Getting down to the 50s tonight...

[Lonely Raven]

So I was excited when I woke up this morning and it was actually cool-to-cold this morning when I let the puppies out to do their business.

I'm a new hanger, I have a WBBB 1.7 DL, but nothing else. I'm only yard hanging right now to figure this hanging thing out and my first hang didn't go terribly well (terrible bug bites and overheating, plus some leg/knee pain). So now that it's cooler, and probably too cold for the bugs, I'm hoping to get back out there tonight and see if I can get the hang right so I'm comfortable enough to sleep through the whole night, but now I need to address the cold.

It's supposed to be about 54 degrees tonight, and while I'm a warm/hot sleeper and enjoy the cold weather, I have a feeling 54 degrees without insulation won't be fun. So I'm looking for some ideas to try and make it through the night with what I have around the house.

Off the top of my head, the first few ideas that come to mind are:

1) Emergency Blanket between the hammock layers - wool or fleece blanket for me.
2) 2' Memory Foam between the layers (it's an expensive "bed topper" that we just don't use anymore - I could cut it down to size) - wool or fleece blanket for me
3) Coleman sleeping bag somehow suspended under the hammock - wool or fleece blanket for me.

I've been reading up a lot here in the forums, and yes, I'll eventually get a proper QU and TQ or make something myself...but I can't afford $200+ a pop for this stuff. I'm barely making ends meet as it is, and I really, really want to get out more this fall/winter (which is why my fiance bought me the WBBB as an early birthday present). So I'm doing what I can to make this work!

I'm going to keep reading through the forums, and hopefully you all can maybe suggest some things I've not seen or thought of yet!

[Mountain Gout]

Well.. Everyone is different.. If it were me, I would do the emergency blanket in between the layers and the sleeping bag in the hammock.. Maybe keep the fleece rolled up in the shelf just in case.. Have fun..

[NCPatrick]

You can buy closed cell foam pads very cheaply at Walmart or Target. Cut one up and make a "T" in your hammock so that you have a wide area to sleep on at the shoulders, with pad running on down past your rear. Using a pillow will get your head off the material some there.

I did this for a while until I could get outfitted with underquilts, etc. with good success. :) It's sometimes a pain when you slide off the pads, but it'll do until you're "geared up".

Forgot to add my standard disclaimer that I am a cold sleeper, YMMV, etc. :D

[eflat7]

IMO you could also get an IX UQ sub 100$ and supplement it with a 15$ closed cell pad. My buddy still uses a 20$ WM sleeping bag that we sewed channels through and ran shockcord through. There are alot of cheap options. Search the forums a bit. I used a thermarest for quite some time, but the sliding made me miserable. I finally saved and got a KAQ, because I rarely do sub 30's. Since I have had so much success with that quilt, I am thinking down UQ next.

[Lonely Raven]

You can buy closed cell foam pads very cheaply at Walmart or Target. Cut one up and make a "T" in your hammock so that you have a wide area to sleep on at the shoulders, with pad running on down past your rear. Using a pillow will get your head off the material some there.

I did this for a while until I could get outfitted with underquilts, etc. with good success. :) It's sometimes a pain when you slide off the pads, but it'll do until you're "geared up".

Forgot to add my standard disclaimer that I am a cold sleeper, YMMV, etc. :D

I saw some photos of that. I already have one of the blue WM sleeping pads that I use as a "shooters pad" when I'm at the range. It just seems too bulky and stiff and I didn't figure it would make good insulation. But hey, it's like $7, so I could cut it up and see what happens.

[Lonely Raven]

IMO you could also get an IX UQ sub 100$ and supplement it with a 15$ closed cell pad. My buddy still uses a 20$ WM sleeping bag that we sewed channels through and ran shockcord through. There are alot of cheap options. Search the forums a bit. I used a thermarest for quite some time, but the sliding made me miserable. I finally saved and got a KAQ, because I rarely do sub 30's. Since I have had so much success with that quilt, I am thinking down UQ next.

Yes, I have been reading up. The IX sounds interesting, but won't help me tonight. I like the idea of how thin it is, though it doesn't compress. I'm reading through Macs page this morning. I'm just not sure what to throw (what little) money I have at.