Hi all!
I'm curious what you will come up with.
Problem is most likely to occur when you can't choose the weather - so most probably during long hikes. I decided to ask here.
As many of us probably noticed, hammock sleep system in some circumstances is basically same as tarp sleeping setup + hammock gear - groundcloth. That is of course when a pad is used rather than an underquilt.
I wanted to prepare lightweight setup in the way that actually enables me to sleep on the ground. Not that I would want it often, but sometimes I can be forced to do so.
There are some differences in gear choices, like tarp size and shape, or taking blanket/quilt rather than mummy bag when hammocking. I actually need to have a footbox in my hammock sleeping bag, but that's another story.
I made myself a bigger tarp-poncho, it doubles nicely as a raingear, and it's rather on the light side. It's pretty narrow when compared to hammock-specific tarps, the length is just about right though to cover the hammock from one end to the other (plus some extra).
The result is I can get pretty chilled even during pretty warm, but windy nights, and I hardly imagine hanging in heavy wind and heavy rain combined. Not a weather, nor the topic for an overnight trip...
I've experienced wind that was said to be up to 7 degrees in Beaufort scale, making some moderate damages in the area I've been camping in. Now, windy issues were pretty easy to overcome - I've untangled the poncho and wrapped into it. I also stuffed flaps in my diy-ed SPE with everything possible. Condensation was quite big, but I slept warm in such a burrito. Trees were maintained well (it was paid camping), so nothing killed me. I was since then thinking about making myself a kind of wind stopper, that could also double as a groundcloth in case of high wind and rain combined, which is basically "ground dwelling sentence" in case of using poncho. I still think that this is lighter and more versatile solution than using mighty big tarp to protect against bad weather, and the weight of tarp-poncho+"wrapper" is probably lighter than big tarp alone (one that I would produce on a budget, we're not talking about cuben gear here).
I was thinking about using the hammock itself to put a pad on top of it, but first - taffeta is maybe tough, but not waterproof at all, second - the ends are gathered, and even if I would mod my hammock in the way that enables me to untie them, they still would hold the wrinkles, and finally - it would be barbaric to put the thing into raw mud. Plus, this solution has no wind stopper.
I was also thinking about using a liner inside a sleeping bag, but it seems to be good for adding warmth, not stopping wind.
Now - first of all, maybe I do something wrong? I guess what I experienced is not that uncommon, just a different version of CBS - not caused by insulation compression, but by lack of wind stopping. I wasn't even shaking, I was just chilled. Maybe I should throw out that 15yo quilt and buy new, really cheap and light 15 C synthetic bag and I will not feel cold again?
Second - what material to choose? I don't have any experience in wind-stopping subject... This still have to be really, really lightweight, common and cheap. Sadly tyvek is not popular where I live, I guess that would be right on spot. Dense polyamid cloth dires quickly enough to get it wet, but it's not that light. Impregnated one I have available loses waterproof capabilities really quickly. For now the only idea that came to me is using "thick enough" ordinary plastic foil I have around, we used it while painting walls to cover the floor and it has not holes in it after that, but even that I can fix with some tape. Similar thickness to shower curtain, but it feels stiffer. In terms of budget - zero cost will make things work great for me. Condensation - I will survive with that issue, I can leave one side slightly open. But still - would you use such thing? Or rather just cover yourself with everything and wait through the night?
How are you dealing with high winds in different (short tarp) setups? I guess there is no chance to go in hammock with tarp-poncho through wind + rain conditions...
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