Blackbird XLC Winter Sock

[Doubletime]

I was wondering what some of you folks are running for a complete winter sock for the XLC?

I have seen the one that Dutch sells along with the one on Warbonnets site but if I understand correctly that one would require an extender to make it work on the XLC?

I have also seen the all canvas one, has anyone ran one of those with their XLC?

Thanks in advance

[Zilla]

I was wondering what some of you folks are running for a complete winter sock for the XLC?

I have seen the one that Dutch sells along with the one on Warbonnets site but if I understand correctly that one would require an extender to make it work on the XLC?

I have also seen the all canvas one, has anyone ran one of those with their XLC?

Thanks in advance

I'm pretty sure that due to the tie outs on the Blackbirds that you would need to get the one that's on the Warbonnet site,, if you wanted to use another one like the one Dutch sells or Dream hammocks winter sock you could get away with it but you wouldn't be able to use your tie outs!,, You kinda need the tie outs to keep the shelf off your face though.

[mussleman1234]

Will warbonnets winter sock work with any dream hammock?

[hutzelbein]

Why do you want a winter sock for the XLC? Warbonnet doesn't sell a winter sock for the XLC because you have the option to use the top cover. If you want more protection, get an underquilt protector. Together with the top cover, this should give you similar protection as a sock.

If you insist on a sock, any sock that is made for 11' gathered end hammocks should work for the XLC. So would the WB travel sock with extenders.

Will warbonnets winter sock work with any dream hammock?

Yes, the WB travel sock will work with other hammocks, unless they are longer than 10'. In this case you need the extenders.

I'm pretty sure that due to the tie outs on the Blackbirds that you would need to guy the one that's on the Warbonnet site,, if you wanted to use another one like the one Dutch sells or Dream hammocks winter sock you could get away with it but you wouldn't be able to use your tie outs!,, You kinda need the tie outs to keep the shelf off your face though.

I don't know any sock - the WB sock included - that allows the use of tie-outs. This doesn't mean that you cannot use the shelf, though. I have used my WBBB (not the XLC) with the WB travel sock and I still used the shelf. The "shelf" turns more into a "saddle bag" without the tie-out, but it's useable. If you put heavy items on the shelf, it might bother you because you can feel them when lying in the hammock. I put my 1l water bottle plus a book, my phone and some clothing on the shelf, and it didn't bother me.

[PackedToLive]

While I can't answer the original question (I know of no winter sock for the Blackbird XLC) I can provide some advice that's seen me through some bitterly cold winters.

1) An underquilt or an inflating mat with a significant R rating.

I used to carry an underquilt, but I've now stopped because I got the Therm-A-Rest XTherm inflating mat, which provides greater thermal retention than the underquilt ever did (it's also a fraction of the size and weight).

Whether you're using an underquilt or a top-notch inflating mat, it'll stop you losing heat from the underside (as air moves over the underside, as well as remembering that the lofting of your sleeping bag becomes compressed under your own body weight)

2) A thin wool blanket over the structural ridgeline.

Tuck it in around your sides... now you've got a cavity of air being warmed by your body, that puts you at absolutely no risk of suffocation.

Even the thinnest 100% wool blanket (I highly recommend merino wool, personally) will add at least 10 degrees to your comfort. Plus, one of the worst things you can do at very low temperatures is inhale below-freezing air. If you think about it, once you inhale sub-zero air, you're immediately reducing your core body temperature (because that air goes directly into your core). A wool blanket ensures that the air you're breathing is proximate to your body temperature anyway.

I say "wool" because first and foremost it's completely breathable (you wouldn't want to use PU-coated nylon and suffocate in your sleep), but also because it will not allow condensation to build up on the inside (unlike the "solid cover" for the Blackbird, which condensates terribly in cold conditions with high relative air humidity)... regardless of how soggy your breath may be!

Remember that heat rises, so anything you can put over the top of you (with an air cavity no greater than twice your body's "thickness", but at least your body's "thickness" from the outside of your sleeping bag) is going to trap the vast majority of the heat you would otherwise lose immediately to the outside air.

Combined with my sleeping bag (I use the US GI Modular Sleep System from Tennier Industries) this setup keeps me toasty well into the negative numbers. To put a little perspective on how effective the setup is, I only need to use the MSS' Green bag (intended for summer use) down to around 12F.

[humer91]

-the biggest xtherm is only 25 inches wide, so forget covering both shoulders..
-it weighs 20 oz. only 2 oz less than my 20 underquilt
- packed down it is 11x4.5, my UQ packs down smaller
- the pad will move around, more for some people than others...my UQ stays where i put it, all night long
- The military sleep system weighs in at almost 11 pounds, even if you toss the bivy, that only removes 3lbs, down to 8lbs...where my 20 degree quilts combined weigh less than 40oz.

Anyway, like hutzelbein said, you CAN put a winter sock over your XLC, you will just have a hanging bag rather than a shelf. In using my XLC i rarely staked out the attachment points, i just let them hang.

[OutandBack]

The WB travel sock was designed for a 10' hammock but can be used with an 11' with some of the gathered end sticking out the ends.

I am wondering why you would want a sock for the XLC. Doesn't it have a winter cover and if so you might just need an underquilt protector.

I have a couple pict of a WB travel sock on a 11x60 Wilderness Logic Snipe if you would like to see how much hammock sticks out. Let me know.

[humer91]

the top cover is extra and supposedly you have to order it when you originally buy your hammock.

[PackedToLive]

-the biggest xtherm is only 25 inches wide, so forget covering both shoulders..
-it weighs 20 oz. only 2 oz less than my 20 underquilt
- packed down it is 11x4.5, my UQ packs down smaller
- the pad will move around, more for some people than others...my UQ stays where i put it, all night long
- The military sleep system weighs in at almost 11 pounds, even if you toss the bivy, that only removes 3lbs, down to 8lbs...where my 20 degree quilts combined weigh less than 40oz.

Anyway, like hutzelbein said, you CAN put a winter sock over your XLC, you will just have a hanging bag rather than a shelf. In using my XLC i rarely staked out the attachment points, i just let them hang.

- I don't see weight mentioned anywhere in the OP
- weighed my XTherm in its stuff sack and it weighs a 15oz, not 20 (is there a larger size than "large"?)
- nor do I have any issues with the XTherm shifting around in the night
- nor have I had problems with my shoulders hanging over the sides (but you might be wider than me)
- and your packed down measurements are VASTLY larger than mine is packed down to at this very moment (which leads me to again wonder if they've got a size higher than "large").
- You need only take the layers of the MSS you require for the given conditions (which differs person to person, and also based on what else you're using in terms of heat production and retention). The green bag weighs a shade over 2lb, the black 4lb 6oz, so without the bivy that's 6lb 6oz not 8lbs as you claim. Even with the bivy (2lb 3oz) that's 8lb 9oz, far shy of your 11lb claim.

EDIT: Just to be completely clear with humer91, I'm not trying to be inflammatory or "pick a fight". Hopefully you didn't read my reply here and get the impression that I'm trying to "take a shot" at you or anything. I'm just responding.
Also, having physically measured my XTherm, I can say with certainty that it is not the size quoted on the box. The box clearly states that it's the "Large", but it is in fact the "Regular"... which explains the weight and packed size difference... so my apologies there!

@Powerguy - if you don't mind doing a bit of DIY, you could attach some loops on the outside of the sock, a receiving tie-off point on the inside. Tie the shelf's suspending line off against the inside of the sock, then peg the tie points you've added out nice and taut. Depends on the shape and size of the sock, though.
Heck, if you're feeling confident you could even cut and hem a slit in the sock that lines up with the shelf, sew in some velcro. When you're setting up, open the velcro and feed the suspending lines through, then press the velcro closed to get rid of the air gap.