I am new to hanging and get cold easily. On the ground I sleep fully clothed and use a 0 deg bag when under 50 deg, add insulated coveralls and hothands at my feet when under 20 deg. I am going to try a pad in the pocket of my BB which is reflective on one side and XPE on the other (8 oz). To me there is no such thing as too warm. I plan on using all of the above in my BB as conditions warrant.

It seems that most discussion of cold weather involves those who are partially clothed and without a bag but maybe adding an over/underquilt.

I am considering adding an underquilt, minicel pad and maybe one of pgibson's new topcovers for those less than 20 deg nights. I am already shedding nearly 3 lbs leaving my ground setup behind, so the added weight of underquilt/minicel/topcover should not be an issue. I know this is subjective, but assuming I am using all of my usual gear, am I overkilling this by adding the underquilt/minicel/topcover or would my 0 deg bag with the reflective/XPE pad be a good start?

Mark

You are right it is subjective. That said... I think it is worth a controled trial. By that I mean having a backup plan incase things don't go as you want. For many of us I suspect we would be fine with what you are suggesting so I think it is worth a try. But make sure that you are close to a safety zone... the car... the house what ever you would need if the plan is not as good as it needs to be. There are many threads on the forums about hot water bottles and suck to boost warmth in cold weather. Give it a try with appropriate safety measures. That;s the only way you'll know for sure.

Could you elaborate on the p gibson top cover?

Could you elaborate on the p gibson top cover?

Link For You. :)
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=10646

I am new to hanging and get cold easily. On the ground I sleep fully clothed and use a 0 deg bag when under 50 deg, add insulated coveralls and hothands at my feet when under 20 deg. I am going to try a pad in the pocket of my BB which is reflective on one side and XPE on the other (8 oz). To me there is no such thing as too warm. I plan on using all of the above in my BB as conditions warrant.

It seems that most discussion of cold weather involves those who are partially clothed and without a bag but maybe adding an over/underquilt.

I am considering adding an underquilt, minicel pad and maybe one of pgibson's new topcovers for those less than 20 deg nights. I am already shedding nearly 3 lbs leaving my ground setup behind, so the added weight of underquilt/minicel/topcover should not be an issue. I know this is subjective, but assuming I am using all of my usual gear, am I overkilling this by adding the underquilt/minicel/topcover or would my 0 deg bag with the reflective/XPE pad be a good start?

Mark

Recommend a quilt instead of a bag, as u sleep in a bag u compress the down touching your back while in the hammock, wasted weight-it aint keepin you warm. Jacks R better (their no-sniveller UQ can be worn as a jacket-eliminating the need for 2 carry a jacket also can be used as a Topquilt or UQ) makes great quilts, Brandon has the awesome 3 season 11-12oz (OMG) yeti, speer makes the snugfit (not really for less than 30 deg temps), TE-WA also makes 2/3 or 3/4 UQ's like brandon. Finally if u can drop a fortune on a quilt, Nunatak makes super super super light super warm quilts, but they are overpriced IMO, could do just as good with any of the above named products as well.

I say sell the bag in the forums, get what u can, use it toward an UQ, because i assume after hanging, u are never going to the ground again right? so why use it?

The bag/quilt question has a lot to do with personal preferences. I personally like the use of my sleeping bag open as a quilt. While some people think it is too wide and too much bag in the hammock I like it because there is lots of bag to wrap and tuck.
That's a personal preference thing and that's all it is. i would suggest you use the bag you have for the time being for this reason and this reason alone... The quilt is probably the easiest part of the system to tweak. Open it up as a quilt and use it a couple of times. If you like it then you are set. If you want to shed weight or bulk then swap it out and replace it with a quilt. That's up to you.