View Full Version : hammock concerns
i recently bought a hh asym. i decided on a hammock because of the comfort, obviously, but also because of the size/weight/bulk/cost. I know i should have done more research before buying but i'm an impulse shopper, and i'm a little discouraged about the idea of having to lug a pad or underquilt around, not to mention the added cost.
The pads which seem more in my limited price range look very bulky. do they roll up or am i going to have a large foam rectangle strapped to my back scraping off of trees?
The underquilt looks more comfortable but what happens when it gets wet? how well does it compact?
also i have a cheap coleman sleeping bag that i was thinking of making into an underquilt. I know it won't be as effecient as down against the cold but i'm not really a winter camper anyway. i'm not planning on going out until spring (in PA lows of mid - high 40's i'd guess) could that be enough
also if you guys could give me some sites that sell pads and quilts I'd like to get an idea of exactly what they cost.
and and do it yourself designs would be great too.
i hope this post isn't too redundant. on top of being an impulse shopper I'm a lazy web surfer.
my pack is considered ultralightweight by some and lightweight by others. i personally don't care... i got the hammock because my 41 year old back doesn't like the ground anymore and it's easier to set up... i mostly solo hike, and carrying a 2 lb bivy/tent or a 2lb hammock makes no difference to me... i have to carry a pad in any case... a tarp would be lighter by far. but i won't sleep on the ground.depending on your climate and metabolism, you may or may not need more padding... i sleep cold. i even use a pad when it's over 70 out, and even without a sleeping bag... i just don't like my back getting cooled off at all... i use an underquilt when it's between 40 and 70, and the pad and underquilt together if it's colder than that. i've got a coal-burning daughter who sleeps with no covers most of the time, and she'd probably be able to take it another 5-10* colder than i can with the same insulation.that said, JRB (jacks r better) makes a good down underquilt. like all good down, it's expensive, but in my opinion, worth every penny. patrick, a WB poster, makes a good synthetic underquilt. his site is kickassquilts.com. down is lighter and packs smaller for the equivalent level of insulation...packing it... i use a go-lite gust pack. my foam pad (an $8 walmart 3/8" pad) goes inside, like a big tube. my sleeping bag is a WM Caribou. It packs down to about the size of a football, but i use a custom made (by me) stuff sack that doesn't mash it so badly. either way, it's about 8" around and as wide as my pack. the JRB quilt came with a tiny stuff sack, but again, i don't like mashing my down that hard, so i use my WM stuff sack instead... i think it weighs about 22 oz or so, about the same as two foam pads, but more comfortable and easier to manage. bottom line is it takes up little room, and there's no excuse for getting it wet. they also make undercovers (about 8oz?) if you're really worried about rain splashing up underneath and getting it wet. i alternate between using the small stock fly and a larger one. you can live through quite a downpour with the small stock fly. just takes experience.if you carried a tent, you'd need a pad of some sort anyway. whatever you were going to use, you can use inside the hammock. underquilt is warmer, if you need it. all depends on your climate.hope this helps.
peter_pan
12-12-2005, 19:14
also if you guys could give me some sites that sell pads and quilts I'd like to get an idea of exactly what they cost.
i hope this post isn't too redundant. on top of being an impulse shopper I'm a lazy web surfer.[/QUOTE]
Try this site...http://www.jacksrbetter.com....Recommend reading all the articles... there is a lot of good info in them , free for the reading.... check out all the pictures... there are quilts that pack virtually as small as a nalgene bottle.
Note the contest for a free quilt... super cheap way for some lucky purchaser to win a top quilt free... only a few days left.
Pan
Just Jeff
12-12-2005, 19:15
Toeknee - My page should answer most of those questions:
http://www.tothewoods.net/HammockCampingWarm.html
There's a picture on WB comparing the packed bulk of some pads and underquilts, I think. Might be in Gardenville's gallery.
Seeker - You gotta start using paragraph breaks, man - there's some good info in there but those long posts hurt my eyes!
Fiddleback
12-12-2005, 20:44
I would start with backyard testing using equipment you already have. If you don't already have some pads, get some cheapie blue foam things and start from there. I agree that you want to keep things as simple, light, and low volume as you can. And least expensive.;)
I personally use a 40X60X1/4" pad from Oware (owareusa.com) covered with a thin fleece throw (the throw seems to mitigate the problem of condensation). The pad is bulky to pack but light (7oz) and the pad/throw combination, at 21oz total, has kept me comfortable to well below freezing. That's not winter camping but it's good enough for most three season hanging. A 4oz addition of a piece of blue foam will probably take me down to 20 or less but I haven't tested that yet.
Most of all...your results will vary from everyone else's. You must try things out before you go out on the trail and freeze your bippy! Padding you don't need, insulation you do...probably when temps start to drop into the 60s, maybe while they're still in the 70s. My warmest night ever in a hammock was in the mid-50s so I've always used a pad. Part of the benefit of living in Montana.:D
FB
This thin / wide [blue] pad works wonders. Rolls up tight and weighs nothing. I got it at Target a coupl of years ago for $9.95
372
It's all I need. I tested it with my thermals and my 15* synthetic bag - I spent a delightful night (in my Clark with nothing above me) under the stars at 20*. Well my nose and eyes got cold...
toeknee,
Don't doubt your HH; you'll be wondering how you did without it in no time.
Pads are nothing, around ten bucks at Target or Wal-Mart. Lots of people have them in their packs as a cylinder. I always carried mine folded into three sections inside against my back. Bulkier than an underquilt, but not a big deal.
I'm in the process of putting up a "Make your own" page. It'll be up in a couple of days. I'll put a note up here in the hammock camping forum when it is.
Cost for materials for making your own should be about a hundred bucks. Just Jeff suggested I offer the materials as a kit. I'm not sure if I will, but it will probably be in the $90-$100 range shipped if I do and come with everything you need.
Here's a link to a (long) post of mine from the summer about cutting up a cheap synthetic sleeping bag and turning it into an underquilt. I used it for a week in MA this september and it was outstanding. Temps got to maybe the high 30s once, but were generally in the mid-40s and I slept very comfortably.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=10035&highlight=TNF
That only took about five easy hours. The insulation was thinner than what I use now and it fit into a Thermarest stuff sack well.
Keep us posted on what you decide to do. This forum is a fantastic resource. Also, don't forget to post pictures.
Here's a thread
Toeknee - My page should answer most of those questions:
http://www.tothewoods.net/HammockCampingWarm.html
There's a picture on WB comparing the packed bulk of some pads and underquilts, I think. Might be in Gardenville's gallery.
Seeker - You gotta start using paragraph breaks, man - there's some good info in there but those long posts hurt my eyes!
i'm tryin' man! i wrote to rock a few weeks back about it... i use them, but they don't seem to 'take' when i post it...
great website Just Jeff... well i'm having a hard time saying it without laughing but i think i'm gonna try sgt rock's "pad with wings".
Just Jeff
12-13-2005, 20:49
Haha...never thought of that. Nice.
me either... but i use one... it's pretty good... keeps your shoulders and knees warm... bring a knife in with you the first time you use it, to cut a few v-shaped slits in the sides to make it fit even better...
SGT Rock
12-14-2005, 18:53
i'm tryin' man! i wrote to rock a few weeks back about it... i use them, but they don't seem to 'take' when i post it...
Could it have been when my inbox was full?
I have the Coleman 5/5" green closed cell pad. works real well in cold temps, did 26deg. a coupl of weekends ago at the Peters Mtn Shelter. with a 35 deg bag and a Big Agnes 35 deg overbag.
Could it have been when my inbox was full?
no... you answered back... you couldn't figure it out either... no biggie... paragraph markings and smiles work now, for some reason...
(or maybe ATTroll just has it in for me... just me... goes into the secret 'screw with Seeker' part of the software, and randomly turns my editing ability on and off...) :D