CCF limits?

[dsherman]

Hung in my backyard last night but had to bail just before sunrise due to a chill on my back that just wouldn't go away, no matter how hard I tried to ignore it.

I was laying in my BB with a regular blue foam pad with extra pieces for my shoulders and thighs. The low was 8.1F. My toes were cold for the first hour or so, but they warmed up. I was snuggly and warm for the next several hours until my back started feeling cool. Tried readjusting the thigh pads to under my back to no avail, and decided to go inside before I started shivering.

My initial suspicion was condensation or sweat, but upon closer review indoors, everything felt dry. I realize it's different for everyone, but what's the minimum temp rating for one layer of CCF?

[Deadphans]

Wow, tell ya what I am surprised they got you that low! I've never used a ccf in a hammock.

Curious, what thickness is your ccf?

[watertones]

from my experience in the cold it doesn't take much for condensation to give you a chill. You might have also slid off the pad enough to expose a vulnerable area. I have a hard time with ccf NOT buckling or folding, which would have made a channel for cold air to get to your back. I find that the insulated inflatable pads work much better and they are much more comfortable.

[DivaB]

Boy, MN gets cold! I'm surprised you got to where you did. There is a chart some where that breaks down the R values and different types of CCF. I must not have book marked it, but I'll keep looking.

[DivaB]

This is not the one I had in mind, but there is a chart for an idea on post number 3. There is a more recent one, but for the life of me, I'm not able to find. http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=19672

[BillyBob58]

Hung in my backyard last night but had to bail just before sunrise due to a chill on my back that just wouldn't go away, no matter how hard I tried to ignore it.

I was laying in my BB with a regular blue foam pad with extra pieces for my shoulders and thighs. The low was 8.1F. My toes were cold for the first hour or so, but they warmed up. I was snuggly and warm for the next several hours until my back started feeling cool. Tried readjusting the thigh pads to under my back to no avail, and decided to go inside before I started shivering.

My initial suspicion was condensation or sweat, but upon closer review indoors, everything felt dry. I realize it's different for everyone, but what's the minimum temp rating for one layer of CCF?

So were you only using a WM blue foam pad, the one that is only 0.5" thick? If so, I doubt condensation had anything to do with it. Unless your pad was a lot thicker than a WM blue pad, you simply greatly exceeded the capabilities of that pad. My guess is that for most folks- and depending on other layers of course - that pad is good into the 30s or low 40s. Maybe a few others can take it down in to the 20s. But 8F is really pushing it.

I would guess most folks need at least 1" thick CCF under their back and butt to approach zero F, but . And that is with wearing poorly compressing (fleece) layers, or inside a synthetic bag. But 1.5" would be even better.

I think you actually did great with just that pad, if it was only 1/2" thick. The other thing is: not all CCF is the same, some is higher quality. And if you were using the WM pad, I doubt it is the highest quality out there, but who knows. If you were OK the 1st several hours, I bet with 2 of those pads- doubling up under the torso and butt - you would be snuggly all night.

[Shug]

I'd maybe double-up on the pads in that kinda cold......maybe an eno-hotspot or a home-made SPE would aid in pad management.
It was crackin'-cold last night and windy to boot.
Shug

[Jayson]

Took two layers of this down to -26* C. Was inside a -20*C bag with two layers of fleece clothing. Toasty warm.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

[Floridahanger]

This past 2nd Annual Florida Hang, it was down to 28*(super cold for Florida). I was using a wm pad and my back was not cold at all. No wind either and my sleeping bag around the hammy like a peapod.

My guess, just like other items, it depends on the sleeper. The same pad may be 30's -40's for 1 and colder for others. Good luck in finding the right temp for you.

[DuctTape]

There are a ton of factors the least of which is the ccf which can and will affect your temperature comfortability. Air movement, your internal furnace, the hammock, your cold threshold, ... thus it is difficult to say. I have also found that individual items work together in different ways to maximize insulative properties of each other. Thus I do not think of an item in isolation (like the ccf pad), but instead consider how it works with other items. Many months of backyard testing with different combinations of my gear allowed me to find what works for me. I would suggest the same.