Warbonnet has a "Sock" to cover thier hammocks with in cold weather and Dream Hammock has the removable net to replace with a silnylon cover to help keep warm in winter....dumb question...couldn't you put a few strips of velcro on the sides and semi close the hammock, if it's wide enough?
if your sleeping on a diagonal you can not close the hammock, but there are some cocoon style hammock/quilts. somebody will know the name of the Speer one i'm thinking of.
"Tenting is equivalent to a bum crawling into a cardboard box, hammocking is an art" KK
Velcro has a tendency to rub a hole or weak spot in the hammock material. Just food for thought
I have seen a DIY hammock that had loops sewn onto the edges that would pull together with laces to form the cocoon that you mentioned. Looked like a pretty good idea.
Another approach would be to replace the zipped in netting material of a bug screen with a thinner strip of the same material as the hammock. Zip it up on both sides and you are the bug in the rug.
Hmmm.
SE
the other thing that a sock does over what you are proposing is that they protect your underquilt or pad from the wind which also retains heat.
Husband, Father, and Friend.
Scout Master and Cub Master for Troop/Pack 705 of
Chesterfield
it was the peapod i was thinking of http://www.tttrailgear.com/speer-peapod/
"Tenting is equivalent to a bum crawling into a cardboard box, hammocking is an art" KK
If you want to play with the idea fairly cheaply, the 90" wide tablecloth hammocks are just about wide enough to close up when you lay on the diagonal. However, they are also heavy.
I just used my PL over the top of my HH ridgeline. I used the strings on the PL to loosely tie it into place on the side tie outs of the HH. I left the top section (where my head is) open to avoid condensation. According to my thermometer it was 10F hotter inside the tarp (Kelty 12x12 with doors) pulled in tight to the ground and the HH than it was outside the tarp.
I don't know how well this would work in really cold weather but I will be using it when it is below freezing just to test it out.
Velcro can be a pain.
It picks up fuzzies, comes undone at bad times, its loud (especially at night when your on a late night potty break "riiiipppppp" not a good sound in a hammock). Fiddly to attach/reattach. Snags on the netting/clothing.
Weight is negligible between zips vs. Velcro for the most part.
IMO, zips work best.
A simple storm shield can be had from draping your poncho over the ridgeline. Leave room for ventilation at the head and foot ends.
Originally Posted by kayak karl
So here I am just scrolling through the new posts this morning, getting ready to respond to KK with a "you are thinking of the PeaPod", and there I am!
But that is one warm, draft free approach for sure! After 7 years hanging around here, I have still yet to see a thread where some one buys a PeaPod, and then complains of being cold on the bottom at or above the rated temps. ( admittedly, unless you add clothing or summer weight TQ, and also depending on the hammock used, the top can be a little trickier. Then again, the super cold sleeper Speer only rated the top warmth for 50F, and I can beat that very easily with no additions)
The other all on one from the manufacturer system I have had good success with is the HH Super Shelter(HHSS) with optional Top Cover(TC)
Not that I am against socks/covers at all, but the problem they all have, to one degree or another, is condensation, which if not managed will overwhelm the benefits of the sock. Much to my surprise, I have never noticed any condensation or loft loss with that PeaPod, even at 10F and even with it completely closed for a few hours. Others have said the same. And when I close it completely, it feels like an additional 20F warmth boost! But I bet if I had ever weighed it the next morning, I would have found evidence of condensation.
The HHSS TC is supposed to be breathable material, plus it even has a 6" diameter breathing hole that is near your face. I have never used the TC in very cold weather. But when I have used it in more moderate temps, while I can always feel/measure a significant warmth boost, I have always thought I could feel the increase in humidity when I closed it. You just know that if that TC layer is about the same as the ambient temp of below 20F or maybe even 30F, that when your moist warm breath hits that ice cold piece of fabric, it is going to condense on it. Heck, you can even get condensation on mossy netting! Just like you can on an extremely breathable Shug style Frost Bib. But maybe that frost bib is the way to manage condensation inside socks in general?
A sock, even like the HHSS one, can stop wind and wind blown moisture from getting past your tarp better than all but the largest tarps with doors closed, and it matches those. Plus, it can hold in body heat better than most approaches. Just have to be ready to deal with condensation.
Of course, the PeaPod or PolarPod stops neither wind or moisture by itself, but it does stop your normal draft issues.
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