First Cold Weather Hang

[Phillip W. Martin]

This weekend will see me on my first Cold weather Backpacking trek, and I'll be leaving the familiar and known confines of my tent behind...

I've tried to do my best in preplanning and preparing (I've watched the Shug Video's, read the Ultimate Hang, and dug around on here filling my noggin with facts.

I'll be using:

1. Eno Double Nest
2. Eno Fly (mod'ed for a Single Ridge Line with 2 s-biners)
3. Big Agnes Bag W/ Inflateable Pad
4. I have a Sunvisor that I'll add for a little extra coverage
5. I might preheat the area with the Water Bottle gimmick
6. Maybe slip my Down Vest over the bag as well, with my seat in the foot box area since my feet are my normal cold spot

you can find my pack list here Google Doc Pack List look at pages 3-5

temps will drop to the low 40's with wind bringing it down to the low 30's... but it should be a fantastic outing... We have 20 Scoutmasters and over 30 boys traveling up 5 trails.

[jennalyn216]

Sounds like fun! Let us know afterward how comfortable you were in those temps!

[thenate1]

Sounds like you should be good

[TallPaul]

Enjoy! Interested to see how whether the planning worked or if you had any lessons learned

[Shug]

Wear a hat, eat well, stay hydrated. Be warm when you crawl in the hammock. Does some camp chores or walk around a bit.
I think you be good to go.
Shug…Whooooo Buddy.

[OCDave]

...Eno Fly...
...temps will drop to the low 40's with wind bringing it down to the low 30's...

Phillip, I suspect you are already on your way but if not, I might suggest abandoning your Dry Fly for something a bit more robust. Even light wind is going to rob you of much of your heat. Unfortunately, the Dry Fly doesn't provide much wind protection.

A big blue construction tarp can be had for less than $10 if there isn't an extra already in the scout trailer. While slightly more bulk you will be happy you have it if there is any wind at all.

ALSO, see "Nesting Tricks from an Old Coot" thread at forums tab, Very valuable info free for the taking.

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ead.php?t=6280

Good Luck

[Rain Man]

Sounds like you've got the gear side of things accounted for. But don't forget the "food" side of things. I find that fuel in my belly is also a big factor in whether I'm warm or chilly throughout the night.

Looking forward to a trip report! And remember, no pics = it didn't happen.

Rain Man

.

[Phillip W. Martin]

Had a good time out on the trail, a mini report is forth coming...

Sounds like fun! Let us know afterward how comfortable you were in those temps!

From a warm standpoint, I really had zero issues.

Sounds like you should be good

thanks

Enjoy! Interested to see how whether the planning worked or if you had any lessons learned

Lessons... learned a ton on the practical side...
1. My Big Agnes bag and the Silver Creek pad kept me warm enough, but I could not find a sweet spot on the diagonal that I would stay in, I'm not sure what I the major issue was. Over time, my feet would creep out of the hammock and out over the free air. The pad stayed in place and with my seat stuffed at the end of the pad, I really did not feel too much of the cold, but I would shift again and the bag would flop over... I'll do some trail and error to address this (might adjust my ridgeline, maybe the hang angle etc)

2.Fly worked well (details below)

3. I think my giant life in a small person world made some things a challenge. to stop the annoying part of my bag creeping over the edge of the hammock, I took my trusty 20 yo down vest and zipped it over the end of the hammock, tucked my toes and bag in... and BOOM warmer and it stayed put.

4. I think the sun shade helped with the wind. you could feel the cold on the uncovered sections.

Wear a hat, eat well, stay hydrated. Be warm when you crawl in the hammock. Does some camp chores or walk around a bit.
I think you be good to go.
Shug…Whooooo Buddy.

My hat is always on it makes up for my lack of hair on top... Whoo Buddies were introduced to the 1st&2nd year scouts than were in our crew... I cited you as the source thanks for making it hilarious to learn about hammocks!

Phillip, I suspect you are already on your way but if not, I might suggest abandoning your Dry Fly for something a bit more robust. Even light wind is going to rob you of much of your heat. Unfortunately, the Dry Fly doesn't provide much wind protection.

A big blue construction tarp can be had for less than $10 if there isn't an extra already in the scout trailer. While slightly more bulk you will be happy you have it if there is any wind at all.

ALSO, see "Nesting Tricks from an Old Coot" thread at forums tab, Very valuable info free for the taking.

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ead.php?t=6280

Good Luck

I'll check that thread in a second, But I solved my fly issue with 2 things

I pitched low... like my hammock was 12 inches up low, and I found 2 trees parallel with the slope to use. So I could really have the fly down and tight. worked very well, and the wind/rain became a non issue.

at some point I will upgrade my fly to true old man status, maybe a Hammock Gear C3 or something similar... It's a POUND lighter and more coverage...

Sounds like you've got the gear side of things accounted for. But don't forget the "food" side of things. I find that fuel in my belly is also a big factor in whether I'm warm or chilly throughout the night.

Looking forward to a trip report! And remember, no pics = it didn't happen.

Rain Man

.

Food is foremost for me I normally eat 5x a day to fuel my 6'5" 210lbs self

[grannypat]

Lessons... learned a ton on the practical side...
1. My Big Agnes bag and the Silver Creek pad kept me warm enough, but I could not find a sweet spot on the diagonal that I would stay in, I'm not sure what I the major issue was. Over time, my feet would creep out of the hammock and out over the free air. The pad stayed in place and with my seat stuffed at the end of the pad, I really did not feel too much of the cold, but I would shift again and the bag would flop over... I'll do some trail and error to address this (might adjust my ridgeline, maybe the hang angle etc)

I have trouble with my feet sticking out if I don't hang my head slightly lower than my feet.

[Phillip W. Martin]

I have trouble with my feet sticking out if I don't hang my head slightly lower than my feet.

I thought I had done so... but maybe not enough... I'll be working on this with the whole system up in the garage to test things out.