welcome to the group rebel.
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welcome to the group rebel.
Yep - and hopefully you'll be hiking with Rock again soon.
Yeah. It would be nice to meet him before I take off, though.
Beginning on 3/28, I hiked for 3 1/2 wks this year on the AT with a with a Speer Hammock, Pea Pod & Tarp as my only shelter. I never stayed in a shelter. It rained and snowed on me and got down as low as 28F, but I was never cold and only got a little wet during a thunderstorm. Being new to hammocks, I am sure that better tarp skills would even improve on that. Shiver, who sleeps year round outside in Vermont in a hammock is still on the trail. She is posting on trail journals, if you want to hook up with her.
hey hammock hangers!
a few of you may remember my newbie questions from the whiteblaze forum. i learned a great deal from the friendly folks there and notice alot of the same members are here as well.
well... i am in the midst of my thru-hike of the A.T. nobo right now. i started out with a tarptent (shires, rainbow), which i loved for it's ease of use and setup. i bought a hennessy hyperlight hammock and received it about a week and a half after harpers ferry. i have been using it ever since.
i will be entering NH shortly and have a few questions about pads.
here is my current sleep system:
40 degree down quilt
torso length gossamer gear pad
at home:
20 degree WM bag
on order:
1/4 inch gossamer gear thinlight pad
i will be gearing back up for the whites by getting some of my cold weather clothing back. have limited time on internet here in town and will check back as soon as possible. sorry for the incomplete reply, but was wondering if the above gear for padding seems sufficient for the whites and maine in the next week or so.
thanks much. internet time up at library :(
I think that with the combination of your GG torso pad AND the 1/4" thinlight pad you should be able be comfortable around 45*, maybe a few degrees lower if you are a warm sleeper. You can also combine clothing with the pads to help.
I have been in the lower 40's/upper 30's with a blue WalMart CCF pad and thermals. I was fairly comfortable but I could sure tell when a part of my body got off the pad. I developed a cold spot very quickly.
BTW,
Welcome to the forums.
I use pads in a Hennessy Explorer - what I use are Walmart blue closed cell pads (cheap and usually available) that I trim the diagonal corners off. 1 pad down to about 45 deg, 2 pads down to 30, 3 pads down to 15, 4 pads down to 0 (approximately) - YMMV depending on warm or cold sleeper. I just strap the pads together plus I have a couple of small pieces that I use - 1 2x2 foot piece I tuck in the foot end of the stack in case my feet slide off and a 6 inch by 1 foot piece that I use as a sit pad and insulation for my right shoulder.
Also note I carry the pads in a Gearskin so they are not as bad to carry - just a thick taco shape. 4 pads is the max however I have ever carried.
thanks for the quick replies, was able to jump back on.
here's what i've experienced so far with the hammock in different temps:
mid 60's with some wind:
-shorts, wicking tee shirt, socks, 40 degree quilt, gg torso pad - back of legs a bit cold but slept o.k.
low 70's with no wind:
-shorts, wicking tee, no socks, 40 degree quilt, gg torso pad - slept comfortably
i've heard that it can get wicked cold with the extreme weather in the whites even in july. as with the case with most thru-hikers, i am trying to go as minimal with the weight as possible. i know that the torso pad alone will not suffice when it starts to drop below the 60's. i plan to supplement my summer clothes with my winter wool cap, thin wool balaclava, thicker wool socks, mid-weight long sleeve wool shirt. i'll try the 1/4 inch gg pad with the torso pad and see if that provides enough warmth and coverage. i am carrying the gg mariposa plus pack and fit the torso pad in the elastic back without too much trouble. i have also order the 1/8 inch pad but probably it will shred up with continued usage. i don't know how you guys manage adjusting multiple pads so that it provides the right areas of coverage. it still takes me a bit of fidgetting just to get the torso pad positioned correctly. is there a trick to prepositioning 2 sticky pads without superhuman acrobatics?
i'm very much new to hh, and will figure out site selection as i go along. i've been hanging the rain fly on a separate line because it seems to give me more angling options. i've set it up twice in the rain and remained dry :) i did pick up an emergency blanket in case i have to go to ground due to the lack of trees in an area. i don't want the bottom of the hammock to shred against ground. thanks again for the welcome, and yes, hammocks are much more comfortable than sleeping on the ground!