Squeezing out a few more degrees

**OneClick** · 06-03-2016, 12:45

All this cold talk is getting me excited! Only 200 more days!!

**breyman** · 06-03-2016, 15:52

Originally Posted by DWEpic

Yeah, it's looking like upper 30's at the coldest. And I have a hammock gear top/bottom quilt rated at 40. But when I've used it at 40 I froze. Hoping to have a bit more margin by bringing a thin foam pad. I know I'd survive, but I want this trip to be awesome.

Outnback is right...

But, if you froze at 40 it sounds like you're a cold sleeper. Unless you can really tweak to get a lot more out of it you might want to buy or borrow a 20 degree setup. August is definitely the warmest month but it will also depend on your max altitude, etc. I've had light frost on random nights in August at or above 10,000 or 11,000 feet in Colorado.

**DWEpic** · 06-05-2016, 12:43

Originally Posted by breyman

Outnback is right...

But, if you froze at 40 it sounds like you're a cold sleeper. Unless you can really tweak to get a lot more out of it you might want to buy or borrow a 20 degree setup. August is definitely the warmest month but it will also depend on your max altitude, etc. I've had light frost on random nights in August at or above 10,000 or 11,000 feet in Colorado.

Interestingly enough, I'm a very hot sleeper. When traveling solo for work I'd set my thermostat to 65. At home, we set it at 70 and I sleep with a sheet and a fan. But when I've taken my hammock setup out in 40 degree weather it didn't keep me warm. I've tried multiple adjustments and on later trips at 40's been warm enough, but not comfortable.

**MrsKD** · 06-21-2016, 10:31

I am a cold sleeper. And I just ordered my first underquilt. lol. But I have taken my set up to 28F. It was an intentional pushing of limits by my backpacking buddy and I but, we made it with careful planning.

1) EAT ALL THE CARBS! We had a hot, high carb meal before going to bed.
2) Fresh, warm socks
3) Hung our setup kinda low to the ground and then the tarps just above/at ridge line and pitched kinda low.
4) Full length CCF pad
5) Warm water bottles. I found the flexible type to be more efficient for this.
6) Used a 40 degree bag in a pea pod method around the hammock and pulled my head inside. It has a shock cord draw string and I was able to cinch it down decent with a vented space near where I was breathing.

I know this isn't exactly your set up but, hopefully something in here that will help. Hammock camping brings a whole new world of thins to work through as opposed to tent camping but, a lot of the methods of warmth can apply: dry clothes, warm water bottles, and having a windshield.