5th Annual Mt Rogers Winter Hang report

[NCPatrick]

I had a great time! I think the keyword for this one was "snowshoes" -- they were a big hit. Not sure what the low temp was, as we had conflicting reports. Can we consolidate all the reports and settle on an average?

The new venue was really very nice, and lends itself better to folks wanting to more generally check out the winter hammock thang. We'll do better next time on insulating our water to keep it from freezing.

Thanks to the Park Rangers for helping us arrange to be there at the park. I want to also thank all the organizers, and those who brought the wonderful food, and last but not least, the Jacks for the fun raffle.

[TZBrown]

Looks like a good time was had by all

Mac, I was also thinking of a canvas, or breathaable cover over the snugfit, just add more velcro to the stackup, to help contain gear, how did it work?

The Anorak looks like it was made for Thing 1, right size and length.
The second one, on you, looks great also.

TZ

[WV]

What a great time! Next year I want do do a pre-hike for sure, now that I'm comfortable that my insulated hammock sock and hammock tent work well. I'll probably hang my rig a little higher (thanks for the tip, Pan!), but all in all everything worked great. I had to shed clothing layers during the first night, so I figure I could go 10° cooler if I had to - maybe more.

Two notes about water, one good, one bad:

I brought a plastic storage tub with a snap-on lid and stood it on end in my vehicle so I could put a 5 gallon bottle of spring water inside. With a couple of hand-warmers in with it and a spare sleeping bag draped over the top of the tub it stayed unfrozen all weekend. I'll use this technique again next year.

I've been using a water bottle in my insulated sock, first to warm the footbox of my quilt and then to keep the water liquid for use the next morning, and a Nalgene Canteen worked well the first night, but shortly after I filled it on Saturday and tucked it into the pocket of my fleece hoodie, I saw water spurting out through the fleece. Fortunately I caught it almost immediately, and it didn't get my clothes wet enough to need to change. It could have been serious if the Nalgene had leaked in my hammock. I had been using Platypus bladders this way with no problems, and I'd stopped using a ziplock bag as an extra layer of protection against leaks. I'll go back to doing it the right way.

Thanks again to all who made this event happen and all who attended! For me there was an added bonus. After last year's gathering I stopped in a general store in Volney and saw a nice looking Malamute Husky pup. The owner said they were going to breed her in a year or two. This year I stopped in again and saw a fine looking young dog with a wonderful temperament. If she has puppies (tentatively March 2012) I'll have a young companion at the January 2013 hang and strong worker to pull my pulk in 2014.

[MacEntyre]

Mac, I was also thinking of a canvas, or breathaable cover over the snugfit, just add more velcro to the stackup, to help contain gear, how did it work?

It worked very well! My toes were toasty from the moment I got in. They never had a hint of chill. I might buy some velcro and remake the canvas cover without the bugnet, so it can be 35" wide instead of 22". There is plenty of Snugfit to allow me a better diagonal.

The Anorak looks like it was made for Thing 1, right size and length.

She didn't like the genuine rabbit ruff... until she used it in the cold wind, and then she raved about it. She liked having the Bowie knife on the sash; it raised some eyebrows, but folks kept borrowing it to cut bread.

The second one, on you, looks great also.

Thank you very much! The second one is almost right. The huge hood worked very well. I would make the armpits even longer, so it's even easier to pull your arms in. Also, I would make a deep V neck closure, to allow access to pockets or a haversack inside. I don't feel the need for outer cargo pockets, like Stairguy's Swedish Army Anorack. I also enjoyed not having the bulky front pocket that is on Thing1's anorak.

My mukluks worked very well, too. I never bothered to dry them out... just let the soles freeze and slept with the inserts. They worked very well. Never the least cold in my toes.

Hickery and I talked about perhaps installing studs, or making bolt-on teeth (old bow saw blades?) for the mil surplus snowshoes. They need more grip when going uphill or across a slope. When the outer edge dives into the drift going across a slope, it's a real surprise!

Gotta put strings on my mittens so they can hang on the anorak sash.

Thing1 and I did well with water by keeping it on our persons. I like the seal on the metal SIGG canteen best (thank you again, Book!)... it's trustworthy in the hammock.

[angrysparrow]

I had a great time! Especially enjoyed meeting the new folks. Thanks to everyone that attended for their good humor, for the fabulous pot-luck dinner, and bountiful camaraderie all round. Special thanks to the Vendors and individuals that offered up such a fun raffle.

Some pics -

[Rilmoigan]

I got a good and fine report from Hickery!!!!!!
I did a sympathy hang here......
Shug

Sympathy Hang...

There's another another one for the yet-to-be-written handbook!

[Jimbo]

I had a great time at my first Hammock Forums group hang. Great to meet so many fellow hangers & use my setup to a new low (by far). Didn't even have to go to my "backup" layers in the car!
Hope to be part of another group hang in the future.

[MacEntyre]

I had a great time at my first Hammock Forums group hang.

Good t' meetcha, Jimbo! Sure hope you can hang with us again!

Folks, wasn't that Jimbolaya he brought some good eatin'?

[NCPatrick]

Anyone lose any gear at the hang? I found gear that I'd be happy to return if you can tell me what [they are/it is] and what [they/it] looked like.

Send me a PM with info.

[slowhike]

Two notes about water, one good, one bad:

I brought a plastic storage tub with a snap-on lid and stood it on end in my vehicle so I could put a 5 gallon bottle of spring water inside. With a couple of hand-warmers in with it and a spare sleeping bag draped over the top of the tub it stayed unfrozen all weekend. I'll use this technique again next year.

I've been using a water bottle in my insulated sock, first to warm the footbox of my quilt and then to keep the water liquid for use the next morning, and a Nalgene Canteen worked well the first night, but shortly after I filled it on Saturday and tucked it into the pocket of my fleece hoodie, I saw water spurting out through the fleece. Fortunately I caught it almost immediately, and it didn't get my clothes wet enough to need to change. It could have been serious if the Nalgene had leaked in my hammock. I had been using Platypus bladders this way with no problems, and I'd stopped using a ziplock bag as an extra layer of protection against leaks. I'll go back to doing it the right way.

Good info on how well the chemical heat packs worked for keeping your water un-froze in a simple, insulated container.
Also, good to know that things can happen like you described w/ your Nalgene bottle.
If you will, maybe you could post pictures of were the Nalgene failed. Also, how hot was the water you put in it? Good stuff to know.
And yeah, unless you are 100% sure about the reliability of your hot water bottle, putting it a back up bag is a good idea. I did not put my nalgene bottles of hot water in back up bags this weekend... just glad I didn't spring a leak like you did