View Full Version : winter hammocking
Im trying to think of something i could use from my house for extra insulation that will actually keep me warm. I was thinking of making a pad out of half an old sleeping bag or soemthing of that sort. Do you think this would keep me warm in the teens or twenties with a 20 degree rated sleeping bag?
Ever check out the Speers Hammock Peapod? You should, might give you some ideas.
Here's a link for you... http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/PeaPod.htm
Cheers
Thanks! but im not looking to spend alot or any money on anything else besides what i already have, I could not find the peapod but i have checked out other underquilts which are in the hundreds! I'de rather go cold. would a regular sleeping pad be enough for a hike to the shenandoahs at the end of november be enough?
I could not find the peapod but i have checked out other underquilts which are in the hundreds!
I could not get the site to work at first but now i have. The pea pod looks so warm! but I am not planning on spending that kind of money
sylvia_claire
11-18-2009, 00:07
Ever check out the Speers Hammock Peapod? You should, might give you some ideas.
Here's a link for you... http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/PeaPod.htm
Cheers
Thanks! but im not looking to spend alot or any money on anything else besides what i already have, I could not find the peapod but i have checked out other underquilts which are in the hundreds! I'de rather go cold. would a regular sleeping pad be enough for a hike to the shenandoahs at the end of november be enough?
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WILLIAM HAYES
11-18-2009, 00:08
rig half of your bag as an underquilt cinch up ends of the bag to each end strap of the hammock use the other half as an over quilt do not sleep directly on the bottom half of the bag in other words dont use it as a pad inside the hammock leave a small gap between the bottom of the hammock and the sleeping bag so you dont compress the bag when you get in the hammock for extra warmth get a blue closed cell pad from wally mart for use inside the hammock as a pad you will stay pretty warm
take-a-knee
11-18-2009, 00:50
I could not get the site to work at first but now i have. The pea pod looks so warm! but I am not planning on spending that kind of money
Well, if you stay warm in a hammock you'll likely have to write a few painful chicks or freeze your arse off. About the most affordable/cost effective thing, especially if you already have a thermarest, is an SPE (segmented Pad Extender) from Speer Hammocks. It has "wings" for additional pieces of insulation to insulate your shoulders and arms, increasing the 20 in width of the pad where it is needed. Only $35 and 3oz. There is NOTHING that compares with down underquilt though.
Well, if you stay warm in a hammock you'll likely have to write a few painful chicks or freeze your arse off. About the most affordable/cost effective thing, especially if you already have a thermarest, is an SPE (segmented Pad Extender) from Speer Hammocks. It has "wings" for additional pieces of insulation to insulate your shoulders and arms, increasing the 20 in width of the pad where it is needed. Only $35 and 3oz. There is NOTHING that compares with down underquilt though.
Thanks for the suggestion, I think i am just ganna wing it with a closed cell sleeping pad and a wool blanket or something of the sort under my sleeping bag. If its to cold ill just use my tarp as a shelter and move to the ground.
At the 25*F point you will need atleast 1.5 inches of Pad or 2" thick of underquilt. If breezy then more will be needed. Use both and you have a ground/Shelter option and you will be comfortable.
Do a home/backyard Test all night with a bailout option and backup extra padding to see what warm really feels like. Once you get cold it is a slow process to warm up. Remember, after a long day of hiking a tired body does not make as much heat as a charged body full of glycogen/blood sugar. Add 20% to a home test for actual field comfort
The blue Walmart Pads are 26" wide which is normally enough width. Most other pads are 20" wide which as "take-a-knee" mentioned is inadequate.
kayak karl
11-18-2009, 02:45
Thanks for the suggestion, I think i am just ganna wing it with a closed cell sleeping pad and a wool blanket or something of the sort under my sleeping bag. If its to cold ill just use my tarp as a shelter and move to the ground.
wool blanket is too heavy to carry. two closed cell wal-mart pads should do the trick if you can stay on top of them. when testing go the whole night. it makes a big difference. the right underquilt will take u below zero if done right. wind or not.
papa john
11-18-2009, 09:14
You could try Reflectix. I have been down to 11* in a Hennessy with the Storm Shelter and a PeaPod. The PP is an excellent piece of gear and well worth the cashola.
sasquatch2014
11-18-2009, 09:32
You could even hang a thin tarp under your hammock and then fill that with dead leaves or any such material and that will provide some warmth. I have a Clark so I don't mess with all the under quilt stuff mine has pockets under it which you can store gear in, or, and I do this when really cold out I inflate ziplock bags and stuff them in there. The idea behind all of these, under quilt, a trap stuffed with leaves or the pockets like on the clark are all the same. Help keep your body warmth near you and the cold air outside away from you. Short simple answer anything that will create a zone of "dead air" will help.
I carry 1 & 1/2 blue pads and criss cross them under my torso. This prevents cold spots on the sides and gives extra insulation where you need it most.
I use a two layer home made hammock which eliminates most of the "stay on top of it " problem
trippclark
11-18-2009, 10:31
would a regular sleeping pad be enough for a hike to the shenandoahs at the end of november be enough?
Fo me, no. It would be a recipe for an uncomfortable experience.
Since switching from a tent to a hammock, I have been so pleased that I have made a decision never to go back to ground unless absolutely necessary, but I would not hammock in cold weather without a good insulation system. Yes, underquilts and peadods are pricy, but IMHO they are worth every penny and will last for decades if taken care of.
I remember reading somewhere somebody attached that silvery-bubblewrap Water Heater Insulator to the bottom of a blue CCF-pad and that worked like a charm.
Fiddleback
11-18-2009, 10:43
At the 25*F point you will need atleast 1.5 inches of Pad or 2" thick of underquilt. If breezy then more will be needed. Use both and you have a ground/Shelter option and you will be comfortable.
Do a home/backyard Test all night with a bailout option and backup extra padding to see what warm really feels like. Once you get cold it is a slow process to warm up. Remember, after a long day of hiking a tired body does not make as much heat as a charged body full of glycogen/blood sugar. Add 20% to a home test for actual field comfort
An inch and a half of closed cell pad? :D:D:D There might be a few that use an 1.5" pad in a hammock but I can't think of any posts I've read about such. Certainly not for a mere 25F temp range.
My 3/8" pad is perfectly suitable for 25F with my sleep system. That is, however, its limit as I've felt cold coming through at 22F. Still, if I added my 4oz sit pad (a blue foam piece) I'm pretty sure the temp range would be extended well into the teens or lower.
MJN: There are lots of underinsulation methods used in hammocks. CCF pads are probably the cheapest and easiest although not all like the idea of a pad inside a hammock. None the less, CCF is probably the most effective insulation, i.e., lightweight and cheap. Mine is 7oz and its cost was in the mid-$20's and I've never used anything else for hammock underinsulation. Their main downside is that pads like mine (60 X 40") are bulky to pack.
None the less, the recommendation to do backyard experiments is one of the best and most important suggestions for establishing a hammock sleep system. I always suggest one start out cheap and simple and build from there as needed. The idea of using an old sleeping bag as a pad probably won't be effective for the same reasons that a sleeping bag doesn't provide enough insulation in a hammock...too much compression/too much heat loss resulting from the ineffective insulation.
FB
Geez, take whatever you would put on the ground. Remember, the pad on the ground is for insulation, too, not just padding. You do need a wider pad than the typical 20", or use the SPE for somewhat minimal cost (although it kinda sounds like you're on your way out the door). Wool blanket is heavy, but I think I'd take it. Might get away with doubling it over and putting it on top of the pad, then the bag. Don't know how well all that will stay together when you get in the hammock, but have fun anyway!
psyculman
11-18-2009, 18:38
hammock forums.com answers any possible question you might think of.
I know a hammocker who took 4, yes, 4, blue Wally world CCF pads to a cold weather hang and reportedly stayed very warm with them. He uses an underquilt now.
To the OP, definitely go sign up at Hammock Forums if you're not already a member. Pose your question to the High Hammock Council* and I'm sure you'll have plenty of responses in no time.
*This is a joke, no such organization or body of people actually exists.
Fiddleback, I always give advice on the worst conditions not the ideal. At 25* I can feel the cold through a single layer of a 3/4" blue pad especially my lower back and shoulder blades. An extra layer of pad at the pressure points helps but 1.5" (Thermarest prolite) is warm.
I know a hammocker who took 4, yes, 4, blue Wally world CCF pads to a cold weather hang and reportedly stayed very warm with them. He uses an underquilt now.
To the OP, definitely go sign up at Hammock Forums if you're not already a member. Pose your question to the High Hammock Council* and I'm sure you'll have plenty of responses in no time.
*This is a joke, no such organization or body of people actually exists.
Don't lie. You are the Grand Poobah of that secret fraternity:D
Don't lie. You are the Grand Poobah of that secret fraternity:D
http://www.doodahsurf.com/Assets/Photos/BestCostume07/DDS07-BstCstm-3.jpg
bellycatt
11-19-2009, 00:14
I am a new to hiking with a hammock as well and only a section hiker, but I've checked out a lot of sites with all sorts of contraptions, but after a long day of hiking you want something easy to assemble and comfortable no matter the condition not to mention light weight. I have a 32* Marromt mummy bag and a double eno hammock. I thread the hammock through the bag, and sleep in my jacket and a silk liner (my version of the pea pod). I empy all my extra clothes and gear ( including pack) at each end of the hammock and underneath between the hammock and sleeping bag to give a little loft as needed. I've used a contoured sleeping pad in the same setup , but in a hammock is moves all over the place and is more comfortable without. I've also put hot water in my camel back and used it on my lower back (seal lid tight), and filled water bottles with hot water and placed them inside my extra wool socks. Put one at your feet and one near your head, and you should be set for the night. Tested two nights in a row at 25* I'm 5'2 and 115lbs, and I get cold easy, but I hate to carry anything unnecessary.
If you are switching (as most of us who hang did) from ground camping to hanging, you already have all you need to start, insulation wise. CCF pad or T-Rest under you, sleeping bag around or over you. If you have a fleece blanket: add tie outs or grommets to each corner & hang (using elastic cords & mini biners) snugly under your hammock. This is what I did my first cold weather hangout:
Sleeping bag used as a quilt
ME :p
3/4 length CCF pad
Truckers reflective Window shade
Hammock
Fleece blanket.
& I got down to 6 degrees with ease.
Fiddleback
11-19-2009, 10:39
Fiddleback, I always give advice on the worst conditions not the ideal. At 25* I can feel the cold through a single layer of a 3/4" blue pad especially my lower back and shoulder blades. An extra layer of pad at the pressure points helps but 1.5" (Thermarest prolite) is warm.
Ahhh...Thermarest! I just couldn't picture using an inch-and-an-half thick CCF.:D Can you imagine rolling/packing one...:eek:
To be sure, the individual camper (hot or cold sleeper?), current conditions and the rest of the components of an individual sleep system impact the underinsulation choice. The pads, underquilt, or whatever underinsulation should be considered as part of the "system"...change one part of a system adequate for the temps to be faced and another part or parts will have to be adjusted...usually. Such balancing is no doubt why my 3/8" pad gets me the same results as your 3/4" pad...differences between the rest of our sleep system and between 'us.'
For me, the issue is comfort. And, again for me, the first and most important comfort factor is staying warm. But there's the comfort factor experienced when lying down in a hammock vs. the ground, the comfort of a lighter pack, the comfort of convenience...
That's why your suggestion for backyard experiments is so important and spot-on. There's not much comfort in waking up in the middle of the night three hours from the trail head and learning the sleep system can't keep up with the temp...
FB
this thread brought Certain to mind. She was a notoriously cold sleeper who thru hiked a few years ago. She got an under quilt from JRB and was still cold. She got pretty good at rigging and was alright most of the time.
In the really cold weather, she would hang very close to the ground and pile up "duff" (that's what she called it. basically leaves) under the hammock. she then staked the tarp very close on the sides, effectively creating a closed shelter that blocked out the wind and underneath heat loss.
kayak karl
11-19-2009, 14:59
this thread brought Certain to mind. She was a notoriously cold sleeper who thru hiked a few years ago. She got an under quilt from JRB and was still cold. She got pretty good at rigging and was alright most of the time.
In the really cold weather, she would hang very close to the ground and pile up "duff" (that's what she called it. basically leaves) under the hammock. she then staked the tarp very close on the sides, effectively creating a closed shelter that blocked out the wind and underneath heat loss.
a warbonnet superfly tarp would solve the problem of wind and drifting snow.
http://warbonnetoutdoors.net/tarps.htm
Whatever you decide to do, take a couple of the foil space blankets along just in case. You can put one under the sleeping bag and one inside with you if all else fails. The are noisy but have saved my bacon a couple of times in the cold.
Mismatch
12-23-2009, 18:45
You could try Reflectix. I have been down to 11* in a Hennessy with the Storm Shelter and a PeaPod. The PP is an excellent piece of gear and well worth the cashola.
How did you use a pea pod with a hennessy? I thought the pea pods were only for top entry hammocks?
Go to Hammock forums, there is a similar topic under discussion:
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=12786
take-a-knee
12-23-2009, 20:33
Im trying to think of something i could use from my house for extra insulation that will actually keep me warm. I was thinking of making a pad out of half an old sleeping bag or something of that sort. Do you think this would keep me warm in the teens or twenties with a 20 degree rated sleeping bag?
This is analagous to saying, "I want to get into offshore racing but I really don't want to spend much money". The equipment has already been designed and is available for purchase from folks like Jacks R' Better. It is all niche-market, cottage industry, US made stuff. You can either buy it or, if you have the skill, make it yourself. There is also the Warbonnet Winter Yet underquilt available for the very reasonable price of $245.
Jacks R Better has the Mt Washington 3 Convertible underquilt system.
I have started with a Grand Trunk Ultralight Travel Hammock I purchased, on sale, from a mention in the forum. I figure I can add one component at a time.
I already know I want "snakeskins" and webbing for the trees.
I heard about Volara Closed Cell Foam (http://www.closedcellfoams.com/volara.html) for winter camping and for hammocks at a different forum. It is inexpensive: sold per lineal foot.