I'm afraid I to turn into a furnace at night. I have recently started using an unpopular UQ recently the Ember 2 by ENO. With this and a light fleece blanket I have been comfortable down to 46 degree's so far. I also use the ENO doublenest, and will flip the sides closed over me. This creates a vented air space above me that is about 10 degree's warmer than the outside air. I find this combination less confining in the hammock than my sleeping bag.
I think everyone's different. I find that the UQ and warmth underneath is more important that topside insulation...but that's just me.
That's pretty impressive if that's all the insulation you use all year around. I have a 20* and 40* under quilt from Underground Quilts .... Love them. I tend to sleep hot but I still need at least my 40*UQ and Patagonia thermal weight top and bottom till later spring.
If u don't need an UQ, then great for you....that's awesome.
What I find perplexing is not having a bugnet in the UP. Thats where I go on my shorter motorcycle weekend trips. The mosquitos in the summer are like friggin birds man! How could you stand it?
The pad is providing the under insulation. While some people do not care for them, pads are an excellent insulator. When it gets very cold, I use pads due to their exceptional insulative qualities. (Very cold for me is defined as subzero F).
"There's a whisper on the night-wind, there's a star agleam to guide us, And the Wild is calling, calling . . . let us go." -from "The Call of the Wild" by Robert Service
My Trail log: http://ducttapeadk.blogspot.com/
I used pads only for years. If you are happy with it then it is fine. I still prefer a pad in the hammock and use underquilts as a lox bulk way to extend the range of my pads.
ShellHammock might say "sounds like you just run wet!"Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr
Folks are different, not so hard to believe....after all: perception shapes reality.
I gotta agree. I have seen people sweat buckets, I've never been that guy. I have had some moisture on my pad in the morning around the shoulder area, but not much. When I have camped in the coldest weather I've done so far in a hammock (about -6F) I've seen this small spot of moisture on my double layer oware pad. But in general, even with a 0F underquilt, I get cold spots where I do not have a pad but only have a quilt for under insulation. So I always carry a full length mummy pad even if it is about 1/8" thick LOL.ShellHammock might say "sounds like you just run wet!"
Folks are different, not so hard to believe....after all: perception shapes reality.
So far I'm liking the pad... Do you use close cell foam, air mattress or?? This sounds like a good way to go for me.. pad and light underquilt. I'm a cold sleeper so I need all I can get for insulation. ~Cnugget
I'm using closed cell foam pads and I have three plus some stuff I can do. Let me explain:
Summer - I carry a JRB Ground Adapter pad, it is pretty darn thin. They don't make these anymore but they were made from evazote which you can get at Oware and cut to your shape: http://shop.bivysack.com/Foam-Pads_c3.htm
It is about the thickness of a 3/16" pad. I recommend getting a 40"x36" and making it to your custom needs. I've found that the material can rip so I would recommend putting a half width piece of gorilla tape around the perimeter to avoid accidentally screwing it up. To augment this I have another layer of this I use as an ultralight pack frame that is about 40" wide (if I remember correctly) and just long enough to go from my butt to my shoulders if I need a little extra. I augment that with a Te-Wa underquilt and with these two together I can get down to about 50F and still be comfortable. I can go lower and still survive but who wants to?
In the Spring/Fall I use that same pad and then under it I have a section of Oware's 1/2" pad that is just long enough for under my butt to under my shoulders and augment that with a JRB 3/4 quilt. I can stay comfortable in this rig down to about 30F.
In the winter I have a trusty old pad I have had for years. It is basically a double layer of Oware's 1/2" pad laminated together with gorilla glue. On my 2008 failed thru I made it with this pad and a JRB spring/fall quilt down to 6F and was comfortable. Since then I've changed to a Phoneix 0F underquilt and have taken this to -6F and still be comfortable.
But back to something I've been thinking about while writing this. If we were talking to a ground sleeper you can basically advise them on 20F bag and whatever makes you comfortable for a pad with some minor variations for hot/cold sleeping. With hammocks it isn't this easy because there is much more variety in the set up such as how big your tarp is, do you hang high or low, do you use an undercover or not, do you sleep hot or cold, are you a sweater or not, do you get up to pee a lot or not. You get the idea. From my perspective it is a lot more like suggesting what clothing will work for a person on an AT thru-hike. I've met people that can hike in shorts during a snowstorm and I've met people who are wearing every scrap of clothing they are carrying in 50F weather and still freezing. I think I can tell you what works for me (and so will other people) but when it comes to what works for each individuals there is no blanket rule that pads cause you to sweat and they are worthless and there is not the opposite where it is impossible to stay warm without a pad. Neither are going to be true for everyone.
Last edited by SGT Rock; 09-07-2015 at 14:08.
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