idea for staying warm

[stringbean]

i am convinced that a hammock would be right for me during my section hike from CT to ME next summer, as long as i can make sure i can stay warm. i own a kelty lightyear 45 down bag. my first idea is to just bring a pad, but what about laying down an emergency survival blanket under the sleeping bag? has anyone tried this? how well might it work? i can't really afford any of the expensive options like an underquilt, the way things are going right now i will just have enough money to go. if this idea wont work and a pad wont be enough i may have to go with a tarp or tent.

[FanaticFringer]

Do a search. Plenty of info. Or go here:www.tothewoods.net

[stringbean]

thanks, although there isn't any information on this particular idea, i did read that it is hard to stay on a pad in a hammock. i am pleased that my sleeping bag has loops on the bottom to attach a pad to it. maybe the pad will be ok and the e blanket will just come along for the "just in case" moments.

[landcruzr]

I have heard talk of condensation building up because the emergency blanket doesnt breath- being from CT- this is the perfect time to get out and try it now in the back yard or close to home- I'm new to the hammock hangin' crowd as well- and the recent weather is perfect for trying out the options for staying warm- let me know how you make out and what works for you
p.s. I'm taking a small group for a quick one nighter on the AT south of falls village if interested- probably the weekend of 9/23

[Amigi'sLastStand]

I just build a small fire under my hammock. I keep plenty warm.




Nah, j/k. I am not sure if that model is sil or just ripstop, but the problem with emergency blankets ( in all conditions ) is that they hold in moisture, ( like the sil hammocks do ).
If you slept on an emergency blanket, my gut tells me that you will make up in a sweat puddle.
I have an old hammock made of ripstop that I use here in florida because you cant ever find clear ground here and it's always wet from the rain. So in the winter time, I sleep on a fleece blanket, in my bag. No pad needed. That keeps me plenty warm, and the fleece blanket is light and small.

[txulrich]

i am convinced that a hammock would be right for me during my section hike from CT to ME next summer, as long as i can make sure i can stay warm. i own a kelty lightyear 45 down bag. my first idea is to just bring a pad, but what about laying down an emergency survival blanket under the sleeping bag? has anyone tried this? how well might it work? i can't really afford any of the expensive options like an underquilt, the way things are going right now i will just have enough money to go. if this idea wont work and a pad wont be enough i may have to go with a tarp or tent.

When I first started to hang, I used one of those fold-up truck windshield sunscreens. It was coated with a reflective surface, very much like most survival blankets I have seen. I was also using my 20 degree polarguard 3D sleeping bag. I first used it as a bag and later as a quilt. I was plenty warm, but I would wake up with a wet (not damp) spot under me due to condensation.

I tell you this bit of history not to discourage you, but to let you know what to expect from it. The pad alone will work as well, but it has been recommended in other threads to trim it on the foot end. It will stay in place better. You will also need additional insulation on the sides where the hammock wraps around you. A Speer SPE is pretty inexpensive and works pretty well at keeping things in place (so I'm told).

I eventually made the transistion to an underquilt and only use a pad when the temperature drops way down. If you can save some pennies between now and then, it would be worth the investment. It's more comfortable than sleeping on a pad and it breathes well so there are no wet spots to deal with. Just my $.02.

[hammock engineer]

Rock does something similar with his homeemade pad on www.hikinghq.net (http://www.hikinghq.net) . He takes a pad makes it wider at the shoulders, and attaches a reflective material onto the bottom. The reflective layer will reflect back some radatent (bad spelling) heat and the pad will stop the heat loss due to convenction from underneath.

I use an underquilt and bag into the 30's. After that I add a cc pad between me and the hammock. I have only needed to do this a couple times, but it worked pretty well. My first nights in my hammock where with a cheap 0 degree bag (probibly closer to 20 or 30 degrees) and a cc pad. I was fine into the low 40's and probibly lower.

You should be fine with a good bag/quilt and a pad. You are going to want a wide pad at the shoulders. Some people trim the pad towards the foot end and add extra width at the shoulders.

Have fun hanging, test away before you leave, and happy hanging.

[hammock engineer]

i did read that it is hard to stay on a pad in a hammock.

I remember reading somewhere on WB that someone glued something onto the bottom of their pad to keep it in place. I am thinking it was a shelf liner or something. Maybe someone else will remember. Rounding the top and bottom corners should help getting into place.

[stringbean]

thanks guys i really appreciate the replies. i may stay away from the emergency blanket idea... my bag is down and i don't want that to get wet. i will probably get a cheap blue closed cell pad and trim it to fit. landcruzer, thanks for the invite and i would love to tag along but i work on the weekends. i also don't have the hammock yet, its going to be an xmas present. i live paycheck to paycheck and i owe guitar center $1,200. if you ever have time i go out hiking multiple times during the week.

[SillyGirl]

Hi, Im new to this sight but I noticed that you were starting a hike from CT to ME next summer. My partner and I are also doing this. I was just curious as to when you were starting.

[stringbean]

we are going to start sometime in late may, no later than june 1st. how about you?

[Michele]

I eventually made the transistion to an underquilt and only use a pad when the temperature drops way down. If you can save some pennies between now and then, it would be worth the investment. It's more comfortable than sleeping on a pad and it breathes well so there are no wet spots to deal with. Just my $.02.

Hey txulrich, what's your definition of "way down" in reference to your above comment? Are you talking teens? Thanks.

[Amigi'sLastStand]

Hi, Im new to this sight but I noticed that you were starting a hike from CT to ME next summer. My partner and I are also doing this. I was just curious as to when you were starting.
:welcome to WB

[Fiddleback]

I eventually made the transistion to an underquilt and only use a pad when the temperature drops way down.

So tell me/us about your underquilt...at how low of temp does it keep you comfortable? Conversely, when you "only use a pad when the temperature drops way down" what temps are you talking about? I assume you use the pad and the underquilt during these colder temps?

I use Oware's pad covered with Campmor's light fleece throw and that combo get's me to the high-20s at a cost of ~21oz. For about 4oz more I can add a piece of blue foam which should drop my temp range but I'm resistant to adding pieces even if they are lightweight. Still, I'd rather my three-season insulation safety zone be closer to 20° than 30° so I'm looking for simple, light add-ons...and trying to keep an open mind about underquilts.;)

FB

[peter_pan]

String Bean, et al,

Emergence blankets, read mylar, are best for emergencies... over several hours or a night they will help produce and trap a lot of condensation... this is wet which is the natural enemy of all insulations to one degree or another...

Likewise, water robs the swimmer's heat faster than air...Water against the skin of the back is likewise making it harder on someone in the hammock.

Finally, water cools by evapoation so if you body produces enough heat to vaporize the sweat puddles, the puddles themselve are cooling so it will be colder still in the following moments.

To use mylar for extended time it must be flipped over every 2 to 3 hours and wiped down if still damp on the side toward the body.

If used in conjunction with a sleeping bag , you may not notice the sweat build up because it will be in the bag...OK for a night, even if it is heavier. but in the course of a week such use is courting disaster.

Of course you could put it next to your skin as a vapor barrier but that is a whole other discussion and I don't believe that is what you intended.

Welcome to the hanging crowd.

Pan

[SGT Rock]

IMO if you want an emergency blanket solution it would be this: Cut an emergency blanket to about 2' x 6' and then keep it rolled up inside your first aid kit. It will weigh about 1 ounce or so. Then, if it ever gets so cold you are freezing in your hammock even with all your stuff, you can lower your hammock to the ground like a bivy and use the space blanket piece as a ground cloth. Moving to ground is a viable option in super cold weather. And at those temps, the condensation will most likely freeze away from you anyway.

[Smile]

Emergency blanket? Noisy! Give it a try one night, you'll see what I mean ;)