Anyone else is backyard testing tonight.

[tangara]

Quilts too tight? I had three layers going, and the fabric of each layer except the one right under the hammock was cold, cold, cold to the touch on the hammock side, but I was still warm. There was a little bit of air space between each of the UQ layers, though.

[Grumpy Squatch]

I made it as well. Low here was -12.5°F as measured by my home weather station mounted on my roof. Winds held to 5-10mph steady with gusts to 22.

WeatherOverNight.png

My summary: our vendors make some very good stuff. Seriously good. Like Nighthawk I found myself too warm for most of the night. Unlike Nighthawk I didn't keep my phone out with me so I don't have a photo. Here's the equipment list I started with:

Clothing

• Darn Tough wool hiking socks.
• Heavy wool socks.
• Polypro midweight bottoms (Kenyon Polarskins - the cheap stuff from Sierra Trading Post).
• Polypro heavyweight bottoms (Kenyon Polarskins - the cheap stuff from Sierra Trading Post).
• Polypro midweight top (Kenyon Polarskins - the cheap stuff from Sierra Trading Post).
• Polypro heavyweight top (Kenyon Polarskins - the cheap stuff from Sierra Trading Post).
• Fleece/neoprene balaclava.
• Black Rock down hood.

Hammock

• DreamHammock Sparrow w/ overcover.
• Arrowhead Equipment 3S (25°) Potomac underquilt.
• HammockGear 0° Incubator
• Hennessy overcover (from SuperShelter)
• Arrowhead Equipment 1S (40°) Owyhee Topquilt
• UQG 0° Renegade topquilt

All covered with my UQG Winter Dream tarp.

I use no hot water bottles, no overstuff, no heat packs or anything to enhance the basic system. And from the moment I stopped thrashing around getting the topquilts aligned I was hot. Actually sweating hot. It was -2°F when I first crawled in just after 10, and by the time I couldn't take it any more around 1:30am, I was miserable.

So I got up, stood up outside and saw the steam pouring off of me in the light of my headlamp. First to go was the fleece/neoprene balaclava. It was itchy against my face anyway. On top I removed both layers and discarded the midweight underlayer. That'll wake you up at -10°F... I decided not to try that on the bottom, crawled back into my quilts, and was absolutely warm for the rest of the night. I tossed and turned for another 2 hours or so and bailed inside around 4:30am, because I was tired of being hot!

Lessons Learned

1. The Black Rock hood is really, really, hot.
2. I need to shave before using a neoprene mask. A couple day's stubble underneath is too itchy.
3. I should be able to use my 0° top and underquilts all the way to 0° without supplementing them.
4. I should have probably used my 1S (40°F) Arrowhead UQ instead of the 3S. I'll reserve the 3S for temps below -15°F.
5. Frost buildup in the overcover is a big issue. Even with a breath catcher like Shug uses. Need to vent better - that might make the temperature more bearable as well.

Overall I have much more confidence in these components now and think I could happily make it down to -20° or lower and stay safe and comfortable.

[Nighthauk]

Way to go Nighthawk! Thanks for your gear list.

I basement tested last night. 65*. Could hear the wind outside. No tarp.

Thanks. Your welcome for the gear list.

[BananaHammock]

Hammock

• DreamHammock Sparrow w/ overcover.
• Arrowhead Equipment 3S (25°) Potomac underquilt.
• HammockGear 0° Incubator
• Hennessy overcover (from SuperShelter)
• Arrowhead Equipment 1S (40°) Owyhee Topquilt
• UQG 0° Renegade topquilt

All covered with my UQG Winter Dream tarp.

I use no hot water bottles

Lessons Learned
I should be able to use my 0° top and underquilts all the way to 0° without supllementing them.

That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out. How low can I go without supplementing. So far, if I don't mind waking up at 5 am I can go to -5. But if I want to sleep soundly, I think it's 15*. Which is disappointing with a 0* and a UQP Being the cold spot. I love the hot water bottle!

[LuvmyBonnet]

Our lows hit -17 here. A friend less then a mile a way hit -19*.
m

Superfly tarp with all doors shut.
Dutch Argon 11' hammock
Top:
M50 0* Burrow with sew foot box and 3oz overfill
1.1 rip 20* burrow 3oz overfill

Bottom:
M50 outer, 1.1 inner 0* incubator 4oz over fill.
1.1 rip 20* Phoenix no overfill.
2qzq breathable under quilt protector

Clothing:
Expedition weight socks (kicked off)
REI mid weight bottoms. (kicked off)
EMS heavy weight hoodie top base layer (kicked off)
Mid weight turtle neck. Stayed on.
seirus fleece/neoprene balaclava
Black rock down hat
Nike ACG nit hat.
Gloves (taken off).

How did your tarp look? Was it a snow field?

[Grumpy Squatch]

That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out. How low can I go without supplementing. So far, if I don't mind waking up at 5 am I can go to -5. But if I want to sleep soundly, I think it's 15*. Which is disappointing with a 0* and a UQP Being the cold spot. I love the hot water bottle!

For me I think the big things were the overcover and the extra heavyweight polypro layer. Together I think those things added 20° to the quilt setup. I had a small temp recorder hanging on my ridgeline inside the undercover and it read around 15° warmer than the outside temperature. I have checked to make sure the temp recorder is accurate - I left out before and after I was in the hammock and it read +/- 0.5° of my weather station. So huge help from the overcover.

[Nighthauk]

I made it as well. Low here was -12.5°F as measured by my home weather station mounted on my roof. Winds held to 5-10mph steady with gusts to 22.

WeatherOverNight.png

My summary: our vendors make some very good stuff. Seriously good. Like Nighthawk I found myself too warm for most of the night. Unlike Nighthawk I didn't keep my phone out with me so I don't have a photo. Here's the equipment list I started with:

Clothing

• Darn Tough wool hiking socks.
• Heavy wool socks.
• Polypro midweight bottoms (Kenyon Polarskins - the cheap stuff from Sierra Trading Post).
• Polypro heavyweight bottoms (Kenyon Polarskins - the cheap stuff from Sierra Trading Post).
• Polypro midweight top (Kenyon Polarskins - the cheap stuff from Sierra Trading Post).
• Polypro heavyweight top (Kenyon Polarskins - the cheap stuff from Sierra Trading Post).
• Fleece/neoprene balaclava.
• Black Rock down hood.

Hammock

• DreamHammock Sparrow w/ overcover.
• Arrowhead Equipment 3S (25°) Potomac underquilt.
• HammockGear 0° Incubator
• Hennessy overcover (from SuperShelter)
• Arrowhead Equipment 1S (40°) Owyhee Topquilt
• UQG 0° Renegade topquilt

All covered with my UQG Winter Dream tarp.

I use no hot water bottles, no overstuff, no heat packs or anything to enhance the basic system. And from the moment I stopped thrashing around getting the topquilts aligned I was hot. Actually sweating hot. It was -2°F when I first crawled in just after 10, and by the time I couldn't take it any more around 1:30am, I was miserable.

So I got up, stood up outside and saw the steam pouring off of me in the light of my headlamp. First to go was the fleece/neoprene balaclava. It was itchy against my face anyway. On top I removed both layers and discarded the midweight underlayer. That'll wake you up at -10°F... I decided not to try that on the bottom, crawled back into my quilts, and was absolutely warm for the rest of the night. I tossed and turned for another 2 hours or so and bailed inside around 4:30am, because I was tired of being hot!

Lessons Learned

1. The Black Rock hood is really, really, hot.
2. I need to shave before using a neoprene mask. A couple day's stubble underneath is too itchy.
3. I should be able to use my 0° top and underquilts all the way to 0° without supllementing them.
4. I should have probably used my 1S (40°F) Arrowhead UQ instead of the 3S. I'll reserve the 3S for temps below -15°F.
5. Frost buildup in the overcover is a big issue. Even with a breath catcher like Shug uses. Need to vent better - that might make the temperature more bearable as well.

Overall I have much more confidence in these components now and think I could happily make it down to -20° or lower and stay safe and comfortable.

Great write up and a positive experience. All in all. A great outing.

[Nighthauk]

How did your tarp look? Was it a snow field?

Here is some pics.

[OutandBack]

I just love reading these kinds of posts with my morning coffee.
Great job you guys and thank you for taking the time to share your outing.

[Grumpy Squatch]

I managed to get a pic or two this morning as well.

Here's the hanging spot.
WinterHangBackyard.jpg

You can see the UQ layers in this one: Olive green undercover, Blue HG 0°, Green 3S Arrowhead Potomac, Green/yellow hammock.
ColdWeatherLayers.jpg