Not sure if this should be in the Trip Report section or not. It's more a gear report, but I’ll put it here and mods can move, as appropriate.
This weekend I took the Boy Scouts to a Camporee at Bert Adams Boy Scout Reservation in Covington, GA. This was the first test of my gear in cooler (for Georgia) temps, so I was excited to see how it would go. For reference, I’m in my ENO DN, with a no-sew PLUQ and sleeping bag(s). Disclaimer: I’m a warm sleeper.
First night the lows were down to the 50’s but NSW. I used my Wallyworld 40°F bag unzipped as a TQ, and had the SF pitched low, expecting storms (which didn’t come). However, I couldn't find my stakes in the dark, so I had to forage for some sticks to use. I slept in sweatpants and t-shirt, no hat. I am happy to report that as expected, I was toasty all night!
Next morning I found my stakes (so much easier to find stuff in the daylight), so with the weather warming up, I decided to adjust into porch mode. I had a mix of aluminum shepherd's hook stakes, Coghlan's plastic cheapo's, and Coghlan's MSR knockoffs to check out. The plastic ones were terrible – I typically use a MSH for my stakes, and my mason line wouldn’t hold on them at all without a lot of fiddling. The aluminum ones were fine, but I loved the Y-shaped Coghland knock-offs. First with a MSH, then using Brandon’s technique that he shows in this video. Brandon's technique made setting up and adjusting a snap. I’m definitely replacing all my stakes with these.
Oh, another thing I realized in the daylight was that I pitched my tarp upside down. No one else noticed and I was too lazy to change it.
Next night, the low went down to 40°F, but still NSW. I swapped out my 40° bag for my old Wallworld 5°F mummy bag, again unzipped and flipped upside down with just the end as a footbox and the sides tucked around my shoulders. This time, I swapped out the t-shirt for a long-sleeved t-shirt and a fleece jacket, and added a stocking cap. I also closed both SF doors. I did wake up a couple of times when my bag slipped down and exposed my face/neck, but was surprised to not have any CBS at all and was quite reluctant to leave in the morning. (Temp check at 6am was 37°F).
I am very pleased (and somewhat surprised) with my PLUQ’s performance – I really didn’t expect it to hold up that well.
Here are some pictures (sorry about the quality -- my cellphone's camera-fu is weak)...
Early morning after the first night (had to set up in the dark the previous night):
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Second night (during the afternoon - in porch mode during the day - battened down before dark)
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Nice view, at least!
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On another note, my 10yo son was camping with me as well. This was the first “flight” for his DIY tablecloth hammock. He typically camps with no pad or UQ, but Saturday night I asked him bundle up a bit more. He ended up in a sleeping bag with my 40° bag around him in pea-pod fashion. He said he was a bit sweaty at first, but eventually was snug as a bug in a ….pod (see below)
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Lessons learned:
- PLUQ can get you down to 40 as long as you have enough bag on top
- Mitten hooks are a bear in the cold -- need to clip off the little closures
- Love my self-tensioning lines, but I made them too short for porch mode – time to toss them and try again (luckily mason line is cheap!).
- A tarp is COLD when it touches your bare back when changing. Might be time to consider a pole mod to open it up a bit.
- Hammock camping is (still) FUN!
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Originally Posted by GoatHanger
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