I am using my sleeping bag as a top quilt. To keep my feet and legs warm, I pinned the zipper in place just above my knees. It's possible I was pushing my feet against the bottom and compressing it.. It's hard to say.
Pan: My feet were slightly elevated... just enough to keep me from sliding down to the foot end... You're right: I probably need a longer hammock for a flatter lay...
I'll keep experimenting... Thanks all for the suggestions!
less is the key word.
I am quite the ardent barefoot proponent. Speaking from my personal experience of course... Once you get a feel for walking and running barefoot, then ANY amount of cushioning or support or constriction really starts to get annoying. I even gave away an expensive pair of hiking boots because the arch support actually inflamed a case of plantar troubles to the point I couldn't walk for a day, and I only wore them for an hour!!
I do believe that anyone with "cold foot syndrome" should consider barefoot and minimalist footwear to help strengthen and stress the muscles in the feet. When these muscles and tissues are being subjected to the rigors of supporting your body all by themselves like they are designed to it will encourage increased blood flow which in turn means warmer feet. I used to get complaints from those sharing my bed about my freezing feet. Now even on the coldest nights they're toasty warm. Not only will it help with circulation, stronger feet (the tissues, muscle and bone) will last you much longer on the trail with fewer complaints.
vibram five fingers
http://www.rei.com/search?query=vibr...x=0&button.y=0
Starting with Pan's advice for a longer hammock for a flatter lay...
I pulled out 11'4" of fabric, hemmed it all around, cinched up the ends WBBB style, and hung it. (somehow this hammock took me 1/3rd the time of the first... I must be getting used to my thread injector -- Thanks to Ramblin Rev for the video lessons!)
It barely fits my folding hammock stand and my ridgeline is 30" above me, where my first was a bit claustrophobic with an overcover.
And along with the myriad of comments on me being too warm, sweaty, and too cold, I hung in the new hammock with my lost river UQ, my sleeping bag as a top quilt (with the zipper pinned up to enclose my legs.) wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and shorts.
It took some fiddling to get my UQ set right, but I was immediately comfortable, and reasonably warm. My feet felt cold, but when I reached down, I found they really weren't... I just perceived they were...
I'll try again this weekend, but an hour and a half nap in the new hammock was a big improvement.
The only problem I had is my feet still had a tendancy to slip over the edge of the hammock, which is why I sewed a triangle on the end of #1... I might just have to do this to #2...
Darn, someday I might be like Tinker (Jerry..) Isn't he up to 6 DIY hammocks? I love his latest creation.
Ugh... I might just give up and buy that WBBB I've always wanted...
More to come..
Thanks everybody!
How wide is your new hammock? Great that you keep experimenting. You'll get there!
Exercise, eat right, die anyway -- Country Roads bumper sticker
Fall seven times, standup eight. -- Japanese Proverb
I know it sounds crazy (or I do at least) But your feet can put up with a LOT of abuse when they're strong. I'm not svelt buy any stretch of the imagination but I'm able to run right over crushed limestone paths without a complaint. sharp and pointy rocks are fun to walk across.
The skin on the bottom of your foot is said to be 6 times more puncture resistant than any other flesh on your body. And us dedicated barefooters probably even more Plus walking on sharp stuff isn't all that challenging anyways. Just put your foot down and lift straight up.
And as Kallorne posted, Vibram Five Fingers are absolutely amazing if you're worried about punctures or cuts. For poison ivy... just... walk around it like you would dog poo
For the cold foot problem, 45 degrees isn't too warm to give plastic bags under your socks a try. I know some people that disagree, but I find that cold feet at almost any temperature can be mitigated by a vapor barrier. It's free to try.
I'm on the barefoot bandwagon now too. I haven't had much cold weather camping experience since I started running barefoot; now I'm curious to try it. There are a million other reasons why it's awesome though.
.. truly to enjoy bodily warmth, some small part of you must be cold, for there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself. If you flatter yourself that you are all over comfortable, and have been so a long time, then you cannot be said to be comfortable any more. - Herman Melville
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