It's been almost 2 months since I've got out for an overnight so last night I set up in my backyard for my first below freezing hang. I had a couple of goals: build confidence with my gear, test out a couple ideas for keeping warm and just have a nice night in the Michigan out of doors. Plus, I just got some whoopee slings that I was dying to use. Temps were in the 30's when I set up and dropped to about 19 as a low. Here's my gear: kelty noah 12, eno singe, REI 20 degree down bag, thermarest plus a cheap walmart pad. I don't have and underquilt yet (in the research stage), so I used a heavy duty spaceblanket hung underneath with a kelty 30 degre bag between that and the hammock. Clothing was 2 pairs of socks, long johns, fleece pullover and my new favorite: Polartec 200 army surplus overalls I picked up on Ebay for 10 bucks this week. I also had a nalgene of hot water that lasted until about 4 AM. I slept pretty good and woke a couple times for visit to nearest tree.
A couple observations: I felt warm until about 4 AM when the CBS crept in. I did have condensation on the tarp, which was normal for the temp, put when I reached between the space blanket and sleeping bag, it was cold and the silver side was condensing and freezing, dampening the bag. I'm thinking that the space blanket was just making a barrier and keeping a cold sandwich below me, effectively robbing me of heat. I think I'll try it again tonight and skip the space blanket and hang that over my ridgeline to trap the heat and rig a sleeping bag below for extra warmth.
All in all, it was great getting out and I'm feeling alot more confortable for some cold weather hanging! The forums have been a great source of info for a newbie
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