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  1. #1
    New Member
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    Dec 2006
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    Centreville, VA
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    24

    Its 20 degrees, do you know where your hammock is?

    Well, 2 nights of testing down, many more to go!
    Night 1 was ~42 degrees w/5mph wind
    Night 2 was ~20 degrees w/3mph wind

    Here is my setup and some observations.

    Gear
    HH Hyperlite
    JRB Nest
    30 degree down bag (Marmot)
    stock tarp
    small pillow

    Clothes Night 1
    Capaline 3 base layer
    hiking socks
    Summary: I woke up in the morning nice and warm, I guess this is dialed in!

    Clothes Night 2
    Capaline 3 base layer
    200 wt Fleece layer (pullover & pants)
    hiking socks
    balaclava
    Summary: Cold spots woke me up around 2am (16.8 deg f with wind chill )

    Comments
    HH Hyperlite: my first thought was, there is no way this line will hold me, second thought, there is no way this material will hold me, third thought, there is no way this knot I just tied will hold me.
    At this point the only thing I'm worried about is my knot. Quality is very good, besides a few odd stitches here and there, nice and solid. Overall, I'm very impressed with the Hyperlite.

    The tree huggers are too short. In order to set the hammock up per directions I had to bypass several well oriented sites because one of the trees was too large. If you just pass one of the ends through one of the end loops and cinch it around a tree, they are long enough, but I'm not sure this is a good long term solution as the full weight of the hammock will be born by each loop sequentially instead of both loops simultaneously this would double the force on the webbing loop stitching. I'll be looking for alternatives here.

    The Tarp Quality is high. You can attach to the ridge line quickly and easily or use the tieouts to raise or lower the tarp from the hammock.Overall, a good tarp as designed
    as mentioned on another thread, the stock tarp seems small. I'm not sure I fully agree here. If I were just hanging the hammock, I feel pretty confident that I could fully protect the hammock from wind driven rain. The setup allows for a nice close pitch of the tarp to the hammock and you can really snug it down to weather proof your setup. But, with an under quilt attached, and a down one at that, I worry about the foot end being too exposed. By moving the tarp down towards the foot end I was able to get passable coverage but I wouldn't trust it in a real blow and will be replacing the tarp for my hike. Nothing really wrong with the stock tarp, but I would like some extra 'living space' and gear protection for my 'home' this summer.

    JRB Nest It keeps lofting, and lofting, and lofting. Quality is first rate, nary a stitch out of place. I still do not have the setup of this quite dialed in. It seems that I had a air gap at the foot end and it too tight in the mid section. Overall, I was comfortable at 20 degrees, some spots were iffy but between the hammock sagging (its brand new) and learning to set it up properly, I am confident I could be very comfortable to 20 degrees with this down below.

    Marmot hydrogen (30 deg down) awesome bag, but as a top quilt, not so much. Plenty warm, just not being used properly here, the bag is a mummy type with a head pocket...when used as a top quilt the head pocket becomes a face cover...which your breath gets wet quickly...which gets cold quickly. I would say the bag is true to its temp rating.

    Staying warm or not being cold
    My feet got cold quickly so I tossed some spare clothing under them and they were better, shifting clothes resulted in cold feet so solution is still TBD.

    Cold shoulders and butt. At 2am (~21 degrees w 3mph wind) I woke up and the outsides of my shoulders were a bit cold as was my butt, I'll probably end up using my ccf sit pad under my rear. I'm contemplating making a mini-spe that would fit the sit pad and 2 wings for use 'waist-up'. I'll wait for the hammock to settle and try attaching the Nest better before launching down this path as I'm sure this would be detrimental to the comfort of the setup. I placed my fleece gloves and a thin sleeping bag liner under my rear that I had brought out 'just in case' and slept well until morning. overall, not bad.
    As to going lower, with an April 1st start date, I feel if I can get to 10 degrees comfortably I should be ok. I'm considering making an over & under cover for the early going. I'm not sure what this will 'add' in terms of warmth, but will probably help if there is more wind.

    YMMV About me, I don't mind sleeping in the cold, in fact I sleep better in the cold, my wife says that I am like sleeping next to a heating pad during the winter. Winter in our house (62 deg) finds me with a sheet, light blanket and a pair of boxers and happy as a bug in a rug, so your results may vary!

    --Brian "Cargo" Nobo April 1st

  2. #2
    Crash's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Pburg, NJ (On the Delaware River)
    Hammock
    3 gathered ends
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    JRB Hex
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    501
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    The tree huggers are too short?

    The tree huggers are too short?

    you dont have to wrap them all the way around.
    I've used them on trees too big in girth
    Put something like a stuff bag under the ropes to keep from injuring the tree

    yea having long straps would be easier but like in all aspects of hammocking
    you learn to improvise
    "Courage Grows Strong at a Wound" - Stewart Clan Motto

  3. #3
    Senior Member stoikurt's Avatar
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    Oct 2006
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    Panama City, FL
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    I've also read that you can put some sticks or twigs under the huggers to lift the ends off the tree a little so you can tie your knot.
    Stoikurt
    "Work to Live...Don't Live to Work!"

  4. #4
    Senior Member
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    If you can get the nest down to 20 and be fine you might take the coldest sleeper honor away from neo. Anything below mid 30's and I have to add other insulation.

    I am playing with the idea of using a ccp from walmart cut down to torso size. I use a cc sit pad I can add. I could add my pack or gear under my legs if needed. I am waiting for some really cold weather in Cincy to test this out.
    Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
    The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".

  5. #5
    Senior Member Perkolady's Avatar
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    NE GA
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    Ok, I gotta ask...

    What size would "torso" size be?

    Inquiring minds want to know, since I am thinking about trying this as well

  6. #6
    Senior Member
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    My torse is going to be from the top of my head to just past my butt.

    I found on my last cold night that just adding a sit pad under my butt gives me another 5-10 degrees.
    Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
    The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".

  7. #7
    Senior Member Perkolady's Avatar
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    hammock engineer,

    How wide are you going to make it?

    It seems that from what I am reading, "torso" pads can be many different sizes.
    I guess we need to do what works for us individually ?

    (trying to graduate from kindergarten to first grade asap here...)

    Perk

  8. #8
    Senior Member
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    I am strange with the width. The standard walmart ccp at 20.5" wide works fine for me. The only time I had cold shoulders is when I only had the pad at under 30 degrees. My dad was using my nest at the time.

    If I measured right my shoulder with is just under 22". I guess the ends of my shoulders don't care if it is colder. Test this out for yourself. This is a little narrow for what a lot of people use.
    Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
    The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".

  9. #9
    Senior Member blackbishop351's Avatar
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    Oct 2006
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    HE, have you ever used pads alone as bottom insulation? I think I'd probably be fine with a 'normal' width pad if I had an underquilt to keep the sides of my shoulders warm, but the two trips I've taken with my SPE showed me that the wings are definitely necessary without additional insulation.
    "Physics is the only true science. All else is stamp collecting." - J. J. Thompson

  10. #10
    Senior Member
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    Just on 3 nights. 2 in my HH and 1 in a homemade. I did not have any problems in the HH. I think that was because with the side tieouts it lays pretty flat and open. I did have pad width problems in the homemade. But not until it got into the 30's. I was having shoulder squeeze problems at the time, but I still think I would have felt it. I was able to put extra clothes under my shoulders and get comfortable again.

    If I was only using a pad I would want something a few inches wider. With the nest and hammock sock, I don't think I need it.
    Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
    The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".

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