Hammock Sock Mod Breathing Flap

[Coffee]

Nice idea.

One of these days I am going to make a tarp that I can close the ends off on. I think I can get by with that inplace of the sock, taking a good amount of weight out.

I have put my rain jacket over my ridgeline over my head before. That made a big difference in warming me up. Beathing warm air and keeping the wind off of my face are the main things I like about the sock anyways.

[HappyCamper]

Today it has been extremely foggy all day long here in Morgantown WV. We get a lot of fog in this area. I've been thinking about using a sock more for keeping my quilts dry when fog rolls in. What do most people use them for? Warmth in extremely cold weather or for fog?

[peanuts]

very nice i want one!!!!!

[Shug]

Today it has been extremely foggy all day long here in Morgantown WV. We get a lot of fog in this area. I've been thinking about using a sock more for keeping my quilts dry when fog rolls in. What do most people use them for? Warmth in extremely cold weather or for fog?

Hey,
I so far have used them only for warmth and wind protection..... I will see about moisture and fog this Spring.
A Not-Soggy Shug

[Just Jeff]

I think socks/pods will help a bit when a thick fog rolls in b/c it'll condense on the outside of the sock/pod rather than on the underquilt and in the hammock, especially if you also use a tarp to block the first contact.

But for consistent thick fog, I doubt anything will keep you really dry. It's just like any other breathable fabric...there has to be a difference in moisture on either side of the fabric for it to breathe. Once the moisture reaches equilibrium on each side (i.e. it's just as humid outside the sock as it is inside), the fabric will stop passing moisture.

If you put something over your mouth to block the moisture from your breath from going into the sock, you can probably increase the time the sock will protect you quite a bit. Then hope the fog blows through before you start getting wet inside.

In practice, I've experienced very little condensation in my sock, even when I was zipped all the way in side. One time I slept with my 8yo inside the sock, next to a river (Congaree National Park, SC)...it was in the 40s and pretty humid, and condensation wasn't a problem at all.

But this year at Mt Rogers I had A LOT of condensation. I think it was b/c it was so cold outside (low 20s) that the moisture condensed and froze as soon as it hit the fabric, rather than passing through. It was also very humid that night...a freezing fog coated all the trees and made some beautiful pictures so I'm sure that contributed as well. But this makes me reconsider how well a full sock will work in sub-freezing temps. I think better ventilation might be needed, especially right around the head. That's one reason I wanted the zippered style...so I can experiment with different covers in different conditions.

So based on my experience, socks work best in:
- Dry conditions
- Windy conditions - to block the wind and so wind can carry away some moisture from the fabric. But this can also work against you b/c, as mentioned above, it can push the wet fabric against you. This probably varies with humidity, how the wind hits your setup, ventilation, etc.
- Above freezing temps, or at least close enough to freezing that the moisture can pass through the fabric before it condenses/freezes on it.

I've measured ~10F difference in heat retained inside the sock, so I think it has a place in my kit...just gotta figure out how it works with a sub-freezing setup b/c I only have a handful of nights with it in those conditions.