How do you beat the heat & stay comfortable ?

**T- Minus** · 07-18-2017, 14:07

Originally Posted by Phantom Grappler

My memory might not be working well---
US Army experiment. Soldier wearing nothing is seated on a wooden stool in a room with no breeze and a temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Within 30 minutes uncontrollable shivering began.

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The power of a latex glove can do that.

**Trail Runner** · 07-18-2017, 17:57

I wish I had a a solution for beating the heat at night. It would open up a lot more opportunities for getting out. I've tried battery powered fans but they don't suffice for either speed or volume of air being moved. I even tried using 2 fans once. One hanging from my ridgeline and one blowing from underneath. Not enough.

I guess I'm with SilvrSurfr in that i need the low temps to be in the low 60s. It must be my German/Irish blood. We just aren't built for the heat.

**Trail Runner** · 07-18-2017, 18:00

Originally Posted by Phantom Grappler

My memory might not be working well---
US Army experiment. Soldier wearing nothing is seated on a wooden stool in a room with no breeze and a temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Within 30 minutes uncontrollable shivering began.

Originally Posted by T- Minus

The power of a latex glove can do that.

Man, you know how long it's been since I thought of MEPS. D*** you!

**OneClick** · 07-19-2017, 10:32

Originally Posted by Trail Runner

I guess I'm with SilvrSurfr in that i need the low temps to be in the low 60s. It must be my German/Irish blood. We just aren't built for the heat.

LOL is that what it is? My wife was just doing the genealogy thing lately. Traced back to 1500s. Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Austria, Czechoslovakia...no coolant in this blood

**pzampino** · 07-19-2017, 10:45

I have the experience of two very recent overnighters from which I learned a little lesson. Both outings were equally hot/humid.

In both cases, the sleeping bag was not in contact with my body, and the tarp was in porch mode. No bug net. There was no breeze.

For the first night, I slept in only a pair of boxer shorts. For the second, I wore a loose-fitting cotton t-shirt.
My experience was that the second night was more comfortable.
My theory is that the t-shirt kept me from feeling "sticky", and allowed for the evaporative cooling effect. It was still HOT though.

In both cases, between 2-3 am, it cooled enough that I used the sleeping bag as a top quilt.

I'm personally thinking about a battery-powered fan for the first part of the evening. I'm also trying to figure out a way to effectively apply evaporative cooling to my setup.

Obviously, I'm interested in what others are doing to keep cool.

**owenst7** · 07-19-2017, 11:15

IMG_0366.jpg

4th of July in the Jarbidge Wilderness at 10000'.

**Alkali** · 07-20-2017, 06:57

Originally Posted by owenst7

IMG_0366.jpg

4th of July in the Jarbidge Wilderness at 10000'.

Nice!

**Gamut** · 07-20-2017, 09:57

Day hikes around my local woods and hanging in the valley of the great NC mountains area during the summer months! Temps still get down in the upper 50's with hardly any humidity there.

I also have a nice pressurized water mister I acquired in my army days that can attach to my pack and spray over me during my day hikes.

Believe it or not, pants and light long sleeves will actually keep your body temperature cooler during the day in the summer months. But water, water, water is whats going to do the trick.

**MrJames** · 07-20-2017, 10:40

It would be interesting to see what bugscreen dyneema would be like for airflow as a hammock body material. Shouldn't be stretchy. Will have to wait for someone to invent it. Coming soon to a year nearby maybe.