Phoenix 40 & Burrow 40 - first camping test - didn't meet temperature expectations

[Mountain Gout]

Being cold, contracts the body, and the bladder.. Real testing must be done with your actual gear you would use.. Have someone check your setup when you are all tucked in, to see if you have gaps anywhere.. Testing really never ends.. Have fun..

[Kroma]

Real testing must be done with your actual gear you would use.. Have someone check your setup when you are all tucked in, to see if you have gaps anywhere.. Testing really never ends.. Have fun..

thanks for your help. I'm confident I had the underquilt dialed in. I was warm all night until the temps dropped to 33. when my UQ shifted too far to the side a few times I would feel the cold right away. Adjust back into position, instant warmth. I think my set up was ok. I believe I was just at the comfort limit of my 40 degree set. I had assumed the 2 oz overfill would push me to 30. I wonder if the overfill is distributed evenly? Perhaps I could have shifted some down to be more near my core.

[Kroma]

Being cold, contracts the body, and the bladder..

My last camping trip a few weeks ago the overnight low was 31 degrees. I don't remember having to get out and pee that night. No...something was off last night...I never have to pee every hour at night lol

[vtaflyer]

My last camping trip a few weeks ago the overnight low was 31 degrees. I don't remember having to get out and pee that night. No...something was off last night...I never have to pee every hour at night lol

You're older now than you were during your last camping trip. Get used to it.

[Mountain Gout]

For my taste, I never push my temps that close, I use custom length uq, 64in. (phincubators) One is a 30, the other a zero.. Anything below high 30s, I use the zero.. I always can vent, if too warm.. A uqp, will surely help, There are a lot of tricks to push the limits, all part of the fun..

[OneClick]

I used to be a limit pusher....no more.

I'm heading out in a few hours for a crazy spring trip...mid-50s in January!!

First night foretasted to be 34°. Second night 47°. But I'm still taking my 20°+1 Burrow since I find the 40°+1 less forgiving. It's just so thin and light, I don't like to chance it. I'm really into the "10° buffer" thing now.

[AScott]

Another weird thing was I kept having to get up every hour to pee which was getting very annoying. That combined with the cold and I just said screw it...I'll go home and sleep. Of course if I'd been on a real trip I would have toughed it out but this was just a last minute gear test hang...nothing I had to travel out to or anything.

Not sure why I kept urinating all night. Normally I only have to get up once in the night. I only had 1 or 2 swallows of water before bed too. But all that in an out of the hammock made for a lot of fiddling around to get comfortable again each time time I settled back in...

Drink more water. I know it's counter-intuitive since you were getting up to urinate often, but I suspect you were dehydrated after sweating for the time you were asleep. When it's cold, the body needs a lot of water. Most people think they're not sweating, but your body is giving off a lot of moisture while it works to stay warm.

You may have had too much insulation, too. I've been in just about the exact same scenario in the past, but it was colder. I was over insulated. Felt nice when I first got into the hammock, but a couple of hours after I fell asleep I woke up shivering. I was wet with perspiration. I was wearing thin merino wool, so all I had to do was vent for awhile (and suffer being a little chilly) and all was right in the world again. I slept uncovered from the chest up the rest of the night and nary a problem arose.

I suspect the combination of being dehydrated and over insulated caused most of your problem and the cotton clothing made the situation even worse.

[Kroma]

Drink more water. I know it's counter-intuitive since you were getting up to urinate often, but I suspect you were dehydrated after sweating for the time you were asleep. When it's cold, the body needs a lot of water. Most people think they're not sweating, but your body is giving off a lot of moisture while it works to stay warm.

You may have had too much insulation, too. I've been in just about the exact same scenario in the past, but it was colder. I was over insulated. Felt nice when I first got into the hammock, but a couple of hours after I fell asleep I woke up shivering. I was wet with perspiration. I was wearing thin merino wool, so all I had to do was vent for awhile (and suffer being a little chilly) and all was right in the world again. I slept uncovered from the chest up the rest of the night and nary a problem arose.

I suspect the combination of being dehydrated and over insulated caused most of your problem and the cotton clothing made the situation even worse.

interesting ideas. that's why I love this forum. I've got a 2 night hang coming up in February. A real trip 3 hours way...one in which I'm not just going to bail in the middle of the night lol. I'll report back then!

[Detman101]

Great info in this thread. I just recently acquired a set of silk base layer clothes and merino wool socks. I have not had the chance to use them due to time lack. I usually wear cargo pants or my old BDU pants with a t-shirt. My m-65 in winter.

Can I wear the base layers with anything better? I like durability and the nylon hiking pants I have wouldn't hold up to kneeling in the dirt twice much less setting up base camp.

[Country Roads]

I have used my 40 degree burrow down to 32 degrees and was warm (1 extra ounce of down). I have found that too many clothes actually makes me colder. Sounds counter-intuitive, but I actually stay warmer wearing less clothes. Have gotten very cold wearing down pants, but have stayed warm wearing only light-weight fleece leggings and a light fleece shirt. I have not had to put my down jacket on in a long time.
I will say that I often pair the 40 degree burrow up with a 20 degree underquilt if the temps may get to the lower 30's.