winter hammocking for noobs

[Bitts]

Lets see.
Tip one would be, everything goes in the hammock with you. Get a bag & such for your boots so they don't make to much of a mess of things, but you need to keep them warm so you can put them back on. Mostly with out immediately (or eventually) going into hypothermia, but also because they can freeze/shrink into a shape you won't be able to get back on. All the crap you've carried with you will act as insulation & your bodyheat will keep it from freezing overnight. Same as if you where winter camping with a tent.

tip two.
Down is great right up to the point where its not. Have some synthetic to fall back on. Personally I don't use any down due to enough bad experiences that would have been disasters with out synthetic to save the day. Think 20ish miles into the back country when a cracked nalgene bottle has just drained into your sleeping bag at the bottom of your pack. Now imagine you wont find out about it, till you make camp in another 5 miles. Now make the overnight hi -24 F. The bag is still a frozen brick when you get it out of your pack, but if its down your dead.

lets see what else... the rule of 5 & 3. Ah layering...
not including your sleeping bag, quilts, pads... you need 5 layers for your top & 3 for your legs. As for tops that would be say a bass layer, a light shirt (think wool polo), mid layer (fleece, softshell or puffy. Think something like the Arcteryx atom light hoodie) hardshell, & then your belay style, maxin at basecamp, monster parka.
Granted many can get away with 4 layers for their top by skipping the shirt in favor of a heavier mid layer but the flexibility is useful.

from there..
Make sure everything has a hood. & if it can be long sleeved with a 1/2 to 3/4 to full zip for venting. Even better.

bring more than 1 pair of gloves & mittens.

dry socks for bedtime.

[DuctTape]

That is the reason I do not put ANY liquids inside my pack. I am not sure if a frozen brick synthetic sleeping bag would have been any better than a frozen brick of down. It doesn't matter whether one uses synthetic or down. Keep it dry.

Great point about everything in your hammock. I put my footwear (after in a sack) under my knees.

[MAD777]

All great advice here. I'll add that those chemical hand/foot warmer packs are worth their weight in gold. I don't always wear them, but I have them.

Frozen shoes when you bag them at night, throw a couple of those chemical packs inside them.

It's been mentioned but it's worth mentioning again - hammock sock!

Oh, and I buy so much wool, the sheep in New Zealand are all running around naked!

[Bitts]

Ducktape, I have to ask where you put the water & fuel bottles if not in the pack. I've been climbing/backpacking for years & will agree that there's never a good place to put either. But what else is there, beyond hanging things all over the out side of the pack. Which EVERY time I've done it has resulted in something bad happening. Lost, bent, cracked, ripped...

Oh speaking of which. use your blue foam pad as a layer of protection for your pack & it's contents, by letting it uncoil in the pack forming a nice big cylinder to pack every thing else into. I don't know any one who goes out with out at least a short blue pad.

[DuctTape]

bitts, side mesh pocket for my liquids. I keep my "must stay drys" inside a turkey roaster bag inside my pack. Been in soaking rain for hours and even when the inside of the pack was wet, my must stay drys were still bone dry.

The foam cylinder is a good trick. I do that when I carry a full pad (in winter) mostly for the added structure to carry the heavier weight winter gear.

[stairguy]

Mors Kochanaski, Four Dog, and MacEntrye will being giving presentations at the MN Winter Camping Symposium at Camp Miller, just south of Duluth, the last weekend of Oct. The Gingers, Beep, Kiba, and most of the MN FBH hang alumni should be there. Stairguy is waiting to hear from TZ Brown. It is well worth the trip to hammock for two or three days with the legends of HF.

OMG, have I reached status of legend, way to much pressure, I'm declining status and going back to noob.............besides, everyone is goin who the H is Stairguy.......

[Bitts]

Side mesh pockets :wavesfist: are cheating. My pack is from back in like the early 90's & I don't think they had even heard of mesh at that point. I like the idea of the turkey bag, I've always done it with an empty nalgene bottle. But they limit you to smaller items.

[DuctTape]

cheating. LOL. Would the zippered side pockets on my external frame pack from the 80's be cheating too? j/k.

Anyway, it is always good to talk about different techniques we have all developed over the years. We all find what works for ourselves, often a specific technique is really part of a larger systemic approach we employ.

[TZBrown]

OMG, have I reached status of legend, way to much pressure, I'm declining status and going back to noob.............besides, everyone is goin who the H is Stairguy.......

I was thinking the same thing

All of this talk of winter hanging is making me salivate

On the frozen boot issue... vapor barrier liners work very well. If it is warm enough to melt the snow to the outside use waterproof boots, and VBL (Cold Wet).
If below 20 f (Cold Dry) use breathable boots, mukluks. let the vapors disperse to the outside and flash off into the air.

[Bitts]

lol If my pack doesn't have them, THEN OF COURSE IT'S CHEATING!!!

Okay back to business. Now speaking of muck a lucks. One thing to pick up is a copy of "a snow walker's companion". Should be a great place to start if you haven't done to much in the winter time. Hell even if you've done a bunch of treks in the winter it can help.