I am new to hanging. I was wondering if anyone had any experiences with Big Agnes sleeping bags as related to hammocking? I was thinking about getting one because you can slip the pad into the back and it wouldn't be moving around as I twist and turn during the night as well as a seemingly better insulation than a regular sleeping bag. Any thoughts?
With a sleeping bag minus the pad, you can get in while standing outside the hammock and sit, swing legs in, viola. Not sure how that would work with a pad in the bag. A lot of folks leave the bag zipper open down to the footbox; also not sure how that would work with a pad in the bag sleeve, cause then you can't turn the bag.
It will depend a lot on which type of hammock you use. I have a Big agnes (park series) which I use all the time and love when I tent camp. I am, however unable to use the bag and pad combo in my eno doublenest. It just doesnt lay right. Now keep in mind that the park series uses a 25'' pad not a 20'' pad which could make a difference as well. I do not yet have an underquilt (researching now for next winter) but I would assume a big agnes bag with an underquilt would be an ideal situation. It would be very similar to having a top quilt. I know a few people use this set up and like it. I hope they will chime in. In the mean time do a search for sleeping bags, I know this topic has been brought up before. You can do some reading while waiting for more people to answer your question. Welcome to to forum and ask all the questions you have.
My fiance uses a big agnes bag with an Exped Downmat 7. She likes the combination a lot. A few things to think about:
Zipper orientation
We use warbonnet blackbirds, which have zippers on the left hand side. She special ordered her bag with a left zip, which makes it a lot easier to get into.
Width
My fiance is a tiny woman, so a 20" pad is enough to keep the sides of the hammock off her shoulders. If your shoulders are broader, you might have to stuff something between you and the hammock to keep away the shoulder chill.
Side sleeping
If you sleep on your side a lot, you'll be breathing right into the bag.
Slipping off the pad
It's definitely still possible to slip off the pad, especially if you try to roll around a lot. The whole bag,pad combo can roll off to the side, and end up with the pad against the side of the hammock, doing no good, while you're laying on your side right against the bottom of the hammock. If the pad was inside a pad slot inside the hammock, it COULD be less likely to be able to move out from under you.
good point. This is one of the only downfalls to the bigagnes system I have found. It is possible to overcome this by manipulating the bag so you lay on your side and breath out of the face holeOriginally Posted by Mustardman
Do any hammocks come standard with a place to put a pad as to keep it stationary or are they all an optional item? I have been thinking about a Hennessy Expedition Asym, but it is an optional accessory from what I have read. If I did I was going to have the mosquito net altered so it would unzip so I could enter from the top if needed.
I appreciate all the advice.
To my knowledge there is no pad pocket in a Hennessey, optional or not. Unless you are referring to the Super Shelter which is really more of an undercover.
The zipper mod on the HH is an excellent choice.
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To me, it seems silly to buy a HH planning to get a zipper mod added to it, unless you really need the bottom entry for some reason. There are lots of hammocks out there with zippers already installed from the factory.
Lately, the favorite hammock on these forums, with a zipper already installed, plus a pad pocket on double layer models, is the Warbonnet Blackbird. It's the only hammock I've tried, so I can't provide comparisons, but I love the thing, and pretty much everyone else who has one loves it too.
Don't forget that HH hammocks come with tarps. Too minimalist for some, but as a package there is a certain logic to the HH design. Plus ebay is often awash in them, at a pretty low entry price. I can imagine someone who was keen on the package or keen on the price wanting to make it better with a zipper mod.
I would agree that for someone coming into this without a lot of experience and a need to have a bugnet, a double layer BB would be one of two recommendations I'd make. The other is a JRB BMBH but only after having a discussion about the person's size.Lately, the favorite hammock on these forums, with a zipper already installed, plus a pad pocket on double layer models, is the Warbonnet Blackbird. It's the only hammock I've tried, so I can't provide comparisons, but I love the thing, and pretty much everyone else who has one loves it too.
Grizz
In the end, it likely doesn't matter - once the bug has bit it seems so many people have to try one of each...
I think I will stop with the BB, myself, but there are no guarantees.
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