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  1. #1
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    what temp is insulation needed?

    I want to try hammock camping this year, and have a few questions about how to keep warm. I typically use a 30 degree down bag, and 1 1/4" thermarest, which keeps me comfortable to about 30 degrees.




    Approximately what temp could I sleep in a hammock with this bag and no other insulation?

    If I used a hennessy ultralight and added the supershelter 4-season insulation system what kind to temps could I expect to be comfortable in?

    Also, hennessy suggests to use a space blanket (heat reflector) with their insulation system... have any of you experienced condensation problems while using this system?

  2. #2
    Senior Member sclittlefield's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by snowquest View Post
    Approximately what temp could I sleep in a hammock with this bag and no other insulation?
    Under insulation is as or more important than top insulation with a hammock. With just the bag, 65* is as low as most people can handle.

    You can use your pad in a hammock, and while not ideal for comfort level, will do a great job keeping your backside warm. (Just underinflate it, or it will want to shoot all around your hammock while you try to wrestle it into place).
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  3. #3
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    agreed with sclf. i get into the 50's with must a little piece of ccf, but my butt and back get cold without it

  4. #4
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    I camping last evening with my son's Boy Scout troop.

    The day had been rain in the morning, got into the high 80s in the afternoon, followed by thunderstorms returning just before dark and repeating during the night.

    I am 58 and sleep a bit cooler than I used to. I was in my BB with a SPE in between the double layers. The center of the SPE had one of those thermarest folding, egg crate type pads and the blue foam in the wings. I used a sleeping bag which claims 40 d rating.

    I suppose the night temps were around mid to low 50s. The bottom was just a bit cool but not cold. The temps dropped a bit lower early in the morning when a fog rolled in. Sleep wear was just tee shirt and shorts.

    That set up was good down to low 50s. I have a WB Yeti, not sure what class WBG would place it, probably the 3 season model. I purchased it from him at last year's Trail Days , and if I recall correctly it was not yet a standard design, but a design still being developed. Anyway, I did not install the Yeti and did not feel I should have at those temps. I would think if I installed the Yeti and added some additional top insulation that I would be good down to 40 degrees or perhaps a little lower. A little lower still if wearing Ibex long u.w. , my insulating fabric of choice.

    fwiw

    D

  5. #5
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by snowquest View Post
    I want to try hammock camping this year, and have a few questions about how to keep warm. I typically use a 30 degree down bag, and 1 1/4" thermarest, which keeps me comfortable to about 30 degrees.




    Approximately what temp could I sleep in a hammock with this bag and no other insulation?
    Is that a synthetic bag, or down? If synthetic- and you get inside the bag- you might be able to do 55-65 *F, maybe a little lower. That is a pure wild a*s guess though. I am certain that synthetic (PG for ex) bags add at least a few degrees warmth on the bottom, but nobody that I know of has done any real testing on how much it adds. But I'm pretty certain it will be less warm on the bottom than the bags rating, probably a lot. But even 5*F worth of help on bottom is better than nothing. I got inside an old syn 40-50F bag one night, when my back was cold in the mid 60s. After that I was plenty warm top and bottom.

    But of course, if you use it- as so many hammockers do- as a quilt, you will get no help on the bottom, obviously. And if it is down, because of nearly total compression of loft, you will get close to no added back warmth, even when used as a bag. Overall warmth boost do to draft control, yes. But back/butt warmth, probably VERY little.

    If I used a hennessy ultralight and added the supershelter 4-season insulation system what kind to temps could I expect to be comfortable in?

    Also, hennessy suggests to use a space blanket (heat reflector) with their insulation system... have any of you experienced condensation problems while using this system?
    Well now that is a long story, with many different opinions and results. You should search "SS, HHSS. Super Shelter" and such and prepare to read a lot of differing opinions. Temp ranges, of the most basic SS with no added insulation (easy to do) have ranged from about zero ( very optimistic IMO and very unlikely results for most folks) or so to 40 or 50*F. Keep in mind that at least a couple of folks have never been able to get it to work properly, either because they were always cold below 50 or wet from condensation or both. But there are plenty of others who have used it no problem below 30 or even below 20.

    As for me, I view it- the basic system of one pad, a space blanket and the under cover- as good to go in the low 30s(maybe very hi 20s depending on clothing and syn bag vs quilt or down) and great in the hi 30s- 40s. I find it easy to augment with either extra clothing or insulation added to it for toasty results into the teens. I'm sure I could easily add enough to go MUCH lower.

    I have never had condensation problems except the one time I didn't use the SB. But, a few others have had terrible condensation problems, even with the SB. I could never figure out why, but they did.

    Some other quilts are probably warmer for the weight and definitely less bulky. But, the one thing the HHSS has over most other "systems" ( IOW, various quilts and pods) is the extra protection from wind chill and wind driven rain/snow provided by the Sil-nylon UC. I have found this to be a quite significant benefit(am I the only one?). And you will have this benefit no matter how small your tarp or how poorly pitched. Of course, you can experiment and add some kind of similar cover to the other quilts, and then you have the same benefits. But I like that it comes as part of the basic system with the SS.

    MacEntyre's new product for for use with the SS may prove to be quite a boost for this system!

  6. #6
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    I find it kinda hard to believe that a hammock would be that cold, but I suppose being there is close to zero insulation between you and the air...

    I think i will have to opt for the super shelter. I typically camp in the northern Rockies (US), unless it is the dead of summer, you can usually expect the temp to drop well below 65 degrees at night. At least the super shelter weight close to the same as a lightweight pad.

  7. #7
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    Suggest getting your hammock first, then work it out.

    There are too many variables here: wind, humidity, night clothes, hat, neck gaiter, your metabolism, tendencies to sweat-hogness, effectiveness of your bag and more.

    'Your ''well below 65'' is often freezing in the N Rockies.

    My guess is that to sleep at 30 deg in a HH at 30 deg no wind using the thermie ... minimum you would need light fleece top-bottom or mid weight poly, sox, fleece hat. Foam pad or UQ(I've heard) = better than thermie. YMMV

    Responding to 'how low can I ()you go?' IMHO is a fools quest for me and I'm not going to play cuz I've never slept in a hammock where the night temp was above 45 deg.
    "There's no accounting for other people's taste in love, fiction and huntin' dogs." ---Mark Twain

  8. #8
    Senior Member Fiddleback's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by riverkeeper View Post
    Suggest getting your hammock first, then work it out.

    There are too many variables here: wind, humidity, night clothes, hat, neck gaiter, your metabolism, tendencies to sweat-hogness, effectiveness of your bag and more.

    'Your ''well below 65'' is often freezing in the N Rockies.

    My guess is that to sleep at 30 deg in a HH at 30 deg no wind using the thermie ... minimum you would need light fleece top-bottom or mid weight poly, sox, fleece hat. Foam pad or UQ(I've heard) = better than thermie. YMMV

    Responding to 'how low can I ()you go?' IMHO is a fools quest for me and I'm not going to play cuz I've never slept in a hammock where the night temp was above 45 deg.
    Yup, yup and yup! One night I hit 56°, none of the others have been above the low-40s...and I haven't got to the 'high' elevations yet.

    As I just finished posting on WhiteBlaze, the concept of system is key. Change one part and quite likely other parts must change to maintain the same temperature range. My own system, which takes me to the mid-20s, has no sleeping bag or quilt. The bottom insulation is an Oware, ¼" pad. The rest is medium weight Smartwool long underwear, socks and booties, balaclava and fleece glove liners. On top of that I wear insulated pants and a jacket with hood. During the warmest part of the year the pants and/or jacket may be left at home with the sleeping bag. But usually I feel I must carry the cold weather clothing 'just in case' and I get dual use from it by incorporating it into my sleep system (saving the weight and bulk of the sleeping bag).

    But I agree...in this part of western Montana, at relatively low elevation, every night May-October can hit freezing. It gets cold during the other months.

    FB

  9. #9
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    If you are not looking to sleep in record breaking temps, you could just carry a Garlington taco bottom and a thin CCF pad.

    I recently did a test hang with an ultra 20 bag, CCF pads, Garlington bottom and was good to 14dF.

  10. #10
    Senior Member MondayHopscotch's Avatar
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    I made it through a night with nothing but a 0degree mummy bag and it got down to 18degrees. It wasn't comfortable by any means, but it happened. I can only imagine how nice it would have been if i had a CCF pad under me.

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