How to survive 32° with a 50° UQ

[NCPatrick]

A Molly Mac Gear IX UQ will extend your existing UQ sufficiently.

I think the OP was wanting something before the weekend, a 3 Season Incubator from Stormcrow is on the way, but will not arrive before then.

[MacEntyre]

Good! He's all set!

This past weekend, Thing1 and I were down in the Gorge when we discovered that we brought only one top blanket! I made do with two down coats and a space blanket. That could have been bad!

[WonderMonkey]

Try and place an old sleeping bag or a quilt between yourself and your present UQ. If you can get it to snug up a wee bit that will add some R value.

[LaVista]

the other weekend I was down in the Smokeys.

My sleep system was a big agnes pitchpine 40* Bag, and temps got down to around 25* the first night when we were up at altitude near Clingmans Dome. By morning I had put on my hat & baselayers and socks, but still had my fleece & windbreaker in reserve so I probably would have been good almost all the way to zero degrees. Heres what worked for me:

40* big agnes sleeping Bag
+15* Sea To summit Reactor Sleeping bag liner
Thermarest Z-lite pad cut to "mummy" shape to fit big agnes sleeping pad sleeve.

I take my hiking pants baselayers and spread them out around the head-end of my bag for a couple layers of insulation to keep my arms/shoulders warm where they rest against the hammock, and my windbreaker and midlayer around the foot end for the same purpose.

I have the basic clearview big-agnes blowup pad but I only use it when i'm sleeping on the ground, in conjunction with the cut up thermarest Z-pad for warmth (Z-pad next to my body), since it doesn't really add any significant insulation (less then R1 value) so its more for comfort from rocks then anything else.

Z-pad in a sleeping bag, with pad-sleeve is a GOOD solution for people who are on the fence about sleeping pads. No worries about slipping off of the pad, just make sure you buy the correct orientation of zippers, so you can zip everything up after you jump in.

[jloden]

-TQ (25° down bag)

Just a quick note in addition to some of the other good tips you've gotten. I'd recommend actually getting in the sleeping bag, instead of using it quilt style (not sure if that's what you meant?). I know there's a lot said about how down underneath your body is useless, but I haven't found that to be quite true.

I had one night where it was just warm enough that I didn't need a TQ (I slept in pants and a fleece jacket), maybe in the high 50-60s. I just laid on top of my JRB quilt in the hammock. It kept my bottom side warm until somewhere in the wee hours of the morning when I finally decided I needed something on top of me and had to swap it for a pad so I could use the quilt. Obviously, it's not going to do a ton for you, but it does do *something* to cut heat loss, even if just as a wind break. Similarly, I find it keeps me warmer when I tuck the quilt in well around my sides, holds more heat in and adds more layers under my shoulders and hips.

Anyway, don't expect a ton from it but it's worth adding to the other stuff you've mentioned.

[BrianWillan]

A Garlington Insulator bag. Basically a large trash bag filled with a crinkled space blanket (or dry leaves) and tied to trap air. Insert between the hammock and the UQ.

Details at:http://www.garlington.biz/Ray/Hammoc.../Insulator.htm

This is a great idea and is one that is often overlooked for a viable insulation source. Another idea along the lines of AnimalControl is to use a wool blanket folded in half and to sleep on it inside the hammock.

What do you have for top insulation? You could get a sleeping bag liner to aid there. Just make sure you have appropriate clothing to sleep in and wear a hat/balaclava to keep the head warm.

Good luck and be sure to post a trip report when you get back.

Cheers

Brian

[Buffalo Skipper]

Thanks for all the ideas. I think I should be sufficiently warm this weekend. I am hoping to find a wool blanket to borrow and a foam pad as an absolue last resort, as well as plenty of warm clothes. And then, one can't forget the water bottle.

I will of course keep the tarp pitched close to trap some warmth as well. Nice thing about the heavy p/u coating on the Noah's tarp is that it can more easily trap warmth.

[jbo_c]

My son and I used HotHands handwarmers this weekend to extend our comfort level. I was surprised at how well it worked out. One under a shirt and one in the footbox made life much better. I can't really tell you how many degrees it added, but I can comfortably(haha) say that for the meager weight penalty, it was good insurance. A nice plus is that they lasted long enough to keep in a pocket while getting ready for the trail in the morning too.

Jbo

[Doctari]

I have gotten to 17 with a "30 degree" sleeping bag. & Honestly, when it was New 20 years before, 30 was being VERY generous. How I got through 2 nights at those temps: 1) I used the sleeping bag as a quilt, this allowed it to be folded (Wrinkled) for more loft. 2) I had ample insulation under me; full length CCF pad, reflective truckers windscreen, fleece "Under quilt". & a set of chemical toe warmers each night. Plus, hung over my ridgeline a small "Space blanket" that may or may not have helped. All in all I was warm both nights, even though I had set up wrong the first night: I set up along the E W direction of the wind, so had wind blowing on me all night. Hey, I was new at winter camping & hammock camping Didn't know better. The 2nd night I set up across the wind & was warmer. I even had an extra layer of insulation in the form of a 1/4 inch layer of ice on my tarp the 2nd night.

Night 1 notice how the other tarp is oriented.
http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery...php?i=433&c=18

I can't find the pic from the 2nd night, looks like my camp tarp has a plastic tarp over it.

[Buffalo Skipper]

Orientation and location are so often overlooked. Camping with scouts sometimes limits the available choices of good hanging sites. This weekend I will be on the edge of a thickly wooded site. The underbrush is yaupon holly which is severely overgown. I feel I may be lucky to find a single hanging option where I know (in advance) the area we will be in.

I imagine we will have a north wind, but will probably be able to only set up N-S, so I may have to pitch in a tent configuration to break the wind. I would prefer to be perpendicular to the wind, so we will see where I will have to be.