When I see people talking about pads for winter hammock use, are they meaning like Thermarests?
When I see people talking about pads for winter hammock use, are they meaning like Thermarests?
Some use the thermarest pads. Either the inflatables or the Ridgerest. The best inflatables that I can see are the Exped ones which have down in them. They'll take you to some low temps. You'd still probably need some side protection as they are usually only 20" wide. Although they have some 26" wide. Many use the Wal-Mart pads such as the 3/8" thick blue pad. It is cheap and very popular.
Last edited by FanaticFringer; 01-11-2008 at 00:02.
"Every day above ground is a good day"
I'm a newb as well, I will likely be using a Gossamer Gear 1/4" ThinLight pad in my first hammock.
- JT
Yea I work at a Outdoors store and just got a Therma rest thoughskin for 30 bucks, so ill see how that works
A great pad is one of those $7 blue, WalMart camping pads (NOT the egg crate kind). I used one for a long time before I got my first under quilt. They are kinda bulky.
“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett
That's the main issue I have with the blue pads, they are to bulky. The Thermarest rolls up real nice and tight. I will probably cut some blue pad for some side protection/sit pad though...
I use a blue pad. I roll it up and strap it to the side /top of my pack. If you have a pack that is totally frameless like an Equinox Katadhin you can put it in the pack as a frame and put everything in the middle of it.
'Classic.' A book which people praise and don't read.” ― Mark Twain
Who cares about showers, gourmet food, using flush toilets. Just keep on walking and being away from it all.
There are times that the only way you can do something is to do it alone.
ditto with the ccf pads. i have a trimmed wally world pad (shoulder to knee with rounded edges) and it gets strapped to the outside. the only pain is that then my pack cover won't fit over it. I can use the poncho but those don't seem to work as well during colder months (you'll end up getting wetter than the raintop + pant combo).
i also just purchased a 40" wide 1/4" gossamer gear thinlight pad to test out. I am going to start a thread with some questions I have about it and don't want to hijack your thread...
A great addition to the standard blue pad when using it in a hammock is Speer's SPE. It allows you to add more insulation on the sides of the pad, thus increasing it's effectiveness in a hammock. Some folks have made there own, or used duct tape for a similar effect. I like my SPE.
http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/SPE.htm
I have really been considering a 1/4" Wide model ThinLight for my new hammock but I'm wondering if I can reduce bulk, and increase warmth, by using a narrower pad, such as the 3/8" ThinLight, with the SPE's.
- JT
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