bmwsmity
02-19-2010, 09:02
So let me preface this little experiment with the fact that I'm a naturally warm person and probably tolerate cold better than others....however, I was most impressed with my results.
The setup:
Hennessy Ultralight Backpacker Hammock
Standard Sil Nylon rainfly that comes with the hammock, adjusted to rest on the hammock
Inside... first a jumbo size windshield sun deflector - $8 at walmart
Next... blue walmart sleeping pad - $4
Finally, a $10, 40 degree sleeping bag from walmart...
NO underquilt...
Clothing worn:
Columbia thermal bottoms
Exofficio boxer briefs
Smartwool socks, one pair
Nike ACG thermal long sleeve
Columbia GRT t shirt
Columbia GRT lightweight convertible pants
Northface lightweight fleece jacket (liner to my shell)
Columbia GRT Fleece Hat
Started off the night at 11:30pm...temp was 29 degrees. Forecast was for 19 degree low overnight... woke up, came in the house, and it said it was 16 degrees!
At first I had to lay with the sleeping bag open because I was too hot... probably due to having to wrestle around the setup inside to get situated properly... after about 30 min I finally zipped the bag up.
Around 4:00am my feet got a little cold... however, my feet are always cold and I always have a hard time keeping them warm while camping.
Other than my feet, I was warm. The only time I felt chilly on my body was if I laid on my side and had my bum or arm or something up against the side of the hammock and not on the mat. Other than that, was every bit as good as laying on the ground, sans the discomfort...
Now, the caveat is, there was little to no wind throughout the night...I'm sure if it was more breezy, I would have become a little chilly.
That said, I WAS only using a 40 degree rated sleeping bag that cost $10 at walmart...so who knows what temp the thing is really good for. It was a basic rectangular bag, not a mummy...
The only issues I had were:
I dont like breathing cold air while sleeping, and the air in the hammock was pretty chilly... could probably be remedied by a better over-cover. I covered my face up with the sleeping bag and it made the problem less annoying.
My feet got cold... a better sleeping bag could probably fix this, as well as foot warmers or booties or something.
The deflector and pad did scoot around a little...I'm thinking of using some sticky-back velcro to keep things in place and make setting it up easier, as well as making entry and exit less cumbersome.
I did have some frost inside the hammock when I woke up...not a huge deal..but I'd rather not have that. Not sure at that temp if there is any remedy though.
I have to say, for $12 at walmart, I was VERY impressed with my results...I was gonna drop $130 on a SuperShelter, but now I'm thinking that's unnecessary and the money would be better spent on a more stout over-cover tarp that would block wind better and a better sleeping bag.
I'm way too frugal to buy a $400 underquilt, and I'm sure there are plenty other people that feel the same way, so hopefully this helps some people save some money! :)
The setup:
Hennessy Ultralight Backpacker Hammock
Standard Sil Nylon rainfly that comes with the hammock, adjusted to rest on the hammock
Inside... first a jumbo size windshield sun deflector - $8 at walmart
Next... blue walmart sleeping pad - $4
Finally, a $10, 40 degree sleeping bag from walmart...
NO underquilt...
Clothing worn:
Columbia thermal bottoms
Exofficio boxer briefs
Smartwool socks, one pair
Nike ACG thermal long sleeve
Columbia GRT t shirt
Columbia GRT lightweight convertible pants
Northface lightweight fleece jacket (liner to my shell)
Columbia GRT Fleece Hat
Started off the night at 11:30pm...temp was 29 degrees. Forecast was for 19 degree low overnight... woke up, came in the house, and it said it was 16 degrees!
At first I had to lay with the sleeping bag open because I was too hot... probably due to having to wrestle around the setup inside to get situated properly... after about 30 min I finally zipped the bag up.
Around 4:00am my feet got a little cold... however, my feet are always cold and I always have a hard time keeping them warm while camping.
Other than my feet, I was warm. The only time I felt chilly on my body was if I laid on my side and had my bum or arm or something up against the side of the hammock and not on the mat. Other than that, was every bit as good as laying on the ground, sans the discomfort...
Now, the caveat is, there was little to no wind throughout the night...I'm sure if it was more breezy, I would have become a little chilly.
That said, I WAS only using a 40 degree rated sleeping bag that cost $10 at walmart...so who knows what temp the thing is really good for. It was a basic rectangular bag, not a mummy...
The only issues I had were:
I dont like breathing cold air while sleeping, and the air in the hammock was pretty chilly... could probably be remedied by a better over-cover. I covered my face up with the sleeping bag and it made the problem less annoying.
My feet got cold... a better sleeping bag could probably fix this, as well as foot warmers or booties or something.
The deflector and pad did scoot around a little...I'm thinking of using some sticky-back velcro to keep things in place and make setting it up easier, as well as making entry and exit less cumbersome.
I did have some frost inside the hammock when I woke up...not a huge deal..but I'd rather not have that. Not sure at that temp if there is any remedy though.
I have to say, for $12 at walmart, I was VERY impressed with my results...I was gonna drop $130 on a SuperShelter, but now I'm thinking that's unnecessary and the money would be better spent on a more stout over-cover tarp that would block wind better and a better sleeping bag.
I'm way too frugal to buy a $400 underquilt, and I'm sure there are plenty other people that feel the same way, so hopefully this helps some people save some money! :)