With the wind we've been having recently in some of the places I've been camping,I'm becoming more and more interested in sock technology. I also love the idea of the all-in-one system.
Great work on the sock and the video I really liked it.
72 nights now in a sock. I'm a believer
The big stick shelter, the one that came with the mortgage, needed a new asphalt "tarp" and plumbing that has delayed my quest for hammock nirvana. Although the wife and I did take time to replace the couch with two hammocks in the tv cave.
I did want to share another interesting hammock sock option I googlefu'd. Underquilts.com offers a Gore-Tex hammock sock, now in a variety of incognito colors, that I took the plunge on and am anxiously waiting for delivery.
http://underquilts.com/shop/wexford-...re-tex-sock-2/
With the sock options out there such as Mac's offerings of breathable canvas, ultralight and breathable silnylon, and variety of other materials discussed in this thread, gore-tex offers another option for those of us who like the all-in-one no tarp option with the durability and water resistance of our favorite MSS gore-tex bivys, you know who you are
Each material has its pros and cons in weight, breathability, water resistance, durability, packability and resulting temperature performance and ease of use. It is just good to see there are options to suit the individual hanger's needs and preferences.
I'll post an update after the gore-tex sock arrives.
Goretex good. 40 oz. painful (to me).
Would love to hear how you get along with it.
Goretex is pretty tuff too-that is an advantage over other materials.
GoreTex sock has been a no-show so far. In the mean time I am trying out a few options to hold me over;
1) Two rain ponchos snapped together and hung over a whoopie structural ridge line. This idea came from another HF post I cannot find again. Love the multi-purpose use of gear this offers. After setting it up it was obvious it would work in a pinch but the snapped connection between the ponchos is not going to hold up against anything but a light drizzle. I considered sewing hook and loop strips between the snaps and that led to the next alternative...
2) $12 of Walmart sew-able velcro strips, one Hennessy Typhoon Rainfly (already purchased), 1 hour sewing (mostly remembering how to use the sewing machine) = a hybrid tarp/sock.
The Typhoon tarp already had the loop strips running down the ends to accommodate the optional doors that come with the Typhoon. Simply sewing two velcro hook strips, back to back, created a removable connector strip to close up the ends creating the sock body. I considered sewing in additional hook and loop to close up the rest of the bottom but decided to hold off for a few reasons.
First, the sides of the tarp seal nicely against the hammock sides creating the desired air pocket. I always use an air pad under me in the hammock that minimizes the convection factor from below. The loose open end "sock" body material just below the hammock still provides substantial wind protection.
Second, the waterproof tarp, being coated and less breathable, makes me think that leaving some additional venting for water vapor to escape will help deter condensation.
Third, velcro on the bottom would make entry and exit harder.
Fourth, the Typhoon has three built in shock cord guy lines that can be crossed and staked at the bottom edge of the "sock" to tighten up the enclosure if needed and still make entry and exit permissible.
One thing that strikes me with all the great "breathable fabric" sock designs I have seen, is that they all still require venting for condensation, usually at the suspension ends. So maybe instead of chasing the white whale of the all in one perfect tarp/sock design, the solution might be as simple as using the hammock tarp you already have leaving the same venting that an additional sock would require anyway.
I think I'll give Shug's breath catcher bib a try as well.
I am sure some of you are shaking your heads saying, been there, tried that and that's why we started making our own socks. Maybe you are right and maybe I'll be back chasing the whale with you, but I'm stubborn enough to have to give this a try and post back on how it works first.
Personally, I'd like to see/hear reports of your success/failure even if it's been done a hundred time before.
It seems the conditions have a big impact on the results and those conditions vary a lot. The more data we have, the better.
GoreTex sock arrived today. First impressions, light weight (comparable to the typhoon tarp), good size on hammock (shown on ENO double nest, will usually be used on an ENO pro nest), good color (olive green). Stitching is decent. Overall it looks like a good piece of kit.
We're forecasted for a big snow storm, 0 degree temps and 20-30 mph winds tomorrow night. Perfect test weather. So I'll post back with the results from outside tomorrow night.
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