Need suggestions on bottom insul

[tammons]

This may be answered in the thread below....

So I have my hammock built.

Picked up a poly tarp to use until I can build a cuben tarp, so good to go there. My intended 5x9 campmor poncho tarp is too short.

I have a neoair I can use with CCF pad wings similar to a speer setup. I am thinking I want to carry a neoair anyway in case I get stuck on the ground.

I also have several emer blankets and I have an adv med emer bivy I modded so I can open it all the way up or close it with velcro.

Its the one that weighs 7oz, not the super light one.

I have a driducks poncho and about 16' of 1.25 oz tyvek.

I will be using golite ultra 20 quilt for a top quilt.

I intend to build bottom quilt one day, but for now I would like to use this.

Can you guys suggest something I can put together simply from that list that will take me to 20dF.

I am thinking neoair and CCF pads inside, and a bottom garlington type setup with either the tyvek or poncho to hold more insul.

I just dont know what will go that low.

[vitamaltz]

There are probably a million different ways to insulate, with varying effectiveness, comfort, and weight/bulk penalties. Do you have a backyard with trees? There's no substitute for trying out your gear at varying temps (bring a thermometer with you), and knowing that a warm bed is just steps away if needed. Just be careful with those emergency blankets, they can leave you sweaty and cold.

[tammons]

That was the reason I ask. I cant hang here. Too darn hot anyway so testing insul is a no go.

I will be going on a hunting trip soon to my parents farm. Should be cold up there. Was just curious about which I should try first.

[stevebo]

I sleep cold, and have tried the garlington insulator with a space blanket inside for a reflective insulator. It helped, but on a high 40's low 50's night this spring, I was really cold. I have tried pads inside the hammock, but have found them to be uncomfortable, and condensation is a real problem. A few weeks ago, I used a homemade underquilt, with a garlington insulator over the top (as a outer shell) That night it got cold and windy, (about highe 40s to low 50s) The insulator kept the wind off me, and the underquilt kept me pretty warm. (plus,I had lots of cloths on!) Im still not satisfied with my set up-lots of room for improvment!-----------Ive heard of people taking a large sleeping bag and placing it over the hammock, like a speer peapod. I havnt tried this, but am leaning toward somthing similar. Anyway, good luck! To me, keeping warm is the biggest challange of hammock camping. If your set up doesnt work, dont sweat it, youre in good company! (I just about froze to death my first night in a hammock--------hot tip, try it out at home first, not on a 3 day backpacking trip with 20 degree nights! (dont ask,----its a very long story!)

[vitamaltz]

If you can rig something up so the foam and emergency blankets are on the outside of the hammock but still held snug to your body, you may be more comfortable. My experience has been that a few layers of fabric somewhat prevent sweatiness from the foam and may wick sweat away to a degree. I've been really comfortable with microfoam quilts below my hammock at temps from the high 40s to 70. The same closed cell material right against my body would make me a clammy mess.

[JohnSawyer]

Climashield is roughly $10/yd. Add some cheap Walmart ripstop, and you could make a relatively cheap underquilt. Keep the size to 2/3rds, and it'd be even cheaper...

(has anybody thought of or tried sewing fabric to just one side of a synthetic quilt?)

I've seen poncho setups with the driduck and a poncho liner... but I don't see 20 degree weather where I live... based on all the reading I've done, getting down to 20, you're looking at a pad and some sort of underquilt, or a top-end underquilt.

That said, I stretched my DIY sleeping bag underquilt another 10 degrees with the use of a $1 space blanket (I don't leave home without one!). I'm building a prototype of what I want to make for an underquilt out of Walmart 1.1oz ripstop, 1/2" poly batting and a layer of insul-brite. I figure I can use it during spring/summer. Eventually, if this works, I'll go get some momentum and Climashield Combat from Thru-hiker and make a good one, or just buy a good underquilt. (I suffer from being so cheap that I end up spending more money making what I want... oh, and I like making gear...)

Best of luck!

[wisenber]

I've had varying levels of success with the Garlington insulator and no UQ. You can take the DriDucks poncho and make a weathershield for the bottom.

Next, take a trash bag or two and partially fill them with air. Inside the trashbag, throw in a space blanket. Cinch the ends to hold the air, and put the trash bags between the hammock and WS. If you put a pad and or a blanket on top of the trash bags, you should be good down to about freezing on the bottom.

I tested this type of setup several times from when I'm camping in cold mist and fog.

Next, take a Swiss Army knife and a gum wrapper...no wait, that's MacGyver.