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  1. #1
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    I froze my butt off!

    Two things. First off, welcome back Neo. I'm sorry you had a rough time with divorce and custody battles.

    Secondly, I froze my butt off this past weekend. And I would do it again! I went up to Rocky Gap State Park and it was absolutely phenomenal up that way. There was an adventure race I was volunteering for so I decided to stay with the crew the night before so I didn't have the 2.5 hour venture up there the next morning. Anyhow, I got up there and didn't see anybody so I ended up slinging the hammock in the dark. Let me tell you how much fun that is...

    I chose a spot where the trees were about 1 foot too close but it turned out well enough. What made the spot primo was the flat 2' x 2' rock underneath which turned out to be perfect for making hot cocoa and watching the sunrise through the trees.

    I knew it was going to be chilly so I brought the air mattress, a fleece blanket, and a 30 degree bag. I also had my soft shell. To make do, I laid out the air mattress, stuck the fleece bag folded in fourths under my torso so I could slide off the mattress and still be semi-comfortable, and I stuck the softshell under my butt.

    Pretty ghetto setup, but I haven't been venturing long enough to dive into an underquilt. Until now.

    I woke up without a pain in the morning. All in all, it was pretty good for my third hammocking experience. The first two were in Hawaii where it didn't get very cold.

    So, here's the pics..







    -Rob
    One day when I grow up...

  2. #2
    slowhike's Avatar
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    when you get a little more insulation for those chili nights, there'll be no turning back<g>. ...tim
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

  3. #3
    Senior Member Certain's Avatar
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    Watch out...we're getting another one! LOL
    This is my signature.

  4. #4
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    Yep, that was trip number three so I plan on another one in the near future. I don't really want to plunk out the cash for an underquilt quite yet but on the other side, I don't really want to buy a sewing machine and all the accessories to screw up my first one. But it could be more custom....

    -Rob
    One day when I grow up...

  5. #5
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mynamesrob View Post
    Yep, that was trip number three so I plan on another one in the near future. I don't really want to plunk out the cash for an underquilt quite yet but on the other side, I don't really want to buy a sewing machine and all the accessories to screw up my first one. But it could be more custom....

    -Rob
    What kind of air mattress was it? Was it an insulated one for backpacking, or a pool type? How cold was it? A cheap closed cell Walmart pad out to keep you warm, and a Speer SPE and a pad or two ought to toasty you right up without spending a ton of money.

  6. #6
    Senior Member FanaticFringer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BillyBob58 View Post
    What kind of air mattress was it? Was it an insulated one for backpacking, or a pool type? How cold was it? A cheap closed cell Walmart pad out to keep you warm, and a Speer SPE and a pad or two ought to toasty you right up without spending a ton of money.
    Yep the SPE and pad(s) is hard to beat on price and extreme cold capability. I got down to 12 degrees with that underneath. 1 3/8 inches of pad to be exact.
    I sleep just as well on pads as I do with just an underquilt.
    Last edited by FanaticFringer; 05-23-2007 at 18:09.
    "Every day above ground is a good day"

  7. #7
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FanaticFringer View Post
    Yep the SPE and pad(s) is hard to beat on price and extreme cold capability. I got down to 12 degrees with that underneath. 1 3/8 inches of pad to be exact.
    I sleep just as well on pads as I do with just an underquilt.
    Did you use standard CCF pads, or something fancier?

  8. #8
    Senior Member FanaticFringer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BillyBob58 View Post
    Did you use standard CCF pads, or something fancier?
    Lets see. I used a 5/8" CCF Ridgerest, and (2) 3/8"CCF wally world blue pads.
    All full length. 72 inches length to be exact which is perfect for my 5'7 frame. The extra 5 inches in length works perfectly after pads sag in hammock a bit.
    A 6" triangle is cut off of all corners of pads. Helps the pads lay better in the hammock environment.
    "Every day above ground is a good day"

  9. #9
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FanaticFringer View Post
    Lets see. I used a 5/8" CCF Ridgerest, and (2) 3/8"CCF wally world blue pads.
    All full length. 72 inches length to be exact which is perfect for my 5'7 frame. The extra 5 inches in length works perfectly after pads sag in hammock a bit.
    A 6" triangle is cut off of all corners of pads. Helps the pads lay better in the hammock environment.
    Cool, I have both of those pads. Or I did, until I cut up part of the WM blue for the wings of the SPE!

    I have never experimented with the SPE by itself yet, or with 2 CCF pads. But interestingly, I had a real warm night last winter with my basic SuperShelter plus a full length Ridgerest and a torso length thermarest ultralight self- inflatable. The thin self inflater, 1" I think (one of the originals from 1983! takes a likin but keeps on tickin!), all wrapped up in the SPE. It only got down to 22*, not that much of a test I guess. But it was far and away the warmest, toastiest night I ever had in a hammock. I've done OK at 18* with the SS without CCF pads though augmented with extra clothing and/or Garington insulator, placed in the undercover. And that worked OK.

    But with the SS/SPE combo, it was luxurious warmth. I might as well have been in the heated house in my bed with the comforter over me. And it was obvious real quick that I was going to be more than warm enough, so that added to my being able to relaxe. And that was the only time I was ever warm enough at cold temps to just use my bag as a quilt, without the hood and neck collar. I figured that out when I started over heating using the bag in the normal fashion! I can't help but think I could have gone below 10* without significant discomfort. And I didn't have any condensation problems.

    Any way, it's obvious some combination of CC pads in an SPE, either to augment a SS or under quilt or by itself, is a relatively cheap way to handle significant cold with confidence. SPE is a good product.
    Last edited by BillyBob58; 05-24-2007 at 22:20.

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