First steps to staying warm?

[BillyBob58]

Thanks guys I really appreciate all the responses. I'm going to stick with my bottom entry atleast for the foreseeable future. I'm leaning towards getting a super shelter. The only thing is people say the foam pad tears easily. If this rips is there any reason I couldn't replace it with Insultex or something similar? That being said could I even supplement the foam pad with other insulation to increase warmth?

The pad is extremely fragile for sure. Still, I used my 1st one for quite a few years before someone talked me into selling the entire HHSS at a bargain price. I quickly poked a few holes in it when learning how to use it. This was easily patched by approximating the edges and adding a little seam sealer. I never could tell any performance loss, even on the holes that I didn't bother to repair, I would just push the edges together once things were all set up and it seemed to stay that way for the night. Looked bad, felt(worked) good when it was cold. Then I figured out how to move it around with the fkat of my hand or always keeping the undercover and/or space blanket between my fingers and the pad and I never got any more holes. I have a couple of newer pads for a couple of years now and have never torn them or poked holes in them. If I do, experience shows me no need to worry about it.

You ask: "could I even supplement the foam pad with other insulation to increase warmth?". There you have stumbled onto a tie for the biggest advantage to the HHSS, super easy supplementation, designed for that from the get go. (the other big advantage for me is built in wind and water protection from the UC) But just stuff whatever you are not going to sleep in between the UC and pad/space blanket. Stuff a fleece jacket for a significant boost. Stuff a vest or parka for a huge boost. Stuff a summer weight sleeping bag to be plenty warm at minus 27F like kwpapke did. Oh, if you should decide to go this route( UQs and PeaPods are great also at least for side zip), BE SURE to ask for the kidney/torso pad option if available. For a few $ and ~ 3 oz, this is a very big boost. Last year I set my PB with the standard HHSS, the added kidney/torso pads, the OC(but no tarp), a 21 oz Golite TQ plus hood and VB clothing: toasty and bone dry at 6F. All that was under me was the standard pad/space blanket and kidney torso pads, so it can be done ( oh yes: I added a short WM blue pad under my legs only to help fight calf pressure). But I suspect the VB clothing helped a lot also. Still, that is not much under me to be toasty at 6F, probably could have gone below zero. Maybe about 23-24 oz for full length and including a wind/water proof UQP(under quilt protector equiv aka HH under cover)?

Then again, I could tell you great success stories about a JRB MW4 and Speer Pea Pod also, but a few more $, especially if you add an UQP. Good stuff though!

[everst75]

I've got a few specific questions. One what do you guys think of Insultex? I am thinking if It was cold I could simply throw a few layers of insultex on top of the foam pad (assuming i'm not doing a long backpacking adventure) and does the DIYgear Insultex underpad work well? Sorry I have so many questions. I'm the first "hammocker" in my family so I have no one to ask questions of.

[BillyBob58]

I've got a few specific questions. One what do you guys think of Insultex? I am thinking if It was cold I could simply throw a few layers of insultex on top of the foam pad (assuming i'm not doing a long backpacking adventure) and does the DIYgear Insultex underpad work well? Sorry I have so many questions. I'm the first "hammocker" in my family so I have no one to ask questions of.

Which foam pad are you speaking of? The HHSS open cell foam pad we have been discussing or the CCF pad you mentioned in your OP of this thread? If the CCF pad, I'm not sure that would add all that much, because you would be laying right on top of the insultex. Insultex has been used with varying success around here, but fit seems to be critical and it has been used as an UQ. Requiring a good seal all around combined with a very small gap. That's why I'm not sure it would work very well just laying on top of it and your pad. Now, if you made it into an UQ with or without the pad, that might be different.

It would probably work better either on top of, or suspended under, the HHSS OCF pad and space blanket. ( it might be able to replace the space blanket, since apparently it is a vapor barrier to some extent) I'm just not sure it would add more, or as much, warmth than just using the optional HH kidney/torso pads, and or boosting the HHSS by putting unused clothing down under the pad. But with the most basic HHSS system already adequate for me down into the 30s by itself, I would certainly expect the addition of Insultex to add some unknown(to me) amount of warmth. I did suspend my Insultex UQ(made specifically to fit on to a HHSS) down inside a PeaPod and got what seemed like a very dramatic warmth boost.

[BillyBob58]

The supershelter works fine. I used it with a Z-Lite pad inside the hammock with me for years in temps down to the 20's. It does rip fairly easily if you are not careful, but duct tape fixes it just fine with no loss of performance.

That said, the SS with a bottom-entry HH is not ideal IMO. It took me a good 4-5 minutes to get settled into a sleeping bag on the Z-Lite pad every time I got in. It took a lot of wriggling and adjusting and shifting and more wriggling to get everything in place. With a side zip entry and quilts, it takes me about 10 seconds. And despite having a very light sleeping bag in the HH, my WBBB/UQ/TQ sleep system is more than a pound lighter as well. After a decade of using the HH (x4) I'm definitely a convert to side entry/quilts.

Just my 2¢.

Using a pad or sleeping bag in a bottom entry can be tricky for sure, and side entry greatly simplifies all of that. But when you say "That said, the SS with a bottom-entry HH is not ideal IMO" is it possible all or most of the hassle you describe is mostly related to the pad/sleeping bag/bottom entry(BE) combo, and not the Super Shelter? It has been a while since I used my BE HH, but when I did using the HHSS with it was zero hassle. I just laid down in the hammock and the SS would be positioned around me. Particularly if I had the HH side tie out cords positioned through the SS UC/pad loops, it pretty much had to be in the same position as the hammock. And if I needed more warmth, whatever I added down below the pad(fleece jacket etc) pretty much stayed in place also. But admittedly, I still prefer a side zip just so I can reach out and assure myself that everything is in correct position under me. Then I often do not bother with the side SS UC/pad pull outs, I just lay down, reach out and center the SS under me and up above my left shoulder, then it all stays in place pretty good.

[5th]

For me it was a problem because it extended over the entry slot. This meant that I had to hold it out of position to get in and then fidget with it to get it back into position under the hammock correctly. The difficulty was compounded by having to adjust it through that bottom entry and between my legs. Having a pad in there with me and using a 1/2 zip sleeping bag turned every entry into an ordeal. I also found that the shock cord that runs to the suspension was haphazardly measured. I have 4 SS setups and none of them have shock cord the same length. But that's a minor issue, since I had shorten them in almost all cases (just tied a knot and adjusted til I got it right, then cut off the excess).

It can be done. I did it for years and it was better than doing without the SS, and certainly better than sleeping in the dirt, but I doubt I'll be as satisfied with it now that I have moved to side zip and a quilt system.

[everst75]

Okay thanks guys I think I know what I want to do now. When I have the money I am going to get the SS and possible the overcover. This will work for me as I plan on using it as a three season hammock and have a very good sleeping bag. If I still get cold i'll get the radiant bubble pad. Last question, are all emergency blankets the same? Or are there better brands I should buy?

Thanks, Brett