Tell Me Your Secrets to Winter Moisture Management

[TrailSlug]

UQP work good for blocking wind but they too can cause moisture on a windless night but they are light enough to take and not use if not needed. Get a yard of this inexpensive stuff to make a frost bib or lay it on top of your top quilt for moisture protection. Also moisture isn't that big of a deal on a one to two day trip as the quilt will dry out when you get home. This only becomes a big deal on a long multi-day hike when you do not have time to dry the quilt between hangs.

https://www.amazon.com/60-Inch-Anti-...ce+by+the+yard

[LOTW131]

When moisture accumulates on the UQP, is it on the inside or the outside? Does it get on the UQ? I don't really care about an icy UQP if the UQ is mostly fine.

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[fallkniven]

Just get rid of the sock. If your warm in the quilts, why bother with it? I hate feeling confined. I never even set up my tarp unless it's raining/snowing. I've slept without a uqp or sock or tarp in -5* with a 40mph with 60gusts and was fine. I was also just out for two nights in 8* with only a slight breeze, and had no moisture issue. Just get rid of the sock.

[Shug]

When moisture accumulates on the UQP, is it on the inside or the outside? Does it get on the UQ? I don't really care about an icy UQP if the UQ is mostly fine.

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Keep it a bit loose and you should be OK. Usually if any on the inside but falls to bottom. I rarely ever get any but don't always use a UQP.

[LOTW131]

Awesome. I may look into converting my winter sock into a UQP by lopping off the top half. That might be possible.

I'll keep my summer socks for the bug protection or when it's not cold enough for ice to accumulate everywhere.

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[OutandBack]

I use covered hammocks and socks exclusively. The trick it to know when you can zip them up and when you can't.
People think the colder it is the more you zip them closed. That is the exaxt opposite of what you have to do.








And when it's really cold out there you don't zip up. You need to own the proper quilts and tarps.



hth

[Kevok]

Personally, before I hop in the hammock on a cold night, I go through an extensive dehydration routine in an effort to minimize the amount of moisture I bring in with me. Avoid all liquids a few hours before bedtime, work out a little to build up a little body heat, pee, eat some silica gel and sand. You know, the usual.

Actually, my sister knit a scarf for me, and I run that under my neck, over my face, then up over the ridgeline, much like Shug's frost bib. It doesn't catch everything, but it helps. Someday I may graduate to a real bib!

[OneClick]

I am more afraid of the moisture than the cold and for that reason I can't do top covers.

Same here. Keep it simple. Just like while hiking, the key is BREATHING!!! I'm not talking Goretex or eVent breathing either. I'm talking fleece, wool, hyperventilating-type breathing. Don't give moisture a chance.

So for me in a hammock:

- Tarp off the ground about 6". Don't be tempted to build up "walls" with snow and seal yourself in airtight. If we're talking 30mph winds, maybe. But a little breeze blowing is great for keeping moisture away.
- Absolutely no sock, cover, net. I don't see the point. Gaining 5°, maybe 10 to gamble with condensation everywhere? Get the proper gear and use it, trust it, instead of doing tricks and hoping for the best.
- Don't over-insulate. I know it's cozy and tempting, but after a while you'll just be pumping out sweat without realizing it.
- I have a fleece frost bib but instead of hanging it I'll just drape it over my face. This catches all of the moisture and keeps my gear dry. It also keeps my nose warm which is one thing that never seems to stay warm otherwise.

[robertjackson]

I have. On bug nets, socks and top covers.
In that kind of cold you will get ice for sure.
My solution is a frost bib.....that helps keep it off the quilt. It is amazing how much can build up.
Shug

THX

I love my bib I made from your video.
My wife jokes that she did not think I would need a bib for a couple more years, but you do what it takes. . .

[DGrav]

I have never used a sock or any other cover but I have had issues where my breath will condense on the top of the quilt. A few years ago I picked up a Cold Avenger https://coldavenger.com/ and have never head that problem again.