Yet another new sock idea

[wisenber]

I hate to beat the hammock sock and Dryducks drum to death, but I was hoping to float a trial balloon out there. FroggToggs currently has their green DryDucks ponchos on sale for $5.99. As you may or may not know, the poncho itself comes with opposing snaps on each side of the poncho.

What about taking two of the ponchos and snapping them together above the ridgline and below the hammock for a simple no mod weathershield/hammock sock? It appears that the head end can be left unsnapped for ventilation as well as entry-exit.

With cooler wet weather not too far away, I thought I'd float the idea.

[headchange4u]

It may be worth a trying. Keep in mind that a sock needs to be highly breathable or you will have some serious condensation problems. I know the Frogg Toggs material is breathable, I just don't know if it would be breathable enough.

[Coffee]

could work. If I ever end up in a place with winter weather again I want to revisit this.

I think weight wise there is a better benifit to having a bigger tarp with end covers to block the air movement. Then a smaller cover over the hammock to trap in the heat. Might work with my rain jacket over the ridgeline over my head.

Just some random thoughts.

[NCPatrick]

But then you'd have to carry all that weight of the EXTRA poncho! ;)

Actually that's a really good idea, and worth trying for $12.00.

[beep]

FWIW, even though the DriDucks poncho is on clearance sale at $5.99, the shipping for one poncho (to my zip code in MN) is over $10...OUCH!:scared: I believe I'll pass!

While I love internet shopping, the S&H charges are often a deal-breaker for small items/small quantities unless something is really critical and there aren't other purchase alternatives.

[Coffee]

FWIW, even though the DriDucks poncho is on clearance sale at $5.99, the shipping for one poncho (to my zip code in MN) is over $10...OUCH!:scared: I believe I'll pass!

While I love internet shopping, the S&H charges are often a deal-breaker for small items/small quantities unless something is really critical and there aren't other purchase alternatives.

They're usually not a deal breaker, but a bank breaker with me. I convience myself to order more. You know, to justify the shipping charges.

[wisenber]

In regards to shipping, I did note that a single poncho was nearly 10 bucks for shipping. I also noted that shipping for 8 ponchos was also around 10 bucks... I ordered 8. I figure they are not the most durable fabric in the world, and it won't hurt to have a cache of ponchos to last me for a few years.

I'm anxious to test the concept, but I figure temps will need to be in the lower 40's before I could stand being in there.

There are several characteristics of DriDucks that draws me to try them.

1.) Cheap.. almost as cheap as a yard for ripstop in the wallyworld bargain bin.

2.) Light.. I am lame and do not have scales to quantify that guess.

3.) Breathable.. the bi-laminate fabric breathes better than eVent according backpackinglight.com tests. While I desire to keep fog and mist off of my gear, I would also like to keep my down dry from perspiration/respiration. DriDucks looks like it will let the condensation out while blocking fog and mist.

4.) Windproof and waterproof

We're all after that holy grail I suppose. Sil keeps moisture in as well as out. DWR will either let moisture in or hold too much condensation.

It's too warm here now, but it appears that the end of next week will have some lows in the lower 40's to test it out in the backyard first.

[gargoyle]

wisenber, I just checked the frog togg site and they don't offer the green dryduck for cheap, only khaki for $12.95. Did you buy them out??

[MOWOGO '72]

Where did you find this? Visited the FroggToggs site, I saw the poncho price listed "as low as $5.99" However, the only available color was Khaki at $12.95 and
after putting in cart it never showed a green option for $5.95.
I'm guessing since you bought 8, you bought all of them

Mark

[Peter_pan]

In regards to shipping, I did note that a single poncho was nearly 10 bucks for shipping. I also noted that shipping for 8 ponchos was also around 10 bucks... I ordered 8. I figure they are not the most durable fabric in the world, and it won't hurt to have a cache of ponchos to last me for a few years.

I'm anxious to test the concept, but I figure temps will need to be in the lower 40's before I could stand being in there.

There are several characteristics of DriDucks that draws me to try them.

1.) Cheap.. almost as cheap as a yard for ripstop in the wallyworld bargain bin.

2.) Light.. I am lame and do not have scales to quantify that guess.

3.) Breathable.. the bi-laminate fabric breathes better than eVent according backpackinglight.com tests. While I desire to keep fog and mist off of my gear, I would also like to keep my down dry from perspiration/respiration. DriDucks looks like it will let the condensation out while blocking fog and mist.

4.) Windproof and waterproof

We're all after that holy grail I suppose. Sil keeps moisture in as well as out. DWR will either let moisture in or hold too much condensation.

It's too warm here now, but it appears that the end of next week will have some lows in the lower 40's to test it out in the backyard first.

Wisenber, et al,

For all the reasons stated the DDP is a great piece of gear.

FYI .... JRB carries the DDP as well as a JRB Weather Shield modification kit for DIYers, or you can order the DDP with the WS mod kit applied...Shipping for a DDP is $4.95, USPS Priority...Tan is in stock... green is expected back in stock next week.

Pan

[wisenber]

I SWEAR they had some left after I bought my 8! :eek:
They were under the "closeout" section, but when I checked just now, none were listed. I had no intention of cornering the DriDucks Poncho closeout market. Perhaps you just have to keep an eye out for their closeouts from time to time. I just got lucky.

They are pretty attractive at $12.95, but $5.99 was just too sweet to pass up.
That being said, Pan does offer a much better deal on shipping for single items than froggtoggs.com. I'm sure his mods work better than my modless one.

That being said, I hope to get a test in at the global testing center here in East Tennessee next weekend when the temps are projected to drop into the 40's. No rain is projected, but I would like to get a feel for how well the "two ponchos as a sock" deals with condensation. I'm pretty confident that it will keep outside moisture away. I am most curious to see if it breathes well enough to let the condensation out. It sure would be nice to avoid wetted out quilts when hanging in clouds, fog or mist.

[MedicineMan]

help my again memory...remember the original super-shelter by hennessey? seems like it was sil-nyl and didn't breath at all ?????

[wisenber]

help my again memory...remember the original super-shelter by hennessey? seems like it was sil-nyl and didn't breath at all ?????

Yep, I've been down the sil-nyl and the coated polyester path before. It does a great job of keeping wind and water out, but leaves the interior wet from perspiration/respiration. I've spent too many night on Bob's bald and Big Frog freezing from clouds, mist and perspiration having wetted my down. I've tried other solutions involving clothing filled trash bags and such for insulation, but I'd like to find a way to stay warm and dry for a week while winter backpacking.

DriDucks is supposed to breath as well in both high humidity and low humidity environments. This differs from eVent and Gore-Tex.

[wisenber]

FWIW, it finally got cool enough to try the two ponchos out Saturday night ( 46F). I thought I'd try to get a feel for how much warmth I might expect before trying it with insulation. So my set up was me Speer hammock, Carhartt pant, midweight wool socks, 200 weight fleece jacket, 200 weight fleece blanket and a nylon bag stuffed for a pillow. I can normally sleep down to about 60-62 with no further insulation.

I took two DriDucks ponchos and snapped them together with the side snaps. I draped the ponchos over the ridgeline of the Speer to give me room on top. With this set up, there was ample room underneath for an UQ (which was not used this time). I did note that the full length of poncho would either leave my head or my feet in a draft with no modification.

Short story long, it was about 58 when I retired to my backyard hammock testing grounds around 23:00. It started off cool inside, but my body heat warmed up the "taco" after a few minutes. I was able to go to sleep without the fleece blanket with no problem. A bit later I woke up with an overall chill. I looked at my watch and the thermometer outside my hammock, it was 53F at 01:30. I slid the fleece blanket under me and pulled the rest on top and was able to go back to sleep. So far so good. Without the taco, I would normally need the blanket by 60F. A few hours after that, I was chilled again. I looked over at the thermometer and noted it was 46F at 06:00. At this point, both me and my bladder were chilled enough so I went inside.

My conclusion on insulation is that I was probably good down to 50F before I became cold. At 46F it was too cold. Still, that's not too bad with no headwear and a light fleece blanket. It would appear that I get about 10-12 degrees of warmth with the DriDucks taco. Further, with just 7 feet of length, end to end rain coverage is not going to happen, so this is not a "no-tarp solution".

And now we wait... My actual goal is to find something to keep my down dry in heavy fog or mist when it cold. Since cold mist and perspiration can both wet out the down, I want to find an inexpensive breathable weathershield that will keep the mist out while letting the perspiration and respiration out. While JRB has a solution of weathershield and bivy using DriDucks ponchos, I would like to take advantage of the dead air above me for more warmth with the taco. Now I'll need to wait for some frostier condition to use an underquilt in conjunction with the taco. If I can keep my quilts or peapod dry from both the outside and the inside, I'll probably look at modifying two ponchos to connect better than with the snaps alone.

[wisenber]

After a couple of weekends out using the two driducks as a hammock sock, it seems that they function great. The fabric breathes rather well, and the "white side" tends to wick condensation fairly well too. The down side is that you need two of them to work as a sock, and that comes out to quite a bit of bulk as well as about a pound of pack weight. I'll probably keep using this set up for now, but I do have my eye on some Pertex.