25* degree bag ,30*degree weather & in a hammock?

[skyhiker2]

I have a marmot 25* sleeping bag and a HH ultra light hammock. I will be leaving to thru-hike the AT on March 15. ;going North.

WILL I BE WARM???? acording to the the weather history last year the lowest temp one night was 29*. every other night was above 30..

I'll take as many "Fact based Opinons" on this one as possible.

I could take a thermarest but would rather not. any night that I have to sleep in the shelter I'll just sleep on the floor " not a big deal for me".. but I do love the comfort of the HH.

Thanks in advance.....

[Kerosene]

Simple Answer: Absolutely no, you will not be warm.

Rationale: The down of your bag will compress underneath you, leaving only a few thin layers of nylon and crushed down between you and the 29* air outside. You need insulation underneath you, but even a Thermarest or closed cell foam pads aren't enough for freezing weather. You'll need to go with some sort of underquilt, and even then I'm not convinced that you'll be warm enough.

I'm not sure how you determined that 29* was the coldest overnight temperature on the AT last year. I'm confident that it got colder than that at elevation somewhere in March or April in the southern Appalachians.

Finally, just because your bag is rated to 20* doesn't mean that you'll be very comfortable at that temperature, especially in a hammock. If you will always be hanging, then you might want to go with sufficient bottom insulation (multiple underquilts?) and an overquilt to cut down on weight somewhat. The other hammockers on WhiteBlaze will provide more than enough opinions on this. While I love to hang, I'm not yet confident of my setup below 40*.

[hammock engineer]

What is the lowest you slept in the HH so far? I can not make it very low without some sort of bottom insulation. Somewhere around 70 degrees. In a hammock any part of your sleeping bag you lay on is compressed and worthless.

I have been down to around 30 degrees with a cc pad. I have been to 15 with a pad, JRB nest, hammock sock, and large tarp.

If you can, spend a few nights this winter in your HH in the backyard and see how it feels.

[hammock engineer]

Simple Answer: Absolutely no, you will not be warm.

Rationale: The down of your bag will compress underneath you, leaving only a few thin layers of nylon and crushed down between you and the 29* air outside. You need insulation underneath you, but even a Thermarest or closed cell foam pads aren't enough for freezing weather. You'll need to go with some sort of underquilt, and even then I'm not convinced that you'll be warm enough.

I'm not sure how you determined that 29* was the coldest overnight temperature on the AT last year. I'm confident that it got colder than that at elevation somewhere in March or April in the southern Appalachians.

Finally, just because your bag is rated to 20* doesn't mean that you'll be very comfortable at that temperature, especially in a hammock. If you will always be hanging, then you might want to go with sufficient bottom insulation (multiple underquilts?) and an overquilt to cut down on weight somewhat. The other hammockers on WhiteBlaze will provide more than enough opinions on this. While I love to hang, I'm not yet confident of my setup below 40*.

I have an underquilt and realy love it and use it almost every time I hang, but I think that you can make it with pads alone. They just are not as comfortable as an underquilt. I think I could make it in the low 20's with 1/2 inch cc pad. I haven't tried any of the thermarests so I can't speak for them.

Check out this thread on the hammock forums site. This thread is where people are listing their winter setups.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=345

[Touch of Grey]

As a fellow hanger, you will be warm except for where the insulation of the sleeping bag gets compressed beneath you. What this means is that when you sleep on the ground you have basically seven points of contact withe the ground at most times. Your head, your shoulders and arms, your buttocks and your feet/heels. These places will get cold sleeping on the ground without the use of a Thermarest or other insulation when the conditions are right such as early spring when the ground is still cold.

In a hammock the whole things cradles your body and so basically all the bottom side of you will compress the insulation and thus you will or might experience cold-spots. This is one of the reasons why there are quite a few threads on here about underquilts and windblocks and such.

Best thing for you to do seeing as how you live in the south is to do some tests during the next 80 some days before you begin your thru and see if you feel comfortable with your set-up for a couple of nights.

I too will be marching the trail about that time and hanging the entire distance if possible. I made an underquilt based on a design published on the Kickass Quilts web page that has two inches of loft below the hammock on the outside of it and a Wetern Mountaineering 5 degree bag as an overquilt for inside the hammock. If you have not already you should read on the following websites some of the info from people who have been there and done that and the reasons for doing certain things below a certain temperature.

Just Jeff (http://www.tothewoods.net/JeffsHikingPage.html)
Risk (http://www.imrisk.com/)
Kickass Quilts (http://www.kickassquilts.com/)
Jacks 'R' Better (http://www.jacksrbetter.com)
Ed Speer's Hammock Newsletter (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/www.hammockcamping.com/Newsletters/NEWS.htm)

TOG

[vipahman]

Or skip the underquilt and get a tent, you monkey! :p :)

[FanaticFringer]

Or skip the underquilt and get a tent, you monkey! :p :)

Everyone knows monkey's prefer the trees.:rolleyes:

[Michele]

Everyone knows monkey's prefer the trees.:rolleyes:


LOL!! That's hilarious!! :banana

[Michele]

I have a marmot 25* sleeping bag and a HH ultra light hammock. I will be leaving to thru-hike the AT on March 15. ;going North.

WILL I BE WARM???? acording to the the weather history last year the lowest temp one night was 29*. every other night was above 30..

I'll take as many "Fact based Opinons" on this one as possible.

I could take a thermarest but would rather not. any night that I have to sleep in the shelter I'll just sleep on the floor " not a big deal for me".. but I do love the comfort of the HH.

Thanks in advance.....

I kept up with Upload and Stitches from 2006, and the coldest temp they reported was 10 degrees while in the Smokies near Clingman's Dome, on March 27. I think there is absolutely no way you'll be warm enough w/out some underside insulation.

I'm an extremely cold sleeper, but I use an underquilt and a ccf pad inside the hammock, 20 degree WM bag (which I zip up in) and layer up with mid-weight thermals, fleece, hat, etc. The coldest temps I've been into are mid-high 20's, and if it drops much more I'll be adding boiling water to my waterbottles and throwing those into my bag w/me.

I may be an exception for how cold I get, but Hammock Engineer is a much much warmer sleeper than me, and notice he needs additional gear as well.

You can't beat the comfort of a hammock, but I'd try to do some cold nights so you'll learn your limits.

On a positive note, I figured the really really cold temps will occur during the first month I'm out there (starting March 12...see you out there!) so in the larger scale of things....a few miserable nights will be soon forgotten.

[Frosty]

WILL I BE WARM???? acording to the the weather history last year the lowest temp one night was 29*. every other night was above 30.......I have no idea if you will be warm, but your temps aren't correct. I hiked GA and part of NC last year in April and the temp got lower than 29* on more than one night.

[Frosty]

On a positive note, I figured the really really cold temps will occur during the first month I'm out there (starting March 12...see you out there!) so in the larger scale of things....a few miserable nights will be soon forgotten.Actually, you remember those nights, and tell the story of them year after year, with the overnight temperature dropping a degree or two with each telling. By the time you are my age, you will have spent many sub-zero nights surrounded by wolves and had to hike out barefoot because you ate your boots to avoid starvation.

"Why, when I was your age..." you'll say, but your grandchildren will just roll their eyes and leave the room to fire up their PlayStation.

[Michele]

Actually, you remember those nights, and tell the story of them year after year, with the overnight temperature dropping a degree or two with each telling. By the time you are my age, you will have spent many sub-zero nights surrounded by wolves and had to hike out barefoot because you ate your boots to avoid starvation.

"Why, when I was your age..." you'll say, but your grandchildren will just roll their eyes and leave the room to fire up their PlayStation.

LOL!! :D Weird how that happens huh?

[skyhiker2]

Yeah,, I thought that the temps might be off... it was some weather history site,, I should have knone because it was'nt operating very well...

I agree I will have to sleep in the back yard a few nights to work this out.. Not a problem.. I've got four acres of trees... I'll repost and let you know what I found out... thanks again

[bigcranky]

With four acres of trees, you could sleep in two different trees every night between now and your start date. That'll get you set for winter hammocking.... :)

[highway]

i leave in April, I'll take a HH, my bag is a 35F one, works fine

[hammock engineer]

I have a marmot 25* sleeping bag and a HH ultra light hammock. I will be leaving to thru-hike the AT on March 15. ;going North.

WILL I BE WARM???? acording to the the weather history last year the lowest temp one night was 29*. every other night was above 30..

I'll take as many "Fact based Opinons" on this one as possible.

I could take a thermarest but would rather not. any night that I have to sleep in the shelter I'll just sleep on the floor " not a big deal for me".. but I do love the comfort of the HH.

Thanks in advance.....

I forgot to add that if you can make it to MT Rogers the last weekend in Januaray a group of us hammocks are planning a campout. You are welcome to come and check out everyone's winter setups.

Here is the thread at hammock forums where we are talking about it.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=307

[Ramble~On]

I have a Marmot 25* bag and a HH and without an underquilt or a pad I'd be a maggot feast after I thawed out.:eek:

[Rambler]

Find extra wide lightweight closed cell foam pads at owareusa.com. Also, I would not totally discount the down down beneath you in a sleeping bag. The nylon and flatened down will help block drafts from below. Just do not rely on it as your only protection. Skyhiker2, with the Smoky Mt. NP in your backyard, you have the ideal location to test your gear.

[Tacoda]

I froze my nuts off with a 20 degree bag, a jack are better underquilt and an exterier storm shell under the underquilt.

in 30-35 degree weather.


Where I live, it get very cold. I consider myself a warm sleeper and in fact, turn of the heat many hours before I actually go to bed. But in a hammock, there is a different story.

[FanaticFringer]

I froze my nuts off with a 20 degree bag, a jack are better underquilt and an exterier storm shell under the underquilt.

in 30-35 degree weather.


Where I live, it get very cold. I consider myself a warm sleeper and in fact, turn of the heat many hours before I actually go to bed. But in a hammock, there is a different story.

My "Jewels" would freeze too with that set up.:D
I've used a SPE 2X2 (Speer Segmented Pad Extender) with good results.
Still a little cold when I rolled to the side. Just ordered a SPE 4X4.
This alone or maybe with an underquilt and my JRB Weathershield should take me down to seriously low temps with the "Jewels" nice and toasty.

[Ramble~On]

I put together a segmented pad extender and used (yeah, i know) Cotton. I made three wings going up each side & each wing is 8 inches wide and 20 inches long...so I added 16 inches onto the width of the pad.
The extender was sewn so that I have room to insert one or more pads.
I used a flannel type cotton instead of nylon because its not cold to the touch, less slippery and cause I had it on hand.
I have slept in hammocks without a pad or underquilt and in the height of summer it's great but I couldn't imagine trying to sleep in one during cold temps without some insulation.....just as I couldn't imagine sleeping in cold temps on a shelter floor without some insulation & padding.

[MedicineMan]

on the ground 7 points of contact, in the hammock an infinite number of contacts, this is why the hammock is so comfortable/comforting/healing/re****l.....this is the reason to make the effort to hang at any temp....
Use the sleeping bag you've got, get a down underquilt but most importantly carry at least a torso length ccf pad...this pad will give you tremendous gain in the thermal department, put it inside the hammock.
Next most important thing, and this is after 120 nights using an underquilt...set it up at home, get the distance (places where it attaches to the suppport lines) right (you may have to have a family member pad your bottom to test for loft and actually look down the hammock (where the underquilt cinches tight on each end) for gaping air holes....DO NOT take off the underquilt from the hammock...next, MARK where the underquilt attaches to the hammock support lines in case for some reason you have to remove the underquilt.....this dialing in will pay huge dividends when setting up. I keep the underquilt/hammock together for months on end, my top quilt, balaclava and down socks are inside the hammock along with a headlamp and all go into one cylinder on the LLP or into a dry bag if in the kayak....
Again DO NOT FORGET the ccf pad, it can be only 0.25inch and do wonders for increasing the temp rating at only a 5oz weight penalty...keep it outside the pack for a sit pad, or inside for frame support depending on the pack you have.
NEXT most important, remember that wind is your enemy in a hammock greatly moreso than in a tent...get a tarp that is big enough to go all the way to the ground on both sides...this way you can park your hammock sometimes up against something to block wind from one end and since the tarp is to the ground on both sides there is only one opening between you and the 'world'....you can also rake up leaves and nestle you rig into them if you set you hammock up low enough.....
Assuming I've found 2 trees 10-12 feet apart I can set up in 5 minutes including the leaf trick mainly because my underquilt is semi-permanently attached (and because I've set the rig up so many times and everything else sleep wise is already in the hammock).
If you go ahead and decide that an underquilt is the way to go (and either it or a pod is the way to go) then get the thickest/most loft/highest down rating you can afford.
Next, and this is probably number 1, is site selection, get off the ridge, nestle into the laurel or rhododendron thickets, get between two large hemlock, etc....just use the terrain to block wind.

[Hammerhead]

I just did my first official hanging last night at a state park near my house and the temp got down to 28 degrees and I was nice and toasty in my HH Asym and my Big Agnes Crystal 30 degree bag. I wore a light weight insulated bottom and top, a pair of cotton pants, a North Face Flight Series top, a North Face Vaporwick Henley, a Nike micro fleece top, and the fleece liner from my Columbia jacket and a wool hat. If I hang in lower temps I may bring a Wally World ccf pad but my Big Agnes performed great at 28 degrees.

[MedicineMan]

you had NOTHING under you except the Big Agnes?
and you hung in a state park....no rangers saw you?
every time and i mean EVERY time i've tried to hang in a start park---and that's at least 50 of them--i've been nabbed by the arm and told 'nothing can hang from any tree', ironically in every national park i tried to hang in it was not a problem-go figure, you'd think the feds would be the last to grasp LNT

[BillyBob58]

I just did my first official hanging last night at a state park near my house and the temp got down to 28 degrees and I was nice and toasty in my HH Asym and my Big Agnes Crystal 30 degree bag. .

Hammerhead, did you have a BA pad- or any pad at all of any brand- in the pad pocket of the BA Crystal bag?
Bill

[Hammerhead]

I had the blessing of the ranger, and there was only me and one other family camping that night. And all I had nothing but my BA Aircore pad under me. Now, I did have a fire going that night and I was very warm before going to bed, so I'm sure that helped a lot. I also had a warm meal before I retired for the night. I did notice a small cold spot under my butt but it wasn't anything to complain about. Also, there wasn't much of a breeze either. Sorry for leaving this info out in my last post.

[mountaineer]

I used a 20* bag and underquilt and was not real warm when the temps dropped, until I added my z-rest (closed cell pad). Carried it the rest of my thru-hike for keeping my bottom warm in the hammock, and sitting on it around camp and on breaks. I also used my rain parka for extra wind protection on the bottom after I sent my underquilt home, if the temp dropped too much.