Can I stay warm at 35 degrees

[bear bag hanger]

One of the arguments I see on these forums starts with one guy saying a ccf pad works just fine down to 20 degrees and another saying it doesn't. Neither one of them tells us what thickness ccf pad they are using. A 3/8 in thick ccf pad will take you to a lower temperature than a 1/8 in thick ccf pad. Unless the poster tell you what thickness pad they are using, you just can't really compare their statements. Add to that the differences in what each of us can tolerate and you really don't have a way to compare two apposing sides to an argument.

[litetrek]

Bearbag hanger you are very wise. You make an excellent point. I appreciate everyone's input and comments. I'll ponder it all and decide what to do. It pays to buy good stuff and it pays to know that the good stuff you're buying will suit your needs before you buy it. I guess its pretty hard to do that temperature comfort in a hammock.

[Floridahanger]

To give you the perspective from my limited budget:

Diy gathered end hammock with Ridgeline- $1.50/yard Walmart fabric bin,see below for line info
Walmart purple yoga pad, thickness ?(haven't measured)- Free, it belongs to the wife
Walmart 50-60* rectangle Sleeping Bag- $14.99 a few years ago
12 FT Cargo straps cut to 6Ft- $5.99 pair
Home Depot carabiners- less then $2 each
Diy whoopies- $5/100FT 500# line from West Marine

At my house and the Florida Hang in 2012. In January, Martin Luther King Jr weekend, it was ~25*, frost covering the SB I had around the hammock like a peapod. I put the pad in with me and my jacket over the head end. I wore the longjohns and sweatpants I would normaly wear when cold(This is very cold for Florida), my regular socks and a liner pair(dress socks). On top I wore the longjohns mentioned earlier and a cotton tee, hooded long sleeve shirt and a small fleece blanket ~4x5FT. On my head was a NFL team cap and my glasses.

Only my feet were cold and I did vent a few times by pulling my jacket away from the SB. I had no tarp, but, there was no wind those nights to rob me of heat.
I'm 5'9" 195lbs and had a little discomfort from the pad, but still slept just fine. The gear except for the hammy system, is the same I would use on the ground.

I mention this only because you already have most items needed to get off the ground. Based on this premise, the only thing needed is the alternate to your tent, the hammock(floor) and the tarp(canopy system). Add the hanging components, a few add less than 5 ounces, and your ready to go until you are ready to change out or suppliment your system to UQ/TQ, different hammy, tarps, etc.

Also, you can use a Segmented Pad Extender (SPE) to your pads to make it a little more comfortable. Check out Shugs videos for SPE's.

Good luck on your quest.

[Doctari]

I think a lot of folks are missing the intent of my original post. 1) I don't own a hammock 2) I would like to get one and my budget is limited 3) I am aware that an underquilt and top quilt are optimal and would solve my weight and warmth problem but I don't have the resources to spend on either item. I am stuck with the 20 degree rectangular bag I already have, a ccf and no more warm clothing that I currently carry to sleep on the ground. 4) If I have to carry a bunch more stuff to be warm then a hammock is not for me. So, can I possibly be warm at 35 degrees in a nx-250 with those constraints?

MY experience with a similar set up you have*: At the first Mt Rogers hangout; I had kept warm to 17 f (with a wind chill MUCH lower). Later that year due to social pressure I slept in a HEATED tent & "Froze my assets off", the coldest it got that night was 48 with no wind chill. Inside the tent I had a Propane heater & 3 friends, still "froze".
*I did have under me in addition to the 3/4 length ccf pad a trucker's windscreen and a fleece blanket hung as a UQ, but the fleece was hung wrong so didn't help, & I had the truckers wind screen under me in the d**n tent.
Since then I have gotten down to the upper 20s with just the ccf pad.

As with almost everything here: Your mileage may vary.

[Unmighty]

I guess I will add to the mix here. I used to use a Hennessey with pad and bag and was fine in the 40's. I sold that rig and have gone with a Dangerbird from Pappa Smurf because it has a outercover already and it's 11ft flatter lay. I will still use my pads till I can save for a good UQ. In this rig I think I will be fine to freezing or a little below!

[StormKingHiker]

Just this past weekend (Saturday, April 20), I used my Clark NX-150 for the first time during an overnight in the Catskill Mountians (Mid-New York). I was always a tent camper, but leaped into the world of hanging.

I knew the temp was going to plummet, so I brought along the following:

NeoAir Sleeping Pad
REI Radiant +20 down bag

I was quite comfortable all night, with the temp getting down to 22 degrees. I did notice when I would slide off my sleeping bad, because that part of my body would get chillled. This only happened once.

The wind was also a constant, and I never felt it.

All-in-all, 22 degrees and haning can make for a happy camper. All but the getting out of bed in the morning business.

[litetrek]

I used to live up the Hudson in Troy and later in Oswego. NY winters are cold and snowy! In Georgia weather in the winter can be really unpredictable. It can be in the 70's one day and 50 at night and the next day be 50 degrees and 35 at night. Being a lightweight (not ultrlight) backpacker and that unpredictability is what has kept me from buying a hammock. The seasons I usually hike in here in Georgia are the unpredictable ones. Your experience in the Catskills gives me ome confidence that I could stay warm in a Clark here in Georgia with similar equipment. What I've decided to do is to make a gathered end hammock and go on an overnight in the summer and see how it goes. I don't hike in the summer here usually because its hot and humid as heck AND I take a "water pill" for my high blood pressure. Its a maddening cycle trying to stay hydrated hiking in the heat when you're on a diueretic. Any water you drink to stay hydrated doesn't stay with you more than 10 minutes. Unless you're close to a water suplly during the whole hike you run out of water faster than you can walk to the next source.

[litetrek]

That said I still want the Clark, but as others have noted its a lot to spend to see if it works for you. I have a suitable tarp already and made some whoopie slings and tree straps awhile back, so all I really need is the hammock and those aren't that hard to make. Anyhow, I appreciate everyone's comments. It helped me work out a solution that won't cost me more than a few bucks and I can give it a try. I bought 4 yards of ripstop nylon at Joanne's fabric the other day for less than 15 dollars.

[gnar]

If you are worried about cost the clark might be the last thing you want to buy?? they also are bulky by them self. clarks do look like a great hammock dont get me wrong, I thought hard about buying 1 myself. A cheap gathered end hammock and a nice uq is what I would suggest? the 2 would cost less than a clark, although not have all the bells and whistles like a clark. then if you have a sleeping bag to use as a top quilt imo you can get a great set up for less money.

[litetrek]

Gnar, some others also pointed out that a gathered end hammock with an underquilt is still cheaper than a Clark. I hadn't though of that but it's a true statement and pretty obvious once some points it out. Honestly, I am unwilling to spend a lot of money for something that may not work for me, so starting with a gathered end and going for the first time in the summer is the cheapest way to give it a try.