HH explorer lite

[bama29]

im new to the tree hanging and i was wondering at what temparture do i need a under qulit and over quilt?

[Rushthezeppelin]

It's rather objective for most people. Generally though most people will say that anything above 70 and you will be fine without any insulation. Below that you need to probably at least add a thin pad or you will probably wake up with a cool/cold back. Some people however can seem to get away with going into the 20s without anything besides a good bag but it's pretty rare.

[bama29]

thanks for i have a thermarest pad i will have to give it a try

[Raven-US]

I got into an uncomfortable situation hiking on the AT a couple of summers ago. I was using a hammock with no under insulation (hey, it was summer!) and a homemade fleece sleeping bag. The bag has a single layer of fleece on one side and a thin layer of insulation sandwiched between two layers of fleece on the other side (if I get cold or hot, I just roll over). One evening on the trail there was a slight breeze that was enough to cut right thru the hammock and single layer of fleece... but when I rolled over, my bottom-side was comfortable enough but my top-side was cold. I tried adjusting my tarp and adding a poncho to screen the wind, but, in a word, it was a rough night. The next town I hit, I picked up a cheap 30 or 40 degree sleeping bag at K-mart, and it made all the difference... I'm pretty sure it was the nylon shell and liner that cut enough wind to allow the insulation to function. Moral of the story: if you can eliminate (or at least reduce significantly) the convective heat loss (i.e., wind), the rest is pretty straightforward. From then on I always carried a thin closed cell foam (CCF) pad, and I never had another problem (even down into the teens F)... I could never get my thermarest pad to lay right in my hammock. I've now switched to an underquilt, and I can't imagine ever going back to a pad! It's so comfortable!!