It's 11:00 at night in upstate New York and I've just set up my hammock for my very first overnighter! I had planned on waiting until spring but after my second beer I said the hell with it and succumbed to my desires as usual. :) Does this bring back any memories for any of you salty dogs? I'm psyched! I'll be sleeping (hopefully) in my brand spankin' new Claytor Jungle hammock with a 2" full length Thermarest, a 20 degree sleeping bag and an extra blanket just in case. (hope springs eternal) I plan on sleeping in 300 weight fleece pants, a fleece top, and perhaps a hooded sweatshirt and smartwool cap. I almost bought a fleece balaclava at Wally World today but passed on it. I'll probably regret that decision about 3:00 am. :(

In any event....wish me luck, Miguel

Congrats on getting laid.:D

Hmm not what I thought this would be about. But the beer explains the title. Have fun on your first time out. Just be prepared. Once you hang, you don't go back.:rolleyes:


You'll be fine.

Welcome to the hanging crowd...now post the report!

Pan

Beer will do that. Congrats on getting hung. How'd it go?

It's 11:00 at night in upstate New York and I've just set up my hammock for my very first overnighter! I had planned on waiting until spring but after my second beer I said the hell with it and succumbed to my desires as usual. :) Does this bring back any memories for any of you salty dogs? I'm psyched! I'll be sleeping (hopefully) in my brand spankin' new Claytor Jungle hammock with a 2" full length Thermarest, a 20 degree sleeping bag and an extra blanket just in case. (hope springs eternal) I plan on sleeping in 300 weight fleece pants, a fleece top, and perhaps a hooded sweatshirt and smartwool cap. I almost bought a fleece balaclava at Wally World today but passed on it. I'll probably regret that decision about 3:00 am. :(

In any event....wish me luck, Miguel

:) two years ago about this time in november i decided it was time to go from being a warm weather hammocker to a 4 season hammocker.and i have never regreted that decisison:cool: neo

Lol - The beer/virginity/hammock combination has me really looking forward to hanging on Springer for New Year's.... :D

Well....I'm thinkin' I went from Hammock Hangin' Virgin to (drum roll please)....Hammock Hangin' Stud Muffin by surviving my first night in a hammock and my first night below the freezing mark in one fell swoop! Sorry for the belated post but because I slept so late:D , I had to rush to another committment which lasted all day and night.

Long story short...It went remarkably well and warmer than I expected. I nodded off around 11:30ish and got up at 8:00 AM. I literally felt better than when I sleep in my own bed...no bull! The hardest part was dealing with the ocassional car driving by as I was in my backyard. It sounds like a semi driving through your hammock at 3 in the morning.:( In reality it only woke me a few times but I easily fell back to sleep. Of course there was the obligatory watering of the leaves at about 5:30. I really debated getting out of the hammock to relieve myself but finally the pain won me over. I was anticipating the hassle of getting back in the bag again but it actually went rather smoothly. The next thing I knew I woke up and was mildly shocked upon discovering it was 8:00 AM which is longer than I normally ever sleep.

I was really amazed at how warm I remained. I did feel the occassional cool spot on my shoulder or arm because the thermarest didn't completely cover that area but it was never more than a very minor annoyance. Even though It wasn't much of a hassle I can see the value of an underquilt etc. My feet remained very warm throughout the night with just socks and a very thin pair of wool slippers. I did bring a blanket which I pulled over me at about 5:30. I did it not out of necessity but just to see if it made a difference on the sides. I did notice a bit of a difference. The next time out I'd like to try a CC foam pad which will fit all the way up the sides to where the hammock bottom meets the netting. I think that will do the trick. I slept both on my back and side and was comfortable both ways.

I think the biggest hassle was actually getting in the sleeping bag at the very beginning but I think I've solved the problem. I'm going to try the following today. While sitting on the edge of my hammock with feet on the ground I'll slip into the partially zipped sleeping bag as if pulling on a pair of pants, ease it past my waist, sit back down, pull the remaining part over my head and simply recline back into position while swinging my legs in last. Does anyone have any secrets regarding getting into your bag without getting it all distorted.?

All in all I had a great time. The next time I'll be in a much quieter location. I should add that there was no wind...the temps reached 30 degrees. If it had been windy I'm pretty sure I would have been much colder. Here's looking forward to many hammock hanging adventures. Thanks for all the advice and encouragement!

Miguel

One nite does not a stud muffin make.... but you are not a virgin...Way to give it up!

Best way to avoid the worm dance of the bag is to just use it as a quilt....

Pan

One nite does not a stud muffin make.... but you are not a virgin...Way to give it up!

Best way to avoid the worm dance of the bag is to just use it as a quilt....

Pan

OK....I'll concede to the Stud Muffin title but perhaps I've at least earned the right to sit around the fire of my more experienced Brethren....or perhaps not.

I thought about trying it as a quilt but frankly didn't think I'd be as warm. I have a huge rectangular bag which I once actually tried as a quilt. It actually fit fairly well. I'll have to try it out some again afternoon now that the temps have dropped. I don't really plan on doing much cold weather camping so I'm a little reluctant to invest in all the custom cold weather gear.

Miguel

OK....I'll concede to the Stud Muffin title but perhaps I've at least earned the right to sit around the fire of my more experienced Brethren....or perhaps not.

I thought about trying it as a quilt but frankly didn't think I'd be as warm. I have a huge rectangular bag which I once actually tried as a quilt. It actually fit fairly well. I'll have to try it out some again afternoon now that the temps have dropped. I don't really plan on doing much cold weather camping so I'm a little reluctant to invest in all the custom cold weather gear.

Miguel

Miguel,

Come sit at the fire...we are a happy lot... ;)

Pan

have a huge rectangular bag which I once actually tried as a quilt.

A huge bag could possibly be used as a pseudo-peapod. Check out the keeping warm page from Jeff's site; scroll down until you see the "pull-up bag" part.

http://www.tothewoods.net/HammockCampingWarm.html

So I'm curious about Miguel's question...can you be as warm using your bag as a quilt as opposed to zipping yourself up in it?

I have a similar question. Can you be warmer with the sleeping bag used as a quilt?

I was looking at this last time I as in my hammock with my bag over me. My bag is probibly around 3-4 feet wide at the head and about 2 feet at the foot. My hammock is only as wide as I am (insert fat joke here). I only put a couple inches underneath me. The rest is overtop of me. So I end up with extra sleeping bag on top on me that would not be there if I was in it. I think this adds extra loft and extra warmth.

Any thoughts?

Assuming and adequate bottom insulation... quilt or bag used as a quilt is as warm as a bag and less hassle....

ok...there may be some heat retention advantage to the bag used as a bag but never enough to compensate for an in adequate bottom insulation plan....

So... fix the bottom issue then take the lightest, most comfortable, easiest to use approach for the top.

Pan

The reason a bag may be warmer is that you don't get draft issues when you roll over...but that can be solved with practice with a quilt.

Also, you can wear the bag's hood, keeping all of your body heat inside one compartment, whereas with a quilt the hood or hat is separate.

But all in all, I don't think there's much difference after you get used to rolling over "in" the quilt instead of "with" the bag - and you're likely carrying a separate warm hat anyway so the bag's hood is like extra weight.

Recently, during my ongoing adventure on the back porch, I switched between fully zipped into the bag, to using bag as a blanket with a foot box (zipped a foot or so)

This was done after the mandatory (for me) trip to the head. It was just too much trouble to fight the zipper battle in my sleepy state.

The next night I started with the bag unzipped most of the way.

I am sleeping in a Zhammock with a 24 inch pad between the layers. I was just as warm without the bag under me. It is AMAZING how much insullation that 1/2 (?) of ccf gives. Temps in the mid 40's.

Also, the extra layer of hammock material seems to have some insulation value. The cold spots, when you get off the pad, are not as acute.

I didn't notice any gains from the bag piling up on top. It seems to "clump up on the sides, which may reduce cold spots.

Tom

Miguel-

Though I believe that most of the regular posters on this and other Hammock forums use quilts or use their bags as quilts, I know that there are many among us who prefer to be zipped up in our bags, perhaps because that is how we camped for so many years. Whether or not I am warmer inside my bag, I think I will be, and that's good enough for me. I also tuck a small pillow in the hood of my bag, which keeps it nicely in place. If I was not inside my bag, the hood would not be in the correct position for this.

Allen Leigh's article http://www.shire.net/mormon/hammock.html, which is the only thing I had read when I lost my hammock 'virginity' (no beer involved), describes the method I use. His instructions assume a top-entry (non-Hennessey) hammock without an attached bugnet.

Basically, your zipper ends up being more on top of you than along your side, because you have draped the bag open over the two sides before you got in. Mine ends up at the two o'clock position, if 12 is straight up. I also leave the foot end partially zipped so I can easily reach the zipper pull while still lying flat. As soon as I am flat on my back, I pull my knees up and tuck my feet into the zipped-up end. I find that if I sit up, the bag comes with me and it's tough to get it flat again underneath my back.

It takes a few times to become proficient at it, but that is so true with anything to do with hammock camping. I have taught several people this maneuver when they borrowed my hammocks, and they all were quickly successful.

Sounds like you are well on your way! Keep experimenting and posting your results.

Jonas