Going out this coming weekend in Ga, temps down to low 20s, and I'm clucking like a chicken, thinking of bringing my TENT.
Please convince me that the only things I need to supplement my MW short UQ and Golite Ultra top quilt are my Zlite pad and Marmot Sawtooth bag to be used open on top of the quilt.
I've got a down jacket to wear inside and down booties as well. I've been down to low 30's with normal setup, UQ and top quilt only.
Two pieces of advice: 1. i would suggest that you NOT wear your down jacket. Wear a midweight insulating layer. 2. Switch the order of your bag and quilt. Get inside your bag and then use the quilt on top. If you need extra, drape your down jacket on top.
have you been skipping your yard test protocols?
Yes, let me bend over and have you spank me! Thank you sir, may I have another!!Originally Posted by KerMegan
I'm in a mostly urban environment without much area around me to hang. There is a park nearby where I can stealth in the trees. Poor excuses, I know, but its enough that I spend $$ on hammock and quilt when I have a tent and bag, might be too much for the wife to buy a hammock stand.
We keep repeating this because it works. . . hot water nalgene bottle in wool sock. Fresh heatie packs.
Exercise, eat right, die anyway -- Country Roads bumper sticker
Fall seven times, standup eight. -- Japanese Proverb
He is a she, which may enhance the experience. Depends, of course, on how you roll.Yes, let me bend over and have you spank me! Thank you sir, may I have another!!
Dave
"Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton
Truth is, I really wasn't paying attn to gender. Its a quote meant to describe my "unworthiness".He is a she, which may enhance the experience. Depends, of course, on how you roll.
And, yes, being a she would indeed enhance the experience.
personally i doubt you'd need to take your sawtooth in addition to the ultra, if that's what you meant. i think the zlite will be plenty of insulation to get you an extra 10 degrees. it's been my experience in a hammock that the colder the temps get it matters more what is under me than over me. if you're really scared then just take the sawtooth in place of the golite quilt so you can zip all in and save all your body heat
I would think that a bag PLUS Golight 20 quilt would be WAY more than adequate for temps into the low 20s. I have used that Golight quilt down to ~11F, along with the warm- but very light- Polarguard clothing, and done OK. My biggest problem was condensation from my breath wetting the quilt layer nearest my face, so that things got pretty marginal near dawn. I think I would have been A-OK if I had been using my separate Marmot hood.
Is that a hooded bag? If you don't have a separate thick hood, using that bag as quilt will cost you some valuable head insulation. Worse, the hood might interfere with the ability to seal around your shoulders, which can be a deal breaker if you are pushing the limits of the quilts temp wise. But you should have a lot of extra insulation with the quilt and bag together, unless you are super cold natured. The Golight should seal well around your shoulders. Use the neck snap to make a collar that you can seal up.
But if you find yourself cold in the middle of the night, especially if you don't have a separate hood, don't hesitate to get in that bag and cinch the hood down and/or the collar. If you have to, get in the bag before you lay down in the hammock, and pull the hood over your head while standing up. Then sit down, lay back and zip up fully. Then just drape the Golight quilt over the bag.
With a little practice, a hooded bag is great to use quilt style on your side, draping the hood over your head and leaving yourself a little breathing space to the side.
90% of the ballgame, IMO, with quilts or bags used as quilts, is adequate shoulder/neck/side seal/draft control along with adequate head insulation. But as far as thickness/loft goes, I would think I'd be OK WAY below 20 with your combo.
The MW3 short should be more than adequate into the low 20s, though of course people vary. Is the pad full length so that you can use it for torso warmth if needed?
And as already stated....... hot water bottle! works miracles! Don't spill it!
PS Edit: Oh, I forgot: Adequate wind block with the tarp or a sock! Absolutely essential if it is very windy! Are you confident in your ability to pitch the tarp in a way to accomplish this? Can you close the ends of your tarp IF you are unable to pitch the tarp with the sides towards the wind? If not, make sure you achieve a correctly oriented pitch. Wind chill can be a monster!
Last edited by BillyBob58; 02-21-2010 at 23:08.
I agree that under insulation is more important than over. I've used a 25F bag as a topquilt very comfortably down to 8F.
And hot water bottles are life savers! I put my damp socks from that day over the bottle, and it dries them out by morning, as well as keeps the bottle hotter longer.
Acer
It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Formerly known as Acercanto, my trail name is MacGuyver to some, and Pucker Factor to others.
It's not procrastinating, its proactively delaying the implementation of the energy-intensive phase of the project until the enthusiasm factor is at its maximum effectiveness. - Randy Glasbergen
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