View Full Version : Hammock and bag combo?
MtnBikerGuy
03-24-2008, 13:34
I have a new HH and plan on using it on the trail in April. I am trying to decide which bag/pad combo to use. On the ground, my favorite is my Big Agnes with the Big Agnes pad in the sleeve of the bag. It seems like this would be good in the HH, but getting it in the HH might be a slight issue. Has anyone tried a similar set up? I also have another bag with a termarest pad as well. As always, thanks to WB'ers for your input and advise.
take-a-knee
03-24-2008, 13:38
I have a new HH and plan on using it on the trail in April. I am trying to decide which bag/pad combo to use. On the ground, my favorite is my Big Agnes with the Big Agnes pad in the sleeve of the bag. It seems like this would be good in the HH, but getting it in the HH might be a slight issue. Has anyone tried a similar set up? I also have another bag with a termarest pad as well. As always, thanks to WB'ers for your input and advise.
No, it won't be a slight issue, it'll require the talent of Houdini. The best thing I've found is a wearable bag like a Feathered Friends Rock Wren or an Exped Wallcreeper. This allows you to enter and exit the hammock with your feet sticking out the opened bottom of the bag. This makes life a lot easier.
I just use a cheap nominal 0* synthetic bag with no pad for the HH. Last trip out (which got down to 25* with sleet) I experimented with a cheap fleece baby blanket which I put inside the bag and under me. Toasty warm and great night sleep. (No I don't count grams either.)
take-a-knee
03-24-2008, 14:21
I just use a cheap nominal 0* synthetic bag with no pad for the HH. Last trip out (which got down to 25* with sleet) I experimented with a cheap fleece baby blanket which I put inside the bag and under me. Toasty warm and great night sleep. (No I don't count grams either.)
You are either a really warm sleeper or just lucky one night, you'll freeze your a$$ (literally) with that set up sooner or later. You have to have bottom insulation in a hammock below about 40 F. CCF pads work, some get back sweats really bad from them, some don't.
RadioFreq
03-24-2008, 14:26
I have the exact setup you describe i.e. a Big Agnes which I use with either the BA inflatable mattress or a cheap Walmart CCF mat. The CCF mat works best in my HH and I use the inflatable on those occassions when I am forced to go to ground.
take-a-knee
03-24-2008, 14:34
I'm not that familiar with Big Agnes gear but if your pad is 20in wide, it would work best with a Speer SPE (segmented pad extender). Just use your bag as a top quilt.
iesman69
03-24-2008, 14:57
I like the blue CCF like RadioFreq mentioned, but am close to choosing the underquilt.
www.hammockforums.net (http://www.hammockforums.net)
You are either a really warm sleeper or just lucky one night, you'll freeze your a$$ (literally) with that set up sooner or later. You have to have bottom insulation in a hammock below about 40 F. CCF pads work, some get back sweats really bad from them, some don't.
Might be pretty warm sleeper and that happened to be a wind sheltered site. I've had several down to mid 30's nights with just the 0* bag in the HH though. Does it make a difference if the bag is synthetic (mine is) vs. down? (I am registered over on hammockforums but the discussions over there, though nicely civil compared to WB, make my head spin - and I aced thermodynamics in college...)
RadioFreq
03-24-2008, 15:22
I like the blue CCF like RadioFreq mentioned, but am close to choosing the underquilt.
www.hammockforums.net (http://www.hammockforums.net)
I also have a JRB underquilt.
MtnBikerGuy
03-24-2008, 15:29
I have the exact setup you describe i.e. a Big Agnes which I use with either the BA inflatable mattress or a cheap Walmart CCF mat. The CCF mat works best in my HH and I use the inflatable on those occassions when I am forced to go to ground.
Are you using the pad in the bag sleeve or are you laying the bag on top once you are inside?
gold bond
03-24-2008, 15:58
Forgive my ignorance because I am new to the hammock hanging. I have ordered a ENO single nest with the tarp and bug net and A HH Expodetion ASYLM.
I thought that when you used a hammock part of the weight savings was going without the pad a bag. Now I know about the quilts and have looked at one either thru Speer and or Jacks R Better....am I on the right track or back up and punt! Any recomondations?
take-a-knee
03-24-2008, 16:06
Might be pretty warm sleeper and that happened to be a wind sheltered site. I've had several down to mid 30's nights with just the 0* bag in the HH though. Does it make a difference if the bag is synthetic (mine is) vs. down? (I am registered over on hammockforums but the discussions over there, though nicely civil compared to WB, make my head spin - and I aced thermodynamics in college...)
It appears that a synthetic bag is just incompressible enough to offer a little warmth to the downside of a hammock, most report comfort into the forties, few any lower.
take-a-knee
03-24-2008, 16:11
Forgive my ignorance because I am new to the hammock hanging. I have ordered a ENO single nest with the tarp and bug net and A HH Expodetion ASYLM.
I thought that when you used a hammock part of the weight savings was going without the pad a bag. Now I know about the quilts and have looked at one either thru Speer and or Jacks R Better....am I on the right track or back up and punt! Any recomondations?
Try an evazote pad first, if you can sleep on it without excessive back sweating, that is your lightest option. Ten ounces of evazote is as warm as a s a twenty ounce down underquilt. The underquilt is more comfortable though, so it comes down to the inevitable tradeoff.
Oware sells 40 x60 evazote pads. Speer hammock sells a 30 x 72in pad. You need at least 28in in width for the pad. If you already have a thermarest get an SPE from Speer Hammocks. The Speer website has reported avg low comfort temps with different thermarest versions.
I to am going out in April with a hammock for the first time...I have a HHED and plan to use a speer SPE 4x4 with 1/2 inch wally world blue foam. I will sleep in a modified "Frog Sac"...I cut some arm holes in them (with velcro closures) and made a fleece version of the sac to wear inside...hopefull this will keep me warm down to freezing...we shall see. Have a great hike...cheers, bill
hammock engineer
03-24-2008, 17:31
I used the big angus pad a couple times in my hammock. Keep in mind that it raises your center of gravity. I was using a DIY speer. It was tipy but not bad.
I sleep pretty cold anymore. I would put it roughly down to the 50's or 40's for me.
The issue with bags inside you hammock is the compression from you laying on it. In hammocks insulation underneath you is more important than overtop, due to convection heat loss.
johnny quest
03-24-2008, 17:40
similar to take-a-knee, i use a speer spe (8 seg) with a blue ccf in my hennessy hammock. my bag is a RECTANGLE kelty lightyear. i can use it as a quilt over the top or crawl into it. ive tried my setup into the low 20s and its fine.
take-a-knee
03-24-2008, 18:14
If there are no budgetary limitations, the ultimate hammock bag would be a Feathered Friends Winter Wren special ordered with an overstuff and Event for the outer fabric. Also order a non-separating 3/4 zipper (the standard is a half zipper). This would enable the bag to be used as a top quilt in the hammock when it was too warm to wear it. You'd also have a killer sleeping bag for 3-season use anywhere in the US, and in some winter conditions.
similar to take-a-knee, i use a speer spe (8 seg) with a blue ccf in my hennessy hammock. my bag is a RECTANGLE kelty lightyear. i can use it as a quilt over the top or crawl into it. ive tried my setup into the low 20s and its fine.
i've got a JRB underquilt and a WM Caribou 35* bag. they're comfortable alone into the low 40s. once it gets lower than that, i add a blue foam pad to the inside. with that, and the addition of a hat, longjohns, and socks, i've been 'ok' at 27*F. (i'm a cold sleeper, and could probably have survived to about 25*, but 27 was about the limits of comfort for me with that gear.)
RadioFreq
03-25-2008, 11:56
Are you using the pad in the bag sleeve or are you laying the bag on top once you are inside?
One of the first things I learned (the hard way) when I went to a hammock was that it was such a pain to keep a mat and a sleeping bag aligned all night. The BA solves that by making your mat and sleeping bag one unit. That was its big selling point for me. Now if I roll over in my hammock the mat stays put, thus eliminating cold spots.
I am a budget hiker. The top of the line down equipment is not an option.After a year of experimentation, I currently use the following
double layer hammock (risks zhammock) (home made)
WalMart Pad between the layers.
1 1/2 pound synthetic bag (sportsman's Guide 50 degree rated)
army surplus poncho liner for back up.
I carry four layers of clothing;1. thin silk long johns, 2.EWC long johns, 3.quilted long johns and 4.rain suit (dry ducks). The clothing supplements the light duty bag in colder weather
I made a gear skin type pack. The sleeping pad acts as the frame of it.
The double layer hammock eliminates the problems of the pad inside the hammock. I did find that unacceptable in a single layer hammock.
Down to the forties, I use the bag as a quilt. in the 40's , I zip up the bag and I put the poncho liner over the top of the hammock, tying the ends underneath. It seals up the edges into the pad and is quite toasty inside.
I haven't been down to freezing yet, since I live in Florida and hike/camp may to September. down to 40 it's been fine.
miles of smiles,
Tom