So what does a winter cover buy you?

**Flatliner** · 05-18-2016, 19:47

I have heard this topic tossed around a lot over the last couple years. I just got back from the Boundary waters where I tested the question.

Night time temps were 20-35 degrees. I had a thermometer with humidity gauge inside and outside but under the tarp.

Inside my single layer multicam XLC, humidity got to 99% but I had no condensation issues of any kind. (I have never had a condensation issue.).

The low temp ran exactly 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer in the hammock compared to outside the hammock. For me, that settled the question and I am glad I purchased it.

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**T- Minus** · 05-18-2016, 20:11

Same results here 10* warmer with cover, and no issues with condensation. How ever it felt a little creepy being closed in like that in ***** black dark smothered in down goodness but was super warm and also think it was worth it to get.

**Flatliner** · 05-18-2016, 20:17

LOL, for me, I love the privacy. I read before bed and am easily distracted by the around camp activity of my late night friends. I frequently crawl in the hammock well before dark and arise early to start the fire and coffee...

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**Zilla** · 05-19-2016, 00:03

It buys you alittle extra warmth and privacy.
It does take some getting used to and i keep my cover open abit so i dont feel as crowded.
On my first time zipped all the way in i was feeling very smothered and one of my friends started yellin, - someone get a stick there's a big pinata over here, i didn't think it was funny.

**massis** · 05-19-2016, 03:30

Originally Posted by Zilla

On my first time zipped all the way in i was feeling very smothered and one of my friends started yellin, - someone get a stick there's a big pinata over here, i didn't think it was funny.

I do

That mental image is hilarious!

**Flatliner** · 05-19-2016, 06:14

I would not have been amused if I was the victim, however, pretty funny reading about it. :-)

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**La Picker** · 05-19-2016, 07:45

At the risk of seeming to be slow on the uptake, exactly what kind of "winter cover" are we talking about here? Like a pea pod?

**piknchikn** · 05-19-2016, 08:04

Originally Posted by La Picker

At the risk of seeming to be slow on the uptake, exactly what kind of "winter cover" are we talking about here? Like a pea pod?

A pea pod sounds fairly accurate. Instead of the bugnet it is the same material as the bb. I find the winter cover useful during windy and cold nights. I camped out this past weekend. It was 42 degrees and a storm pushed winds over 25mph at times. Since I am a cold sleeper I appreciate the temperature consistency and wind block provided by the more substantial cover.

**Rob3E** · 05-19-2016, 10:22

I never measured actual differences, but I had the top cover on my Hennessy, and I definitely felt like it was worthwhile on the nights that were cold enough to use it. The top cover option on the XLC is what helped tip the scales between it and the regular BB. Hennessy top cover laid on top of the bug net and had a port hole, so it didn't feel entirely claustrophobic (but still pretty isolating). I haven't tried the XLC top cover yet, so that should be interesting. I did feel like my top cover turned my hammock into a hanging isolation chamber. But so long as it's a warm isolation chamber, I'm fine with that.