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  1. #21
    Registered User russb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wise Old Owl View Post
    I like this answer most... Thermarest not self inflating... uber light down to about 45 degrees and good wind blocker.. any colder and you wish you had taken a underquilt.

    I disagree. When it get real cold I ditch the UQ and go with more pads. Use them exclusively in subzero F with significant wind.

  2. #22
    Registered User kayak karl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by russb View Post
    I disagree. When it get real cold I ditch the UQ and go with more pads. Use them exclusively in subzero F with significant wind.
    how many pads do you carry for sub zero?
    I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.

  3. #23
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    pads are for hard surfaces. why would one need one for a hammock? makes no sense

  4. #24
    Registered User russb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kayak karl View Post
    how many pads do you carry for sub zero?
    Three. A wide walmart waffle. A 3/8in full length. And a section of a 3/8 turned sideways for shoulder to hip. Add a piece of relfectix for sub -neg 20.

  5. #25
    Registered User russb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lone Wolf View Post
    pads are for hard surfaces. why would one need one for a hammock? makes no sense
    Insulation.

  6. #26
    Registered User kayak karl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by russb View Post
    Three. A wide walmart waffle. A 3/8in full length. And a section of a 3/8 turned sideways for shoulder to hip. Add a piece of relfectix for sub -neg 20.
    how big is your pack
    I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.

  7. #27
    Registered User russb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kayak karl View Post
    how big is your pack
    Not very large. I use a GG Mariposa. The 2 longer pads don't go inside it. They are bulky for sure, but rather light (34 oz total) and keep me extremely warm.

  8. #28
    Hammock Hanger & Backpacker WalksInDark's Avatar
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    I have used the EXPED 7 DL DAM (down feather filled air mattress) repeatedly in my single layer Hennessey hammock. Lowest air temp in the Hennessey was around 30 degrees...with a 0 degree rated MontBell sleeping bag. In my Hennessey I occasionally have slipped off of the pad. Labor day weekend, I used the same pad and bag combo on a double layer hammock and am happy to report that I never even came close to going off of the pad.

    In terms of the EXPED DAM, I have slept in a tent (with a floor) pitched upon snow greater than 12" when air temps got into the -15 degree range..using the same 0 degree bag...but wearing a wool cap, fleece jacket, and fleece pants...and was quite comfortably warm.
    You May Be S l o w...But You Are Ahead Of Me!

  9. #29
    Hammock Hanger & Backpacker WalksInDark's Avatar
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    Almost forgot to add: using a full size air mattress in most single layer hammocks really eats up the interior space and may put your face uncomfortably close to the ridge line and/or noseeum mesh.
    You May Be S l o w...But You Are Ahead Of Me!

  10. #30
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    i just finished my A.T. thru and used a hammock with a z-fold and a 15 degree down bag the whole way. was never cold nor wet (except the couple times i was hung up on top of a mountain where the clouds saturated everything). you'll be fine w/a pad... even use reflectics if you want under the pad for extra insulation, but it can get sweaty then.
    "find what you love and let it kill you" -c.b.

  11. #31
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    I use a Thermarest Womens Prolite and a 3/4 Orca synthetic underquilt. I have a Warbonnet single layer and a WM bag. On really cold nights, read low teens, I put the Prolite in the bag with me, absolutely no slip sliding away. The Orca adds side warmth and wind protection and damp, foggy nights does not effect it's insulation value. I carry both because I like the option of sleeping in the shelter sometimes. The Orca is good down into the 40's, with the addition of the Prolite I can hang in teens and be cozy warm. Good luck with your choices and it is good advice to check out Hammock Forums.

  12. #32
    Registered User Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by russb View Post
    Three. A wide walmart waffle. A 3/8in full length. And a section of a 3/8 turned sideways for shoulder to hip. Add a piece of relfectix for sub -neg 20.

    It was good up to the 32 ounce part... you are carting two pounds of waffle. but if that works for you, awesome... I gave up on winter a while back. I take my 3/4 underquilt to exstend the seasons - I sleep cold.
    Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    Woo

  13. #33

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    Will a Neoair partially inflated fit between the double layers of a Warbonnet hammock? In that situation, would the partially inflated Neoair provide very much insulation?

  14. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by bangorme View Post
    I've never used a hammock, so please excuse my ignorance, but is their draw convenience? Because a one man tent can be under 2 pounds. My assumption was that hammocks would always be cold on the bottom without some insulation added there. I guess my point is that, weight being equal, is there an advantage to a hammock?
    If you don't sleep well on the ground, the extra sleep you get from the comfort of a hammock is worth it. In addition, you can camp wherever you have two trees 12 ft apart or so. You can camp on the side of a hill, for example.
    Time is but the stream I go afishin' in.
    Thoreau

  15. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lone Wolf View Post
    pads are for hard surfaces. why would one need one for a hammock? makes no sense
    Just like for hard surfaces--insulation from what's below you.
    Time is but the stream I go afishin' in.
    Thoreau

  16. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by perdidochas View Post
    If you don't sleep well on the ground, the extra sleep you get from the comfort of a hammock is worth it. In addition, you can camp wherever you have two trees 12 ft apart or so. You can camp on the side of a hill, for example.
    I don't want to hijack this thread, so I'm trying to stay out of it. I see some of the advantages now. However, I'm trying to picture myself sleeping on my side in one of these things... ouch! The spine bends forward really well, but sideways not so well.

    I don't have a problem sleeping on the ground on my LLBean Pathfinder self-inflating pad. It's also very warm. I'm really enjoying this thread because this hammock thing sounds like more weight, colder nights, not sure how you read in those things in the rain, and all the hassles you are all going through. They must be a blast in the wind though. Like being in a small boat in big waves. Must rock you to sleep!

  17. #37
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    I've just started my journey back into hammock camping but found that when I was lying directly on top of the pad I would slide off at some point during the night and end up with cold spots. The "fix" to my problem was to purchase a Big Agnes down bag (rated to 15 degrees) so I could slide my pad into the pocket on the bag. While I haven't used it in very cold weather yet I'm pretty sure I'll be OK down into the mid 30s at least; although I do sleep very warm without too much need for long underwear, etc. The pad I use is an old ultra light ThermaRest and I also did this so I'd have some flexibility with being able to sleep in the hammock, in a shelter or on the ground based on what I found each night along the trail.

    Best of luck in finding what works best for your needs. I think you can find a system that will work for you and still have the flexibility a pad allows.

    That's all for now. Take care and until next time...Be well.

    snapper

  18. #38
    Registered User Theosus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bangorme View Post
    I don't want to hijack this thread, so I'm trying to stay out of it. I see some of the advantages now. However, I'm trying to picture myself sleeping on my side in one of these things... ouch! The spine bends forward really well, but sideways not so well.
    If your spine is bent badly you arent sleeping right. You sleep across the hammock at a slight angle , and you lay flatter. I sleep on my side in a hennessy just fine, although I'm thinking about buying the longer one (im 6'02).

    Some asked "whats the draw? I can get a sub 2-pound tent".

    You have to weigh everything for one... weight your entire tent setup, sleeping pad, bag, etc. then comapre it to the entire hammock setup, including underquilt and top quilt, and see if it's the same. My old sleeping bag and borrowed pad were over four pounds. My quilt set (which means no pad) are less, and feel better. Then there's comfort. I'll carry a half pound for comfort and security. On my last newbie group hike, all the tenters got wet in some way when it rained all night. My hammock stayed dry. Also, when the bear rips through our camp, the tenters get dragged out of the side. I get to fall on the bear, which may help scare him off, plus, with a quilt set, I'm not trapped in the bag when he tries to eat me.
    Please don't read my blog at theosus1.Wordpress.com
    "I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. Thank God for Search and Rescue" - Robert Frost (first edit).

  19. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by Theosus View Post
    ... Also, when the bear rips through our camp, the tenters get dragged out of the side. I get to fall on the bear, which may help scare him off, plus, with a quilt set, I'm not trapped in the bag when he tries to eat me.
    Does the word pinata mean anything to you? That's how I'd feel zippered up in a swinging cocoon like that! I don't feel like becoming bear candy!

    I'm just kidding you. Bear safety is the last thing I worry about (on the AT that is).

  20. #40
    Registered User Tuckahoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bangorme View Post
    I've never used a hammock, so please excuse my ignorance, but is their draw convenience? Because a one man tent can be under 2 pounds. My assumption was that hammocks would always be cold on the bottom without some insulation added there. I guess my point is that, weight being equal, is there an advantage to a hammock?
    I am new to hammocks and admittedly there are more experienced folks can answer this question more effectively than myself. But for me the single most important benefit of the hammock was sleeping comfort.

    We all can tolerate a certain level of discomfort, but for myself I have been finding that it was getting much more difficult sleeping on the ground for multiple days. I needed a couple days after any sort of trip to recover, not from the physical activity, but from the lack of any real sleep.

    Quote Originally Posted by bangorme View Post
    Because a one man tent can be under 2 pounds.
    The weight of one's shelter in the end will always depend on what they choose to use and while tents can certainly come in at under 2 pounds, a hammock set up can as well.

    However, not everyone uses a sub 2 pound tent. I switched from using a Lightheart Gear Solo tent with a listed weight of 27 ounces. Then there was the addition of seam sealing, tent pegs, poles, and a foot print and the whole set up came in for a total of 48 ounces.

    My hammock and tarp setup, including spreader bars, seam sealing, guylines, pegs, and carabiners comes in at 60 ounces.

    For me, that 12 ounce additional weight is well worth it, and I have been able to drop that additional weight from other parts of my kit.

    I could certainly get a lighter hammock set up but there were certain things that I wanted. I knew I wanted a bridge hammock because I wanted to just lay flat and straight and I knew a gathered end hammock was not for me. I also wanted a large tarp and got one with a 12' ridge line.

    If the magic number of two pounds is important, it is easy to achieve. One option would be Warbonnet's Traveler single layer hammock at 16.5 ounces (http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/travelers.php) and their Edge tarp at 11.25 ounces (http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/tarps.php) for a listed weight of 27.75 ounces. A quarter pound under the 2 pound mark, and the same listed weight as the Lightheart Gear Solo.

    Additionally a Traveler hammock and Edge tarp combo, would cost $145. How many sub 2 pound tents cost less than $200?

    Quote Originally Posted by bangorme View Post
    My assumption was that hammocks would always be cold on the bottom without some insulation added there.
    My take on the subject is that there will always be the necessity to have insulation underneath, regardless if one is sleeping on the ground or in a hammock. Pads, air mattresses, and underquilts all are used for the same reason and what one has to understand is heat loss through either convection or conduction.

    Quote Originally Posted by bangorme View Post
    I'm... not sure how you read in those things in the rain, and all the hassles you are all going through.
    Its really not a hassle though. I have more space under my 12' by 10' tarp, than I did in my tent. I can relax comfortably in the hammock and read if its raining and I can sit in a manner using the hammock as a sling chair. Another benefit of the hammock is that I can set it up anywhere. I dont have to worry about the slope of the ground or large rocks underneath. I dont need the flatest ground.

    This is a picture of my set up from this last weekend.
    image_zps6cccb43a.jpeg

    Quote Originally Posted by bangorme View Post
    They must be a blast in the wind though. Like being in a small boat in big waves. Must rock you to sleep!
    Oh yes indeed. There is something very soothing and relaxing about the gentle swaying rocking you to sleep.

    And finally this Youtube video really had an impact on me. How many tents could have offered the ability to view the beauty of a storm like this?

    igne et ferrum est potentas
    "In the beginning, all America was Virginia." -​William Byrd

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