Staying warm mid Oct in NC

[Deerleg]

Looks like I will be heading to N Georgia the middle of October to section thru N Carolina up to Fontana Dam. I would like to carve another pound out of my pack by replacing my 44oz 20 degree down bag with the 25oz Old Rag Mnt quilt. I will use it in my HH with the nest and a small closed cell torso pad. I’m just a little concerned I won’t be warm enough. My guess is on the ridge it could be frosty by mid October. I used the HH with the Nest and down bag in February on the beach in Mississippi (without the pad) and did get quite chilled. It was unseasonably cold with nighttime lows in the mid 20’s. Just wondering how well the Nest, pad, and quilt will work.

[Egads]

Deerleg,

You should be good with a JRB ORM, Nest, & a CCF pad in a HH down to mid 20*s. You may consider adding a larger or second pad. Which quilt do you plan to use for the underquilt?

There is no telling what the weather will actually be doing during your hike, but Mts Sterling, Wayah Bald, & Mitchell have not dipped below 50* since last spring. I'm waiting on fall to arrive.

Egads

[jettjames]

hi, I'm not sure of the nest, but i hiked this spring, in march, with an eagles nest hammock and a speer pea pod, also had a 35 degree bag, I was WARM down to 5 degrees , hanging in the snow. I think the nest is comparable for the temps.

pt

[Cuffs]

***note to self to follow this thread, hiking in gsmnp in mid Oct...***

[Deerleg]

Deerleg,

You should be good with a JRB ORM, Nest, & a CCF pad in a HH down to mid 20*s. You may consider adding a larger or second pad. Which quilt do you plan to use for the underquilt?

Egads

I'm using the Nest as the underquilt...the sleep system would be the HH Ultralite Backpacker A-sym, Nest, CC pad, and the Old Rag Mnt quilt. Do I need an additional underquilt to go with the Nest assuming the lowest temps will be high 20's?

[bigmac_in]

Warm up a platypus full of water and take it to bed with you. That will help keep you warm.

[Deerleg]

Did lots of tent camping in the mid 80's in PA and built ridiculously large fires. I remember taking large rocks out of the fire, wrapping then in old towels and putting them in the tent on some of our winter camp outs. These days I carry a limited amount of fuel for cooking and practice no trace camping so a hot rock or hot water would be a bit of a luxury I think I am going to do without.

[peter_pan]

I'm using the Nest as the underquilt...the sleep system would be the HH Ultralite Backpacker A-sym, Nest, CC pad, and the Old Rag Mnt quilt. Do I need an additional underquilt to go with the Nest assuming the lowest temps will be high 20's?

Deerleg,

What you describe, properly suspended/used should be good into single digits....YMMV.

Pan

[Deerleg]

Deerleg,

What you describe, properly suspended/used should be good into single digits....YMMV.

Pan

Thanks Pan,
I was thinking the same thing. I should get the chance to test it out before I go as it’s likely we will have a few frosty nights here in NE Ohio before I head south next month.

[DawgU]

I haven't been able to use my set yet, but wouldn't it be warmer if you used the Old Rag for the UQ and the Nest for the OQ?

[Deerleg]

I haven't been able to use my set yet, but wouldn't it be warmer if you used the Old Rag for the UQ and the Nest for the OQ?

Sounds reasonable. Anybody out there with the Nest and ORM? Whats the warmer combination; Nest as under quilt and ORM as over quilt or is it warmer with the ORM under and Nest over?

[FanaticFringer]

Sounds reasonable. Anybody out there with the Nest and ORM? Whats the warmer combination; Nest as under quilt and ORM as over quilt or is it warmer with the ORM under and Nest over?

Definetely warmer underneath if the ORM is used as an underquilt. 3.5 inches of loft versus 2.5 for the Nest. Your clothing used can extend the temperature range of the Nest on top.

[StarLyte]

Hey Deerleg -

I would say pack as warm as you can carry, no chances.

Good luck on your hike.

[oldfivetango]

I'm curious what you guys wear to bed when you use the
ORM and nest.I am thinking about buying them but it is a
big investment and I really dont have a good place to spread
them out when not in use.
suggestions?
Oldfivetango

[Egads]

O5T

Hang the quilts in the closet with a spring loaded clothes hanger. No compression & they air out between uses.

Egads

[FanaticFringer]

I'm curious what you guys wear to bed when you use the
ORM and nest.I am thinking about buying them but it is a
big investment and I really dont have a good place to spread
them out when not in use.
suggestions?
Oldfivetango

You dont need both. Just use your existing bag on top like a quilt. Then get the Nest for the bottom. I usually pack clothing depending on expected temps. I've extended the range of my 30 degree No Sniveler top quilt down to 10 degrees with a few layers of thermals, balaclava, beanie, good wool sox, etc.

[Deerleg]

Set everything up in the back yard last night and did my 1st field-test with the ORM as the underquilt. It got down to 33* this morning and my impression was that the ORM was quite warm and the Nest was great as an overquilt. I was surprised at how much loft the Nest had as a overquilt when gathered around you compared to my 20* down bag. . Since I was used to using the slit on the Nest previously, to accommodate the opening in the A-sym, it took a while to figure out how to enter and exit the hammock using the ORM as an underquilt. At 1st I attempted to go thru the foot of the ORM and rigged it to expose more of the foot of the hammock, which was a bad idea as the underquilt in not properly positioned for optimum warmth. I discovered this morning you simply push the underquilt to one side to enter and exit.


I am still a rookie at rigging an underquilt…here’s a pix of how NOT to do it!
http://i9.tinypic.com/54006xz.jpg

You dont need both. Just use your existing bag on top like a quilt. ....

Its a weight savings that for me was from 44 oz. to 25oz. I guess you have to deside if its worth the $$ to save a little weight.

[generoll]

rather then begin a new thread I thought I'd piggyback on this one. Looking for some expert advice and opinion here.

several months ago someone mentioned that they had spent a night in a string hammock and were warmer then when they slept in one of the fabric hammocks. The speculation was that since the insulation from the sleeping bag was able to press through the openings on the hammock, there was useful insulation top and bottom. No one ever picked up on the idea and it hasn't been cold enough yet to test the theory, but I'm wondering. If you could find a way to attach a windblock underneath the hammock such that it didn't compress the insulation, but close enough to block heat loss from moving air would this be a feasible option? I guess what I want to know is if anyone has actually tried this and if so, how'd it work.

Any thoughts?

[whitefoot_hp]

sounds possible, generoll...

[peter_pan]

[QUOTE=Deerleg;407858]Set everything up in the back yard last night and did my 1st field-test with the ORM as the underquilt. It got down to 33* this morning and my impression was that the ORM was quite warm and the Nest was great as an overquilt. I was surprised at how much loft the Nest had as a overquilt when gathered around you compared to my 20* down bag. . Since I was used to using the slit on the Nest previously, to accommodate the opening in the A-sym, it took a while to figure out how to enter and exit the hammock using the ORM as an underquilt. At 1st I attempted to go thru the foot of the ORM and rigged it to expose more of the foot of the hammock, which was a bad idea as the underquilt in not properly positioned for optimum warmth. I discovered this morning you simply push the underquilt to one side to enter and exit.


I am still a rookie at rigging an underquilt…here’s a pix of how NOT to do it!
http://i9.tinypic.com/54006xz.jpg


Its a weight savings that for me was from 44 oz. to 25oz. I guess you have to deside if its worth the $$ to save a little weight.[/QUOTE


Your suspension system is not properly cinched with the second hitch just inboard of the HH sock cover on the end of the hammock body.... see the illustration on the JRB site... top of the products page.

Pan]