Still getting out in the urban woods on the Krampus for a hang on a regular basis. Spent the day Thursday thinking about camping, but figuring that I wouldn't actually rise to the occasion when it came to rolling out into the frigid weather. Surprisingly, I actually loaded up and went, just as it started getting dark! I had a bit of trouble tensioning my tarp in the dark, but other than that, all he day-trip practice really made set-up go much more smoothly in the heat (cold?) of the moment.
Sleet on Cuben fiber while looking at the Nexrad in the dark.
SleetOnCuben
Woke up in the woods this morning swathed in camo, toasty in my quilts.
Those shoes look cold!
I set up in the dark so I'm sort of surprised the tarp looks this good.
A dusting of sleet pellets in the woods.
It was still below freezing so it wasn't melting, but the ice started disappearing as the sun came on the scene.
Quilts sitting in a tree waiting to be stuffed and packed.
Ice on the bike path. The ground was a little too warm for hard, slick ice.
On the ride out to the woods last night I saw 7 deer near the cricket field, but just this guy on the way home.
I got out to the woods a little earlier than last time. A buck with a harem of 5 does ran across my path behind the golf course and I chased a lone doe through the woods getting to where I was hanging. This mocking bird and blue jay chased overhead while I unpacked.
With more time and light at my disposal I tried to really nail down the tarp for the cool breezy night ahead.
The windward doors staked down tight.
Pretty streamlined looking!
Entering the tarp at the head of the hammock...
All tucked in! It only got down to 26° or so and I stayed comfortably warm. A hot water bottle really feels like cheating, though. Throw in the hammock-camping-only cashmere socks and cap and we're talking real luxury accommodations! :lol
There was enough ambient light for the most part, but I have a small red LED on the ridgeline if I need it.
Still nice and toasty next morning.
The shock cord suspension and gathers do a good job of keeping the under quilt where it needs to be to work. I also run a piece of zing-it over the ridgeline to each side of the UQ for extra security. I adjust the knot to fine tune it for each hang. You can also see quilt clips on each side. I have mixed luck with them, some popping lose and some holding secure. Not an issue since they're tertiary support.
I'm using a 3/4 length under quilt and noticed that my feet were a cool spot last time out. This time I brought a couple of bubble padded envelopes out of the recycing bin and put them between hammock layers under my feet. Cured the cold spot but I had a little trouble with condensation that I didn't last time. I'm thinking maybe a fleece or down vest, run the foot of the hammock through the neck hole to make a sort of frost bib/sock for the area not covered by the UQ.
Starting to strike camp. I'm liking my tubbed Cuben ground cloth. Way light, packs small, but big enough to dump all my junk on, and even sleep on/under if something weird came up.
Loaded up and ready to head home! It was cool, but my "system" of merino/down/Ventile was working well and I dropped the down layer half way home and the Ventile jacket before the last climb to keep from over heating.
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