UQ in wet weather?

[slowhike]

good to hear. please keep us informed.

[BillyBob58]

Spent my first night in my SS last night. Made to midnight, then started getting cold as the temp dropped below 40F. Went in the house and grabbed my new heatsheet and rolled it out on top of the SS OCF pad. What a difference! I was quite warm all night long even though the temp continued to drop to 35F.

The heatsheet is very quiet - it only rustled a bit as I was installing it, and was absolutely silent once in place, even with my tossing and turning. I saw no signs of condensation above/below the SB.

Thanks for the suggestion slowhike, that was a good one. We'll see how durable it is, as it is big enough to flap around the entrance slit. I'd guess it'll eventually fray and tear at that point.

Doing another night tonight in the backyard - its a little windier which should be a little better test.

--Kurt

So, does the fact that you went in to get the Heatsheet mean that you started out with no space blanket of any kind? ( stupid question I guess, but I want to be sure) If so, yep, that's why I always recommend the space blanket. And I think you have just confirmed my experiences. Thanks for the test. SuperShelter comes thru again to at least 35*!

I'm looking forward to your additional testing. Don't forget to add clothing that you are not sleeping in, or HH kidney/torso pads, or Garlington insulators, when it is really cold. Just make sure the added weight of the clothing does not cause a gap- adjust your SS suspension as needed. ( I know- I'm a broken record!) That will never be a concern with the Kidney/torso pads or Garlington/insulator, only with heavier clothing.

And though I have never heard any noise from the WalMart $2, 2 oz space blanket once it is in place and I am in the hammock, it is very noisy during set up and installation. This heatsheet sounds like a nice alternative and I think I might also try one out.

[hacktorious]

I have both and prefer my SS over a UQ, especially in wet weather. If it gets cold, you can easily put a space blanket above your underpad within the SS. You can put heavier stuff under the pad too (ie - jacket). It all works very well.

The SS dries out much faster, and stays drier longer than a UQ. I went out last weekend and the fog soaked my UQ. I have two quilts but like using them as overquilts opposed to UQ's..

[kwpapke]

So, does the fact that you went in to get the Heatsheet mean that you started out with no space blanket of any kind?
...snip...
adjust your SS suspension as needed. ( I know- I'm a broken record!)

That is correct - I started out without a SB and added that at midnight. Immediate effect.

Adjusting suspension: I don't think I have this right yet, particularly the side tieouts for the underpad. I have just been putting the hammock tieout lines through the elastic UP loops and then out the holes to the ground, so the UP has not been under much of any lateral tension.

I'm OK on the longitudinal axis - I attach the UP elastics to the prussic.

I think the net of all this is I have gaps between the hammock bottom and the UP out near the edges that I haven't figured out how to eliminate yet.

--Kurt

[kwpapke]

I have both and prefer my SS over a UQ, especially in wet weather. If it gets cold, you can easily put a space blanket above your underpad within the SS. You can put heavier stuff under the pad too (ie - jacket). It all works very well.

The SS dries out much faster, and stays drier longer than a UQ. I went out last weekend and the fog soaked my UQ. I have two quilts but like using them as overquilts opposed to UQ's..

That is good input. My meager experience so far indicates that the combination of the undercover and a space blanket gives exceptional wind resistance. I don't have an UQ like you do so I cannot compare, but I was interested to read your other thread where you described the wind coming through your quilt.

I also have the Overcover which I have yet to try. I hope to have another night or two in the backyard in the next few weeks to test that out before my big hike in late May.

Thanks for your comments!

--Kurt

[BillyBob58]

If you have hammock side elastics going through the UP side loops and out the opening in the UC, that's about all there is to do as far as that goes. If you haven't already, you should probably quadruple your side elastics by adding loops, and you may have to wrap it more than once ( or half hitch it) thru and around the UP side tie outs,. In order for it to be strong enough to keep the UP and UC pulled far enough out to the left.

But when I say "adjust(tighten) your suspension as needed", I am mainly speaking of length-wise, using the prussicks. And I am mostly speaking of the UC. The SS suspension at the head and foot is what I mostly adjust if added clothing (in the UC) causes it to sag away and cause a gap. Which it will unless whatever you add is super light for it's size.

And that's why I have had such great results with the Garlington Insulator. Since it is only a trash bag with a crinkled up space blanket inside, it is almost weightless for it's size. So it won't cause the UC to sag at all. And the UC's normal upward tension causes it to be snug up against the UP/SB which is hopefully snug up against your back, all while adding 2-4" of additional dead air down below. Same with the HH kidney/torso pad- they cause zero sag when added to the HH UP. All of the above is one warm, wind/water resistant combo. But, only needed when it is really cold.

I am wondering about the new SSs. Do they still attach to the prussicks? I thought they attached in some new fashion. And I wondered about the adjustability with the new system?

BTW, I know of at least one person who is crazy about that over-cover in the winter.

[BillyBob58]

Oh, BTW: your experience should pretty well close a long running debate around here re: the usefulness of a space blanket, used as directed in the SS. Several folks have always felt that that were not likely to be worth their weight, and might even make things worse due to condensation. But this was mostly based on theory- most had never used one in a SS.

OTOH, based on personal experience,I was always of the opinion that they definitely helped, and helped more than 2 ozs of weight would have been able to accomplish with another approach ( down, CCF, etc).

But I admittedly never did a direct A-B comparison test. Never did a " see if I get cold, then add the SB" sort of test. I always had it on from the beginning of the night, maybe comparing it to the night before without it. But in your case: you are cold a little below 40, add SB, nice and warm to 35*, same night and conditions. So you go from cold to warm even at a bit lower temp, sounds to me like it adds 10 or 15 degrees. Either from radiation block, vapor barrier, wind block, or a combination of all 3. At the least, it definitely adds significant warmth for just a couple of ounces and a very few dollars. Well worth while, IMO.

[kwpapke]

And that's why I have had such great results with the Garlington Insulator. Since it is only a trash bag with a crinkled up space blanket inside
...snip...
I am wondering about the new SSs. Do they still attach to the prussicks? I thought they attached in some new fashion. And I wondered about the adjustability with the new system?

OK, I bite. I've looked at the Garlington site on HammockCamping.com and searched & read the posts here.

Q1: what size trash bag? Kitchen, large leaf, compactor?
Q2: just one SB? From other posts it sounds like you crinkle, then straighten & fold 1 SB. How many folds?
Q3: where do you place it? Under torso, legs, butt?
Q4: doesn't the GI cause problems similar to putting a rigid pad underneath the UP, i.e. cause air gaps?
Q5: do you try to keep the GI inflated with air? It would seem to be a challenge to keep the trash bag from getting punctured or torn after a few uses.
Q6: does the SB in the GI get noisy? You would think that a pre-crinkled SB rubbing against itself would be like fingernails on a chalkboard. The Heatsheet would be quieter, but it is more $$$ and may not crinkle up as well.

Yes, the new SS I bought a few weeks ago attaches to the prussics - that's what the printing on the outside of the stuff sack says. No included glove hooks.

I really like the idea of the Garlington: low-cost, lightweight, multi-purpose, easily packed, easily inserted into the UC.

--Kurt

[BillyBob58]

Q1: what size trash bag? Kitchen, large leaf, compactor?
Most any size you want, according to how much area you want to cover and whether or not you want more than one. You could use multiple small ones, I suppose. This is easy to experiment with, and it is cheap.


Q2: just one SB? From other posts it sounds like you crinkle, then straighten & fold 1 SB. How many folds?
I used just one space blanket, in a quite large zip lock bag meant for clothing storage, for back yard experiments. But that is a little heavier than needed, but probably pretty durable. On back country trips I have taken a large leaf bag. I guess if the bag was really large, you might have to use more than one SB. I can't really say how many folds I used, 2 or 3. I guess the smaller the bag, the more folds since you won't have as much area that needs filling up.

Q3: where do you place it? Under torso, legs, butt?
Where ever you think you need the most additional insulation. I have tried placed mine so that it went from about my kidneys down past my butt and partially under my legs.

Q4: doesn't the GI cause problems similar to putting a rigid pad underneath the UP, i.e. cause air gaps?
Not at all in my experience. It is so light it causes no sag and thus no gaps. Probably anything else you put in the UC such as clothing, is more likely to weigh much more and cause a gap.


Q5: do you try to keep the GI inflated with air? It would seem to be a challenge to keep the trash bag from getting punctured or torn after a few uses.
Yes, keep some air trapped in the bag. And yes I'm sure it could be a challenge to avoid puntures on a back country trip. But it's not like there is much pressure or abuse happening. It's is just stored in a pack untill you need it. Then the SB is put in, some air is trapped,and the bag tied off to seal it up, and it is placed in your undercover, where there should be very little abrasion anyway.

Q6: does the SB in the GI get noisy? You would think that a pre-crinkled SB rubbing against itself would be like fingernails on a chalkboard. The Heatsheet would be quieter, but it is more $$$ and may not crinkle up as well.

Well, I never heard it so far. I also have never heard the SB that is on top of my HH pad, not when I am in the hammock. But the heat sheet should work fine and be more quiet. You can put anything in there to keep the air from moving around. Newspaper( for back yard use), leafs, a down vest. But then obviously weight might become a problem, so you have to watch out for gaps. Which can probably be compensated for by tightening your suspension.

It is just a simple thing to play around with and experiment in your back yard before you head out. It's just something to probably get you another 10 or 20* for very little weight or cost. Most of the time, you probably won't need to even use it. For me it's more like backup for surprise cold snaps. And be sure to also use your SB or heatsheet on top of your HH pad, in addition to the GI, so that you don't get condensation on the pad.

Have fun playing with it. If memory serves, I used it- in addition to the HH kidney/torso pads- under my lower half, with a down vest added under my upper half, on an 18* night. It worked just fine.

[speyguy]

My wife is pretty handy with a sewing machine, so having her sew one up for me might be an option.

I tend to agree with most of the posters that suggest that one of the best bangs for the buck is a nice tarp. You can get SilNylon from the Speer site for $5.95 /yd. Seven yards ($41.95 + shipping) would yield you a nice tarp approximately 10 x 10. The only other thing that you need is some thread and grosgrain ribbon to attach the tie outs. It is such an easy thing to make. It’s just a big square. You don’t need to get fancy with the cat cut. Just keep it simple and keep a straight edge on all the sides. You just need to convince your seamstress!