pads are for hard surfaces. why would one need one for a hammock? makes no sense
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!
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!
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.
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.
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Woo
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?
Time is but the stream I go afishin' in.
Thoreau
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!
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
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.
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"I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. Thank God for Search and Rescue" - Robert Frost (first edit).
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.
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?
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.
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
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