material for hammock sock?????

[PapaSmurf]

I was thinking to use this same material for a winter hammock sock. What I'm hearing is that this Magna 1.0 is not very windproof, then it probably will not retain much heat. Sounds like it's not the best choice for a winter hammock sock? Is this correct?

Well, yes and no.

A socks effectiveness largely depends on it's ability to reduce airflow around the hammock creating a warm (and wet) layer of air around your hammock.

more airflow = less warmth & less condensation
less airflow = more warmth & more condensation

To complicate matters -
I've built very breathable socks and used the sock pulled only up to my shoulders. On a windless night, I could feel a great deal of difference between the air temperature at my knees compared to my head.

I've also built less breathable socks that acted like a giant pair of bellows when the wind was gusty, expelling valuable warm air and sucking in freezing cold air. In this case the sock actually made my hammock feel colder.

There is no magic fabric and few answers to most of these questions. Most any hammock sock will work terrific if vented just right or perform terribly if used incorrectly. The trick is to build one out of a given fabric and adjust it according to the specific conditions you face each night.

It's real hard to say that one specfic fabric will work well and another won't.
The best advise might be to build one out of cheaper 1.1oz dwr ripstop and give it a try.

[Montalaskan]

So Randy - the warmth from the sock is from reducing the warmth-stealing convection of air, right?

What if the air going around the sock was disturbed a bit by an irregular shape? Thin dimples on a golf ball or automobile spoiler?

Just a random thought.

[PapaSmurf]

So Randy - the warmth from the sock is from reducing the warmth-stealing convection of air, right?

What if the air going around the sock was disturbed a bit by an irregular shape? Thin dimples on a golf ball or automobile spoiler?

Just a random thought.

Well, not sure about dimples and stuff?

[warbonnetguy]

just to clear up some misconception that seems some might have...

dwr is a treatment applied to fabric, it makes the fabric more water resistent (makes the water bead and run off without absorbing into the fabric). it does not effect the breathability or wind resistence of the fabric. wind resistence of the fabric is increased by the hot calendaring process. the hot calendaring is what makes some breathable fabric look "shiny", this is done with a heat and pressure, usually a hot roller. the finisher could do one or both sides like this and could use varying degrees of heat/pressure to make the fabric more or less wind resistent. non-calendared would be the most breathable type of finish, alot of hot calendaring on both sides would give the most wind resistence. the dwr just makes the water bead and does not effect the fabric otherwise.

[PapaSmurf]

I didn't know that.
I understand the role that calendaring has in breathability, but I mistakenly thought that dwr treatment also affected this. So dwr only addresses moisture, huh? Thanks for your insight.

[blaktee]

That is great info warbonnetguy i had read the word calendaring but had no clue what it meant. Thank you!!! This forum is so dang awesome. I am like a billion times smarter than I was a few months ago.

[canoebie]

With all deference to the experts here, I stumbled upon something that was really effective for me in deep cold. I had a TQ made of 2 layers of IX with 1.1 oz ripstop enclosing it. I laid over top of me like a sock, left a vent above my head with a small piece of wool felt that I could regulate to create the venting.

I took it down to 14 below zero and slept great. It really made a big difference.
The IX provided insulation and wind resistance, the vent took care of the moisture. The wool was much like the frost bib.

Just a thought, it is something I use in the summer for a TQ up north for those 50 degree nights and works great over my hammock in the winter.

[mbnow]

forgive my logical and ignorant brain.. but i dont understand how if you took 1.1oz/sq yd untreated ripstop nylon. and coated it with a dilution of silicone, how would that not affect breathability??
Breathability being the ability of air to pass through the fabric?

Matt.

[warbonnetguy]

forgive my logical and ignorant brain.. but i dont understand how if you took 1.1oz/sq yd untreated ripstop nylon. and coated it with a dilution of silicone, how would that not affect breathability??
Breathability being the ability of air to pass through the fabric?

Matt.

silicone would decrease breathability. dwr is not a coating, nor is it silicone (not sure if that's what you were referring to)

dwr would be more like a hydrophobic oil that soaks into the fibers and makes them not want to absorb water. it wouldn't clog/fill the holes between the weave like an actual coating would

[mbnow]

ok. i think i get it.
DWR is NOT silicone. But it is a treatment that does not affect breathability.

thanks.