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  1. #1
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    cold sleeper

    I just spent one of the most miserable nights I have ever had in my hammock! The temp got down into the low 30's and I thought I was going to freeze to death! I admit to being a cold sleeper, but this went way beyond that!
    My WL UQ is rated at 20*and my HG Summer Burrow TQ with extra down is rated at 30*. The TQ along with every piece of clothing I brought with me, kept me fairly warm topside but I couldn't get warm below! I have slept comfortably with this setup to 42*but with last nights temps in the low 30's my gear was out of it's league!
    I have a reflectix sit pad that I used underneath me. It extended from shoulders to upper thighs. It was a life saver! Every other part that wasn't covered by the reflectix was cold!
    My feet were miserably cold. At one point I got up and walked around camp to get the circulation going in my feet! When I crawled back into my hammock I put my down jacket into the footbox of my TQ for additional warmth, but it offered precious little help!
    In two weeks I'm going with a troop of BS for a two night trip. Can you offer suggestions as to what I can do to be better prepared for the colder temps? I don't think I could stand another night like that!
    Thanks

  2. #2
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    Put your down jacket around the hammock footbox...under your hammock ridgeline before you crawl in. Two pair loose wool socks. Maybe a hot water bottle. Eat right before sleep.
    Carry on.....
    Shug
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  3. #3
    Senior Member JohnSawyer's Avatar
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    It sounds to me that your UQ wasn't adjusted right...

    Anybody in nu2hike's neighborhood care to stop by and help out?
    "Do or do not, there is no try." -- Yoda


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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnSawyer View Post
    It sounds to me that your UQ wasn't adjusted right...

    Anybody in nu2hike's neighborhood care to stop by and help out?
    Bingo! I was a little chilli the other night with my HG incubator but was too lazy to get up and check on it. Sure enough.....it was loose on the ends.

  5. #5
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    I had the ends cinched tightly! I rechecked it when I got up to walk around to make sure it was snugged up properly. I couldn't see any gaps, but of course that may have changed when I was actually in the hammock.
    When I slept in it last {temp to 42*} I was comfortable except for slight CBS which is why I added the reflectix pad. I normally only use it as a sit pad!
    I have a WBBB which may or may not make fitting an UQ more difficult. I do notice that if I try to stow too much on the "shelf" it does affect the fit of the UQ. I added a ridgeline organizer which helped as I do have a tendancy to want to put everything but the kitchen sink in the hammock with me!
    Shug I can't visualize what you suggested to do with my jacket. Would your suggestion work with a WBBB?
    I will try the hot water bottle and time my meal closer to bedtime! I did have on two pairs of socks but they were not loose fitting which may have contributed to them feeling colder.
    Now that its cooler and there are fewer insects I have been considering purchasing a WB Traveler to reduce weight. I saw it mentioned by someone that the bug netting added to the warmth of the hammock. Is that fact or fiction? I need all the warmth I can get!

  6. #6
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nu2hike View Post
    I had the ends cinched tightly! I rechecked it when I got up to walk around to make sure it was snugged up properly. I couldn't see any gaps, but of course that may have changed when I was actually in the hammock.
    When I slept in it last {temp to 42*} I was comfortable except for slight CBS which is why I added the reflectix pad. I normally only use it as a sit pad!
    I have a WBBB which may or may not make fitting an UQ more difficult. I do notice that if I try to stow too much on the "shelf" it does affect the fit of the UQ. I added a ridgeline organizer which helped as I do have a tendancy to want to put everything but the kitchen sink in the hammock with me!
    Shug I can't visualize what you suggested to do with my jacket. Would your suggestion work with a WBBB?
    I will try the hot water bottle and time my meal closer to bedtime! I did have on two pairs of socks but they were not loose fitting which may have contributed to them feeling colder.
    Now that its cooler and there are fewer insects I have been considering purchasing a WB Traveler to reduce weight. I saw it mentioned by someone that the bug netting added to the warmth of the hammock. Is that fact or fiction? I need all the warmth I can get!
    Here is a picture......this is over the hammock ridgeline but usually I go under the ridgeline. Both ways work. This pic lets more foot condensation escape.
    Shug

    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  7. #7
    canoebie's Avatar
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    Bug nets definitely add warmth. A pain on a hot summer buggy night, can be a blessing on a cold night, though I usually pull it back because I like to see the stars.

    I use a WBBB and a Claytor JH. I have a Phoenix UQ and a down sleeping bag I use for a TQ. I put a piece of foam in the foot end, wide enough to go side to side so it doesn't move around. I also reach out on both sides of me before sleep and pull the UQ up around me. It really makes a difference for me. I then pull the ends just tight enough to close the gap, too tight tends to create a gap on the sides and the quilt does not fit right.

    For me it is important to adjust while in the hammock. I am accounting for all variables if in the hammock and the adjustments seem to work much better. I too wear wool socks to bed or my liners for my mukluks. I also wear a base layer of capilene or wool and a wool hat. More than that, I get uncomfortable.

    A good hat makes a huge difference. Mine is hand knitted alpaca and smart wool from Mountain Goat. Love it. A hot water bottle is a luxury, though I think one should have the right gear and clothing to stay warm without such. The addition of the heated water before retiring really warms the bed nicely.

    I have taken the above down to 20 degrees comfortably. With the addition of some insultex as an UQ and a sock, a wool blanket and a thermarest I have taken it down to -14 degrees.

    UQ's are only as good as the ability to eliminate air flow between the quilt and the hammock. Focus on that and you should have a much more positive experience. Keep experimenting, adjust while in the hammock, and you will get it dialed in.
    “Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”
    ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

  8. #8
    Senior Member Knotty's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnSawyer View Post
    It sounds to me that your UQ wasn't adjusted right...

    Anybody in nu2hike's neighborhood care to stop by and help out?
    Spot on.

    IMHO an under quilt needs to people to get the initial adjustment right because you have to be in the hammock.
    Knotty
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  9. #9
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shug View Post
    Put your down jacket around the hammock footbox...under your hammock ridgeline before you crawl in. Two pair loose wool socks. Maybe a hot water bottle. Eat right before sleep.
    Carry on.....
    Shug
    Quote Originally Posted by JohnSawyer View Post
    It sounds to me that your UQ wasn't adjusted right...

    Anybody in nu2hike's neighborhood care to stop by and help out?
    +1 all of that. I live just a short bit north of you in Tupelo, and you are welcome to come up here for a little working it all out. Bdbart lives(or lived) somewhere near Starkville, and he has come up here before to see how some varying gear worked. For that matter, if he is still in Starkville maybe he can get together with you? But let me know if you want to meet up, won't be a problem whatsoever.

    Quote Originally Posted by Miguel View Post
    Bingo! I was a little chilli the other night with my HG incubator but was too lazy to get up and check on it. Sure enough.....it was loose on the ends.
    Quote Originally Posted by nu2hike View Post
    I had the ends cinched tightly! I rechecked it when I got up to walk around to make sure it was snugged up properly. I couldn't see any gaps, but of course that may have changed when I was actually in the hammock.
    When I slept in it last {temp to 42*} I was comfortable except for slight CBS which is why I added the reflectix pad. I normally only use it as a sit pad!
    I have a WBBB which may or may not make fitting an UQ more difficult. I do notice that if I try to stow too much on the "shelf" it does affect the fit of the UQ. I added a ridgeline organizer which helped as I do have a tendancy to want to put everything but the kitchen sink in the hammock with me!
    Shug I can't visualize what you suggested to do with my jacket. Would your suggestion work with a WBBB?
    .......!
    Quote Originally Posted by Knotty View Post
    Spot on.

    IMHO an under quilt needs to people to get the initial adjustment right because you have to be in the hammock.
    Ditto. But does any one know if that UQ is a differential cut or not? Hate to sound like a broken record here. But while any UQ adjustment is pretty critical to avoid gaps underneath of you or gaps on the end letting cold drafts in, a non-dif cut quilt has yet another thing that must be about perfect, or at the least you will not reach the quilts potential. If you have it too tight, you will compress the insulation and you will be cold if compressed more than a little.

    It needs to be just barely contacting your back and butt, and no more. You have a little leeway there, if it is compressed a little you should still be warm. But much more, and your 20F quilt will become a 40F, a little tighter and it will become a 50F quilt, fully compressed and you probably then have a 70F quilt. The tighter you are beyond contact with zero gap, the more you approach converting your quilt to a 70F rating.

    Conversely, if it is a dif cut, just make sure it is staying snugged up nicely against your back. With a dif cut, I think your most likely problem will be too loose. With either, if there is any gap under you, or if the ends are gapping under you, you are going to be cold.

    OH, BTW, while you are trying to figure all of that out, by a $6 Walmart blue pad- to also be used as a sit pad around the campfire- and put it inside the hammock under your feet and legs( cut it down to size). It might work even better place inside your foot box. This should boost your cold feet 20*F. Lots of folks don't like pads in hammocks, but under your feet it is a non-issue.

    PS: contact WL for some precise adjustment directions if not already supplied.
    Last edited by BillyBob58; 11-01-2011 at 13:21.

  10. #10
    Senior Member perdidochas's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nu2hike View Post
    I just spent one of the most miserable nights I have ever had in my hammock! The temp got down into the low 30's and I thought I was going to freeze to death! I admit to being a cold sleeper, but this went way beyond that!
    My WL UQ is rated at 20*and my HG Summer Burrow TQ with extra down is rated at 30*. The TQ along with every piece of clothing I brought with me, kept me fairly warm topside but I couldn't get warm below! I have slept comfortably with this setup to 42*but with last nights temps in the low 30's my gear was out of it's league!
    I have a reflectix sit pad that I used underneath me. It extended from shoulders to upper thighs. It was a life saver! Every other part that wasn't covered by the reflectix was cold!
    My feet were miserably cold. At one point I got up and walked around camp to get the circulation going in my feet! When I crawled back into my hammock I put my down jacket into the footbox of my TQ for additional warmth, but it offered precious little help!
    In two weeks I'm going with a troop of BS for a two night trip. Can you offer suggestions as to what I can do to be better prepared for the colder temps? I don't think I could stand another night like that!
    Thanks
    Are you wearing something on your head?

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