JRB hammock with sleeping bag?

[Madison320]

I just ordered the BMBH. I have a large thermarest ridgerest (25"X77"). I'm wondering how the thermarest in the sleeve combined with a sleeping bag will work. Anyone tried this combination?

[fin]

It will work - depends on how low of a temp you plan on going with this setup and how good of a bag you have. I've used a bag in the BMB with different mat combinations, and it's OK. Test it when you get yours, and see if it works for you. Like I say, it's OK, and I could do it for awhile.

A UQ works best in a BMB - you are basically cocooned with all that fluffy down warmth around your sides. Throw a nice down top blanket, and you have everything you need to get you down pretty far temp-wise. Add some kind of Mat to the UQ combination, and it is toasty warm goodness all around.

[Heber]

My setup is only slightly different. I have a DIY bridge rather than a BMBH and I use a WalMart CCF pad which is 24" wide. It works great. I slip the pad in between the two layers of the hammock and it's off to sleep. Great insulation on the bottom and very comfortable IMHO. I don't think I'd like an underquilt any better. Now in a conventional hammock the opposite would be true. It's hard to position the pad right and to stay on top of it during the night. But in the bridge it's easy and comfortable.

[Madison320]

Would a sleeping bag/pad combo be warmer than a UQ/Top blanket for a given weight? It seems like a sleeping bag would be more efficient since it is a tighter fit. Probably not as comfortable but warmer?

[fin]

I have found the UQ to be much warmer than a bag/pad combo, IMO. Now, if I had an Exped DownMat, that might be a different story. I started as just a pad/bag guy, but as long as I have a UQ, I will use it over a pad/bag combo anytime.

[Madison320]

The reason I'm asking is I'm a car camper and I don't have a lightweight sleeping bag. I'm trying to decide whether to buy a sleeping bag or UQ. Also if the hammock doesn't work for me I want to try a tarp tent. So I'm trying to do this without spending money on stuff I don't need.

[fin]

Go ahead and do the pad/bag combo. It is still better than sleeping on the ground! And since you are doing your hanging where it's a little warmer, you should be OK, unless you are a cold sleeper.

[BillyBob58]

That Ridgerest ought to be OK to the low 40s I would guess, maybe even a bit lower. But if it is not, Just buy a WM blue pad ( about $6) and slip it in on top of the RR. Or, maybe cut it into two sections each equal to the width of the BMBH pad sleeve, and use one or two to cover part or all of your torso to butt, on top of or underneath the Rigerest. You really don't need much for your legs. And I bet that extra pad will take you right on down temp wise to below anything you are going to encounter. I know I was very pleasantly warm one 22*F night with a Speer SPE, using a Ridgerest full length and a short Thermarest ultralight inflatable stacked. There was no hint of cold that night, for sure. It seems to me pads stacked in the BMBH pad sleeve ought to work about as well, if not better. ( But I have not tried it yet, so YMMV) The BMBH is probably the best hammock, overall, to use with a pad or pads, though it does change the center of gravity and feel of the hammock. But still comfortable to me.

Now whether you will be quite as comfortable with thick pads as with an UQ is a different question, and appears to vary with the individual. Some can not stand any pad in any hammock comfort wise, and some do just fine.

[fin]

That Ridgerest ought to be OK to the low 40s I would guess, maybe even a bit lower. But if it is not, Just buy a WM blue pad ( about $6) and slip it in on top of the RR. Or, maybe cut it into two sections each equal to the width of the BMBH pad sleeve, and use one or two to cover part or all of your torso to butt, on top of or underneath the Rigerest. You really don't need much for your legs. And I bet that extra pad will take you right on down temp wise to below anything you are going to encounter. I know I was very pleasantly warm one 22*F night with a Speer SPE, using a Ridgerest full length and a short Thermarest ultralight inflatable stacked. There was no hint of cold that night, for sure. It seems to me pads stacked in the BMBH pad sleeve ought to work about as well, if not better. ( But I have not tried it yet, so YMMV) The BMBH is probably the best hammock, overall, to use with a pad or pads, though it does change the center of gravity and feel of the hammock. But still comfortable to me.

Now whether you will be quite as comfortable with thick pads as with an UQ is a different question, and appears to vary with the individual. Some can not stand any pad in any hammock comfort wise, and some do just fine.

Good advice. I would guess that stacking an air-type mat between a ccf pad, with the ccf pad on the outside of the hammock, would keep the air in the pad from cooling off too much, and should take you down pretty far. Huh, I never thought to STACK the pads, I'll have to give that a shot. Very doable for car-camping situations, or even for paddling.

The thing I like about the UQ option is that it seems much more breathable, and as someone who sleeps warm anyway, I tend to sweat more with an unbreathable pad beneath me. I don't wake up clammy with a UQ, whereas sometimes a pad can cause me to sweat. But if it's all about just trying out a system and saving money, lots of people swear by the pad/bag combo, and it is flexible if you have to go to ground.

[Madison320]

I know I was very pleasantly warm one 22*F night with a Speer SPE, using a Ridgerest full length and a short Thermarest ultralight inflatable stacked.

What type of sleeping bag did you use?