Care of Your Under-quilt

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Jacks 'R' Better Synergism

Synergism is the joint action of discrete elements in which the total effect is greater than the sum of their effects when acting independently. In systems it is the "Holy Grail" of value added. It is the peace of mind that benefit value exceeds the sum of costs.

To the hammock camper and/or ultralight backpacker it is the ultimate expression of multiple uses for each item, plus the uses of two or more items together. Some might say it is the true goal of any system.

The Jacks 'R' Better Nest under quilt is the best three season solution to keeping the bottom warm in a hammock. But why bother with a hammock if they sleep cold?

Hammocks provide comfort; far exceeding thin pads, Therm-a-rests, sleeping bags, tarps and tents. Hammocks are lighter; far lighter than most tarp, tent, and sleep system combinations. Hammocks are drier; far above the ground water of any less than ideal, or poorly selected, sites. Hammocks sites are more numerous; far more numerous than tent sites. And ecologically speaking, Hammock camping is lower impact; far lower than the repetitive tenting use on a few good sites.

Hammocks are truly creating a revolution in backpack camping. However, by themselves they have their drawbacks. Our goal was to develop a system that would enable four season hammock camping, be simple, be flexible and be light. Jacks 'R' Better quilts and hiking gear provides that system on an affordable ala carte basis.

First, consider the hammock drawbacks. They sleep cold. Getting in and out of sleeping bags is awkward, at best. Pads must be wider, thus they are often bulkier and heavier. Pads don’t stay under you, especially if you move around. Flies and tarps are often minimal.

Now the Jacks 'R' Better 3 and 4 season system. You decide your needs; you select what meets your needs. In every case, for every item, this Jacks 'R' Better gear is optimized for hammocks.

The hammock bottom creates a plane that separates the top and bottom spheres of this shelter. In the simplest of hammocks this can sometimes be overcome by wrapping a permeable bag over the entire hammock. The Speer Pea Pod and Crazy Creek Crib/Ponderosa combination use this approach. The resulting pod is heavier and bulkier than smaller bags and quilts and still requires a light blanket or quilt on the inside due to the relatively large interior space to be warmed. The Crib/ponderosa approach is like a hanging bivi, very claustrophobic.

The best way to solve the two sphere shelter problem is to use a system of quilts. Not only do quilts work extremely well. Quilts provide much more flexibility. Quilts are lighter. A system of three quilts can provide four season comfort to 10-20 degrees for approximately four pounds. These same quilts configure to provide 30-60 comfort for approximately 2.5 pounds. Configurations for 60-80, when employing a breathable shell approach 1.75 pounds.

Before explaining the quilts value and role in detail it is important to point out that the two sphere issue affects shelter protection from rain and wind as well. Therefore, the rain tarp and a waterproof bottom protector have a role in shelter and comfort as do the tent body and floor. This will be discussed lastly.

The basic key element of the Jacks 'R' Better system is the unique, multifunctional Nest under quilt. This simple rectangular under quilt of nominally 78x48 inches is a fully baffled high quality down insulated quilt. It is designed to be compatible with the entrance slit on bottom entry hammocks. It also works with side or top entry hammocks. The slit can be self sealed which enables it to be used as a quilt on a twin bed. The Nest has no snag Velcro that enables the forming of a foot sack; therefore, it can be used as a top quilt, a ground quilt or in conjunction with a sleeping bag as comfort range extender. The Nest can be worn as a parka length down vest that provides four inches of insulation over the chest and 2 inches of insulation over the body and upper legs. Hikers who typically carry multiple layers of insulation find that they can reduce too one insulation layer when packing the Nest. The Nest with its suspension system and compression/stuff sack weighs 22-23 oz. The nest is nominally 2 inches thick. This suggests a temperature range of 40 degrees. It is easy, however, to shift down to the center and achieve 2.5-3 inches of down under your critical bottom. We have used the Nest into the 20s and routinely in the 30s. Others have reported good comfort in the 30s. The Nest also handles the unseasonably warm night as well. The drawstring closures on the head and foot ends may be left uncinched, thus, in effect creating an open window or two on a summer night. These widows can be opened wide or just cracked as one may need. The Nest fabric, 1.1 oz ripstop nylon, has a Durable Water Resistant (DWR) finish. It is not waterproof but it does handle mist and occasional splash.

The No Sniveller Universal Quilt was design to serve primarily as a top quilt. It also functions as a twin bed quilt. It has a foot sack capability. Because it has a sealable head hole in the center it can be worn as a serape. It has the same overall dimensions, baffling and quality down insulation as the Nest. It weighs the same as the Nest. It has all of the mounting tabs as the Nest, therefore, it also can be used as an under quilt. In fact it is a great under quilt for side or top loading hammocks. The No Sniveller does not come with a suspension system. The suspension system is available separately, if needed. When purchased with the Nest it will be of matching fabric lots. In short, the combination of the No Sniveller and the Nest is the three season sleep system.

For colder weather the Nest and The No Sniveller can be combined on the bottom. This provides four inches of down and four layers of nylon. Moreover, if one quilt has the down shaken to the center and one is used regular, the bottom will have 4.5-5 inches of down under the bottom and 2 plus inches on the side. When used in this manner, always hang the No Sniveller inside the Nest. This is particularly important if you have the long model of the No Sniveller.

The winter top requirement can be met with ones current sleeping bag thrown over one used as a quilt. Even light bags excel because the 66-70 inches of their girth. This means they lay as a well fluffed accordion top. Of course, we like our Old Rag Mtn top quilt better. It is also 78x48 and fully baffled. It is 3 inches thick with quality down. It only weighs 23-24 oz and stuffs to 7x7x9 inches. This is significantly lighter than bags with similar fill quantities due to its more compact design. It does have a foot sack configuration. It does serve as a cabin quilt. It is not designed as a wearable layer of insulation, although you can wrap up in it as a Shawl. It is important to note that the zipper is eliminated with the Old Rag Mtn quilt approach. Yes, it contributes to the weight savings already mentioned. But more importantly, the Old Rag Mtn Quilt removes the possibility that a zipper, under pressure from your side or bottom movement will tear your hammock bottom. This is a real issue for hammocks made of extreme light weight material, do not ignore it! Oh by the way, it is also more comfortable not to lie on the zipper.

The tarp must be large enough to provide coverage to the hammock surrounded by 2-5 inches of fluffy warm comfort. Ideally this larger coverage should also improve the overall livability of ones camp during bad weather. Minimum Tarp size for a great hammock system is 8x8 or 8x10. There are numerous quality 8x10 tarps reasonably available. The 8x8 tarp is adequate, saves weight and reduces cord requirements to four and stake requirements to two. Because this size is not commonly available we include it as an item in our system. The Jacks 'R' Better Square Tarp is nominally 8x8. The ridge is on the diagonal optimizing it for hammock use but still retaining flexibility for general purpose use. Detailed discussion of tarps is available in the tarp article.

Sealing the system from the bottom is the soon to be introduced waterproof breathable bottom protector and range extender made of microporous polypropylene, this is a stand alone splash shield and windproof barrier for hot summer use, read 60-80 degree range. It weight 8-9 oz and packs to a 2x4x7 size. When used with the Nest and/or No Sniveller it provides water proofness and additional wind protection. It provides an additional layer for warmth retention. It adds 5-10 degrees to the range of which ever combination it is added too.

There are a lot of ways to make a hammock work. We think the system developed and described above is the leader. We lend our names and our quest for better solutions to our business. We truly believe in and that, Jacks 'R' Better!