10 below, on a pad, in a bridge

[twentybelow]

Thank you for taking the time to document all the particulars of your experience. I haven't yet had the pleasure of trying out a bridge hammock, but your report is giving me a big nudge in that direction. I've successfully taken an underquilt to the sub-zero (F) range overnight, but never imagined a pad could be sufficient down that low.

[BillyBob58]

Thank you for taking the time to document all the particulars of your experience. I haven't yet had the pleasure of trying out a bridge hammock, but your report is giving me a big nudge in that direction. I've successfully taken an underquilt to the sub-zero (F) range overnight, but never imagined a pad could be sufficient down that low.

I agree, he has given us some very useful info. Also, don't forget old DuctTape, who long ago did a bit past minus 20F(-22F?) with some thickness of CCF pads.

I have not used pads very much at all, and when I have it is primarily adding a torso size piece of CCF into the pad pocket of a bridge hammock, after I would get cold about 0500 when I had nothing but hammock under me during warm weather.

Other than that, +18F is the coldest I have pushed pads. That was not in a bridge, but in an old Speer gathered end hammock. I had 2 summer/fall rated(2.6R each) pads stacked under my torso, with one of those pads being full length to cover my legs and feet. These pads were stacked inside a Speer Segmented Pad Extender, with some small sections of WM blue pad in the wings to cover mu shoulders and elbows. At that time, that was the warmest I had ever been in a hammock. I was so toasty that I obviously could have gone lower, probably to zero or below. Sp pads work in a bullet proof way, the only question is: can a person be comfy on them in a hammock? In bridge hammocks, that is a "YES". But I was comfy enough in my Speer using that SPE.

[509-T203-KG]

(In response to my comment that, since he was using this winter pad, KG also had the advantage that if it was just not warm enough, he could just go to ground)

(Me confirming that, yes, I was “referring to the whole "a pad is warmer on the ground than in the air" concept?”)

Having just gone back through this thread, I realized I had missed something, and maybe KG had also. On the subject of whether a pad is supposed to be warmer on the ground than in the air, thus giving him the advantage if he finds himself cold at minus 10F. The advantage of being able to just go to ground for survival. He said he had never seen any documentation for that, and I couldn’t say that I had either. But I missed what he had said in his report, that the pad had a rating right on the box of minus 40F.

Since most backpackers and customers of Thermarest have always been ground sleepers, it is virtually certain that this rating is based on ground use. Until I am told otherwise, I will assume this rating is not for hammock use. Now KG has made it to minus 10F(plus some wind chill) in a hammock(no tarp) with this pad rated to minus 40F on the ground. We do not know if he could actually make it any lower and still be warm enough, and I found this to be amazing enough for 20 oz of pad with about the same volume as a winter down UQ. But what we can probably count on is that if he had found himself cold at that minus 10F, or minus 15F, according to the manufacturer’s rating on the box, he would probably be just fine on the ground, to even significantly colder temps.

The only question left(for me) is: could he make it to minus 40F, in a hammock, with just this pad under him? I find that to be highly unlikely, but I also do not really know. I have never seen it put to the test. Then again, as KG said, he has not yet reached the lower limit of this pad for himself, since he was still warm enough at minus 10F plus a bit of wind chill.

You're probably right that the ratings on the box are based upon ground use. I found another chart from Therm-A-Rest...

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[509-T203-KG]

Thank you for taking the time to document all the particulars of your experience. I haven't yet had the pleasure of trying out a bridge hammock, but your report is giving me a big nudge in that direction. I've successfully taken an underquilt to the sub-zero (F) range overnight, but never imagined a pad could be sufficient down that low.

Glad you found it useful. For me, the important thing is for the pad to be 25” wide (or at least wider than the standard 20”) to keep your shoulders, elbows, butt, knees etc. From touching the side walls of the hammock.


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