Question for you Hammock Pad users

[sirbingo]

What's up Y'all,

I'm going to be using a CCF sleeping pad with my HH next weekend.
I've looked into the various pad set-ups here and on the net but I'm sort of at a loss for what set-up I should choose....Hmmm :-?

Anyway, What sort of Hammock pad set-up do you guys/gals use?
Examples of the different setups I've looked into are:

Just a plain o'l pad
Segmented Pad Extender (SPE) (http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/SPE.htm)
Risk's Overlap Pad
SGT. Rock's pad with Wings

[jlb2012]

just plain o'l pad (blue CCF 20x72) pls some extra clothing (ex rain gear) that I stuff around my shoulders and another small piece of CCF that goes under my feet (normally a sit pad)

[hammock engineer]

I just use a plain cc pad. For hammock insulation purposes, the thiner (lighter) the better. All you are doind is stoping your heat loss due to convection. The pad stops the air from hitting your body through the bottom of the hammock.

But as with everything else, try it out at home first.

[stag3]

I have tried all sorts of HH sleeping pads, and find the cheap oper cell are my favorite. IMO, there is no need to get fancy.

For temps below 40, I use the blue WM egg crate, about 11$. This was perfect for me at 29 F.

Above 40. I have a new 3/8 in. blue pad from Bass pro shop...less than 10$

I was surprised how well these insulate.

You must however be sure to have something between you bag and the hammock side. Compressing the bag leads to instantaneous cold. I cut one piece from scraps of WM blue, about 12 in x 2 ft. I switch this to the side that is against the hammock--easy to do and it also serves as sitting pad.

One other idea is to use the bag as a quilt. This is so much easier in a hammock. Getting into and out of a sleeping bag in a hammock is more trouble than it's worth. Besides, the bag part under you is compressed....no insulation value.

Happy hanging:)

[mike!]

i have to say i tried the gossamer gear thinlight wide/long pad, its an 1/8th of an inch thick and i have to say that i was a little dissapointed, though now that i think of it, cant say im surprised. i can see this insulation used in a double hammock, but an 1/8th of an inch just isnt thick enough to keep the bad from folding in on itself and creating all kinds of uncomfortable spots. back to the old drawing board...
mike!

[SGT Rock]

Didn't like the egg crate style pads. A 24" wide pad that you trim to a mummy shape is what I reccomend. I have gone even lighter and cut my own from Evazote, but you don't absolutly need to do this, it only saves me a few ounces.

[sirbingo]

Thanks SGT Rock

Hmmm...Mummy shaped. :-?

Do you not incorporate wings into your Hammock Pad?

[SGT Rock]

When I was using a 24" wide I added a couple of 2" wings to either side, my current homemade pad was cut to my desired with of 28" wide from the original 40" width that the material came in. What I recommend is laying on the pad in the hammock and figuring out how wide you really need it so that when the pad wraps around you in the hammock, you can get it to cover all the way to your shoulders. In my case 24" was adequate, but 28" was mo' better and gave me about 1" of fudge factor on either side. You may want more or less. Anyway....

My pad is basically 28" wide at the top and 61.5" long, 18"wide at the feet. The wide end stays 28" for about 12" before it starts to taper. It is 1/2" wide which was created by laminating two 1/4" layers together with spray adhesive. The entire Enzolite version weighs 9.6 ounces. You could probably get a closed cell foam version to go about 12 ounces...

I use a clothing bag as a pillow under my head, and then the pad starts under my neck and goes all the way to my feet. Early version in closed cell included a piece under my head but I found I didn't need it AND the enzolite only came in 61.5" lengths anyway. You may decide you want a pad that goes all the way under your head that may be what is for you. I recommend going to Wal Mart and looking for the 24" cheap closed cell foam pad and play with it or going to a military surplus store and get a green army one that is the same width.

BTW, the reason I went to a mummy shape was not to cut down on weight, but to actually make the thing stay under me better in the hammock. When I left my test pad in it's normal rectangle shape it had a tendency to end up slightly shifted and curled up around my feet in the morning instead of under them. When I changed to a mummy shape it fixed that.

[RadioFreq]

BTW, the reason I went to a mummy shape was not to cut down on weight, but to actually make the thing stay under me better in the hammock. When I left my test pad in it's normal rectangle shape it had a tendency to end up slightly shifted and curled up around my feet in the morning instead of under them. When I changed to a mummy shape it fixed that.

Thanks for tip, Rock. I ran into the same problem with my WalMart CC pad last week and was wondering how to deal with it. I'm getting the scissors out as soon as I get home tonight. One quick question: I roll my mat up and bungee it (vertically) to the back of my REI 60 bag. Do you do something similar or do you fold yours and transport it differently?

[SGT Rock]

My system is a little different than any of that. I use a Moonbow Gearskin as my pack and the pad is used as a part of the packing system. It forms a "U" like a big taco and all my gear goes inside it, then the "pack" straps up around the pad.

[Just Jeff]

The key is to find the simplest thing that works for you. For me, that's an underquilt - but when I use a pad I've had best results with a homemade SPE. I can adjust the insulation under me since it holds multiple pads together (though I've just been using an inflatable for the cold), and it takes care of any hassle with compression causing cold shoulders and hips.

I haven't tried the Evazote pads, though. But here's a link that sells .5" CCF, 57" wide, by the linear foot. It used to be 64" wide but I guess they have a new lot now.
http://www.knoxfoam.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/closedcellfoam/closedcellfoam.htm?E+scstore

[Seeker]

before i got my underquilt, i used a blue foam pad with 4'' wings, sort of like an SPE, but duct taped into place. if you tape them all from one side first, fold them over like a hinge and THEN do the final taping on the other side, you can put the hinge side down and keep them from folding up on you. also made it really easy to fold back to its original 24" wide tube to line the inside of my Gust pack.

i rounded the top and bottom edges off, like Rock mentioned, so it wouldn't shift as much. i like the underquilt better though, even if it is a bit heavier.

second the suggestion to give up on using a bag like a bag, and just drape it like a quilt. zip it up about 12''-14'' or so, to use as a foot box. this works for me to about 50*... below that, i climb inside, even though its a hassle, do lessen the effects of blasts of cold air when rolling over while using it as a quilt. (i'm a cold weenie.)

[Fiddleback]

Oware's 60X40X¼" pad @ 7oz. It barely moves in the hammock, I've had no problems keeping it under me, and the extra width cups around the shoulders providing insulation and windblock. Works for me into the high-, maybe mid-20s. Bulky to pack.

FB

[SteveJ]

I use the Target 27" wide blue 3/8" ccf pad, trimmed on the bottom, as Sgt. Rock suggests. I like the 27" wide pad because, by itself, it's wide enough to keep me warm at the shoulders. If I expect it to be under 30 degrees or so, I'll bring an extra length of the pad - a little under 3 feet maybe - that I use crosswise under the full-length pad. It's long/wide enough to be sure that my shoulders and lower back don't get cold..... Under 20 degrees, it gets a little more complicated. The 6 or 8 times I've hammocked under 20 degrees, I've used a TR Guidelite on top of a Target pad. I've never gone below 10 degrees....

I do plan to eventually improve my setup by getting one of Ed's SPE's, and one day, either making or buying an underquilt.

I also strongly recommend using your sleeping bag as a quilt. I find that the only time I move when sleeping in a hammock is when I wake up for a bio break. I often go to sleep at 11 and sleep until daybreak - and find myself in the same position I went to sleep in. I'm a restless sleeper on the ground, and was skeptical of the idea of the quilt. Found that it works like a charm in the hammock. I made a down quilt from a thru-hiker kit - 22 ozs, with about 2.5 in of loft - used about 13 ozs of 800 fill down to make it, and have comfortably used it, with clothing, to 20 degrees or so....

Fun stuff!

Steve

[hogn8r]

I use regular CCF pads in 1/4 and 3/8 inch thickness, depending on the temps. I keep it all together with a homebuilt SPE.

[altut]

I finally got my hammock. For now i am going to use a 24in ccf pad i got at REI. Do you think that i could cut some of the legnth off and use my Jam pack as insulation under my lower legs and feet? Also at what temp do you think that a pad becomes overkill? I do most of my hiking in GA/NC and it gets real hot during the summer.

[Just Jeff]

It's tough enough to keep a pad underneath me in a hammock - I think it would be more hassle than it's worth to save ~2 oz by using a pack under my legs. Might be worth trying, though.

[SGT Rock]

Oware's 60X40X¼" pad @ 7oz. It barely moves in the hammock, I've had no problems keeping it under me, and the extra width cups around the shoulders providing insulation and windblock. Works for me into the high-, maybe mid-20s. Bulky to pack.

FB

That is the pad I got and trimmed to my use. I actually bought two of them, cut one with my pattern, and then glued it to the other and trimmed that one to the same size. My pads were actually 41"x61.5" when measured at home before cutting. I use this as a part of my system:

At 60F+ I use my JRB Quilt and pad since that is the lightest system I can get away with (almost) with an 18oz quilt and a 9.6 ounce pad. I have a lighter quilt, but it fits snug and in warm weather it is too hot, the No Sniveler works well as a top quilt because I can vent it. I have one of their even lighter quilts that would work great for hot weather, but my son co-opted it. If it is very warm, then I don't use the pad at all.

At 33F to 60F I add in my other quilt at 17.7oz and 1.2oz for the JRB suspension cords. This gives me a lot of comfort flexability - underquilt and no pad, underquilt and pad, pad and no underquilt. Note - I have taken this system below 30F with good results using my clothing.

Below 33F I add in the JRB Weathershield system which has taken me down well below freezing with comfort (and I wasn't even using the pad at the time). The adds another 14.4 ounces into the system. The last time I used this at 25F I was so warm I had to take clothing off inside my hammock. At this level I also have a mylar space blanked cut down to use as a cround cloth in case the weather gets so bad I want to set up on the ground as a bivy. In that case I would have a coocoon of pad under me and two quilts @ 3.5" of loft over me. I think I could make it sub zero with that.

[DavidR]

Thanks for the info SGT...this will certainly help me in my choices on what to take on future trips. I haven't tried many combinations since I just started hanging.

[lowslake]

just for fun, take a look at bigagnes.com....these bags seem to work great with hammock sleeping.

[Jenab]

Here's what I'm going to try.

One Ed Speer sleep pad - 40" x 72" - 16 oz.
One mylar space blanket - 52" x 84" - 16 oz.
One "family size" Neat Sheet - 114" x 90" - 32 oz.
One 25 degree sleeping bag - 36" x 80" - 56 oz.

Speer pad on top of mylar blanket with long dimensions of both running lengthwise in hammock.

Neat Sheet enfolding (like a book cover) both Speer pad and mylar blanket (like the book's pages). The Neat Sheet is initially slipped under the mylar blanket so that its long dimension is perpendicular to the hammock line, but once you fold it over the pad & blanket it fits.

Sleeping bag goes over the above assembly.

Weight of all the above is 7.5 pounds. Add the 4.5 pounds for the HH Safari Deluxe brings it to 12 pounds. Add one more mylar blanket for the colder nights: 13 pounds.

Will it work?

Jerry Abbott

[Just Jeff]

It'll work, but I bet the only difference you'll be able to tell with NeatSheet is that it wicks condensation...and that's a lot of weight for something that only wicks. If you're not multi-tasking it, I'd leave that 32 oz behind. JMO.

I'm not convinced on the mylar either - the pad is already windproof, and IMO that's the biggest advantage of space blankets as an emergency shelter. Others are convinced, though - test it and see what you like!

Here's my perspective - save 48 oz by leaving the NeatSheet and mylar at home. If you're still cold, add a 20x40 pad under your torso for 6-8 oz and you'll be warmer AND save 40+ oz. Then you can use the 20x40 as a sit pad during the day and you never have to listen to mylar crinkling. But like I said, if you're multi-tasking those two things you may not want to exchange them.

[SGT Rock]

I agree with Jeff on that. The Mylar does almost nothing to help but 16 ounces of foam will do a lot. The same goes for tha neat sheet.