Hammock for cold weather camping - Noob

[Harstad]

Hi Folks

I have been visiting this forum lately and have decided to try a hammock for trail use.

I live in the nothern part of Norway, north of the artic circle, and plan to use the hammock as a 3 season solution.

Summer temp here is usally 40-70 F. And in the fall 20 F is not unusal (night temp).

My last hammock experience was 15 years ago. In a pocket-sized fishnet survival hammock. And i remeber it was cold... I had to wrap my sleeping bag around the hammoc in order to stay warm, and the fishnet dug into my body like barbed wire. It was a cold and painfull experience

Todays hammocks looks much better. And I will give it a try.

i'm thinking of using a therm-a-rest or simillar if I have to sleep on the ground.

Any suggestions for what kind of hammock/tarp i need to stay dry and warm?



Thanks

Harstad

[S3ymour]

Welcome to the forum!
As for 3 season setups, I currently use my homemade hammock made from 1.9 oz ripstop nylon, with a thermarest pad, and my 20 degree sleeping bag wrapped with a tech blanket (nylon on one side, fleece on the other). The tech blanket is used as an underquilt and my sleeping bag gets used as an overquilt. It was an easy cheap solution to get me below 30 degrees. I'm sure more people with more experience will chime in as well. The reality is, you don't have to spend a ton of money to get the kind of comfort you are looking for.

[Narwhalin]

I recommend this:

http://tothewoods.net/HammockCamping.html

It talks about staying warm in a hammock. Welcome!

[Harstad]

It talks about staying warm in a hammock. Welcome!

Looks like a great site. Thank you

btw in my local store they sell ENO hammocks with slap straps for 215 $ (and thats a plain hammock...)
I rather shop on the www...

[FanaticFringer]

Boy that's a loaded question around here.
If you can sew or know someone who does, making a homemade hammock would be a good inexpensive start. Not much sewing required. Hemming the edges.
In those temps a bug-net wont be much of an issue.

www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeHammock.html

Wow....$215?????

[Harstad]

Wow....$215?????

$150 for the hammock $75 for the straps.


I considered DIY. But rip-stop fabrick is hard to find localy. (I think I haven't looked for it =

I have access to a sewing machine.

Anybody here made a hammock of gore-tex?

[Ramblinrev]

dispense with the straps... you'd probably end up replacing those anyways in a short time. Look into one of the other suspension systems on line here. almost any fabric can be used for the hammock body. I don't know that I would use goretex unless I had money to burn and/or more goretex than I knew what to do with. Any kind of lightweight nylon or polyester fabric could be used, expecially for starters. It needs to hold your weight. My first DIY was a cotton canvas. Wouldn't want to backpack with it, but it was fine for a trial.

[Coffee]

Another thing to look at is the hammock socks/travel pods along with the JRB cabbin tents. For me not having air move around the hammock and especially my face is huge. Second only to breathing in warmer air. Those make in enclosed space for your breath and body to heat up. In my hammock sock I have measured up to 20 deg F more above my face than the outside air.

I have hung my rain jacket over my ridgeline over my head and gotten similar results. A lot of condensation this way though.

I also wrap my down jacket around my feet or half as a pillow and the other half over my head and face to get some extra warmth. The biggest drawback too me in quilts in cold weather is the lack of a draft collar.

[cavediver2]

For me not having air move around the hammock and especially my face is huge. Second only to breathing in warmer air. Those make in enclosed space for your breath and body to heat up. In my hammock sock I have measured up to 20 deg F more above my face than the outside air.

I feel the same way when it's cold out side and I am talking about in the teen's I like the fact that I can close of my Clark with the weather shield. I have seen degree differences of 20 or more at times. I do like to breath the cool fresh air but I also like to stay warm when it get's down to those temps.

[fin]

I vote Clark NA, or a double bottom hammock w/pad sleeve and a weather sock for cold weather, and I consider cold weather below 32* F. Anything above that is summer camping.