What's the advantage of a Peapod?

[wisenber]

Peapods aren't just for deep Winter. I've slept comfortably in mine in the 50's as well. All that you have to do is open some of the velcro to vent. As far as heavy and bulky goes, the 20* pod only weighs 38 ounces which compares favorably to most TQ/UQ combinations. With the 900 fp down, they also compress quite nicely. The volume of mine compares to a fractional UQ and TQ combination.

For comparison, a 20* Hammockgear Burrow and a 20* Hammockgear Phoenix weigh a combined 35.7 ounces. That's just about two ounces difference between that and a 20* Peapod.
A Peapod isn't for everyone, but don't buy the stories about being heavy and bulky. The actual weight and pack size do not support those conclusions.

[wisenber]

I considered a peapod, and went with a hammock sock instead for a couple of reasons: lighter weight and smaller and more space inside...my sock has a couple of layers of Insultex in the bottom, and that, in combination with the micro-climate created inside the sock, makes for very comfortable sleeping, even in quite cold weather.

Jamie - nfa

Do you use your sock by itself for colder temps, or do you also need a TQ and/or UQ with that?

[NFA]

I've used it in colder weather, and use it instead of TQ/UQ...I don't have them...I'm planning on camping this fall with the sock instead of a sleeping bag, as it's lighter and smaller than the bag...

J

[wisenber]

I've used it in colder weather, and use it instead of TQ/UQ...I don't have them...I'm planning on camping this fall with the sock instead of a sleeping bag, as it's lighter and smaller than the bag...

J

That's pretty impressive! Most 2 layer IX UQ's do well to get one into the 40's.
I mean I have a tube of Burt's Bees that is smaller and lighter than a bag, but I wouldn't expect it to keep me warm.
I've seen IX hammock socks used over top of UQ's and TQ's when it's cold, but I haven't seen a design that works by itself yet. Did you do something different than MacEntyre with yours? I'd be pretty curious to see what you've done.

[NFA]

I'm a big believer in the micro-climate created by hammock socks, not so much in burt's bees, in keeping warm in cold weather...my sock has 4 layers of IX in it, and was the first prototype that Mac made.

For this upcoming trip, I'm cutting weight to save wear and tear on my knees while climbing into the ADK High Peaks. My UL pack gets structural support from a partial z-lite pad, and I'll have cold-weather clothes for the chill...my plan is to sleep in the sock in my cold-weather clothes, with the pad under my spine, and in a silk liner I have...I believe that will keep me warm into the 30s.

J

[wisenber]

I'm a big believer in the micro-climate created by hammock socks, not so much in burt's bees, in keeping warm in cold weather...my sock has 4 layers of IX in it, and was the first prototype that Mac made.

For this upcoming trip, I'm cutting weight to save wear and tear on my knees while climbing into the ADK High Peaks. My UL pack gets structural support from a partial z-lite pad, and I'll have cold-weather clothes for the chill...my plan is to sleep in the sock in my cold-weather clothes, with the pad under my spine, and in a silk liner I have...I believe that will keep me warm into the 30s.

J

Well I could certainly see four layers of IX keeping someone warm well below freezing. I wonder if that sock would benefit the same way that a peapod does when removing the space above the user? The traditional peapod is somewhat suspended over the occupant by the sides of the hammock necessitating another layer of insulation to take up the space. Using a hammock with lower sides allows a peadpod to actually drape over the occupant. Using that trick will let a 20* peapod work alone down to 20*. With that in mind, I wonder by removing the ridgeline support from the sock and allowing it to drape over the occupant if that might not offer more warmth than having your body heat that whole air space above you? That might make that sock of yours good to 20ish......

[BillyBob58]

For anyone interested, I am soon going to start a new thread on PeaPod vs HHSS, based on my recent Sawtooth trip. This will be separate from the trip report, which I am waiting to get my cheap throw away camera film/pics put onto a disk at WM.