hammock camping ?

[ottybuddy]

I hope I am doing this right.
How do you keep your feet warm in a hammock?
I have been told foot end needs to be a little higher then the head.
Was in a bag rated 30% with 2 pair of socks on and oh most froze my toes off.
One last ? has anyone used 1/8 shock cord like the one on the blackbird for a tie down on any tarps?

[2Questions]

How do you keep your feet warm in a hammock?

Here's a couple of tips/tricks I've learned:
I have a separate pair of socks used just for sleeping. Hiking during the day makes your socks damp (some wet) and wearing those to sleep will guarantee cold feet until they dry.

A few jumping jacks before climbing into the hammock stirs the blood down your legs toward your feet...helps some.

Empty your bladder before you retire. It takes body heat to keep it warm.

A hot water bottle (I use a Lexan Nalgene 320z) tossed in the hammock prior to climbing in is awesome. You can shift the bottle down to your feet very easily. Caveat...you'll have unfrozen water to use in the morning as well.

BTW, welcome to the forum.
2Q

[slowhike]

Welcome to HF!
Yeah, the foot end should be slightly higher, but that's to keep you from sliding toward the foot end.
Otherwise, the heavier portion of a body (the torso) will find it's way to the lowest point in the hammock (center), shoving your feet into the foot end.

Keeping your feet warm in a hammock has some points that should be remembered other times as well, like sitting around camp.
Make sure your insulation (socks/ boots) are not at all tight. If very tight on the skin at all, they will soon have the tendency to restrict blood flow, & that's what takes heat to your feet.
And speaking of blood flow, if you have cold feet, don't forget to keep not only the rest of your body warm (head too), but keep your legs well insulated.
If your legs are just barely insulated well enough to get you by, the blood traveling to your feet will have lost a significant amount of heat before reaching your feet.

If for these reasons or other reasons, like poor circulation, your body is still not getting enough warmth to your feet, you should provide heat from an external source, like a hot water bottle or chemical heat packs.
The heat added by external sources should of course be captured inside a protected, insulated space, like your sleeping bag or top quilt foot box.
Hope that helps.

[slowhike]

Yes, jumping jacks & dry socks... good points 2Q!

[Captn]

Whatever anyone says .. don't build a fire under the hammock ...



Bad, bad, bad .....

[ottybuddy]

Thanks for the info. If y,all can keep it coming that would be great. I liked the one about extra socks. Didn't think of that until the next night. When I found my socks were wet. Very new to this hanging thing so any info you can give me will come in handie. What about using 1/8 shock cords for tie downs on my tarp? If there are different places on this forum to look for more stuff please let me know.

[slowhike]

Thanks for the info. If y,all can keep it coming that would be great.

That's it. That's all you need to know. There is no more information on keeping feet warm!!!

Just kiddin Let us know how your feet do on your next trip

[lori]

All you have to do is look around at the subforums... plenty of information for the trouble of a mouseclick.

Think about what will happen on a blustery day before you try the shock cords. Unless you're talking about shock cord tarp tensioners - if you aren't, search for them, they're on here.

Welcome to the forum.

[Quoddy]

I immediately wondered what under insulation you were using. Pad? Underquilt? Nothing? Without a layer of insulation under your body and feet, they are going to get cold... even in the warmer temperatures of Florida.

[Coldspring]

What kind of bag were you using. There are only a few companies that are honest about their temperature ratings, and then you have to subtract from that figure for hammock use.