Artistry of the Pea Pod

[Harpo63]

Would a layer of climasheild or Insultex on the bottom of the peapod (btwn hammock and pod) help without alot of bulk?

[headchange4u]

Ed Speer mentioned a very lightweight option for adding insulation to a system using Peapod. Basically you carry a few gallon size Ziplock bags. If you need extra insulation just fill the bags with leaves or whatever duff is available and place the bags between the PP and the hammock.

[MacEntyre]

That is a relief...

Hey, it's just my opinion that you can't suffocate... maybe you can!? Who knows?

Would a layer of climasheild or Insultex on the bottom of the peapod (btwn hammock and pod) help without alot of bulk?

I added a yard of IX and the cold spots disappeared immediately.

HC4U, to my thinking, leaves in bags is what you do when you are facing a survival situation. I favor planning in advance for how you will supplement the PeaPod to extend it's range. That's why I will carry the IX and the Frog Sac, if I ever get the chance to hang in really cold temps!

[Just Jeff]

Haha - adding another whole man to your pack will certainly disqualify you from the lightest pack contest!

I made a PeaPod hood to keep my head toasty, and my breath out of the PeaPod, and most of the warm air inside. There's still a little gap at my neck that I can open if I want to vent some of the moisture. This one has too much material, but I think a JRB hood would work as well...just haven't tested that yet.
http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeGearPeaPodHood.html

[MacEntyre]

...a JRB hood would work as well...

I have a JRB hood, and I use it inside the PeaPod!

.

[headchange4u]

I made a PeaPod hood to keep my head toasty, and my breath out of the PeaPod, and most of the warm air inside. There's still a little gap at my neck that I can open if I want to vent some of the moisture. This one has too much material, but I think a JRB hood would work as well...just haven't tested that yet.
http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeGearPeaPodHood.html

That's the first time I've seen your PP hood. It's awesome.

[NotToWorry]

I really like this thread---you guys are now starting to really understand the flexibility of my PeaPod. I've been using them for years in all kinds of weather. Here's a few more tips you should find useful.
1) Sleeping totally inside with the PP closed is the warmest, but will result condensation in the down above your head. Should be good for a night or two, so if you're going home tomorrow anyway, stay warm tonight by closing the PP--no one's suffocated yet, but to be on the safe side, I leave at least a tiny open breather hole.
2) Anything used as a liner in the PP between the PP & the hammock adds significant additional heat--try it, you'll like it. Just don't lose loft by compressing the down.

more later....

[BillyBob58]

I really like this thread---you guys are now starting to really understand the flexibility of my PeaPod. I've been using them for years in all kinds of weather.
....

Hey Ed, I have been appreciating the flexibility of this jewel since Christmas 07! But, I do enjoy picking up new tips and ideas from both you and others now that there seem to be more Pea Pod users here. With the new users among the HF mambers, we should get more reports on how to really make this baby work in a wide range of temps.

Here's a few more tips you should find useful.
1) Sleeping totally inside with the PP closed is the warmest, but will result condensation in the down above your head. Should be good for a night or two, so if you're going home tomorrow anyway, stay warm tonight by closing the PP--no one's suffocated yet, but to be on the safe side, I leave at least a tiny open breather hole.
2) Anything used as a liner in the PP between the PP & the hammock adds significant additional heat--try it, you'll like it. Just don't lose loft by compressing the down.

more later

I figure you are likely the worlds greatest expert on the Pea Pod. So I thought I should ask you about what seems to work for me. I'm thinking aboout your advice a few posts back to hang the Pod looser so as not to compress loft. I have been adjusting the pod- either on a Speer 8.5 or a Claytor No Net(10 feet long) so that either the pods inside bottom surface- or the surface of whatever I put down in the pod, is just barely touching my back. Or, more likely, there is a very small gap of maybe 1/4-1/2" once I am in the hammock.

So if there is a small gap, is there any chance that it could still be too tight and compressing loft? At least if using the pod by itself? I realize there is more risk of being too tight causing compression if quilt or jacket is down there, even if there is still a very small gap. But your statement did get me wondering if I was hanging things too tight.

Actually, I don't think I am as I always first feel under the hammock to make sure things are pretty close but not snug, and then I reach out and feel underneath too make sure there is adequate loft. And there usually is. However, I must admit that there often is not as much loft at the low point as there is every where else. Or as there is every where when it is laid out on the floor. So maybe I do have it too tight?

If I do, then the question arises: better of with more loft but a gap of an inch or so?

I was playing around with it today. I threw my down vest down under the hammock. I had it adjusted so that the thick vest was just barely touching my back. When I checked, it felt like there must have been 4 or 5" of loft at the low point. And since there is a temporary warm-up to 50*F, I couldn't stay in there very long. Even when I opened it pretty wide open on top, and just had my jeans and cotton shirt on, I was plenty warm. And felt obvious warmth on my back. This is one real good way to be warm in a hammock! Not the only way, but one real efficient one!

[BER]

You guys are makin' me excited! I received my Post-Christmas-Present PeaPod in the mail today (Thanks Ed for the quick turn around on the order!). Can't wait to go out and hang in the winter wonderland of the back yard.

[NotToWorry]

BB you've got the idea. Your experience w/ the PP sure helps. Adding additional insulation to the PP works very well. But since there are lots of variables at play here, it pays to understand what's happening & plan carefully.

1) Your body is the heat source, so treat it well w/ proper food. You are what you eat---in cold temps, a body without proper internal fuel is a cold body no matter how much insulation surrounds it.
2) Insulation does not stop heat loss, it only slows it down.
3) Insulation is adquate if it slows down your body's heat loss long enough for your body to generate additional heat faster than it's being lost.
4) Wind is hideous & changes everthing. Block &/or hide from the wind whenever possible. If you can't, you better be prepared & sometimes it's wise to go to the gound.

These 4 points are critical if you want to be comfortable when winter camping.
Of course, a lot more variables are also worth considering. But these 4 are well worth keeping in mind at all times.

Heat transfer from your body to the outside air is a complicated mixture of multiple processes including convection, conduction, radiation, respiration, & probably others. I don't propose to understand the physics of these processes, but like you, I have some personal experience because I've tried just about every possible way to stay warm--often with less than desirable results.

Most insulations provide warmth because they contain thousands to millions of tiny dead air pockets & it takes time for your body heat to transfer from one air pocket to the next. To be warm, you only have two options: 1) add more tiny dead air pockets between you & the outside air, or 2) you can increase your body heat (eat hi-calorie food).

Compressed down insulation still provides warmth, just not as efficiently as fully lofted down. Adding insulation to a PeaPod is best if there are no open spaces & there is no compression of the down; however, in severe cold conditions, I often add 2 down blankets as liners to my PP, even though some down compression results in loss of loft---it can be a trade-off between increased loft & the total number of tiny dead air pockets in the down. Having 2 down blankets allows me to position them folded or single layer as needed, so I can get 2.5-7.5" of additinal uncompressed loft. If still cold, I've found that readjusting the PP to allow more slack in the suspension can allow the down to more fully loft, thus giving me more warmth.

I've also successfully used other items as liners in my PP: sleeping bags; clothes, such as jackets, shirts, pants, sweaters, rain gear, & even socks; vapor barriers, such as sleep pads, pack covers, rain gear & ground sheets; & of course, my favorite: dry leaves or wet leaves in plastic garbage bags. I am always amazed at how much additinal warmth is provided by adding things from my pack--if I'm carrying it, I'll use it for insulation. Packing the PP with dead leaves from the ground can get me to zero degrees without carrying even one ounce of extra weight!

I've also used my PP over a Speer SnugFit UnderQuilt--but this required a lot of slack in the PP to accomodate the thickness of the SF, so much that I could no longer close the PP over the top of the hammock.