Be Cool
Now that summer time is full swing, I've started to think about trying to stay cool at nights. Other than the use of fans, what other tricks can be used to reduced temps to make sleeping bearable? Are there any water evaporation techniques that could be employed? What about those misting devices made for patios? I realize this topic may not be practical for backpacking, but may be geared more for backyard or car camping.
CH
To Boldly Hang Where No One Has Hung Before...
Take your ATHH or other waterproofed hammock and pitch it near a stream or some easily accesible water source. Using the ATHH as an example from its total load capacity of 400# subtract your own weight. (200# to make an easy example) fill the hammock with 25 gallons of water from the cold stream and climb in. That should get you cool and refreshed. Of course filling the hammock with 25 gallons of water using a 1 liter titanium cook kettle is likely to heat you up pretty good. Maybe this was not such a great idea after all.... But it does have hammocks and backpacking..... yeah you're right.. big whoop.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
OOOOh I like that one. Just spent 4 days at a boy scout camp sweating to sleep at night.
The "hammock-as-bathtub" sounds fine and all that, but here's another low-tech idea that works for me. I made a hammock out of lightweight material that the fabric store labeled as "nylon chiffon". The hammock is definitely a "sheer" fabric, which breathes very well. It seems to have no problem supporting my own 175-lb. weight.
It's as cool as a rope hammock and much more comfy.
A bonus is that this cool hammock only weighs 5.25 ounces, not including the support system which is another nearly 4 ounces.
If I need mosquito protection, I have a silk sleeping bag liner with a small hole in the foot end. Used as a hammock sock, it breathes quite well even when pulled up over my head and tied down tight.
Chatter's idea sounds pretty good as long as that stuff is strong enough to hold.
Recently when we were at Hot Springs, NC, I could tell a huge difference in feeling the air as I swung in a net hammock as opposed to a solid fabric hammock.
The net wasn't to bad to lay on, but of course something like Chatter was talking about would feel better.
Another thing I try to keep high on the priority list in choosing a place to hang in the summer is elevation.
A little over 6000ft is the best we can do around these parts, but that usually drops the temps at least 10 or 15°f.
Even better if you can find a breeze.
And then there's always the ol battery operated fans<G>.
I too will something make and joy in it's making
How about some of those cooling headbands/bandannas? The kind with the super absorbing crystals in them. They're lifesavers for me when I'm working in a hot environment, they're cheap, perhaps you could sew several together to make an "anti-quilt". They are heavy and bulky when wet, but if it's that hot out, you could use them to keep cool during the day until they dry out, or soak them again.
Going to bed later helps a great deal.
"Every day above ground is a good day"
The other day I was out in the State Forest campsite and it was muggy and hot and just plain nasty. I climbed into my hammock and took a snooze. Later that night I found my down top quilt was all clammy and rather nasty. Seems I had soaked it up rpetty good while I was napping. Not a good thing. Won't do that again, at least not intentionally. I folded up camp early and headed for home to spend some time with my wife and daughter before they left town to a conference.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
So, your top quilt was on top, as per normal? But it still got soaked with sweat? It was hot, but still you needed a quilt? I guess I am having trouble picturing your exact predicament. But I can be a tad slow sometimes. ( But not gimpy.Originally Posted by Ramblinrev
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Well, I guess it's a good thing you didn't have to stay on the trail while at the same time needing your quilt for warmth in any really cool temps.. How difficult do you think it would have been in the field to get that quilt dry enough to function adequately?
Another issue to overcome...keeping the hiking scum from giving your hammock "bathtub rings"
CH
I just finished four days in July in south Georgia. Temps were in the mid 90's and upper 70's low 80's at night. I had a wicking t-shirt that helped move sweat and I used a coleman fleece blanket as a blanket. I also went to bed a lot later than normal (morning was a lot rougher to accept and you needed more coffee to get moving). I also made a big lean-to with my tarp to catch what ever breeze was out there. Also, I didn't have an uq or any pad in the hammock.
Don't know how much advise is there, but I did get chilly on the third night. hope that helps some.
"Do, or do not. There is no 'try'."
- Yoda
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