{"id":56093,"date":"2019-06-11T16:31:11","date_gmt":"2019-06-11T23:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=56093"},"modified":"2023-05-18T16:08:12","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T23:08:12","slug":"what-is-a-hammock-underquilt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/what-is-a-hammock-underquilt","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Hammock Underquilt and How Do You Use One?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve grown to love hanging out in your hammock, perhaps you\u2019ve contemplated sleeping overnight in your outdoor cocoon. Two obvious needs for overnight comfort are bug netting and a rain tarp, which you can buy separately or may come included as parts of a hammock tent system<\/a>. One often overlooked issue, though, is how you can stay warm when cold night air wafts across your backside.<\/p>\n

The answer is an underquilt, which is simply an insulated quilt designed to hang underneath your hammock to prevent heat loss.<\/p>\n

An underquilt solves a similar problem to sleeping on the ground in a tent. Your sleeping bag, whether it features lofty down fill or a premium synthetic insulation, compresses under your body weight, allowing the cold ground to conduct warmth away from your body. Your bag also compresses under you in a hammock, leading to convective heat loss from the cold night air stealing away body warmth.<\/p>\n

A sleeping pad solves the heat-loss problem on the ground by creating an insulated air space underneath you. A pad can perform the same function in a hammock, but underquilts are specifically designed to fit certain hammock models, or you can find ones that can be adjusted to fit a wide range of hammocks.<\/p>\n

Shop Hammock Accessories<\/path><\/svg><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Underquilts vs. Sleeping Pads<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re trying to decide between an underquilt and a sleeping pad for staying warm in a hammock, consider the following points:<\/p>\n

Underquilt pros<\/strong><\/p>\n