what length pad?

[newlease]

I'm new to hammocking as well as this site, and after reading what I can I'm still a little confused. I will have a WB double layer hammock (sometime soon) planning to use pads as insulation. I decided not to use a down UQ for the same reason my mother wouldn't dress me in white when I was little: it's just safer that way. I understand the 2/3 or torso length coverage for the UQ's , but I'm not sure what to do with a pad - do you use a full body piece or can you cut it short as well?

[Shug]

If your going pad .... use a full in winter. 3/4 may be fine in mild temps if your feet don't chill.
I think most pad users use a full pad though.

[newlease]

Hmm. Then I'm still confused. Is it possible to buy a full-length
Evazote?

[Shug]

Hmm. Then I'm still confused. Is it possible to buy a full-length
Evazote?
Yessir!!!!!
Here: http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/thinlight.html
Shug

[wisenber]

Hmm. Then I'm still confused. Is it possible to buy a full-length
Evazote?

I'd go the 1/4" wide option. The 41" X 61" will give you the shoulder coverage you need. 1/4" won't take you much below 50°, but you can stack other pads into the mix to take you as low as you want to go. The two layers will hold the Evazote in place, and the Evazote should hold the other pad in place.

Still, you may want to consider a MMG IX UQ with the ripstop cover option. That tends to be much more forgiving of most situations.

[newlease]

So the hammock ThinLight at Gossamer Gear is 61" long, right? This is full length only for those 5'1" and under? What am I missing?


Thank you for the IXUQ link! I thought KAQ was the only one making synthetic UQ's.

[Flatland]

OK, so I'm a bit confused too. Until now, I've been using my Zlite as bottom insulation. It's a bit narrow and slides around a lot, but it's kept me warm down to high 40's/low 50's and fits perfectly in my GG Murmur pack as a "frame". However, I just got a GG 1/4 wide pad in the mail (the one they recommend for hammocking). I'd like to use that on excursions where weight is paramount, but the only way to fit it in the Murmur as support would be to cut it down to 2/3. In that case, what should be done about my feet and lower legs?

[sturgeon]

So the hammock ThinLight at Gossamer Gear is 61" long, right? This is full length only for those 5'1" and under? What am I missing?

I'm not sure, but i think your head is off the underpad, on a nice pillow or stuff sack providing insulation. I'm guessing my head is about, what, 8"? So at 5'9" I'd be okay. Don't know how tall you are, but if you're over 5'9" ish you might need some booties...

*goes and measures head length with tape measure* okay more like 10 or 11 inches...

[Wags]

i laid down on a pad and measured from the tops of my shoulders to my knees and cut the pad that length. i then cut a dart in each side and into each end to help with the pad bunching up. only below 25 degrees have i used full length

[wildgene]

Newlease and any others,

I just slept in my DL Blackbird Hammock using a GG Thinlight 1/4" (standard width) with a Molly Mac IX 3/4 Underquilt during 4 day/3 night trip in the Flat Top Wilderness, CO.

I was very comfortable down to 27 degrees (I'm a warm sleeper) on the coldest night. A GG pad and a Molly Mac UQ is a quality inexpensive setup.

Be careful on the dimensions of the Thinlight, they are not necessarily cut precisely. Mine was 19-1/4" wide with a length of 58". Listed: 19-1/2" x 59".

Another point, I cut the pad in two. A sit pad size of 19-1/4" x 18-3/4" for use under the feet and calves on that coldest night. Thus the rest was an upper body pad of 19-1/4" x 39-1/4".

Used just the upper body pad with the IX UQ down to 36 degrees on the other 2 nights. That pad was position under my shoulders and extended down to about mid-thigh for me at 5'10".

Note: I'm posting a question on cutting the Thinlight tonight. My utility knife cut left a rough edge on the two sections and I'm going to ask if there is a way to clean up the edge so the foam doesn't "flake off" over time. Maybe I should have used a different tool to cut a clean factory edge.