Newbie's First Hang

[hpz937]

I recently picked up a hammock and had my first hang this weekend in the backyard to test my ability to stay warm.

I got down to upper 30's last night and i stayed very warm, here was my setup. Eno doublenest, 30 deg synthetic ins sleeping bag, thermarest pad, sol escape bivy.

The thermarest worked very well as insulation on my back, however, it is not big enough and made it a bit uncomfortable. I am going to superior hiking trail in a week, so trying to figure out something different for cheap and on short notice. I'm thinking of making the No-Sew PLUQ, a question I have is how low of temp will this work for if i ditch the thermarest? I may add it with the pad to get some extra warmth for the cold MN northshore, but i would prefer no pad.

[FLRider]

I'd recommend a no-sew PLUQ down to ~45* as a lower limit for most folks. I've successfully used it as low as 41* F with little trouble, but I'm also a remarkably warm sleeper. Without serious supplementation, I wouldn't rely on a no-sew PLUQ below 45* as the forecast.

As always, YMMV, though.

[cougarmeat]

Arrowhead has some new very flexible foam padding in their DIY section of the store (scroll to the bottom of the page). It's the same stuff their foot pads are made up. I asked for a larger size because it was so light. Arrow head is selling it in two thicknesses and two lengths. At 40 inches wide you can get it 40 inches or 80 inches long and 1/8th inch or ¼ inch thick.

[grannypat]

Welcome from SC. Have fun playing and tweeking your gear until you find what's right for you and your budget. I started with a 50 degree walmart sleeping bag and a pilates mat, which worked pretty good, but were very heavy. I've also tried reflectix, reflectix with fleece, and a large foam pad. Now I have down top quilts and bottom quilts and am surrounded by warm, downy goodness.