Blizzard Test

[cliff355]

Friday night I strung up my NX250 in the back yard for a "Winter Conditions" test since it was supposed to get down to 30F. It got down to about 24F, with 26 mph wind and granular snow falling nearly sideways.

I used a Speer Snugfit velcro-type underquilt which matches up with the velcro on the hammock perfectly. No other insulation was used and I zipped up in a mummy bag with only a t-shirt, shorts and no socks. The weather shield was kept closed, and I was perfectly warm all night.

Throughout the night the hammock swung back and forth in the wind, but this was not disturbing at all. Toward morning it was a bit "cool" in the foot-area, but not enough to keep me awake.

If I had put on some socks and maybe long underwear of some type the situation would have been perfect, although it was very good without these things.

When heading out to the woods this November, I will definately take along some major socks and longjohns, but this test put my mind at ease. The NX250 is without question a 4-season outfit.

[KerMegan]

What was the temp rating on the mummy bag?

[Perkolady]

Wow! It's great you had those test conditions! It's a great way to see what your limits are, and help gain confidence in your gear.

I saw on the news what things were like out that way... BRRRRR !!!!

[cliff355]

What was the temp rating on the mummy bag?

-40F, whatever that means. It will probably keep you alive at that temp but I am interested in comfy. With long underwear and less wind (or a windbreak) this outfit should be good for alot less than 24F.

[Kankujoe]

Friday night I strung up my NX250 in the back yard for a "Winter Conditions" test since it was supposed to get down to 30F. It got down to about 24F, with 26 mph wind and granular snow falling nearly sideways.

I used a Speer Snugfit velcro-type underquilt which matches up with the velcro on the hammock perfectly. No other insulation was used and I zipped up in a mummy bag with only a t-shirt, shorts and no socks. The weather shield was kept closed, and I was perfectly warm all night.

Throughout the night the hammock swung back and forth in the wind, but this was not disturbing at all. Toward morning it was a bit "cool" in the foot-area, but not enough to keep me awake.

If I had put on some socks and maybe long underwear of some type the situation would have been perfect, although it was very good without these things.

When heading out to the woods this November, I will definately take along some major socks and longjohns, but this test put my mind at ease. The NX250 is without question a 4-season outfit.

Great report!!!

Nice to know that the "4-Season" designation from Clark is accurate. The lowest I've gone so far has been 39* with a 3/8" CCF pad, fleece blanket & 20* down Cabelas "Boundary Waters" rectangular bag (unzipped as a top quilt)... WeatherShield stowed away and I was actually too warm... had to remove the pad in the middle of the night.

[lonetracker]

for the last two years i have been using my clark na as my deer camp.this means i load all my hunting stuff in my truck,drive to the middle of bfe,and stay from nov 15 untill maybe,depending how my hunt goes and how much snow we get,the end of nov.last year i stayed 8 nights temps between 10 to30 deg f. overnight.the year before i stayed 8 nights total but not in a row,temperature ranre was about the same,but i did sleep through one bad blizzard(winter storm warning according to my weather radio)it was about 15 deg out,winds gust up to about would guess 40,and we got about 7 in.of snow overnight.i woke up about daybreak,thinking my tarp was going to tear of,it was blowing so hard.as soon as i got up and threw some cloths on i stuffed my tent,sleeping bag still in it in a large bag,as i was afraid the tent would get damaged by the high winds.i packed the rest of my gear and hunted the rest of the day(after all i was here to track deer and was waiting for this snow)
during deer season i usaully sleep in a -20deg mummy,long underwear,wool sweater.on colder nites i wear a wool hat ,thicker sweater,and wool socks the only other insulation i use is stuffing the clarks pockets full of spare mostly wool cloths.i got cold feet one time,woke up put socks on,feet warmed up.
the problems i have winter sleeping are 1.snow drifts into pockets of the clark no matter how big of tarp you have or how close to ground you set your tarp.so all things used for insul. in pockets,should be kept in plastic bags.there should be flaps over these pockets(should have been made this way at factory). 2 hot air to cold air vapor from your breath.after about 4 nights i could feel ice chunks developing in my sleeping bag.and in the morning when i reached up to unzip i would nock a bunch of frost loose,from inside the tent,cold frost particles in the face really wake you up.this year i am going to try to leave the zipper open further,hopefully there will be less of that hot to cold vapor thing going on and the moisture in my breath can get out .3 it is so warm and comfortable in this thing i have a hard time getting up!!when you do get up thats when you get cold,its hard to match the level of insulation you had around you in the tent,with some hunting cloths,and freezing cold boots.get up and get moving fast,get a fire ready the night before so you can lite it quik,or if you are by your vehicle start it (my heater went out last year durring deer season),or hit the trail a couple hills will warm you up.
sorry i blabed on for so long,but you all are the first hammock users i have talked to,i still cant believe there is this active of a forum just for hammock users.

[Kankujoe]

for the last two years i have been using my clark na as my deer camp.this means i load all my hunting stuff in my truck,drive to the middle of bfe,and stay from nov 15 untill maybe,depending how my hunt goes and how much snow we get,the end of nov.last year i stayed 8 nights temps between 10 to30 deg f. overnight.the year before i stayed 8 nights total but not in a row,temperature ranre was about the same,but i did sleep through one bad blizzard(winter storm warning according to my weather radio)it was about 15 deg out,winds gust up to about would guess 40,and we got about 7 in.of snow overnight.i woke up about daybreak,thinking my tarp was going to tear of,it was blowing so hard.as soon as i got up and threw some cloths on i stuffed my tent,sleeping bag still in it in a large bag,as i was afraid the tent would get damaged by the high winds.i packed the rest of my gear and hunted the rest of the day(after all i was here to track deer and was waiting for this snow)
during deer season i usaully sleep in a -20deg mummy,long underwear,wool sweater.on colder nites i wear a wool hat ,thicker sweater,and wool socks the only other insulation i use is stuffing the clarks pockets full of spare mostly wool cloths.i got cold feet one time,woke up put socks on,feet warmed up.
the problems i have winter sleeping are 1.snow drifts into pockets of the clark no matter how big of tarp you have or how close to ground you set your tarp.so all things used for insul. in pockets,should be kept in plastic bags.there should be flaps over these pockets(should have been made this way at factory). 2 hot air to cold air vapor from your breath.after about 4 nights i could feel ice chunks developing in my sleeping bag.and in the morning when i reached up to unzip i would nock a bunch of frost loose,from inside the tent,cold frost particles in the face really wake you up.this year i am going to try to leave the zipper open further,hopefully there will be less of that hot to cold vapor thing going on and the moisture in my breath can get out .3 it is so warm and comfortable in this thing i have a hard time getting up!!when you do get up thats when you get cold,its hard to match the level of insulation you had around you in the tent,with some hunting cloths,and freezing cold boots.get up and get moving fast,get a fire ready the night before so you can lite it quik,or if you are by your vehicle start it (my heater went out last year durring deer season),or hit the trail a couple hills will warm you up.
sorry i blabed on for so long,but you all are the first hammock users i have talked to,i still cant believe there is this active of a forum just for hammock users.

Lonetracker,

Welcome to the forum! Thanks for the report on your experience with your Clark NA. While I don't think I'll be hammock camping much in 10-20* temps it is nice to know a Clark can handle it & keep you warm & comfortable.

[longbow]

Hi Cliff335:

Thank you for a great post. It is good to hear that the NX-250 is working well for you and how you are rigging yourself out for colder weather.

I had my NX-250 out this past weekend on short hunt in northern Arizona at a bit over 8,000' elevation, Nighttime temps were down to a low of 28-30 degrees according to my thermometer. The wind was only 8-10 MPH.

I am using Clark's new Z-Liner system which, as designed by Clark, links up with the Velcro that you mentioned on the NX-250. Inside the hammock; I used a 30 degree NF down bag as an over quilt. I was wearing poly pro long johns, wool socks, and a stocking cap. I pitched the NX-200 tarp low and tight to conserve heat. I was warm all night and really felt like it could have been 10-15 degrees colder without a serious problem.

I also have a JRB MW3 UQ which I have used with the NX-250 prior to getting the Z-Liner. If I take the late season bow hunt for deer this year; I expect the temperatures will be in the teens or much lower. If so, I am planning to layer the JRB MW3 UQ over the Z-Liner system. I tried it "for fit" only this past weekend, and it looks like the two were made for each other. I am hoping the insulation performance matches my expectations.

Please keep us posted on your progress with rigging up for cold weather. There is much interest...

BTW, this might give you a laugh. I made a mistake on Saturday night and pitched the NX-250 hammock with the foot end a slight bit lower than my head. After a couple of hours sleep, I woke up feet first; jammed up into the end of the hammock. A midnight adjustment got me back on track.

That experience was a good reminder to keep my head low.

[TinaLouise]

the problems i have winter sleeping are 1.snow drifts into pockets of the clark no matter how big of tarp you have or how close to ground you set your tarp.so all things used for insul. in pockets,should be kept in plastic bags.there should be flaps over these pockets(should have been made this way at factory).
2 hot air to cold air vapor from your breath.after about 4 nights i could feel ice chunks developing in my sleeping bag.and in the morning when i reached up to unzip i would nock a bunch of frost loose,from inside the tent,cold frost particles in the face really wake you up.this year i am going to try to leave the zipper open further,hopefully there will be less of that hot to cold vapor thing going on and the moisture in my breath can get out .
3 it is so warm and comfortable in this thing i have a hard time getting up!!when you do get up thats when you get cold,
sorry i blabed on for so long,but you all are the first hammock users i have talked to,i still cant believe there is this active of a forum just for hammock users.

I've got the Tropical model and it's got the flaps over the pockets!!! Glad you pointed out the snow blowing in the pockets, lets people know that if they are gonna use their Clark NA in those types of conditions, to pay attention to that happening.
With the weathershield totally closed, I've noticed moisture inside my clark too. I've found it helps to leave a gap.
Sleeping warm and comfortable, yep can't beat a hammock for accomplishing that!!!
What do you mean?? babbling about our hammocks is a way of life for us:boggle:
Enjoyed your post, welcome to this forum, you seem to be fitting right in:D
TinaLouise

[sir_n0thing]

My NX-200 was great in temps down to lower 20's at the Northern Hang last week. I used a 2/3 1.5" loft underquilt made by Hangnout's daughter and a blue Wal Mart CCF pad cut down to fit under my leg's and feet. Wore midweight base layer top and bottom, acrylic/wool blend beanie cap, wool socks. Slept inside my REI -5 bag and was actually a bit too warm. Cracking the zipper on the weather shield helped a ton with the condensation. The one night I fell asleep with it zipped fully shut I had a lot of frost inside in the morning.

[cliff355]

Well, I did have a small amount of frost around the opening of my sleeping bag in the morning, but if I had cracked the weather shield snow would have blown in. That was some serious wind with gusts that must have been around 40 mph.

No snow blew into the pockets, but this may have been due to the Snugfit. Velcro matches up, so the underquilt made a full-length seal at the top edge of all pockets. Don't know if this would always keep the snow out, but it worked in this case. Attaching the underquilt this way makes it tough to use the side pockets for storage, but I guess you can't have everything.