Yes, I read that, but I'm not sure that I'm picturing this correctly. Does it work like a hood on a sleeping bag? Or is it less open? As cold as I sleep, I need to breathe fresh air. I might cinch down my hood until nothing but my nose pokes out. When I'm using a hammock sock, I usually crack it open near my face. I have never been able to sleep with my head under a blanket. So I'm trying to figure out if it's possible to breathe enough fresh air with this system.
Hutzelbein,
I've done it both ways, with and without other insulation, but I felt fine in the coldest temperatures without any protection but the tubes. I regret not using a thermometer to record the actual interior temperatures during my tests. My estimate of 70°F could have been off, but my gut reaction to the feeling of getting into the hammock tubes from 0°F-ish outside weather was very similar to going inside the house and lounging around after being outside - I warmed up quickly, and cold simply wasn't a problem, as it normally is for me. 85°F is very hot for me, even in a hammock, so you may sleep colder than me. I mentioned that in 40°F, I typically use 2 pads and a 20 degree bag to stay minimally comfortable in a tent. My very first experience with a hammock years ago was in 55°F weather. I used an insulated winter sleeping pad and what should have been a warm sleeping bag for that weather. That night was miserably cold - I got no sleep at all. Perhaps those descriptions provide some anecdotal perspective on my feelings about sleeping cold.
I demonstrated a Jarbidge underquilt (well known, I think) and a 32°F Suisse Sport Adventurer sleeping bag in one of the posted video links. I've got a DD underblanket (also well known, I think), ENO Ember UQ (this one is terrible), and a New River Long UQ with 4 season fill (0°F - this one is really great), which I've paired with a Mountain Hardware Ultralamina 15° bag (and a standard open tarp). I prefer the tubes to even that last combination.
In all of the video tests I used a cheap Equip hammock from Walmart (part of my point was that the setup could be inexpensive), which I think is 10' long. The tubes are 2.35 meters (7.7 feet), so there's quite a bit of overlap - the top cover can be pulled all the way down over my lower legs, so it acts like an additional layer around my core, but I imagine the setup could be used with an 11' hammock. I think the limitation in my configuration would be how far the tube on the foot end would extend up your core, but doubling the tubes on the head end may very likely make it possible to extend their use up to around 14 feet.
In the coldest configuration, I sleep with the foot end tubes covering over my torso. The tube on the head end is meant to keep me from having to breath in sub-freezing air, but I generally keep a lot of ventilation open in it. The top tube does a good job of keeping my head above freezing and allowing me to use my phone, etc., outside the core bags, without being completely sealed off (sealing the top completely would be deadly, I'm pretty sure). I've also used a single tube as a cocoon in moderately cold weather, with both ends slightly open - that's a nice and simple configuration above freezing (for most of the normal hammock season), if there's not much wind, or if you block the wind at each opening.
I think a lot of my joy with the tubes came from being able to stretch out. I hate having my arms confined inside a bag or blanket that only goes up to my head. I move around a LOT in my sleep, so constantly have to re-adjust underquilts, stay tucked in to overquilts, etc. In the end, being able to move around, keep my face warm, set up the tubes quickly in cold weather, etc., as well as being able to wipe down and clean off the plastic/mylar of the tubes with any little towel figured strongly in my choice to use them. They're simple to use, quick to set up, extraordinarily light, cheap, easy to repair with tape, etc. I my use, there were very few cons (the sound, and the fact that they're not so sexy looking were the biggest cons).
I also dislike closing a sleeping bag over my head (even partially). The tube on the head end is almost 8 feet long, and about 4 feet in diameter. One end of that tube seals tightly around the suspension on the head end of the hammock. I can close the other opening of the head tube very loosely, not sealed, somewhere around the foot end tubes. The open end of the head tube can reach all the way down around my legs, or I can scrunch it all the way up around my head, for example ... or push it up and open completely, if I get too hot, or want to be out completely in the fresh air. On both tubes, one end is sealed tightly around the suspension, and the other end can close tightly down to completely sealed, or open wide to about 4 feet around you. Does that make sense?Originally Posted by hutzelbein
Very interesting... I have 2 of 'em ordered to 'spear-a-mint with. What about hammocks with a ridgeline? Think you could cut a slit partway down one end and pull over like a topquilt, and still use traditional underquilt? Not sure you could wriggle all the way down into a solid tube inside a hammock, not to mention that under your backside it would be compressed.
I'd be tempted to get one or two and give it a try but currently I'm rocking a bridge hammock and they are surprisingly wide so according to my calculations I might be able to wrap the tube around the hammock but there wouldn't be any room in it for me. Still, I might consider this for when I'm out hanging with a GE hammock and it would be simple and cheap replacement for a TQ and UQ.
I said earlier this reminded me- somewhat any way- of a 20F Speer Pea Pod. Some of it's major advantages compared to anything else I have used are the one's you have mentioned here. First consider a possible negative in the fact that- depending on hammock width and depth- the side edges of a hammock tend to lift the top pod layer above me causing a top gap. This decreases the top warmth of the pod- for me, and depending on which hammock- by 10-20*F. So, you have an odd situation of where, if approaching the lower limit of the pod, that gap will need to be filled. But once filled it is even warmer than the rating. But leaving that aside for now, it was wonderful to be able to move around with no worries about either an UQ or TQ becoming poorly positioned and causing some sort of draft. Even if using some clothing or a light quilt to fill the top gap, it all tended to be held in place by the encircling pod. It was wonderful to move around with no issues- even sleep frog legged! And also to have may face and hands be amazingly warm even when I had a significant vent opened. And to be able to have my hands not covered by a quilt without getting very cold.
Lastly, to my major surprise, I never had any condensation issues. One night(but not the only night) when I was pushing it beyond it's rating by about 10F during a test(with a 30 year old synthetic summer/liner bag as a TQ to fill the gap caused by my deep hammock), by about 0500 I was OK, but I could have been warmer. I decided, since I was going inside in a couple of hours anyway, to close the top vent completely. (Keep in mind that there was no draft tube along the Velcro top closure, so it was never really sealed off). But I was shocked when I went from on the edge of too cool to toasty war in just a few minutes. I passed out for another couple of hours and was expecting some noticeable condensation near my face. I have certainly had plenty before on my TQs used outside a pod or cover. But I could not detect any moisture at all, and no loss of loft at all. I can't recall if I weighed it or not, but it did not appear to need drying out. But I was major surprised both at how much warmth was added by simply closing a small face vent, and the lack of condensation. And this was not the only time I used this approach successfully. Still, since this was down, paranoia would keep me from doing this on any multi-day trip far from my car unless it was absolutely needed to avoid hypothermia.
But you would not have to be concerned with that. And you also appear to be getting less condensation than would be expected, something easily manageable, just by keeping the top tube somewhat open at one edge. Impressive! Is there a particular video of the ones you posted showing exactly how you vent it enough to avoid suffocation? I'm thinking the fabric has a bit of stiffness to it, and you just sort of tent it, i.e. form a section down towards your middle into an Ashape? It has also occurred to me that attaching a thin piece of shock cord to a ridgeline could be made to keep it up off of your face and vented in a small area.Then again, a ridge line might interfere with using it unless there was a way of opening and closing it length wise, as on the Pea Pod. But I won't know for sure until I get one and start playing! But thanks for informing us of a possible new approach!
Do you think using insulation inside of this would soak the clothing or quilts with condensation?
Last edited by BillyBob58; 01-25-2018 at 18:25.
Welcome back BB its been ages. Your knowledge, experience and willingness to share has been missed.
Hey, thanks for the kind words, OB!
Very interesting. I am still going to make a Costco uq but this is too good to not try and, as someone already said, worse case scenario these tubes go in the car for emergencies. I have a Hennessy zip so I can unzip the bug net and I’m not afraid of removing the factory ridge line and adding a removable one so I could use this system. I will definitely try it out with my ENO before I go modifying stuff unnecessarily. However, this really seems to work as a cocoon tent more than a tq/uq combo. As I understand it, there is a significant gap under your butt that allows condensation to collect somewhere other than the bottom of the hammock. What would the harm be in a gap above you if this tube is as insulative as advertised? If the air in the tube warms up from your body heat the tube doesn’t need to touch you. I understand that BillyBob58 talked about a Pea Pod gap above him being undesireable, but I think the point of this system is the MUCH higher insulating ability as compared to any single layer shelter material. I am imagining this as more of a micro climate than a blanket. If anyone tries this over a ridge line and I am completely bonkers please let me know. HH is hanging in the back yard now. If I can convince my wife to measure the circumference of hammock + ridgeline + me and it comes in less than 4’ I am going to give this a try.
I realize that the pea pod is NOT a single layer shelter. I was not being clear.
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