Winter Sock is Awesome...

[anvil440]

First, let me say whoever invented the winter sock - pure genius. I just made one from a king size polyester bed sheet I got from Goodwill, and it is working out great.

Last week, I went on a solo over-nighter to test some new DIY cold weather gear and found it to be severely lacking in 28 degrees and windy. Nearly freezing to death got me to rework my gear a little. So far, I've spent about an hour in 32 degrees with a slight breeze and have been absolutely comfortable with only my underquilt and base layers. What a difference the winter sock makes.

King size bed sheet: $3.99
PMI cord: $0 (found)
Cord lock: $0 (found)

[BigDog]

First, let me say whoever invented the winter sock - pure genius. I just made one from a king size polyester bed sheet I got from Goodwill, and it is working out great.

Last week, I went on a solo over-nighter to test some new DIY cold weather gear and found it to be severely lacking in 28 degrees and windy. Nearly freezing to death got me to rework my gear a little. So far, I've spent about an hour in 32 degrees with a slight breeze and have been absolutely comfortable with only my underquilt and base layers. What a difference the winter sock makes.

King size bed sheet: $3.99
PMI cord: $0 (found)
Cord lock: $0 (found)

How did you make it? Do you have any pics? Sounds pretty awesome and you can't beat the price.

[Les Rust]

That's less than I've paid for hiking socks!! Tell us more! Sounds like you've struck on something good.

[anvil440]

It was super simple. So far, I folded it in half and sewed the long seam then sewed a channel in the head end and sewed the foot end together with about 8 inches left open. The sheet was already hemmed up so I didn't have to do anything special. Added the cord and cord lock. Works like the Dream Hammock winter sock. I still want to seam up the foot end at an angle and lop off the excess to lighten up the load a bit.

I'll take some pictures tomorrow.

[nickgann]

I have seen these in action and it is a really neat idea. The ones I saw were cuben fiber or tyvek.

[brooklynkayak]

I swear by my WB Traveler sock. It is light and adds a lot of comfort for it's weight.

A UL hammock sock made out of very fine fabric can add a lot more warmth than equivalent insulation.
Some people complain about moisture condensing and freezing when temps get down near 0 Fahrenheit.
I very rarely go below 20 deg. so I have never experienced any condensation issue, just a much warmer nights sleep.

Another advantage of a sock is that you don't have to worry about the effects of cold on anything hanging inside your hammock. No shoes or water bottles freezing, no dead cell phone or flashlight batteries, ...

[hammock_monk]

Pics please.

[anvil440]

Some pics of the winter sock. Some little modifications since the last post. Added a "sleeve" to give me a little more play with the overall length (yeah, I accidentally sewed it on inside-out) and removed the excess from the foot end.

Since this turned out nicely, I've decided to make a prettier one out of lightweight breathable ripstop.

[skinnerback]

nice......

[bigsig11010]

That is way cool but why does it need wheels??