View Full Version : Way to Cold to Sleep.
rgardn12
04-22-2013, 10:43
After struggling for months to find a hammock suspension system that was satisfactorily reliable and a simple I found the Tri-glide system from Jacks'R'Better which I LOVE and as a result this past weekend I decided to fully "test" the hammock and suspension at South Mountains State Park (NC) since I'd only setup in the yard a few times early this spring.
The weather called for 45* lows and mid-60* highs... unfortunately for me the temps PLUMMETED at dark. The recorded lows were somewhere near 35*-37* with a consistant 3-5mph breeze. I had on a wool toboggan and long thermal underwear, I was sleeping in my 40* bag which I quickly! realized was not sufficent.
This is my first trip using a hammock in early spring and it was an eye-opener to just how cold a hammock can be in sub-40* temps with or without a slight breeze... I have heard a bit about under/top quilts to keep warm (which I assumed were more sub-30* neccessities not sub-50*) but I am also interested in other methods and equipment you guys use to stay warm while keeping lightweight?
Thanks.
kayak karl
04-22-2013, 10:49
i need a pad or under quilt below 70. my pad fails below 30. my underquilt has been to -10 degrees. a bag works fine as a top quilt.
perdidochas
04-22-2013, 11:13
After struggling for months to find a hammock suspension system that was satisfactorily reliable and a simple I found the Tri-glide system from Jacks'R'Better which I LOVE and as a result this past weekend I decided to fully "test" the hammock and suspension at South Mountains State Park (NC) since I'd only setup in the yard a few times early this spring.
The weather called for 45* lows and mid-60* highs... unfortunately for me the temps PLUMMETED at dark. The recorded lows were somewhere near 35*-37* with a consistant 3-5mph breeze. I had on a wool toboggan and long thermal underwear, I was sleeping in my 40* bag which I quickly! realized was not sufficent.
This is my first trip using a hammock in early spring and it was an eye-opener to just how cold a hammock can be in sub-40* temps with or without a slight breeze... I have heard a bit about under/top quilts to keep warm (which I assumed were more sub-30* neccessities not sub-50*) but I am also interested in other methods and equipment you guys use to stay warm while keeping lightweight?
Thanks.
As Kayak Karl says, I need some kind of under insulation below about 70. I've used a pad (thin Walmart pad) to the mid 40s, but I sleep cold (meaning that I need more insulation than average). I use a bag as a topquilt.
Tom Murphy
04-22-2013, 11:29
You are going to need insluation underneath you. If you have a pad, you can try that out but there will be a lower limit for you. Eventually you will want to buy a quilt. There are 2/3 length underquilts but I like the full length ones.
Hammocks are more comfortable but are not a light weight option. Yuo can lighten up but a tarp/ground cover/pad/quilt combo is the UL standard
rgardn12
04-22-2013, 11:47
I've never really had a problem with my 40* bag and hammock down to 67* give or take a few (if I remember correctly) so I guess I sleep warm as is... but I can 100% agree that below that I've got to have something, I already have a thin ground pad I could use in a test or at least until I can invest in a underquilt...
quick question... has anyone ever designed a quilt that would essentially cocoon a hammock and fufill the role of both top and bottom quilt?
I've never really had a problem with my 40* bag and hammock down to 67* give or take a few (if I remember correctly) so I guess I sleep warm as is... but I can 100% agree that below that I've got to have something, I already have a thin ground pad I could use in a test or at least until I can invest in a underquilt...
quick question... has anyone ever designed a quilt that would essentially cocoon a hammock and fufill the role of both top and bottom quilt?
Check out Speer hammocks. I think they may have the system you are describing.
bigcranky
04-22-2013, 12:26
I use a closed cell foam pad as soon as the lows get below 70 or 75 -- which is pretty much all the time in the mountains. My current pad is a torso length cut from the wallyworld blue foam pad. It covers from my neck to just below my butt. It's warm down to 50 or so, and survivable down to 40. I've used a full length CCF pad down into the 20s with great success (the 25-inch wide Ridgerest XL.)
Just using the bag with no pad or underquilt is a recipe for becoming a popsicle. The insulation in the bottom of the bag is crushed into uselessness by your body weight -- same as sleeping on the ground, which is why people use pads there, too.
maybe clem
04-22-2013, 15:49
I was never able to get warm enough to be comfortable in my Hennessy. I had to finally admit hammocking was not for me.
kayak karl
04-22-2013, 16:21
Check out Speer hammocks. I think they may have the system you are describing.
yep, speer peapod (https://www.google.com/search?q=speer+peapod&client=firefox-a&hs=yy3&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=d5t1UYv-MtXF4APEhIDoAw&ved=0CEMQsAQ&biw=1138&bih=567)
Hammock Gear makes some great stuff. I have their 0* incubator and man does it work... like sleeping on an electric blanket. I just bought their burrow top quilt. You can keep your current bag and open it up to use as a top quilt, but eventually you might want to look at a real top quilt, which are often a lot lighter/less bulky than comparable sleeping bags. moving to a top quilt saved me a pound.
treesloth
04-23-2013, 10:35
I've never really had a problem with my 40* bag and hammock down to 67* give or take a few (if I remember correctly) so I guess I sleep warm as is... but I can 100% agree that below that I've got to have something, I already have a thin ground pad I could use in a test or at least until I can invest in a underquilt...
quick question... has anyone ever designed a quilt that would essentially cocoon a hammock and fufill the role of both top and bottom quilt?
This, gathered end only:
http://store.grandtrunkgoods.com/sleeping-bag
I use my Hennessy when its warm and love it. I use my tarp in the non buggy shoulder seasons. When it is cold I use, and recommend a tent for warmer, lighter, shelter.
rgardn12
04-23-2013, 22:44
That Grand Trunk Product is the exact concept I was attempting to "sketch" the other day it's sad that its so "over built" that it weighs in at 2.5lbs! if the idea catches on I don't see why the UL community won't figure out how to cut that weight in half (and double the price ;) for good measure) but at the time a good 40* 3/4 length UQ paired with a standard top quilt is only around 1.25lbs for sub $300.
For the time being I think i will be purchasing the Pheonix 40* UQ from Hammock Gear I've heard good things about the company and I figure that with that UQ and my 40* Bag I'd be good for just about any 3 season hanging i do on a regular basis...
At some point I may invest in a lighter top quilt to replace my bag. But keep the suggestions coming I appreciate any new ideas!
rgardn12
04-23-2013, 22:51
Also just out of curiosity for those that used the closed cell foam pads, has anyone tested to see how "low" you can comfortably go with one of the Thermarest Ridgerest SOLite or Z-lite SOL style pads? Thought since many if you say down to 50s with a standard pad maybe the "reflective coating" actually might work like the advertise (lol I know I may be delusional Right!?) and that could push down into the 40* areas...
cavediver256
04-23-2013, 22:55
A closed cell foam pad will be a great addition, but to experience the full comfort of the hammock with the warmth, a UQ does the trick.
lilricky
04-23-2013, 23:48
Someone needs Shug: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7NZVqpBUV0
I just did 50 miles on the first week of april from springer to unicoi and three guys I was hiking with all had hammocks. It would get in the thirties at night and a few of them were complaining about getting too cold and the wind. One guy had a military style foam sleeping pad that he put inside the hammocks and kinda molded it to the shape of the inside. He was very happy and warm. The foam seem to insulate and wind block very well. Another guy had a under quilt but he still was cold. I do not know what their sleeping bags were rated for. For the price and weight I would give it a test.
When you first start using an underquilt, it helps to get a partner who can help with the set-up so there's no gaps to allow movement. Can make the difference between a good night's sleep and dealing with cold spots.
Meant to say 'no gaps to allow air movement'.
I'm good with just a 25F sleeping bag down to about 65F. A CCF pad (blue wally) to about 35-40 in the Sierras. But sometimes I'll wake up with freezing feet in the middle of the night cause I moved the pad lol. I haven't tried the pad any lower, and I made myself an UQ last winter, so I'm not going to tempt it ;) .
But my UQ, with 2" of loft, was too hot for August in lowland Massachusetts (~550').
gunner76
04-24-2013, 10:05
When you use a sleeping bag in a hammock as a sleeping bag you compress the insulation under you so end up getting cold. Sleeping bags are best used as a Top Quilt. I have used a wallyworld foam pad down to 18 degrees. I was a bit chilly but ok. I prefer to use Under Quilts as I find them less bulky than pads and much more comfortable. Also pads work best in a double layer hammock as the pad is trapped between the two layers and does not shift as much. I also use a hammock sock for when it is both cold and windy. The sock blocks the wind that can suck the warmth right out of you.
WalksInDark
04-24-2013, 13:15
+1 i need a pad below 70.
While Stormcrow and hammock gear will do you right...I decided to just go with a down filled air mattress (EXPED DAM) and skip the whole underquilt step all together.
Using the DAM I have slept directly over a deep bed of snow (my tent has a floor) in -7 degree weather and was toasty warm.
A couple of days ago I saw a used 7 DAM for sale for less than $100.
slbirdnerd
04-24-2013, 15:40
I'm not a hanger, but if you have the right sleeping gear: Our Boy Scouts were out last weekend in Ohio, below 30, tenting in freezing rain. Mine (he is 10) has a good 20 degree bag, a liner, polypropylene base layer, fleece PJs, smartwool socks, and a fleece hat. He was fine. I would get the right stuff that the other hangers tell you to get! :)
I was in Md several years back, around mid-day, waiting for my wife to join up with me. I had gotten to our meeting spot in a state park several hours early, and decided to string up my hammock, without underquilt, and rest and read. After about 10 minutes I got out and attached my underquilt to the hammock as I was uncomfortable. It was a nice day, in the 70's or so, but the breeze chilled my backside. It would have to be hot, before I would not go ahead and use a underquilt now.