How many of you have tried a UQ and gone back to Pads?

[Mtsman]

I made an off the cuff statement in another thread listed below:

UQ's work for me. I don't hate on the pad users but I would doubt that they have ever tried a UQ and gone BACK to trying pads.

It hit me that maybe others have had vastly different experiences than my own and now I am curious on how blatantly bold that statement might be.

So let me have it guys n' gals, How many of you have tried a UQ and gone back to pads and why?


**pre-edit** for this question lets assume that there are trees in your chosen camping area and no reason to go to the ground.

[Mtsman]

I created a poll for the shy for more accurate numbers. It is anonymous so feel free to select without judging eyes.

[russb]

I have been using a hammock for many years. I use both pads and UQs. Underquilts in the summer, and pads in the winter (subzero). The pads provide significantly better heat retention as they are a vapor barrier as well. I have noticed that many who eschew pads for comfort reasons seem to have one or two particular hammocks. I believe that comfort with pads is largely a variable of the hammock they are used with. I use a claytor hammock. It is short and narrow and has a double bottom, thus it works very well with pads. I must also note that pads for me means closed cell foam.

[SouthMark]

I have been using hammocks for about 12 years. I could never go back to a pad. For me there is no comparison of the comfort of an UQ over a pad.


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[ALLEGHENY]

I have a Clark NA and only used a sol RidgeRest pad and using the pockets to store gear. I voted that I never tried a UQ. I should have chosen Pad (or like options) because this works for me into the teens so far with my 20F syn bag.

[Mtsman]

I have been using a hammock for many years. I use both pads and UQs. Underquilts in the summer, and pads in the winter (subzero). The pads provide significantly better heat retention as they are a vapor barrier as well. I have noticed that many who eschew pads for comfort reasons seem to have one or two particular hammocks. I believe that comfort with pads is largely a variable of the hammock they are used with. I use a claytor hammock. It is short and narrow and has a double bottom, thus it works very well with pads. I must also note that pads for me means closed cell foam.

While I havent used a claytor hammock, I have used HH, WBBB, ENO, and now I am on DH (dreamhammocks.com) I have used pads in all of them without success (even my DH's have double floors for this reason) for myself but I would love to hear more success stories for pads (especially ones that have tried UQ's).

[russb]

Yeah. The HH and the WBBB are the two hammocks which seem to have the biggest comfort issue with pads. I believe it is the geometry of the hammock. Since the DH is a similar geometry to the HH that makes sense too. The claytor is short, less than 8.5ft. It is also narrower. It has the basic same geometry of the DD hammock. Both of these are not very popular in the hammock community, but those who use them do not have as many issues with pads as other hammocks. To be fair to the hammocks, it might also be the pad dimensions as well. The most important tidbit I have learned in all my years of hammocking, is that compatibility between gear choices is of paramount importance. People often have very different experiences with individual items which is due to the other items they use in conjunction. I spent almost an entire winter testing different combinations in my backyard to learn this. Some items complement each other, but when paired with a different item there is interference. In the end as ling as we are happy with our own choices, it matters not what others use. I realized a long time ago that my choices and methods are very different from the current conventions of the online hammock community. HYOH, YMMV, etc...

[Deadeye]

I'll let you know after this summer's hiking season, 'cause I got my first UQ for Christmas. I've used pads for years in my HH and WBBB and been totally satisfied, we'll see if the UQ is all it's cracked up to be for me.

[Rain Man]

I personally know of absolutely no one who has tried UQs and then gone back to sleeping pads in hammocks. I began with my hammock using various types of pads (and other things as are ALWAYS necessary since pads do nothing for the sides).

Unless you lay perfectly still and straight all night and/or do something in addition to a standard pad for the sides, you will suffer from CBS (Cold Butt Syndrome). Plus, pads simply have little insulation factor if you do lay perfectly still and straight, whereas several inches of down have a lot of insulation factor.

In short, UQs rate about an 8 or 9 or even 10 on a zero-to-10 scale. Simple pads rate about a 2 or 3. Add "wings" and extra features and gear to a simple pad to make it complex, and you might get that score up to 5 or 6.

All my experience and opinion, of course. I won't make fun of you if you use a pad, though. Big deal.

[russb]

Rain man, thanks for chiming in with your experience and opinion. Just to quibble a little, CBS is not unique to pads, many uq users experience it too. In fact a common solution is the addition of a small piece of ccf pad. I wholeheartedly disagree with your statement regarding ccf as poor insulation. This could not be farther from the truth. Closed Cell Foam is extremely insulative, if it werent't I would not be able to use it as my insulation in the negative 20s.

[gdwelker]

Closed Cell Foam is extremely insulative, if it werent't I would not be able to use it as my insulation in the negative 20s.

Hmmm. I do hammocks with pads. However, not sure I agree with the R value of CCF being high. From the REI website catalog:

blue foam pad 0.38 inch thick R 1.4
Z lite CCF 2.6
Ridgerest SOL lite 2.8

I use a Exped downmat 9 with an R value of 8. I am happy with that and a winter bag in my zip side HH down to zero degrees. However, the same hammock with a Thermo Rest NeoAir almost always results in cold butt syndrome, so the shape and how the baffles run (lengthwise or laterally) make a difference.

[Rain Man]

... Just to quibble a little, ....

No problem. I'm happy for each to hike his own hike. It's just opinions in that regard and each is equally entitled to his own.

The OP asked for opinions, so I shared mine.

[Mtsman]

No problem. I'm happy for each to hike his own hike. It's just opinions in that regard and each is equally entitled to his own.

The OP asked for opinions, so I shared mine.

Yes, this is the spirit of this thread in a nutshell!



I tried pads in different combinations for so long and could never get it right for me. That doesn't mean that someone else didn't find a combination of pad and hammock that works better than a UQ setup for them.

My hope is a few combinations of pad and hammock setups will come out of this and will give the new hanger some ideas as one benefit that pads usually have is a less expensive cost for starters.

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[greensleep]

I have a Clark NX270, new, and set up only once so far. It comes with a detachable weather shield. Do I still need a tarp? It also came with an underpad rather than an uQ and am wondering if anyone has experience with the underpad during cold weather. Should I rely on my UQ instead?

[OldTrailDog]

Yippee, I guess I get to be the exception that breaks the rule.
I use both, errr...all three. Sometimes a pad (Exped Downmat 7 UL LW). Sometimes I use an UQ (DIY Costco down throw; DIY vintage sleeping bag conversion; Arrowhead Ridgecreek). And sometimes I use both the AHD Ridgecreek with a Thermarest 3/4 prolite (this combo is what I will be taking on the AT because I will use the pad in shelters or on the ground).