Woke up at ab 2:30 a.m. last Saturday, and decided to spend the rest of the night hanging on the Vario stand on the deck.
Temp was probably in the 60s (Miami) so I put a quilted bedspread underneath me in the hammock and covered myself with a nice fuzzy fleece blanket topped by my down JRB Shenandoah UQ.
When I woke up at around 7 a.m., the UQ was sodden...and it hadn't rained.
Here's the question, would this have happened if I had used a tarp?
I think because it was in the hammock with you .... if it was strung under it would have been OK ... tarp or not.
My theory......
60º ..... wow!
Shug
Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven
If I understand correctly, the underquilt was used as a blanket, much as a top quilt is used? Sounds like there was nothing "over" the UQ. Was the moisture on the outer surface of the UQ, or the side closest to you? Had the moisture penetrated the UQ or was it just on the fabric surface? I would think sodden meant that the down was water saturated. That would mean a lot of moisture got thru the fabric in a short time. Were your sleeping clothes damp? Was there any dew, or condensation elsewhere?
Like Shug said: 60 degrees... Wow.
Get up for the eclipse tonight.
Is it possible you over heated and started sweating? "a nice fuzzy fleece blanket topped by my down JRB Shenandoah UQ." in 60* sounds like a lot to me.
OH, DEAR, I was just guesstimating the temp...so, maybe it went down to the mid-50s. or perhaps the mid-60s. I don't "do" cold, but know that it was chilly enough for me to grab the Shenandoah.
No, I wasn't sweating. and yes, I used it as a top quilt (over a fleece blanket). I had a cotton quilted bedspread underneath me, but inside the hammock.
and, yes, sodden as in the whole thing was soaked.
..and we're assuming you don't have any incontinence issues
-jeff
I figured out the problem!! You're in Florida!
I know because I'm in Florida, too.
It's pretty easy to get covered in dew in the southeast. A tarp will definitely help, depending on what kind of moisture you're dealing with. Some dew condenses in the air and falls from the sky...that's probably why you were so wet. Sometimes the underside of your tarp will also be covered in condensation...this can be from rolling fog, from your breath, from ground moisture evaporating, etc.
But the short answer is...yes, a tarp will help you.
“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story
- My site: http://www.tothewoods.net/
- Designer, Jeff's Gear Hammock / Pack Cover by JRB
IMPOSSIBLE JUST TAKES LONGER
I've always had to put up a tarp, no matter how nice the weather, because of dew. I also have DWR nylon covering all my quilts and they will have moisture on them in the morning. On my last camping trip, I layed a military poncho liner over my BB ridgeline (over the netting) so as to hold some interior heat. It worked but it was soaked (actually it was crinkly because the temps were 21-23 when I woke up). The poncho liner was frozen!! The rest of my gear was fine. The underside of my tarp was also frozen. Things would have been a bit interresting if the temps had heated up enough to unfreeze everything!!
Always put up a tarp in high humid areas or when camping near a river. Low rolling fog can be awful too and I'll set my tarp as low to the ground as possible.
One more thing, inside your hammock if you cover up the top portion, make sure you leave a vent open so hot moist air coming from you, can be vented outside your hammock. That will help but then it usually ends up on the underside of your tarp.
TinaLouise
Thanks, Jeff (and everyone who commented).. what a pain to have to set up a tarp just to get some shuteye on the deck.
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