and 2 underquilts, they cover all 4 seasons.

https://www.hammockgear.com/

I have looked at getting down for sleeping gear but aren't they expensive to maintain? Everyone I have looked at says they require specialist cleaning?

 

[mousey]

I don't really sleep in my down kit that often, I don't get out as much as I'd like, so I don't wash my down stuff, just store loosely packed in a bag.

Hang it out for a good airing after use. Be careful not to let it get wet. Wear a set of sleep clothes, don't climb in in dirty clothes / boots and you should be ok.

Fair enough if your lucky enough to get out loads and spend weeks/ months you'll need to wash, but for light occasional use I don't bother, just a really good airing.

 

[Woody girl]

I use a cheap cotton liner for my down bag. Easier to wash. Have just washed my down bag for the first time this year in my ordinary washing machine with down washing liquid. As long as you give it a gentle cool tumble dry afterwards it's fine.

 

[Woody girl]

Had to cut last post short as electrician arrived. Anyway. ..... obviously down is warmer in the winter but if you can only afford a cheaper uq a little trick is to pop a car windscreen protecter (£1)from poundland between the UQ and your hammock. So long as there is an air gap it adds a few degrees of warmth to your back.

 

[MartinK9]

I have looked at getting down for sleeping gear but aren't they expensive to maintain? Everyone I have looked at says they require specialist cleaning?

I use this method.