Does anyone have a better Ideal or light ideal to keep the morning chill off you in the mountains I really don't used my sleeping bag on summer hikes but am looking for another solution once I took a blanket but it was just not what I needed, also I know I can sleep in clothes but I really don't what too enjoy getting out of them at night will be grateful for any thoughts

I usually just carry a liner during the really hot nights of summer

thanks i saw something like that at rei and it works for you?

fleece cot blanket 50x60"

A silk liner works for me and it crushes down to the size of my fist.

If you think a cold night is coming it is good to go to bed early and get some sleep. Then when you wake up chilly you can sit up and make tea and eat and watch the sky.
Then hike at first light. That worked well on my trip last weekend, but I was catching low tide also.

My BMI is currently supposedly about 2000 kcal/day. I figure when sleeping with food in my belly its about 100 kcal/hour. If I sit up and drink tea and soup it seems alot warmer though. I would guess my burn only goes up to 120 kcal or so, but I reduce my surface area a little, and I'm consuming some hot liquids also. Plus when I get up to stretch I lose a little more heat but more than make up for it with a little extra activity. Personally I like a wool blanket for that sort of thing. Plus a rain poncho if it starts raining or whatever.

Sleeping on an empty belly is supposedly alot colder, for me only 80kcal/hour. There are some other effects like shivering though, and how low you can let your skin temperature drop. A small fire can radiate alot of heat towards you also. Even just to you face and neck can make a real difference. Another reason I like a wool blanket is you can sit closer.

When it's hot all I use on top is a bed sheet.

thanks for the info don't want to drag the bag around

A bed sheet works well, I wrapup in it like a coccoon.

Went on REI web page and found a cocoon travel sheet 6.5 oz going to go give it a look over and see if I want one

I heard or read somewhere recently that it is actually not all that un-natural or un-healthy to get up in the middle of the night. This would have been done traditionally for all sorts of reasons, like to keep a fire going, check on things, etc. It can also give you a chance to get your body all warmed up and fired up again before going back down for more sleep. There are alot of good strategies for keeping warm enough and getting enough sleep that work very well once your above freezing that don't work so well when the temperature is below freezing. The nights are shorter also towards summer, especially further North. So if you do have a bad night it doesn't have to be a long one, and you have enough daylight to have a nap during the day and still get lots of hiking in.

Staying warm is basically heat in = heat out, but there is more to it than a simple balance of metabolic heat production = heat retention with insulation. Here is a more complete summary of strategies:
0. Go to bed as warm and dry as possible, with as much insulation as you have available.
1. Choose your place to sleep in a place that is warmer and drier than others, but avoids exposure to cold night breezes and a clear open night sky. This is easier to practice and learn when you sleep with less clothing and sleeping gear and shelter.
2. Sleep with a full stomach to produce 20% more heat.
3. Wear dry wool to recover latent heat of body vapour, which is 20% of heat loss.
4. Hot water bottles or hot rocks can provide additional heat.
5. The outer layer of skin can be allowed to drop in temperature over time, which provides additional heat and insulation.
6. Getting up in the middle of the night to sit up and make tea with a small fire can raise the metabolism and obtain radiant heat and hot fluids and dry out wool layers and warm up outer skin layers and wool layer before going back to bed for more sleep. Having everything read ahead of time, i.e. lamp or candle, lighter and kindling, fuel or fuel wood, fire or stove, kettle of water, tea and honey.

With practice:
50F is relatively easy with just a blanket and light clothing.
40F is still comfortable if you get up a few times to warm up.
30F is still survivable, but will likely have to stay up all night,
preferably with a fire, or by night hiking if there is enough light and it can be done safely.

Usually with woods if there only a risk of frost the freezing temperatures can be avoided by finding a favourable spot with a warmer microclimate, avoiding places that are too high, or too low, or too dry and exposed, or to damp and dank. Certain trees are usually found in the most favourable places. Big Spruce trees are good here. Beaches are cold. I can't speak for sleeping on high exposed ridges, but I would imagine they are like a really cold beach? ;)

I think its always good to have a wind barrier, to get the most out of your blanket and clothing. If you have only a rain poncho you could use that, but that might be better as a tarp and having something else as you wind barrier immediately over your blanket and clothing. Wool hat and wool necky are always well worth their weight. Your second pair of wool socks can be worn as mitts, if they are dry, but are usually best just tucked in some place when not being used to check and adjust things. Some sort of ground sheet or ground pad is always good, but when going very light in summer it is debatable how much should go in to ground protection vs your blanket. Alot depends on how wet the ground might be, and whether dry bedding can be made available from natural materials without excessive impact. Wool blankets are flexible in that it can be used either way, but at some point a quilt and sleeping pad will be lighter and warmer. I'm still working on my summer system. Last trip I used two wool blankets and a poncho tarp. It worked ok, but it didn't get real cold, and it didn't rain. Work in progress for sure. Its rather cool hiking with a wool blanket draped over one shouder though. It doesn't all have to fit in your day pack. You can also roll it up and tuck it under the front straps.

Went on REI web page and found a cocoon travel sheet 6.5 oz going to go give it a look over and see if I want one

I dont know about the cocoon but I use the Sea to summit reactor liner alone during hot nights and it works great

what kind of hammock are you using. with a tarp to block wind you should be good down to 60* with a liner. if you want to test it out take some long johns for backup.

I have a cheap fleece blanket that is very lightweight and takes up very little space.

we talking hammocks, we are in hammock camping forum:confused:.
if you can guarantee the weather:-? go for it. but you are out for more then 3 days, have a way out. hypothermia can set in at 50*. the suggestion of staying up to stay warm will only work for a short time.
tempertures are a personal thing.( ive gotten A LOT of bad advice on winter camping.) so test out your gear and have fun with it. have a great hike.

I use a pad & JRB quilt

I used a pad & the Mont Bell inner down parka & pants last hike. Brought the quilt just in case.

Was very comfortable in high 50*s.

maryland in the summer is hot, hot and damn hot- this is not for a through hike just a week here in there there's a few trails I like to go out and explore and i don't want to take a 2.5 - 3 lb bag I pick up something at REI and going to tried it this weekend- late fall early winter and spring I have a 25 degree bag but been using my 45 degree bag all the other times and it gets way to hot and yes i used a hammock most of the time a tent 20% of the time and a bivy 30% of the time just looking to expand my hiking experience i'm going to be in the through class of 2020 and the pct 2025 can't wait yahoooo!

I use a pad & JRB quilt

I used a pad & the Mont Bell inner down parka & pants last hike. Brought the quilt just in case.

Was very comfortable in high 50*s.
same here. i carry a 1/4 pad from speer and a 40* quilt (DIY from a Big Angus)

From May through October, my home area can feature freezing temps for nighttime lows...then it gets cold for the rest of the year.:) During that reduced three-season period, I virtually never take a bag but I do always carry cold weather (insulated) clothing. The days are warm to hot, the nights cool to cold so the cold weather clothing comes out at night and is the basis of my sleep system. The rest of the sleep system is what I've always used, hanging or on the ground, in or out of a bag; light, fresh base layer, fresh wool socks, balaclava and fleece glove liners as necessary, etc.

This has worked very well for me...effectively giving me a dual use for the cold weather clothing which has yet to be used while hoofing down the trail in the day time. Despite the non-use, I still carry the jacket and pants 'cause it can snow during any month and freeze any week, May-October. With a thin pad and the clothing I'm good into the mid-20s in the hammock. If I ever run into colder temps with that system I can add my sit pad to the insulation or drop to the ground(:().

This all results in a two or three pound savings for me...those in warmer areas or the mountains of the east vs. the mountains of the west may not realize the same savings.

I think it's important to understand that sleeping in dedicated sleepwear is not the same as sleeping in clothes, no matter what the system. There's a lot of comfort to be had in putting on fresh sleepwear after a clean-up and lying down in a hammock.:sun

FB

I prefer to carry a 1lb down bag and almost no clothing for summer

From southern PA into Hanover, NH (mid June thru late July) I carried a Coleman, 50 degree bag which is nothing but a fleece blanket with a zipper. It worked well, is light, and cost about $30. at Wally-World

maryland in the summer is hot, hot and damn hot- this is not for a through hike just a week here in there there's a few trails I like to go out and explore and i don't want to take a 2.5 - 3 lb bag I pick up something at REI and going to tried it this weekend- late fall early winter and spring I have a 25 degree bag but been using my 45 degree bag all the other times and it gets way to hot and yes i used a hammock most of the time a tent 20% of the time and a bivy 30% of the time just looking to expand my hiking experience i'm going to be in the through class of 2020 and the pct 2025 can't wait yahoooo!
small world. i was just mapping out a kayak trip from fort mott, nj to elk park. nice hiking in your area. just stay safe and have a blast:)
KK

From southern PA into Hanover, NH (mid June thru late July) I carried a Coleman, 50 degree bag which is nothing but a fleece blanket with a zipper. It worked well, is light, and cost about $30. at Wally-World

Since you mentioned Wally World, I'm surprised that no one said anything about those cheap $10 fleece "sleeping bags" - nothing more than a lightweight fleece blanket with a zipper running across the foot and up the side. I bought one last year for a quick overnight trip in to the Earl Shaffer Shelter before it was removed, and it worked great for me.

YMMV.

Since you mentioned Wally World, I'm surprised that no one said anything about those cheap $10 fleece "sleeping bags" - nothing more than a lightweight fleece blanket with a zipper running across the foot and up the side.
I have a few of these, mostly for around the house. The biggest problem hiking with them is the fact that they don't compress...at all. I've shoved them in my pack a couple of times for short trips, but the lack of compressibility will keep them out of my pack for any kind of real hike. They are nice and warm, cheap too!

we talking hammocks, we are in hammock camping forum:confused:.
if you can guarantee the weather:-? go for it. but you are out for more then 3 days, have a way out. hypothermia can set in at 50*. the suggestion of staying up to stay warm will only work for a short time.
tempertures are a personal thing.( ive gotten A LOT of bad advice on winter camping.) so test out your gear and have fun with it. have a great hike.Oops. Sorry.

I agree about hypothermia risk even at 50F, especially if wet and tired. That is why I don't like skimping too much on clothes even in summer. In theory you can go lighter with light sleeping bag and almost no clothes and just dive into sleeping bag when cold, but in summer with long days and shorter nights and weather systems that tend to pass quicker another way to go is to have enough clothes to sit up under some shelter and make a meal if it gets nasty, or hike out of it, and catch up on sleep later when its less nasty. You have to be sure and rest up the next day though, in case you get another nasty night of it. Summer temps tend to cycle more on a daily basis, whereas in winter it is more on the synoptic cycle of 5-10 days. Even in winter I tend to skimp a little on sleep gear and shelter, but never on clothing.

I would like to try the hammock thing this summer.
How light can you go with a basic DIY starter hammock for 6' 200#?
Can a hammock double as a shelter or bivy?

I guess I should have asked how compact a hammock can be, packed volume wise. It's not the weight I am so concerned about in summer. I want to use my smaller pack. I wouldn't mind only using the hammock when its not raining, and using the hammock as a bivy or tarp and possible rain cape when it is. Is that do-able?

I guess I should have asked how compact a hammock can be, packed volume wise. It's not the weight I am so concerned about in summer. I want to use my smaller pack. I wouldn't mind only using the hammock when its not raining, and using the hammock as a bivy or tarp and possible rain cape when it is. Is that do-able?
Depends on the rig. A technical hammock (built-in bugnetting) like the Warbonnet Blackbird or Hennessy Hammocks pack down to about the size of a 2 liter bottle; you can get quite a bit smaller if you really crank them down in a compression sack. A hammock like a Speer Hammock that has removable bug netting can pack down about 2/3 smaller than those. A simple sling hammock like an ENO or Trek Light gets down to about 50% larger than a softball.

As for bivy use, again it will depend on the hammock. I don't have any real experience using any of my hammocks as a bivy, so I'll let someone else answer that question.

Thanks Cannibal. Quite compact then. Good to know.

yes, you can use hammocks as a ground shelter or bivy. but you need to remember it works best with hiking poles, or between 2 trees on the ground.hope this helps.

i usually keep my raingear inside with me, and just drape it over when i get those early morning chills.