If I still feel cold after an hour in my hammock, then I know I need to adjust.
If I still feel cold after an hour in my hammock, then I know I need to adjust.
◘ May 17-19: BACONFEST @ Interstate WI SP ◘ Oct 3-6: miCHILIgan @ Middleville, MI ◘ YouTube: karlawithak216 ◘ Instagram: i.am.karla.with.a.k ◘ 99 months
There is a lot of research that shows that your body's temperature cycles throughout the day, so it's not just the outside temperature that you have to deal with... the minimum is typically reached at around 4-6am. For example, see this chart (the blog post seems to be ad advertisement for beds but you get the idea).
I just take my newly made or purchased down UQ, hang it up on a cold evening in the backyard at my projected "comfort rating" temperature, put on my mom's old teal bath robe and go lay in the hammock and watch shug videos for an hour or so....if toasty and warm all the same after that quality time...then that is good enough for a Alabamian.
For some of these folks waaaay up north or at higher elevations....probably another story
“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.”
i AM NOT AGREEING WITH THE 0400 hrs. I find right before Sunrise or right at sunrise. In the far north around 0300 hrs is the coldest in our never dark summer day time period.
So much depends on the humidity. My body core temperature fluctuates greatly and frequently. I just layer and I do keep a warm UQ at all times, the amount of clothing and type are important as well as my TQ. My TQ is
This is a great question that will probably spur some folks to test their gear more thoroughly.
Full nights are probably worth doing to dial in your gear. If you can test humidity and wind speed as well, that data will help. I find both to have a big effect on comfort.
In a handful of cases, I have arrived to camp and been very chilled from rain and wind exposure and lay in my hammock for over an hour thinking I wouldn't warm up, but ultimately do. By in large, I warm up slower but stay warm easily through the night. My wife is the opposite.
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I went back to my 40° quilt last night. Coupled with the JRB Quilt liner.
merino wool base layer johns.....very warm possum down socks, poly blend long sleeve shirt and sweat shirt.
40° last night with HIGH winds and rain. 20 feet of the ground and airflow from all sides
UQP, full tarp coverage and a 20° 3/4 UQ.....
IMG_2700.jpg
This seems to be the limit of my 40° quilt.
Point: lots of factors.
"...in Florida, she felt air conditioning for the first time, and it was cold and unnatural upon her skin."
It's always coldest right before sunrise, but there's more to this question than temperature.
Wind, humidity, clothing worn (if any), what you've eaten, how sweaty and damp you might be, sunburn, level of exhaustion, natural swings in metabolic rate, etc can all impact your comfort level.
20 minutes might be a good start. At the very least, if you're cold after 20 minutes, you don't have to go longer. If you're still warm after 20 minutes, you might be OK the rest of the night. Maybe not.
I personally don't think that 20 minutes is enough time. This is probably just the time it takes to charge a down quilt. From there, other factors play a long drawn out part. For example...
You can make a good soup in 30 minutes. But make the same soup in a 4 hour process to let all the magic happen and you have an outstanding soup. Each item needs time to release their flavor or to get tender for best results.
Judging the best performance of a sleep system takes time because of all the "ingredients" that make the system work. All things being equal, 20 minutes are fine (good soup). Controlled and monitored data like eating 2-3 hours or just before bed, sitting around or active before bed, body hydration levels, clean dry sleep clothes or slightly damp day clothes, wind velocity and direction, atmospheric conditions, etc, etc, (Outstanding soup).
Here in Florida, northerners get cold at 30-35* in their 20* rigs around 4-5am because of humidity and air pressure (100' or so above sea level). A little adjustment needed to fix it.
For long term knowledge of system, repeated tests past 4-5 am are needed. Especially when camping in dangerously cold temps with a minimum buffer allowance.
Best part is to have fun testing.
Enjoy and have fun with your family, before they have fun without you
I think there are probably two times - I'd say if I'm still cold after 10-15 minutes, I know I won't be warm enough at all that night (and I probably won't sleep). But I could be warm at that point and then wake up cold at 4 AM too, so I think it's both. If I were going on a long trip, I wouldn't feel comfortable unless I had everything dialed in for 4 AM comfort. A one nighter, especially a test night, would have to meet the 10-15 minute checkpoint, and then hopefully pass the 4 AM check also!
I like that “checkpoint” analogy
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“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.”
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