Is the Hammock Gear Incubator a good "do-it-all" underquilt?

[elppa_berry10]

I do a mix of car camping with the family and solo backpacking trips and I’m wondering if the Hammock Gear Economy Incubator under quilt can pull double duty. The price point is fair compared to what I’ve paid in the past but I don’t want to lose performance switching between my ENO setup and my lighter backpacking hammock. Has anyone tested it in both casual and backcountry setups?

 

[cougarmeat]

HG often has 20% off sales. The incubator gives a choice of fabric weights, temperature ratings, and lengths. Remember, it doesn't have to run the full length of the hammock; it has to run the full length of you. With those combinations, you can configure one pretty light if you are on the short side, and at least equal, if not better, than others if you are "standard" size.

Overstuff mostly keeps the down from shifting a bit. It's the loft that influences the temperature rating, and HG recommends getting a different temperature rating - if that's your concern - instead of overstuffing. That's because the underquilts are cut to allow for different loft.

The overstuff can be a plus or minus. Not having the down fill shift sounds good, but it still starts to cluster after some use. Being able to shake it easily into the location you want is a plus for some people. When I started, I bought my quilts with 2 oz overstuff - the most HG recommends if you are going to do it at all. It was probably unnecessary.

HG has made my primary quilts. I have a few others I've picked up used, and different vendors have their fans. Though a higher "Fill", like 900 or 950, sounds good, the performance difference might not be worth the extra coin.

And the environment (i.e. humidity) you plan to adventure in plays a part. An internet search will point out some of the Cons, but the summary is, "For most hammock campers, 800 FP hits the sweet spot of weight, warmth, durability, and cost."

 

[elppa_berry10]

HG often has 20% off sales. The incubator gives a choice of fabric weights, temperature ratings, and lengths. Remember, it doesn't have to run the full length of the hammock; it has to run the full length of you. With those combinations, you can configure one pretty light if you are on the short side, and at least equal, if not better, than others if you are "standard" size.

Overstuff mostly keeps the down from shifting a bit. It's the loft that influences the temperature rating, and HG recommends getting a different temperature rating - if that's your concern - instead of overstuffing. That's because the underquilts are cut to allow for different loft.

The overstuff can be a plus or minus. Not having the down fill shift sounds good, but it still starts to cluster after some use. Being able to shake it easily into the location you want is a plus for some people. When I started, I bought my quilts with 2 oz overstuff - the most HG recommends if you are going to do it at all. It was probably unnecessary.

HG has made my primary quilts. I have a few others I've picked up used, and different vendors have their fans. Though a higher "Fill", like 900 or 950, sounds good, the performance difference might not be worth the extra coin.

And the environment (i.e. humidity) you plan to adventure in plays a part. An internet search will point out some of the Cons, but the summary is, "For most hammock campers, 800 FP hits the sweet spot of weight, warmth, durability, and cost."

You’ve covered a lot, and I’m leaning toward the 20-degree with 1 oz overstuff based on your long-term use. Since you’ve run it in both car and backpack setups, did you notice any packability issues when switching between the two, or does the standard length compress well enough for solo trips?

 

[cougarmeat]

For "Transparency", these days I am mostly a sea kayak camper, so weight and bulk are less of a concern. But back in the day ... 800 fill was unheard of. 600-650 fill was more the standard for a sleeping bag, and it fit in a backpack.

With today's hammock top quilts and under quilts, 800-850 is typical, and they will compress more.

I don't know your pack size or your other gear, but if you can put a regular sleeping bag in the pack, I'm pretty sure a TQ/UQ combo will fit too. Both of those will each compact to about the size of a 1-quart Nalgene water bottle (so two water bottles).

Just to be clear, the Incubator will not replace your sleeping bag by itself. The sleeping bag is replaced by a top quilt and a bottom quilt. Now you can use your sleeping bag as a top quilt if you want. Just configure it like a top quilt by zipping it down to a couple of feet from the bottom to keep the foot box.

If you don't configure it like a top quilt, and you need to make some cash, you can have a friend film you trying to get into your sleeping bag while you are already in the hammock, then you can send the video to America's Funniest Home Videos and maybe win a prize.

The way to get into the hammock using your sleeping bag as a sleeping bag is to stand next to the hammock and step in the sleeping bag first, pulling it to your shoulders, then you can sit in the hammock and bring your legs (and the sleeping bag) in.

Note that with a sleeping bag, you still need an underquilt or some kind of pad because you lose heat in a hammock from the convection of air flowing under it. Lying in a sleeping bag, you are compressing the fill underneath you so your bottom insulation layer is about the thickness of two pieces of nylon, not a lot of loft.

Remember that your HG UQ has a head end and a foot end. It also has a top side and a bottom side. It is cut fuller on the bottom, so you can snug the top side tight to the bottom of the hammock and not lose the loft. Some have recommended that when you adjust the shock cord suspension so it raises the hammock about 10 inches when you are not in it. If you have a helper, you can get in the hammock and have them tighten the main and secondary suspension so it is snug. You want to keep the end cinch loose so it will conform to the shape of the hammock when you turn diagonal.

All this seems abstract with words. Once the gear is in front of you, and/or you are in the hammock, it is much clearer.

 

[cougarmeat]

As I thought about it this morning, that "two Nalgene water bottle" size is too optimistic for 20° quilts. But, for sure, they would fit in the same space as a regular sleeping bag.

 

[elppa_berry10]

I'm going to spread out my gear this week and check how the 20° quilt packs down compared to my sleeping bag.