staying warm at night on the Adirondack lakes

[rnolan1]

next month i will be going on a week long canoe trek with my little brother and his boy scout troop. night time low maybe around 40 worst case. as of now i have a beat 10 degree bag, a fleece liner, and a thermarest self inflating mat thingy. this setup keeps me warm all winter camping around jersey and ny in a net but i am worried about the hammock. i dont want to pack to warm and bring to much stuff but i also dont want to be freezing all night. i was looking at getting a new bag for this trip (summer bag like 45 degrees) anyway because my other bag is so old and heavy.

i see everyone recommending the ccf pads, what about the thermarest air pad?

i will be camping in an nx-150 and i am 5'11" and 200 pounds so i am not skin and bones.

i was looking at this bag
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___80630

with my fleece liner

[Poppabear]

There are numerous fine cottage industry folks here on the forum. That could fix you up with everything you could possibly need to keep you warm and comfortable. If you would choose not to spend a lot of hard earned money you could probably make do with most everything that you already have. I find it awkward to sleep in a hammock in a zipped up sleeping bag. So when I do use a sleeping bag in a hammock. I leave it mostly un-zipped and use it as a top quilt. So depending on how beat up that 10 degree bag is. It might still be very use-able in the top quilt mode. Your thremarest pad about half inflated should serve well as bottom insulation. If it is not warm enough perhaps you take along one space blanket that you can rig as a under quilt. The fleece liner can fill in where extra warmth may be needed. Also You might want to consider some sort of bug netting if flys or mosquitoes are a possible problem. Good luck and have fun on your trip.

[stonefree]

i use just a thermarest pad and a 20 degree bag n have stayed warm down into the 30s just fine. keep some warm clothes close to you n put some on if you get cold.

[Shug]

You will be fine .... let a wee bit of air out of it to suit your comfort.
Use what 'cha got in the beginning....... you will know what adjustments YOU need to make after your trip.
I did a video series for the NEW ... it may give you a thought or two. PARTS ONE & TWO cover pads.
Shug's Hammock How-to for Noobs
It takes a good bit of dealing to get your rig tuned in .... we consider that the fun part.
Have a terrific trip and report back......
Shug

[JayS]

If you purchase a sleeping bag to use as a top quilt, be sure the zipper is at least 3/4 length. Some Slumberjack bags have 1/3 or 1/2 zippers which don't work as well. Also consider DIY (do it yourself) - a synthetic top quilt is easy and can be inexpensive as well. My first DIY project was a synthetic quilt about 4 years ago and it still serves me well as either a TQ or UQ (underquilt).

[stonefree]

a bag i just bought that was cheap with alot of nice features is the kelty light year 20 degree. its a 3/4 zipper n makes a great top quilt, very warm n light weight down sleeping bag. i got mine for $180 at amazon

[rnolan1]

You will be fine .... let a wee bit of air out of it to suit your comfort.
Use what 'cha got in the beginning....... you will know what adjustments YOU need to make after your trip.
I did a video series for the NEW ... it may give you a thought or two. PARTS ONE & TWO cover pads.
Shug's Hammock How-to for Noobs
It takes a good bit of dealing to get your rig tuned in .... we consider that the fun part.
Have a terrific trip and report back......
Shug

thanks a lot man great videos... i have that exact same thermarest.

[rnolan1]

i think i am going to get this bag for the trip http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___43155

its a down bag rated for 25 degrees. its not a mummy but i dont think it will get that cold and i can bring a hat encase. nice thing is it zips all the way around so it will be easy to get into and on my winter trips i can zip it open and mod it to be an under quilt or use it as a second blanket (or leave it at home)

i would prefer a mummy but it seems they all have really short zippers.

[jerzybears]

I've been camping in some pretty harsh conditions overseas. I am all about insurance too. Whatever you get, think about a sea to summit reactor sleeping bag liner. Its light, and it works. I was in a 20 deg bag and it went to 5. That liner saved my trip.

In the military, I quickly learned that it takes no effort to be miserable. Have fun.

Peggy

[wisenber]

If you have an NX-150, you should not need too much on the bottom with all of those pockets. Truth be told, you probably won't need much on top either with the built n weather shield. A fleece bag would probably work.
You might want to try a night beforehand. If you can sleep with no top cover in the high 50's, a fleece blanket will get you 10-15 degrees below that pretty well.
If you were in more of a standard hammock, I would recommend more, but the Clark NX-150 brings much to the table in terms of staying warm before using anything.