It was a blustery, damp 0º when I crawled into the ol' DIY hammock at Midnight last eve ..... used the DIY 1/2 UQ with my Down Vest spread inside to boost warmth and a blue CCF pad and ripstop nylon covered GG thin pad in my SPE.
0º REI sleeping bag as TQ. I must say that I was very warm on my back, head and buttocks. Around 5AM my feet were starting to get cold ... I think that pad alone under feet in what dropped down to -10º was just not enough for the long night. So I grabbed my down parka, zipped it up and slip it over the end of my bag over my popsicle toes and that helped but took 30 minutes to do so. My feet were in 2 pairs of SmartWool socks and covered by my trusty JRB Down Sleeves.
Wore a thin fleece balaclava, Possum Down Beanie, down hood and put on my polarfleece face mask at around 3:30AM. Two SmartWool tops, wind shirt and thin fleece shirt and Thru-Hiker DIY Kinsman top were adorned on my torso. Legs were in old REI Capaline long johns, fleece tights, wind pants and Mont Bell ThermaWrap pants unzipped until around 6AM when I reached down and zipped them up. Then my cat, Timmy Tooleman, came out and jumped up in the hammock with me... my wife had let him out for his 5 minute rabbit hunt!
Very frosty on inside of tarp as to be expected. One set of doors open and one set closed. Windy somewhat last night.
In summing up this night of sleep I conclude that in a brutally cold Minnesota night I will absolutely be warmer, especially in the foot area with my full DIY UQ. Will probably take out the GG pad and haul along the BA Insulated pad. Maybe will try the 1/2 UQ theory again with the blue CCF pad and the BA Insulated pad instead of the GG pad and see if my foot area stays warmer. Ahhhh.... Testing.
On a side note ... when I woke for good at 6:45 I made cocoa from the hammock with a MiniBull Mini-Atomic and it boiled 1 1/2 cups of water in about 12 minutes. Cold stove and pot. Slept with water so it was good to go and slept with alcohol in my pockets so the fuel was somewhat warm. Nice and quiet ... slower than MSR stove but no flare ups and less fiddly. I just laid back and waited and stared at my tarp with the lovely ice show.
That is my 1/2 UQ-Pad-Frigid Weather Report.
All secure in sector seven,
Shug of the Frosty Feet
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