cold last night

[markmack]

went out last night to spend the first night in my hennessy, wow was it a misrable night(got down to 38F). i didnt take a pad i had my WM alpine lite bag(20F) and i had on my heavy long under wear. my front was warm but dam my backside was cold. now i understand the importance of a under quilt. i just dont know if the hammock thing is for me, its such a pain in the butt to get in with the bag on you and god help me if i have to pee in the middle of the night. after 5 hours freezing and mybe three hours restless sleep i got up packed up and started hiking. on a good note i did 25 mile in 9hrs a personal best for me, but 3hrs of it was in the dark.

[kayak karl]

glad you had a good hike. school of hard knocks hammock camping:D

[Tinker]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=38616&catid=member&imageuser=2502
I went back to a basic hammock so I could do this. Sold my HH. much happier now.

[Toolshed]

S'called experience...... glad you maede it through....

[WILLIAM HAYES]

I am a hammock hanger-sleeping bags are a pain in the butt in a hammock all the hammock hangers i know use an overquilt usually down and an underquilt check out hammock forums you can get great advice I have never been cold in a hammock and have been down to 15F using a down underquilt,overquilt and a closed cell pad and a woolen baselayer gloves two pair of socks a skull cap-The hennessey supershelter works welll also -- the reason your back got cold is because the bottom of a down sleeping bag loses it thermal value when it is compressed . check out hammock forums for advice about cold weather hammocking Shug has done a number of videos and you will find them to be helpful all of the members on hammock forums are great when it comes to providing assistance and guidance Jacks R Better ,stormcrow and others sell under and over quilts. Peersonally I would never go back to tenting I sleep better and can string up my hammock anywhere i can two suitable trees unlike tents when I had to look for a flat tent site.

Hillbilly

[gunner76]

For most people when the temps drop into the 60's you will probably need a pad or under quilt and when the temps drop in to 50"s you will need a pad or under quilt. Same as sleeping in a tent without some sort of insulation underneath, no insulation=cold night. I have a down bag rated to sub zero but without good insulation underneath, its cold.

I use a waffle patterned WallyWorld blue pad and have used it down to 18 degrees. ( I would love to get a underquilt but I can not afford one right now so I use what I have). When sleeping in a tent I find a need a much thicker pad not to keep me warm but to insulate me from the hard ground. I find sleeping in a hammock with a thin pad is much more comfortable than sleeping in a tent with very thick blow up pad. Plus I find it easier to get in and out of.

I use sleeping bags but as a top quilt (a synthetic for warm/cool weather and a down for cold weather. I leave the foot end partially zipped up. If it is very cold and or windy a tarp will help block the wind and stop the wind from robbing body heat.

My 5 cents worth (inflation)

[ShelterLeopard]

Hmm- the pad is really important for me. Without it, I'd freeze in a 10 degree bag in a 30 degree night. I lose too much heat through the bottom of my hammock.

[WalksInDark]

Ditto on the need for a pad when the temps get down below 60. Rather than an underquilt, I use an Exped Down Air Mattress. Given that I have chosen to become a ground dweller at temps below freezing...I can't tell you how well that combo works once things get very cold. But I can tell you that at temps of -15 in a tent...I had to put an arm or part of a leg out so I was not overheated.

[JaxHiker]

You don't necessarily need a UQ but you do need to do something to get the air off your back so you don't lose all that heat. An inexpensive start is the Jacks R Better Weathershield. You can snug that up against the bottom of the hammock and use an emergency blanket as a vapor shield. This will do a good job in moderate temps.

As William said the Supershelter works well. I've never been one to put a pad inside the hammock with me but having a thin one under the hammock (either in the SS or the WS) works well for me.

[Raul Perez]

A pad or an underquilt would have remedied your problem with CBS (Cold Back Syndrome)... But you chose to man up and go without... we have all done it when we first started hammock camping. Learn from it and get better at hanging. There is a learning curve with hammocks but once you get it you will have some great rests.

Personally I cant hang more than 10 minutes before I start dozing off now.