Although hammocks are great for sleeping, a drawback is heat loss, especially below the hammock, in very cold weather. Face it: Tarps are pretty useless for keeping in warmth and keeping out wind in very cold temps. Who hasn't awoke with a freezing *** at 3 am?
I have a nifty DIY solution. Get yourself some HVAC flexible ducting (8 foot long by 35 inch diameter, found in commercial HVAC supply houses, will do perfectly) I've used S-Tl Thermaflex Flexible HVAC Duct and it worked very well. Fold it down to a flat disk and put it on your pack for the hike out. When you get to your campsite, set up as usual, but instead of draping the tarp over your line, insert and pull the flexible duct across the line to envelop your hammock within the duct.
You'll sleep like a baby, sheltered and warm, and the best part is the duct creates an environment that holds in heat from all sides - while keeping out wind.
Bear in mind this is for extreme temps - no need for this hack in anything above 10 degrees F. But in anything below, you'll thank me.
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Originally Posted by cmoulder
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