Not sure about how all of you feel

[oldsparkey]

Not sure about how all of you feel about the things the manufactures of the camping gear tell us.

I am planning on a camping trip in the near future and when checking the weather it is a hard decision to figure out what is the best for staying warm while enjoying the comfort , especially when sleeping.

I know my hammock is for one person and offers a lot of comfort , that is a given factor :roll: ............. Tents are something else , a 3 person tent is great for one person and at times only offers shelter with reasonable comfort while sleeping on the ground and some other benefits.

"O" Well back to sleeping in comfort forgetting the tent vs the hammock idea ......... A 20 degree bag is reported to be good for anything down to 20 degrees....... NOT SO. At about 40 degrees you get cold and anything less then that ........ Rot's of ruck on staying warm unless you camp with all of your clothing on.

Since the lower temps are going to be in the middle 50's on this trip ( according to the weather experts ) I have decided on the 20 degree bag along with a fleece liner ( 15 degree reduction used in junction with the bag ) to have as a back up. If the weather warms up then the fleece liner can be my sleeping bag in the hammock with the 20 degree sleeping bag as a cover ( comforter ) for cooler weather if needed , or as a mattress under me in the hammock.

It appears to me that the best decisions are made by the camper as to what is right for there comfort and never what the manufactures tell us. :twisted: You just have to do a lot of camping to figure out what is right for you since all of us have different likes or dislikes. Experience and comfort or discomfort ( especially discomfort ) is the best teacher.

Chuck.........

 

[tx river rat]

One little trick I picked up is the chemical hand warmers. Chunk a couple in a bag thirty minutes before bed time and it will have the bed toasty and will last 6 hours. In really cold weather keep a ski mask handy , slip that on and it sure helps.
Ron
I hate being cold at night.

 

[a Bald Cypress]

If you are real worried.

Buy a couple of the Back pads http://www.thermacare.com/Default.aspx? ... raps$Broad

That is for real cold but the hand warmers will work also. I just don't think they are big enough if you are getting real chilled.

At 50 deg for the coldest, you should be OK with the fleece and bag.

 

[tx river rat]

Hunting and winter yaking here we encounter cold in the low 20s, believe me a couple hand warmers do help.
Plus the bag is warm when you get into it.
Ron

 

[jdupre']

Chuck, I have a 25 degree bag bought 20 years ago. I has synthetic insulation , Hollofil or Quallofil or some such. I've used it in sub 30 degree temps and had no problems. I do tend to wear most of what I have on kicking around camp before bedtime, though. Getting down to my skivvies , I might need something warmer. Chemical warmers are a definite plus. Something covering your head and neck is a must in my book for anything below the mid 40's.

The fleece liner is a great idea. Very versatile. Use it under you in the hammock or inside the sleeping bag, or by itself if it's a bit warmer.

Tent capacity given by manufacturers is a joke! My 9x9 Eureka is about right for 2 guys and their gear. Yeah, you can get 4 guys in there, but it won't be comfortable.

J

 

[oldsparkey]

The 20 that I have is a down bag from Campmor that has been with me for quite a while , standard box design. Cooler weather I have a stocking cap ( knit ) to wear and a cap does keep you a lot warmer.
The mummy bag is a 0 degree down with a hood on it. That hood is really nice in cold weather since it works as a stocking cap. Only problem is the temps we have around here , right now , are not good for a 0 degree bag. It is nice when going up north to camp. :roll:

Haven't used the fleece liner as a sleeping bag but have taken the inflatable mummy mattress for the hammock and put it inside the liner so the mattress was covered to lay on it with a sheet for a cover. That fleece feels a lot better then whatever they make those mattresses out of.
A mummy mattress about 1/2 to 3/4 inflated works really well in a hammock since it conforms to the shape of the hammock. It offers protection form any ( Body ) heat loss threw the bottom of the hammock. For myself , a hammock needs some sort of insulation between me and the bottom of it because you will lose a lot of heat threw the bottom of it without some form of insulation.

 

[Kayak Jack]

<SNIP> For myself , a hammock needs some sort of insulation between me and the bottom of it because you will lose a lot of heat threw the bottom of it without some form of insulation.

It does for everybody.

 

[oldsparkey]

<SNIP> For myself , a hammock needs some sort of insulation between me and the bottom of it because you will lose a lot of heat threw the bottom of it without some form of insulation.

It does for everybody.

That's what I like about a hammock.
Naturally in the colder times of the year you need more under you ( better insulation ) but in the summer it can be reduced for some cool camping comfort , normally just a thin blanket , folded under you. Unlike a tent which I like to call a sweat box in the summer months. The only salvation to tent camping in the summer ( For Me ) is to use a cot but then it is still hot in there. You just don't have as much air circulating around you.

If the hammock gets to warm then just roll over to one side off the blanket and it is like having 360 degree air conditioning since the whole thing is up off the ground. Then around the early morning hours get back on the blanket to warm up.

 

[Kayak Jack]

So far, I've not hammock camped in any conditions where I felt like nothing under me. Even in air temperatures in the 70's, I wanted something between me and the hammock. Somehow, hammock material seems to draw heat faster than I can replenish it.

 

[WDfrmTN]

Could be the type of bag, maybe? The mummy bags we used in The Corps and in The Guard I never zipped except in some of the coldest weather. I felt like a roasting pig in anything above 20* or so...but as they say "YMMV" :wink:

 

[Kayak Jack]

First, WTH is YMMV?

Second, bags that worked when we were younger, no longer seem to have the same "insulative" effect anymore.

 

[seedtick]

Your Mileage May Vary
you may have different results


get with it you old geezer

 

[oldsparkey]

Look at it this way......

On the ground you have something solid under you , either the ground or a mattress or both , normally both. In a hammock all that is under you is a fine piece of material and lots of air. You could call it 360 degree ventilation since you are suspended above the ground.
The bag compresses and loses a lot of it insulation factor so something between you and the bag that has an insulated factor is needed to stop the loss of body heat.

A half inflated mattress does the trick or one of the 3/8 inch thick army mattresses out of foam rubber works really good. I like to use a Therm-a-rest mummy mattress.

 

[mommicked]

Chuck,
Ever thought about setting that hammock real low to the ground, then building an air dam of leaves around/under it? Might not hurt. Sleeping pad on it, like others suggested would help.

A decent, mil-surp wool blanket, big one, going under, and over the sleeping bag would be a good addition to the insulation. I'd say it'd add 15 degrees to the comfort factor, easily.

Last, we used to use hammocks in our 'camp' as kids. Not being retired pirates, we tied our hammocks off at the 4 corners, the strings going -outwards- on diagonal, not inwards. This made them much more stable, and stretched them out better too! The naval use of a hammock was hung by the center to allow it to swing with the ship on rough seas, as well as to save on the number of steel hooks required per hammock. A camper, on shore, could do much better for himself tying his hammock off diagonal outward from the 4 corners. More stable, better stretched out.

 

[Kayak Jack]

This thread got resurrected. Somewhere, in a another galaxy and far far away, I'm pretty sure I mentioned using Ridge-Rest pads in a Hennessey Hammock? Actually, I taped two of then side by side - about an inch to 1 1/2" apart to facilitate folding. These were too large, so I cut them narrow at the head end (about 14" wide), wide at the shoulders (total double width), and narrowing down towards the feet (again, about 14" wide). This "coffin" shape has served well. The pad is also handy in camp for other duties:
Sit on it whilst taking a bath - located on a slight upslope so water drains off
Lay it beside the boat to kneel on while loading/unloading
Lay it inside the boat with a seat pad (a stadium seat, or Therma-Rest sport seats) and your legs stretched out on it

 

[oldsparkey]

They have a under quilt for hammocks. It fits under the hammock so the hammock rests on it or for better words in it without compressing it to wreck the insulation factor of the quilt. It appears to be a good idea for someone camping in really cold weather in a hammock.
Personally I like the pad inside the hammock and then the sleeping bag on the top of it. So far I have camped in some cold weather with the hammock rigged like I do and it is nice and comfortable. The only problem is getting out of it when Nature calls in the middle of the night. But it sure feels good when you get back in it and snuggle down in that bag.

I hang mine so it is about the height of the seat of a chair when you are in it. That makes for some easy in and out of the hammock.

Depending on the weather usually one of the following goes with me to help reduce the bags cold/chill factor.
I have one of the military wood blankets and it does a good job , part under the pad to anchor it and the rest over the bag for really cold weather.
When it is not with me I have a Kelty fleece mummy liner that works as a light weight bag or in the bag as additional insulation , they figure 10 degrees warmer when combined.
Another nice one ( Darn Comfortable and packs into a small bundle) to have is the Cocoon travel sheet , Silk sleeping bag liner , that also increases the insulation of the bag when used inside it and makes a really nice light weight summer bag when used by itself when camping.

As far as the hammocks swinging....
The Clark Tropical will swing a little after you get in it but then it comes to a rest. The ENO Hammocks swing a lot more when you get in them and will rock you to sleep. The Hennesseys will be rather solid due to the two elastic lines off the sides that spread the hammock out making it wider in the middle.

My complaint is when the manufacture tells you something is good down to 20 degrees then it should be good to 20 degrees and not 40. Fortunately down here it does not get that cold that often but only now and then. Usually when they say it will be 40 degrees then the weather gods decide to make it 20 degrees with a strong wind. My guess is the weather folks make there guesstimate for all the people at the tourist attractions and not for real weather.

 

[Kayak Jack]

They have a under quilt for hammocks. It fits under the hammock so the hammock rests on it or for better words in it without compressing it to wreck the insulation factor of the quilt. It appears to be a good idea for someone camping in really cold weather in a hammock.
Personally I like the pad inside the hammock and then the sleeping bag on the top of it. So far I have camped in some cold weather with the hammock rigged like I do and it is nice and comfortable. The only problem is getting out of it when Nature calls in the middle of the night. But it sure feels good when you get back in it and snuggle down in that bag. I hang mine so it is about the height of the seat of a chair when you are in it. That makes for some easy in and out of the hammock.<SNIP>

I've tried, several times, to follow Tom Hennessy's advice for "under the hammock" insulation. Somehow I could never get it to work worth a tinker's dam. So, I returned to my Ridge-Rest solution above.
In the middle of the night, if Nature calls, I never completely leave the hammock. Sit up, in the opening, simply stand up inside the opening, unzip the bag as required, and utilize a "Little John" ( http://www.aircraftspruce.com/search/search.php Item# 9741 $7.95 + S&H).

Re-entering the hammock is easier if I rezip the bag WITH the hood on my head, pull up all possible the slack in the rear BEFORE sitting back down, and then scquiggling (look THAT up in your Funk and Wagnell!) back into the hammock. I reach up over my head, grab a handful of hammock, and pull myself up.

 

[oldsparkey]

Re-entering the hammock is easier if I rezip the bag WITH the hood on my head, pull up all possible the slack in the rear BEFORE sitting back down, and then scquiggling (look THAT up in your Funk and Wagnell!) back into the hammock. I reach up over my head, grab a handful of hammock, and pull myself up.

That's why I like the Clark with the side entry. Just sit up , unzip a part of one side of the hammock , swing your legs out of the bag and hammock and you have it made. Even better I leave the pair of Crocks I wear under the hammock so I just slip my feet in them and stand up.
I wish Tom would of had his hammocks with the side zipper like he has now back when I got mine but that is water over the dam and ancient history.
Getting back in is just as easy , sit down in the hammock , swing the legs into the hammock and under the bag , lay down , zip the hammock up and go back to sleep.
Normally the ( Goose Down ) bag only has the zipper zipped up for about 2 feet , the rest of it is open and used as a quilt to cover me.

I found one of the Go Lite Quilts on sale and plan on trying it. The foot section has a box (so to speak ) for the feet and the rest is loose so you use it like a blanket. No zippers to fuss with. Plus it is synthetic filled , really light ( 1 pound 9 oz ,The long size ) and packs to about the size of a normal coffee can. It takes about a third of the space in the backpack that a normal sleeping bag takes especially my Down bag.

 

[jdupre']

Re: underquilts.

I've been experimenting ( imagine that!) with a makeshift underquilt made from a $5.00 comforter from Walmart. Folded it double, pinned the ends and ran a couple of cords through to hang it under my homemade hammock. Not too much fiddling to get it just right.........hugging the hammock bottom without compressing the insulation. At about 45 degrees F, I layed down in the hammock and within 30 seconds it actually felt like someone had plugged in an electric blanket. It actually felt like there was more than my body heat radiating back. Much nicer than the pad I was using between the double layers of the hammock bottom before.

I'll be trying it at the end of this month at the Second Annual Mississippi Lead Fling. Backpacking hammockers tend to use half-sized down filled underquilts for weight and bulk reasons. Mine packs down to the same size as my sleeping bag which is no problem car camping or kayak camping. One interesting note. Down has no magical insulating powers.....that is, 1" of down is about equivalent to 1" of some of the better synthetic insulation. Down just weighs less and packs smaller.

Joey

 

[woodman]

The cheap 0 deg. walmart bag I have doesn't keep my feet warm in 40 deg weather....Down in Sedona Az. for 3 weeks in May a couple of yrs ago.. sleeping in a tent or a tipi...Had a foam pad to sleep on and a second sleeping bag to throw over me...