Okay winter has really made it here for the past two weeks with temps of anywhere from 20-5 degree’s I have in the past two weeks been able to hang in back yard and test although there is not much to test I am using the same equipment as before but I will list it here for those of you who have not seen it.
Clothes
I AM A WARM SLEEPER (This may not apply to those who are cold sleepers)
Underarmer boxer shorts, midweight guide gear poly pro top and bottom
1 pair of Smartwool hiking socks and a fleece skull cap, and a fleece line jacket don’t ask the weight of jacket I don’t know it’s made for wear after diving but it is the only fleece jacket I have and no gloves
Sleeping System
Guide Gear ¾ inch self inflatable pad, Browning kyna 0 degree bag,
Hammock
Clark North American, weather shield and bug shield and XL rain fly
First night was 19 degrees with calm winds to 5mph wind gust
Second night again was 19 and calm
Third night was 16 with 10mph winds
Fourth night was 20 something 10mph winds and 3 inch’s of snow
Fifth night was back down to 16 calm winds
Temps for these next to night was 10 and 13 and winds were up a bit 10-15mph
I spent the next two nights at the quarry where I teach diving and after being in water all day diving I didn’t feel like getting into the hammock afterward but I did. I stayed warm
And dry diving most of those days but I could tell that hyperthermia was playing with me.
All day on and off while diving I tried to keep myself well hydrated so that meant lot’s of pea breaks although I take pea breaks in hammock as to not have to get out of hammock and bag and lose all the heat unless it is to poor the bottle out for next round.
On those tonight the only thing different was I tried to hide behind something to help Block the wind I stayed warm during those two nights to some degree I think had I not been in the water all day for those two days I would have had same results as before which was warm to the point I have to open the weather shield but the only thing that I could tell was cool not cold was my feet which was nice as they usually get hot a sweet a bit.
Back to the house for the next week’s testing nothing any different from last weeks testing just trying to see what my kit and I can indure
This week has shown to be colder so I am getting new low temps
First night was 14 degrees with calm winds
Second night again was 16 with calm winds
Third night was 9 with 5 mph winds
Fourth night was I am not sure somewhere around 9 because my thermometer quit working for some odd reason 10mph winds with gust up to 15-20
Fifth night was back down to 7 my all time low and calm winds
And this week I have not done anything but sit and look out the window wishing I were back out there.
So what would I do differently?
I would say the only thing I would do differently would be maybe eat more hot foods all day the day’s that I was diving and heating up some hot tea to poor in a bottle to take in the hammock with me on those days as well.
My Pro’s
Clothing seems to work just fine for these temps and that is great because I don’t like to be encumbered with allot of clothing while sleeping ( less is better ) unless it’s when you get cold then the above is not the default attire. Don’t get me wrong I had plenty of other clothes to wear incase I needed them but for the time I have not and they stayed in the pack. I sometime wonder if I would have put the extra clothing in the pocket as Clark says to do would help but at this point I have not had to yet not saying I wont but as of now thing are pretty good. But would like to see what would happen if I did do that.
At these temps I have not had to deal with in condensation I think leaving the weather shield open at the top is the biggest and main reason for that. I only open it about 6 inch’s and that allows what I believe to be moisture out and keeps the heat in although I am sure that some heat is going out but not enough that my breath/body heat wont build it back up again so it never has a chance get cold inside.
Cons
On those day that I was diving I probably should have just went home and slept in bed and if I was in a place where I couldn’t hide behind something the outcome might have been allot different.
As I have mentioned before I wish I could find a bag that was not real snug the one I am using is 38 inch’s wide in the shoulders, and weight too much and packed smaller. I know there out there but right now my budget wont allow it.
Well that is it in a nutshell
Happy hanging.
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