How warm is a HH Deep Jungle in winter?

[russelj2]

Like many of you, I have several hammocks. I've been experimenting trying to get a warm sleep at night. I live in Florida, so will rarely camp below 20 degrees or so. In the 40's and 50's, I'm fine with my ENO DN and a Walmart pad, but want to go out on some colder nights.

I have a HH Deep Jungle XL zip with the reflecting pad, but I've shipped it to Hennessy for a repair (this is my 2nd time sending it back, due to my own faults, not there's). It takes awhile to get it back fixed and I'm worried I'll miss the Florida cold-weather season and not have a chance to cold-weather camp in it. Its fine in the summer months when I've used it and I also have a Hennessy Safari for the summer - I'm a big guy and need lots of room!

Anyway, who has camped in one during cold weather? Does the reflecting pad do its job in the 20's? I'll have a zero degree bag I'll be sleeping in so don't need a top-quilt.

[BillyBob58]

Like many of you, I have several hammocks. I've been experimenting trying to get a warm sleep at night. I live in Florida, so will rarely camp below 20 degrees or so. In the 40's and 50's, I'm fine with my ENO DN and a Walmart pad, but want to go out on some colder nights.

I have a HH Deep Jungle XL zip with the reflecting pad, but I've shipped it to Hennessy for a repair (this is my 2nd time sending it back, due to my own faults, not there's). It takes awhile to get it back fixed and I'm worried I'll miss the Florida cold-weather season and not have a chance to cold-weather camp in it. Its fine in the summer months when I've used it and I also have a Hennessy Safari for the summer - I'm a big guy and need lots of room!

Anyway, who has camped in one during cold weather? Does the reflecting pad do its job in the 20's? I'll have a zero degree bag I'll be sleeping in so don't need a top-quilt.

It is as warm as the insulation you surround it with.

But I guess you are actually asking about the radiant bubble pad? I think it is "officially" rated by HH to 40F, but don't hold me to it. I think HH does not rate it quite as warm as the HH Super Shelter (HHSS) system, which many people have used successfully to about 30. Some do better than that, some don't do nearly that good. But if the radiant bubble pad is not quite as warm as HHSS, adjust your guess accordingly.

Also depends a lot on what kind of layers and bag you are using. Multiple layers of fleece or other synthetic clothing or bag (if used as a bag but not as a quilt) will add a significant boost on the back, but not so much with down bags or clothing. Because down compresses with your body weight so much better than synthetics, especially fleece. And of course a quilt, or bag used as a quilt, offers no extra warmth to your back other than what your pads or UQs might offer.

You say you sleep on a WM blue pad? Well a lot of people get down pretty close to as cold as you are going to see with just that and nothing else under them. Since they are so cheap, buy another one and cut it up. Use one section of the new pad added to your other pad to make a "T" shape, so it will be plenty wide enough for your shoulders. But this will also double thickness, greatly increasing already significant warmth in the area of the "T". Use some of the left over to double thickness at your lower back and butt. You are not likely to need anything more than the one pad for your legs.

You will have to figure out how to hold them together: an SPE, or glue or duct tape or poke some holes through the top and bottom pads and run some cord through the lined up holes.

Of course, you can probably also use the blue pad with the bubble pad and get more warmth than either together, but how much, who knows?

If your bag is a roomy one and has a full zip, you might want to experiment with wrapping it around your hammock in what is called Pod style, if you can get your net well out of the way.

[sargevining]

I've had mine down to about 40* a couple of times with just the bubble pad. I think I could get another 10* out of it with the right clothes and my fleece mummy bag liner. I wouldn't hesitate to take it to 40* with just the bubble pad.

[Deep Thought]

I tried the stock Deep Jungle XL with the reflector pad on a windy and snowy 0 degree night (32F). I had to bail around 2AM when it became pretty uncomfortable on the underside.

I could have added my jacket, clothes, etc. under me, but I was interested in finding out my personal limits with the reflector pad.
Thought: Much in the same way you want to use a foam mat under an air mattress in freezing temperatures, a thin foam pad under the reflector pad would probably do wonders. At 2am, with the wind blowing under my hammock, the air-filled reflector pad felt more like a heat sink than a heat reflector.
I will have to try the thin foam cover one day soon.

It also shows the importance of test hanging where you have a warm place to bail out. I may have been able to tough it out, but simply surviving the night does not constitute a successful hang in my books.

DT

[BillyBob58]

I tried the stock Deep Jungle XL with the reflector pad on a windy and snowy 0 degree night (32F). I had to bail around 2AM when it became pretty uncomfortable on the underside.

I could have added my jacket, clothes, etc. under me, but I was interested in finding out my personal limits with the reflector pad.
Thought: Much in the same way you want to use a foam mat under an air mattress in freezing temperatures, a thin foam pad under the reflector pad would probably do wonders. At 2am, with the wind blowing under my hammock, the air-filled reflector pad felt more like a heat sink than a heat reflector.
I will have to try the thin foam cover one day soon.

It also shows the importance of test hanging where you have a warm place to bail out. I may have been able to tough it out, but simply surviving the night does not constitute a successful hang in my books.

DT

That is exactly how to do a test, where you can safely bail once the temps or conditions become unpleasant. But the same conditions would be unsafe miles from the nearest shelter or your vehicle.

So apparently your tarp was not adequately blocking the wind, and you were dealing with a wind chill that was way below freezing? You mention the "foam cover" which sounds like the HH Super Shelter? That sil-nylon UC does a good job of making up for a less than perfect tarp pitch and helping with wind chill. I think of the HHSS as being adequate for me to about freezing. But, adding a thick fleece jacket and down vest under the HH foam pad ( instead of wearing them) I staid warm - with no tarp - in a wind chill of about 6F. Actual temp was about 14F. Wind chill can really suck your warmth right out of even the thickest UQ.