First Field Test

[Ashman]

I got a HH Asym Expedition a few weeks ago. I will be using it on my next backpacking trip in a few weeks. I thought it would be a good idea to sleep in it one night in my backyard. It has the standard tarp. I used a 1.5 inch Thermarest pad an LL Bean Synthetic Sleeping bag (rating unknown I am guessing 30-40 deg). I slept in my hiking long underwear, sacred socks, and a short sleeved hiking/exercise shirt (the ones that wick your sweat away). When I got into my setup it was about 55 degrees, I was very warm and toasty, almost too warm, no real cold spots even at the shoulders, the pad didn't slip around too much. I had a bag liner with me but didn't use it (I will on the trail if for no other reason than hiker funk). I used my hiking jacket in my stuff sack as a pillow but found I didn't really need it. After I got settled I had to readjust one of the guy lines for the tarp cuz I tied a poor hitch and was getting alot of flap with the wind. 30 minutes later we got some rain, not problems there. Overnight it got down to about 40. No real cold spots over night as long as I had my bag zipped up all the way. My back was a little damp when I got up around 6 but I don't know what to do about that. I think I will bring a hat for my head if it is any cooler when we go (Harper's Ferry area April 10). My nose got a bit chilly, I have a neoprene facemask that I though might help. Overall a good first run, I was pleased with the results. i had to stay on my back which isn't a problem when I am hiking. Any comments of what to do better with the set up I have? Is my facemask idea a good one? I am really looking forward to this upcoming hike and trying it out in the woods!

[Peter_pan]

I got a HH Asym Expedition a few weeks ago. I will be using it on my next backpacking trip in a few weeks. I thought it would be a good idea to sleep in it one night in my backyard. It has the standard tarp. I used a 1.5 inch Thermarest pad an LL Bean Synthetic Sleeping bag (rating unknown I am guessing 30-40 deg). I slept in my hiking long underwear, sacred socks, and a short sleeved hiking/exercise shirt (the ones that wick your sweat away). When I got into my setup it was about 55 degrees, I was very warm and toasty, almost too warm, no real cold spots even at the shoulders, the pad didn't slip around too much. I had a bag liner with me but didn't use it (I will on the trail if for no other reason than hiker funk). I used my hiking jacket in my stuff sack as a pillow but found I didn't really need it. After I got settled I had to readjust one of the guy lines for the tarp cuz I tied a poor hitch and was getting alot of flap with the wind. 30 minutes later we got some rain, not problems there. Overnight it got down to about 40. No real cold spots over night as long as I had my bag zipped up all the way. My back was a little damp when I got up around 6 but I don't know what to do about that. I think I will bring a hat for my head if it is any cooler when we go (Harper's Ferry area April 10). My nose got a bit chilly, I have a neoprene facemask that I though might help. Overall a good first run, I was pleased with the results. i had to stay on my back which isn't a problem when I am hiking. Any comments of what to do better with the set up I have? Is my facemask idea a good one? I am really looking forward to this upcoming hike and trying it out in the woods!

Wet back is non sensible sweat.... it will chill you to the bone when temps drop.... plus you are adding weight to your bag to lug the next day.... and if you do not get it aired out and dry, you will be worse on successive nights...

If you truely don't know what to do about that....Think get rid of the pad.

You are probably a back sweater and will always haye this issue with a pad....also, when and if you go to a wider pad for adequate coverage you will exaccerbate the problem.

Pan

[Ashman]

So the issue may be there even if I lose the pad? I am in the process of getting back into the hiking thing so I have a lot of old gear to switch out as time and budget permits (bag, pack, hydration systems water filter are the big ones) I am thinking about getting an underquilt next to replace the pad. I am thinking/hoping that after I get the underquilt, I can replace the bag with a fleece blanket/bag liner combo

[Peter_pan]

So the issue may be there even if I lose the pad? I am in the process of getting back into the hiking thing so I have a lot of old gear to switch out as time and budget permits (bag, pack, hydration systems water filter are the big ones) I am thinking about getting an underquilt next to replace the pad. I am thinking/hoping that after I get the underquilt, I can replace the bag with a fleece blanket/bag liner combo

Not quite.... You may always be a back sweater....But... With proper, breathable exterior insulation, your non sensible sweat will stay vaporized and pass thru the bottom insulation in the same manner that it passes thru your top insulation....

Pan

[nickelanddime]

You may want to switch style of pads, I cut up a blue walmart pad into segments like a z-rest and used duct tape as the hinges. The seams seem to be just enough for whatever condenstation to drain or evaporate. The down side is accordian style pads can be a real pain unless you have a separate bottom.

If you ever want to get really crazy with some testing... look in my picks at my blue cheese pad, the shoulder flaps can velcro to the top/bottom(for ground) or the sides... I've found that holes don't matter so much as long as I'm not touching the skin of my hammock, I'm going to make another one like it soon only with smaller holes in greater quantity

[Ashman]

How about dew in the morning? Stow the tarp seperate and dry out at lunch time? Use a pack towel to dry off the snake skins?

[Youngblood]

My back was a little damp when I got up around 6 but I don't know what to do about that.

A little bit of dampness when sleeping on a vapor barrier, such as your pad, is not unusual or anything to get alarmed about. A small amount of moisture due to insensible perspiration is usually wicked away by the fabric between you and the pad where it evaporates, causing very little if any problem. A little dampness on your clothing isn't usually a problem unless you expose it to wind. I always deal with it the same way I deal with a perspiration on my back from hiking with my backpack... I put a jacket on if I take my pack off when it is cool and/or windy.

You have the same issue with insensible perspiration sleeping on pads in tents or under tarps or on shelter floors. Hammocks are one of the few sleeping platforms where you have the option of having something highly breathable underneath you.

One of the first things to understand is what is the purpose of insensible perspiration and sensible perspiration. Insensible perspiration is your bodies mechanism to protect your skin, to keep it moist and pliable. In the cold you limit skin exposure with clothing, goggles, sunscreen, Vaseline, etc while you body is releasing moisture with ducts beneath the skin to protect your skin. If the clothing against your skin is moist or at high enough humidity, your body quits producing insensible perspiration. Insensible perspiration does not just continue without any regulation. Sensible perspiration is sweat and uses the same ducts or plumping that insensible perspiration does. Your body sweats when it overheats so that you can cool off with evaporative cooling. Again, your body regulates how much you sweat and it doesn't just continue without regulation. Sensible and insensible perspiration are your bodies way of taking care of itself.

Vapor barriers fool your body when you overheat and it produces more sweat that only builds up and is not used to help cool you down with evaporative cooling. You have to pay more attention to your thermal regulation when you use vapor barriers... they are not for people that can't or won't pay attention to whether they are overheating or not.

[Hector]

This is the flaw in the standard Hennessey system when used in the rain, IMO, as you have to put the tarp up after the hammock, resulting in the hammock getting rained on, or simultaneously unpack hammock and tarp from snakeskins which might keep the hammock dry on the first camp's use but will wet it when you pack it back in the snakeskins with the wet tarp. It's a no-win situation if it's raining.

Moral of the story: Store and deploy the tarp separately. This eliminates the problems above, a couple of other problems not related to rain, and opens up more options (like easily using the tarp alone at lunch).

[froldt]

I got a HH Asym Expedition a few weeks ago. I will be using it on my next backpacking trip in a few weeks. I thought it would be a good idea to sleep in it one night in my backyard.

Ashman, testing is always a good idea. I'm going to be doing the same here in a few days with my DIY hammock.

You may want to switch style of pads, I cut up a blue walmart pad into segments like a z-rest and used duct tape as the hinges. The seams seem to be just enough for whatever condenstation to drain or evaporate. The down side is accordian style pads can be a real pain unless you have a separate bottom.

This is good info. My fiance will be glad to know that her z-rest will work out ok. I made double bottomed hammocks, so she shouldn't have too much of a problem (which is what I told her, she'll just have to test it out and see).

[oetzi]

You have the same issue with insensible perspiration sleeping on pads in tents or under tarps or on shelter floors. Hammocks are one of the few sleeping platforms where you have the option of having something highly breathable underneath you.

AND, in a Hammock, you touch the pad with almost all of your back. Which is something not happening when laying on the flat ground.
At least, thats the conclusion I made after having a nap of several hours in my double-layer hammock with a pad in between.
Outside an Exped DAM, with its channeled surface, I would rather carry my cut-up old 4,5 lbs polarquard sleeping bag and use it for an underquilt than carry around a lightweight sweat-producing pad.