Musings on reducing airflow under hammock

[Shewie]

I'm with hikingdad, there's no need for the fabric to go so far, all you're trying to do is prevent air flow from robbing the UQ or hammock fabric.

[Mountain Gout]

In essence it would actually take more material than a uqp.. The trapped air needs to be close to the body to be worth any real value and have a medium to keep it there... I would worry more about a proper tarp.. jmo..

[nothermark]

The issue that puzzles me is air circulation inside the curtain. One can slow down the wind loss but that will still put the hammock sleeper in a similar position to sleeping inside an unheated building. One will still have that cold area to soak up heat. I don't think you produce enough BTU's to do that comfortably. The space is big enough for air circulation to build up so I don't think one will accomplish much. Fill it with insulation and you have a different story. But a quilt is smaller. ;-)

[sargevining]

The issue that puzzles me is air circulation inside the curtain. One can slow down the wind loss but that will still put the hammock sleeper in a similar position to sleeping inside an unheated building. One will still have that cold area to soak up heat. I don't think you produce enough BTU's to do that comfortably. The space is big enough for air circulation to build up so I don't think one will accomplish much. Fill it with insulation and you have a different story. But a quilt is smaller. ;-)

Exactly.

Your insulation does not create heat, it traps your body heat and holds it close to you. In a sense, its not the underquilt that heats you, you heat the underquilt---your body fills it with heat and retains it. You are not being heated, you are prevented from getting cold. It feels like you're being heated, but that's because 98 degrees feels different when its on the outside of your body than it does when its on the inside. While you would negate the "wind chill " effect of air moving beneath the hammock, you still have to heat the air in that space to body temp or close to it before you would see any beneficial effect. If that takes 10 minutes, not so bad. It if takes 8 hours, not so good.

All that being said, it is better than nothing and several half measures might result in one full measure.

The good news is that an underquilt works better than sleeping on the ground, especially when protected from wind by a tarp or a UQP, or both. While you don't have air moving underneath you when you sleep on the ground, your body's task there is bringing the surface of the planet up to body temperature. This is why ground dwellers need pads. Pads are not mattresses to make you more comfortable, they are insulation to keep you from freezing to death while sleeping on roots and rocks.

[CountryRoads]

You might be able to try something similar out by hanging a hammock under your hammock and weighting it with a rock to create an air pocket, that way there wouldn't be an issue with anything touching the ground. But I do agree with what's been said, even if you cut the wind the air temp is still gonna chill ya. I don't have a UQ, but I made something like a hammock that hangs under my hammock and holds a sleeping bag. It works really well. I've wondered if it would work to throw a couple cheap inflatable rafts (not fully inflated so they'll mold to my body) in there...

[riverjoe]

I made my UQ protector very large and it often hangs to the ground . I would think anything that would slow down the wind would be good . I used snow and my tarp on last outing as well .

Riverjoes shelter in a bag . deployed in the 'COMPOUND '

[neo71665]

Get a weighted shower curtain and use binder clips to attach it to the underquilt. If it works go further. If it doesn't you have new shower curtains.

Tell us how it pans out.

[Klaussinator]

... The trapped air needs to be close to the body to be worth any real value and have a medium to keep it there...

YUPP!

-Klaus

[Scotty Von Porkchop]

I found that in the wind the UQP could be blown into the UQ and push some of the warmed air out. I just used grizz beaks to stop that but a staked out UQP type affair, as the OP suggested, has merit (kinda).

[youbet]

use a rain poncho or peice of tyvek as an uq and the use a space blanket clipped to the inside of that. no uq no wind. However in terms of convection stopping wind lost heat merely using the drapery technique in theory might work. but maybe inefective if the ambient temp is very cool or damp. your body will still try to heat the air around you. and if there is nothing to capture heat in loft or a pad. you may still get cbs. try it out take pics let us know how it works!!!