Moonlight vs Vented Top Cover

[dwighop]

I think I would enjoy adding a moonlight or vented top cover to my Banyan but I can't tell the difference. I've watched the video a couple of times but still a little in the dark. Obviously a bit warmer (how much?) but does it replace the tarp on clear nights? Experiences?

Thanks

[cmc4free]

The normal, vented one is mostly solid fabric, but with a mesh section at the head end. The moonlight version has an extra section of solid fabric under the mesh that can close off this vented section.

I wouldn't say it replaces a tarp, in that it's not meant to keep rain off. It does help reduce the chill from wind, compared to not having a cover of any kind, so it does some of the work a tarp would do as a wind break. It also adds a little heat retention to your sleep system, by creating a "microclimate," if you will. But for that same reason it's also a condensation trap. Peoples' tolerance for the trapped condensation aspect seems to vary.

[dwighop]

The normal, vented one is mostly solid fabric, but with a mesh section at the head end. The moonlight version has an extra section of solid fabric under the mesh that can close off this vented section.

I wouldn't say it replaces a tarp, in that it's not meant to keep rain off. It does help reduce the chill from wind, compared to not having a cover of any kind, so it does some of the work a tarp would do as a wind break. It also adds a little heat retention to your sleep system, by creating a "microclimate," if you will. But for that same reason it's also a condensation trap. Peoples' tolerance for the trapped condensation aspect seems to vary.

I hadn't thought about condensation.

[cougarmeat]

dwighop,

Condensation is just a winter challenge those of us who are outdoors in the cold need to dance with. The deal is, I'm pretty sure these "covers" are not All-or-Nothing. You can adjust them to various opening sizes. I seldom zip up completely. I usually leave some open portion near the head end. You just find that balance for you. You'll be warmer than if you were just under a tarp. And with enough incidental air flow, condensation will be minimal. If I were going out for less than 3 days and I knew I could air my quilts out when I got home, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Shug]

I think I would enjoy adding a moonlight or vented top cover to my Banyan but I can't tell the difference. I've watched the video a couple of times but still a little in the dark. Obviously a bit warmer (how much?) but does it replace the tarp on clear nights? Experiences?

Thanks

In my early days of learning to hammock I tried a hammock sock that I made with a face vent on the top to hopefully cut down on the condensation and see out. It for sure kept me warmer but I was always moist in my hammock and top quilt would be damp from condensation. Even with the vent right over my face. Mainly cold weather and Winter. I'd get ice crystals all over the inside and when I would move they would all fall down on me and that already damp top quilt. That was a deal breaker for me. Plus it made me realize that the open feeling of a hammock is one thing I discovered that I loved and the sock enclosed me and took that away.
They work for many though so experiment with it. Though I don't think they are a tarp substitution.
Shug


DSC03059.JPG

[CVKealey]

In my early days of learning to hammock I tried a hammock sock that I made with a face vent on the top to hopefully cut down on the condensation and see out. It for sure kept me warmer but I was always moist in my hammock and top quilt would be damp from condensation. Even with the vent right over my face. Mainly cold weather and Winter. I'd get ice crystals all over the inside and when I would move they would all fall down on me and that already damp top quilt. That was a deal breaker for me. Plus it made me realize that the open feeling of a hammock is one thing I discovered that I loved and the sock enclosed me and took that away.
They work for many though so experiment with it. Though I don't think they are a tarp substitution.
Shug


DSC03059.JPG

I've never tried the "winter sock", but have an SLD Trail Lair with the "windshield" option. This doesn't cover the entirety of the bug net, but leaves about a foot of open mesh at either end. In my experience, this provides enough ventilation to prevent significant condensation. In really cold (for easter PA) temps (15-20 degrees), I'd get a very light amount of frost on the underside of the windshield.

That said, I don't think I'd ever use a top cover without venting at both ends for proper circulation.

[dwighop]

Thanks for the input.