How much insulation will a GG pad give

[canoe]

If a pad is the only thing you have for bottom insulation... How low (temp)can you hang with an 1/8 and 1/4 and be comfortable?

[canoe]

any help on a comfortable temp range laying on only a GGear pad. 1/8 and or 1/4. Are we talking 40's 30's or is it rated for lower. I would appreciate any from your experiance. Right now I have just bought a new hammock and want to get a new cubin tarp ... at this time I just dont have the funds for an uq so I am opting for a pad.

[Jayson]

Not familiar with the Gossamer Gear pad...assuming it is CCF 1/4 should take you to 0*C/32*F. It would me anyway maybe a bit below. You may want to consider an UQ first and save for the cubin tarp. I have found that the under insulation is much more critical then the top!

HYOH

[Cranky Bear]

My 1/8 GG pad was only sufficient for summer temps. My last attempt with the 1/4 wide GG I was able to go to mid/low 40's.

Pad's in a hammock are completely different than using one on the ground. What works well on ground at a certain/specific temp may be 10/15/20* higher or more when used in a hammock.

Best advise is to try it out and find out what works for you. Everyone sleeps differently, so what works for one may not work for all.

[BillyBob58]

Youngblood- the inventor of the Speer SPE ( pad thingy ) used to supply a table showing some "observed" temps for different pads, presumably in a hammock.

He showed 1/8" CCF providing .54 R value of 7*F worth of insulation, so good to 63F. 1/4" was app. double that, or 1.09R value/13F of insulation so 70 minus 13= good to 57F. 3/8 ( or 1/4 + 1/8 ?) = good to 50F, 1/2 good to 43F, 1" good to 17.

So there you go. Keep in mind, that was, one persons "observed" temps. You might do substantially better or worse on any given day, depending on many variables, including how much of a warm sleeper you are, or are not, and whether you are dry and well fed etc.

[Jimbo3b]

I've got their 1/4 wide pad. I'd say that with lots of clothes on and a good top quilt or sleeping bag I'm toasty at 50*F and I can survive 40. I use it as a 3-season solution when I might need to go to ground.

Any colder than that and you'll want an under quilt.

The GG pad is a type of zotefoam and wears well. I glued the same pad my recumbent bicycle seat and I've got about 1,000 miles on it.

[TallPaul]

My 1/8 GG pad was only sufficient for summer temps.

+1 on this. Nice for hot Carolina summers but you could get cold if the temp drops.

[canoe]

Thanks for the help guys