View Full Version : Sleeping pad in bag?
Dogginfox
12-10-2006, 02:29
Just wondering if anyone puts their sleeping pad inside of their sleeping bag to prevent it from sliding out from under them while in the hammock.
Hana_Hanger
12-10-2006, 03:50
Never tried that one yet with a regular sleeping bag...but a great idea.
I have did this with the Big Agnes Sleeping Bag since it is set up that way and it worked out great.
Just wondering if anyone puts their sleeping pad inside of their sleeping bag to prevent it from sliding out from under them while in the hammock.
You most likely want have room for both pad & you in bag.
terrapin_too
12-10-2006, 07:22
I'm not a hammocker... but it seems that would be kind of counterproductive. Check out some of the Big Agnes bags. They're made with a sleeve in the bottom that you slip the inflated pad into. Also, Nunatak make the 'Arc' line that are half-bag and half-quilt.
Fiddleback
12-10-2006, 11:46
Bag? We don't need no stinkin' bag!:D
western mountaineering has the same thing as big agnes. kind of makes sense whether you're in a hammock or not, with respect to insulation and money spent. they call theirs a "mummy system."
hammock engineer
12-10-2006, 13:30
I just lay on my pad with my mummy bag overtop of me like a quilt. The sleeping bag parts that are underneath you really don't insulate much. I slept down to around 30 like that.
What type of hammock are you using? Some people use a SPE to keep their pad in place. It is basically a nylon tube that holds your pad. There is also 2 layer Z hammocks that have a pocket in it for a pad. Might be something to look at.
I sewed a pad holder in the bottom of my tent, that way I can "feel" where I am in the tent when it's really dark, I just scoot back up onto it if I slide off - which seems often!
Never tried it in the bag, will do this next bag night out!
skyhiker2
12-19-2006, 16:28
Why use the pad when your sleeping in a hammock???
FanaticFringer
12-19-2006, 16:37
Quote from Ed Speer:
Winter hammock user's face a greater challenge than the winter ground sleeper since he/she is completely surrounded by heat-robbing air that is generally colder than the ground. Wind of course greatly increases the rate of heat loss from the bottom of the hammock. In exactly the same way that a bridge freezes before the road does, the hammock sleeper will also be exposed to greater cold on the bottom than the ground sleeper. Thus the hammock user must provide sufficient bottom insulation for sleeping comfort. The trick is to maximize the bottom insulation while minimizing the weight and bulk.
saimyoji
12-19-2006, 17:28
Why use the pad when your sleeping in a hammock???
Quote from Ed Speer:
Winter hammock user's face a greater challenge than the winter ground sleeper since he/she is completely surrounded by heat-robbing air that is generally colder than the ground. Wind of course greatly increases the rate of heat loss from the bottom of the hammock. In exactly the same way that a bridge freezes before the road does, the hammock sleeper will also be exposed to greater cold on the bottom than the ground sleeper. Thus the hammock user must provide sufficient bottom insulation for sleeping comfort. The trick is to maximize the bottom insulation while minimizing the weight and bulk.
Its one form of insulation. There are others, probably lighter, but its a good one; one that most hikers already have. I am working on a similar system, though my experience so far is leading me to find a way to insulate below the hammock rather than inside. Sleeping on top of and compressing the insulation is a waste of weight and insulation power.
FanaticFringer
12-19-2006, 22:36
Its one form of insulation. There are others, probably lighter, but its a good one; one that most hikers already have. I am working on a similar system, though my experience so far is leading me to find a way to insulate below the hammock rather than inside. Sleeping on top of and compressing the insulation is a waste of weight and insulation power.
Compressing a pad (closed cell) in a hammock will not affect it's insulation power and is definetely not a waste of weight.
Compressing a pad (closed cell) in a hammock will not affect it's insulation power and is definetely not a waste of weight.
definitely.....I've been in an HH, with a 3/8 ccf pad under a TR guidelite, on top of shining rock mtn, with temps in the low teens and wind gusts of 40 - 50 mph - and I used a 22 oz down quilt for top insulation! While an underquilt remains on my "want to get" list, it's hard to beat $11 for an 11 oz 27" wide Target ccf pad.....
with the El Nino weather we're experiencing, doesn't look like we'll be have these temps anytime in the next couple of weeks, tho....
http://tinyurl.com/yfamkw (http://tinyurl.com/yfamkw)
"Mild weather was expected to linger in most of the United States until at least early January"
"This is classic El Nino,"
saimyoji
12-19-2006, 23:22
Compressing a pad (closed cell) in a hammock will not affect it's insulation power and is definetely not a waste of weight.
Agreed, and I do use a CCF pad on my hammock, though for winter its not enough. I was thinking more along the lines of insulation offered by sleeping bag type stuff, the compression of which does indeed reduce insulation.
Ramble~On
12-20-2006, 05:33
Yes, I have tried that and didn't like it...it bunched up and might work well on the ground but in a hammock you're not totally flat.
Two solutions are to use an underquilt or a pad extender. There may be other alternatives but these are probably the most widely used.
I like to camp in winter...and used to put the hammocks away during the winter and use a tent. Last year I put the tents away and they haven't been used since in any season.
Underquilts are a lot more comfortable than having a pad in the hammock with you (IMO) I made a pad extender that I can use along with an underquilt. If you really like using a pad but are tired of having it slip out from under you or you keep finding that a leg or arm or whatever is off the pad and in a cold spot....give a pad extender a try.
I made one out of nylon and decided to try another fabric as nylon is slippy to sleep on. I found a lightweight flannel material in the discount bin at a local 24 hr, Arkansas based store that supports Chinese goods for a buck a yard. The weight between this material and the nylon wasn't enough to stop me from bagging on the nylon... I made a pad extender with six wings and large enough so that I can stuff up to two full size pads into it.
Here's three good links. \also search the threads here on WB there are quite a few good ones covering this topic and members who have their own sites with a wealth of information on staying warm in a hammock.
http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/SPE.htm
http://www.jacksrbetter.com/
http://www.kickassquilts.com/Home.html
saimyoji
12-20-2006, 07:29
I have broad shoulders, and as such am not so comfortable with other stuff inside the hammock with me (perhaps its the width/cut of my hammock:-? ). I really like the underquilt idea, will try to make an insulated hammock in the next week or so. I'm thinking the CCF pad might be a good component to start with for insulation....what about an old lightweight Thermolite Extreme sleeping bag?
Fiddleback
12-20-2006, 09:56
Seven ounces and 25°. YMMV.:D
My ¼" CCF pad has kept me comfortable down to the mid-20s although in lower temps I felt the cold coming through. The pad weighs 7oz...it's 60" long and 40" wide. In the Hennessy, the extra width cups around the shoulders and provides insulation and windblock there -- something that's sometimes an issue in a hammock. Occasionally during use it's not totally unwrinkled but it's never been a bother or caused me to get up and start over. While I can't just plop down on it, just a little extra care results in an relatively smooth and comfortable pad.
This is the only pad I've ever used in a hammock and I've never used an underquilt or such. While my experience is limited, then, I've also not read about anything that yields similar performance for the weight...7oz and 25° is fine with me right now. The only complaint I've had is that it's bulky but a new pack solved that problem.
Oware, which I got my pad from, has changed the dimensions...it's now 3/16" thick and weighs 6oz.
FB