View Full Version : Sleeping Pad In Summer?
hotelseven
06-19-2006, 19:01
Stupid question here, but is it necessary to use a sleeping pad in the summer in a HH? I've been using mine for the past couple years but always use the pad, even in the summer. Just wondering if its needed in the summer months, or if people just go with their sleeping bag right on the hammock?
this weekend i did a section hike in pa. near port clinton. i had a pad along but did not use it. i think the temps were upper sixty,s at night. slept in tee shirt and reg. underware using my western mountainneering sleeping bag as a quilt. this was my first experience with hammock use and enjoyed it. i still have lots of question also, about different tempsand what to use. hope to experment at home this fall. good luck and post all results would love to hear them
Just Jeff
06-20-2006, 00:06
Most people find some sort of bottom insulation (pad, underquilt, etc) necessary below ~70 F. Sometimes a sleeping bag is enough, depending on how much it compresses, how warm you sleep, how windy it is, etc.
D'Artagnan
06-20-2006, 10:15
Now this may sound REALLY stupid, but I always use my Thermarest in my HH because I have visions of thousands of mosquitoes lining up for a buffet on the underside while I sleep and attacking me through the fabric. Crazy, I know, but I just sleep better knowing there's a buffer between me and the skeeters. Whatever floats your boat.
SGT Rock
06-20-2006, 10:34
Sometimes I need it, sometimes I don't
sirbingo
06-20-2006, 10:37
I almost always use a pad in my HH because without one it feels like there is a slight draft blowing on my behind...even in hot weather its enough to keep me awake.
wilderness bob
06-20-2006, 10:38
Something placed under the feet as a cushion is highly recommended, a pad does this nicely. Feet do get sore, as well as the rest of the body and a comfortable nights sleep is worth the effort, IMO.
I almost always use a pad in my HH because without one it feels like there is a slight draft blowing on my behind...even in hot weather its enough to keep me awake.
same here... even when it's in the high 90s during the day and drops to about 75 at night, i don't like the breeze on my back... so
I almost always use a pad in my HH because without one it feels like there is a slight draft blowing on my behind...even in hot weather its enough to keep me awake.
same here... even when it's in the high 90s during the day and drops to about 75 at night, i don't like the breeze on my back... so i always use a pad or underquilt... this summer i may try it with just the JRB weathershield underneath to block the breeze.
I think it all depends on where you set up your hammock. Obviously if you set it up in a gap you will probably need something under you due to the wind.
sirbingo
06-20-2006, 16:24
It's not there is actual wind blowing on my behind...it just feels like there is.
ditto.
(!@$!@$$-additional
For me the break point is in the mid-70s. Down to around 60, I can get by with something very light, like a layer of fleece, instead of using a pad.
Stupid question here, but is it necessary to use a sleeping pad in the summer in a HH? I've been using mine for the past couple years but always use the pad, even in the summer. Just wondering if its needed in the summer months, or if people just go with their sleeping bag right on the hammock?
i use a poncho liner under quilt i bought from peter pan:cool: neo
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=11598&c=577
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=5981&catid=member&imageuser=3462
hotelseven
06-20-2006, 23:25
Thanks for the replies everyone! I never really thought about the mosquito thing, but that makes sense too. Maybe Ill try it and see how it goes, but Ill pack my Thermarest just in case!
Now this may sound REALLY stupid, but I always use my Thermarest in my HH because I have visions of thousands of mosquitoes lining up for a buffet on the underside while I sleep and attacking me through the fabric. Crazy, I know, but I just sleep better knowing there's a buffer between me and the skeeters. Whatever floats your boat.
I'm constantly surprised by the fact that I have never been bitten through the fabric on the underside of my HH Backpacker UL hammock. It says on the website that the tighter weave of the lighter fabric may do a better job than the less expensive, heavier, lower thread count fabric. I'd like to say that it seems to be exactly as stated on the HH website. (I've been stung once through the hammock, probably by a white faced hornet, which we have around here. They sting practically unprovoked. If he landed and I moved, that probably was enough reason for him. Talk about a rude awakening!).:eek:
It's not there is actual wind blowing on my behind...it just feels like there is.
No, it's the wind. Above 75 degrees or so, it's extremely refreshing.
I should have mentioned in my last post that it's probably totally unnecessary to use closed cell foam any thicker than 1/4 inch in the summer in the continental US below, say, 5,000 feet. Oware makes a wide 1/4 in. thick closed cell pad which can be doubled over if, for any reason, it becomes necessary to sleep on the ground.
A thermarest is overkill to the extreme for hammock camping in the summer. (If I'm sleeping on the ground in the warmer months [when with others], I use a Big Agnes air core mummy pad [no insulation]. I've used it on the ground at temps down to 40F and been comfortable.
Think of it this way - a thermarest (or any insulated pad) is not only insulation as well as cushion, but a vapor barrier as well). At least an uninsulated air mat allows convection beneath the user in warm weather.
Just Jeff
06-21-2006, 03:57
I've found the HH to be bug-proof on bottom, but others with more voracious skeeters-n-such say they've been bitten through it. Looks like it just depends on what kind of bugs you have in your area.
titanium_hiker
06-21-2006, 23:55
I have used a fleece blanket under me- this is bulky though. :)
TH
Last week it was in the mid 60s at night in MD. I slept with the JRB Nest used as an underquilt and was so comfortable that I did not use my 45 degree bag as a top cover.
I even had my MacCat setup fairly high with one side proped up using my poles.
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/8/6/1/3/DhalgrenSite.jpg
nice pic. dgrav do you use a seperate ridge line for your maccat tarp? it looks so taunt. is it the standard or delux? do you feel coverage would be good in windy rain?
Just Jeff
06-25-2006, 13:29
MacCats are like that - it's a good design so no ridgeline is needed under there. Might be useful to hang stuff from, but not needed for that kind of taut hang.
Here's a video (http://www.tothewoods.net/ImagesHikingPictures/20051217WinnemuccaLakeVideo-5.MPG) of the MacCat Standard without a ridgeline in some pretty high winds - maybe 30 mph? - check out the snow blowing in the background. (Right Click - Save As...it may take a while)
nice pic. dgrav do you use a seperate ridge line for your maccat tarp? it looks so taunt. is it the standard or delux? do you feel coverage would be good in windy rain?
Thanks Doc. I use two, ten foot Air Core lines tied to either end of the tarp which are then tied directly to the trees. I use the JRB tarp pensioners on all four corners of the tarp to help take up any slack as the tarp stretches.
I have the MacCat Deluxe, it provides plenty coverage for my Explorer Ultra Light with extra left over to protect gear hung from the ridge line.
Originally bought the JRB 8x8 tarp but it was a bit to small for the Explorer. I was originally bummed that I had to move away from the two stake simplicity of the 8x8, but in practice I find the MacCat much easier to pitch really taught. Another plus with the MacCat is that you can stake the guy lines at any angle and get the same taught pitch.
We are still using the 8x8 for my wife's Ultra light Backpacker. It provides plenty of coverage for the smaller hammock, but it seems to only get really taught if it is staked out at a very steep angle.
I have found the process of setting up the tarp and hammock is critical for a taught pitch with the coverage where you need it.
What works best for me is the following:
Pack the hammock and tarp in separate snake skins.
On the hammock move the prusik knots so that they are outside of the snake skins and mark the head end of the hammock (I use a zip tie).
Hang the hammock first (leaving the snake skins on)
Attach one end of the tarp to the prusik knot on the head end of the hammock
Tie the other end of the tarp to the same tree as the foot end of the hammock
Remove tarp from snake skin
Stake out tarp guy lines
Unhook tarp from head end of hammock and tie off to the same tree as the hammock
Remove remove hammock from snake skin
Stakeout hammock guy lines
When I used to tie the tarp and the hammock separately to each tree to start with, there was a lot of guess work and luck in making sure it was positioned evenly across the hammock. Now I get the same setup every time on the first try!