the best underquilt for indoor setup

[J4ke]

I have a hammock indoor setup in my home office (my wife called it a man cave). I'm using a synthetic fill camping quilt all this time, and I wanna change it into something more suitable for indoor use. The quilts just don't look aesthetic haha

I'm looking for a quality cotton quilt to match my hammock, can anyone recommend a good underquilt for my indoor setup? TIA

 

[cougarmeat]

J4ke, your first post - Welcome to the forum. Do you need an underquilt at all? It's sort of like wearing a jacket indoors. Social norms aside, the purpose of most clothing is to prevent heat loss. You can think of it as a tug-of-war. Your body's heat production capacity is on one side of the rope, and conduction/convection/radiation/evaporation pulls at the other end. When sleeping on the ground, conduction is the primary villain - hence a ground pad. When sleeping in a hammock outdoors, convection is the villain - hence the underquilt or other means (underquilt protector, ground pad in the hammock) to block the wind, etc.

But you are sleeping indoors. My guess in you have very few "wind gust" events. You didn't mention if your hammock is a double layer. If it is, you could put something light in the sleeve, like ReFlexIt (insulation at the hardware store). But for comfort, you'll probably want it to breathe. I'd imagine a light blanket inside would do the trick. You could get some clips to hold it in place at a few spots along the hammock's edge. All that would be visible is the hammock body.

 

[emeralds9]

J4ke, your first post - Welcome to the forum. Do you need an underquilt at all? It's sort of like wearing a jacket indoors. Social norms aside, the purpose of most clothing is to prevent heat loss. You can think of it as a tug-of-war. Your body's heat production capacity is on one side of the rope, and conduction/convection/radiation/evaporation pulls at the other end. When sleeping on the ground, conduction is the primary villain - hence a ground pad. When sleeping in a hammock outdoors, convection is the villain - hence the underquilt or other means (underquilt protector, ground pad in the hammock) to block the wind, etc.

But you are sleeping indoors. My guess in you have very few "wind gust" events. You didn't mention if your hammock is a double layer. If it is, you could put something light in the sleeve, like ReFlexIt (insulation at the hardware store). But for comfort, you'll probably want it to breathe. I'd imagine a light blanket inside would do the trick. You could get some clips to hold it in place at a few spots along the hammock's edge. All that would be visible is the hammock body.

I have an indoor hammock myself which is mostly as a reading nook that accidentally turned into my favorite nap spot. Your jacket analogy made me laugh because I’ve definitely woken up wondering if I overdid it with blankets. Do you find the double‑layer hammocks actually change the feel much, or is it more about giving you options for insulation? I’m tempted to try sliding something light underneath just to see if it makes a difference.

 

[cougarmeat]

If you need to put a ground pad in the hammock (no underquilt), the double layer helps because it keeps the pad from moving around. If you use an inflatable pad, don't blow it up as firm as you would when using it on the ground; you want it flexible.

The Double Layer hammock will also feel a little firmer. Not good, not bad, just different. I'm not a princess and the pea kind of guy (not that there is anything wrong with that type of sensitivity). I can sleep comfortably in a single layer or double layer. Head right, feet left or head left, feet right. If I've and a hard day on the trail or on the water, when it is sleep time, I sleep.

I got double-layer hammocks when I started because I planned on using my camping pad in the sleeve. But, I soon switched to using a UQ. Again, we are now talking about OUTSIDE environments.

If you are inside, if you need anything at all, I'd say a light blanket (you lie on) inside the hammock or hung under the hammock would be enough. With a DL, you could put it in the sleeve. This is all personal preference. It would be like me telling you how much catsup to put on your french fries. Start with just the hammock. If you get CBS (cold butt syndrome), add a light layer - better if it is breathable - under you.