Has anyone had any luck pairing an inflatable pad with an under quilt for additional insulation? I have some DIY costco quilts, that I have taken to 30 degrees and I also own a Neo air Xlite. I am curious, if I use them together where I might end up. The weather here has been too warm to test it out, so I'm looking for some personal experiences. Thanks for the help ahead of time.
There's a small minority of people who claim to have never had any condensation using pads in a hammock. Hopefully you are in that group. Personally, the first day I got an underquilt was the last day I used a pad.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Always interested in that. Did you get damp when ground sleeping on a pad, or just in the hammock? If not, what (do you think) causes it in a hammock but not on the ground?Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr
Never noticed dampness on the ground, but then again, there's no air convection on the ground. Condensation seems perfectly normal in a hammock when the outside of the pad, exposed to cold air, meets the inside of the pad, exposed to body heat. And it's not just me - all of my kids experienced condensation with a pad. We're talking pools of condensation.
I've often wondered, if you put the UQ under the pad, would that change the temperature differential and reduce condensation? However, getting an UQ to fit snugly to the hammock is hard enough without sticking a pad in the equation. Besides, having a pad in the hammock was always a pain in the butt for me - I was constantly getting up at night to readjust. While a double-layer hammock reduces that kind of fiddling, I don't have much interest in a double-layer hammock just to keep the pad in place (which is the only reason I would have a double-layer hammock).
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
SSurfr - were your pad days with an insulated inflatable mattress or the closed cell foam pads most people talk about?
Failure is a good friend you will meet on the road to success. Just remember, he will give the best directions...
I used a ccf pad. I wouldn't invest another penny in a "better" pad, especially when I see the retail price of a Klymit Insulated Static V pad ($84.95).
https://www.klymit.com/insulated-sta...eping-pad.html
I could use that money to get an actual underquilt.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thanks for clarifying SilvrSurfr. I understand your position on pads. Just wanted to point out that ccf and inflatable pads can be completely different experiences. I have and use both my Klymit and a nice UQ (not together yet). I prefer the Klymit. It gives me a flatter lay and no shoulder pinch. Plus it's easier to sleep on my side with the Klymit. But I know that my preferences are in the minority...
BTW, my Klymit cost $50 4 years ago including tax and shipping from ebay.
Pad Hammock.jpeg
Last edited by Texas Hanger; 01-10-2019 at 22:39.
Failure is a good friend you will meet on the road to success. Just remember, he will give the best directions...
Luckily, we got our insulated Static V on sale through REI, so it was significantly cheaper. I've only used it a couple of times in the hammock, but it stayed better than I thought it would and I slept better (stayed warmer) than I thought I would with no real condensation. It has the added bonus of being a travel mattress for our son when we are doing general hotel travel/visiting family, etc, so it was a worthwhile pick up for us with many uses.
I assume the OP question, and several of the answers, are specifically regarding using pads with gathered end hammocks. But, just as a general FYI, many hammocks are now commonly used that work MUCH better with pads, or UQs, or both together. The big change came with the JRB Bear Mountain Bridge back about 2007 or 08, then the WBRR. Most used these with UQs with great success, but some used them with pads and with actual comfort reported, with or without an UQ at the same time. There were even some who not only said the hammocks were plenty comfy with pads, but were even more comfy with a pad than without. Then more recently came the 90º hammocks which either required a pad or for most were most comfy with a pad. One of which could add an INNER quilt with or without a pad. And now most recently what seems to me as a variation on the bridge hammock, the Haven Tent, I think a certain type of pad is required. I'm not sure if an UQ could be added to that one, but I bet with a little modding it could be. I imagine with 5 to 8 R value pads and an UQ, there is almost no limit to how low one could go. Really, even with just the right pad or stacked pads, probably any temps that 99% of us are going to try and sleep in can be nicely handled with pads.
We should not forget when, back in the early days, Kwpapke joined Shug on one of the first extreme winter trips recorded here. And what did he use at minus 27F? A Hennessy Super shelter, with it's 5/8" thick OCF pad and the usual space blanket, augmented by a summer down sleeping bag down under, augmented by a thin summer weight CCF pad under the HH pad. Toasty and comfy.
I had a Gossamer Gear pad about 40 inches wide by 70 inches long and 3/16 inch thick I used it by itself and then when I got top and bottom quilts I did use pad at same time during extreme cold.
It was 5* and windy with gusts over 30mph
The pad helped shield me from cold wind
I gave my pad to my kids and now have the 20* underquilt that I had and also a zero* underquilt
I’ll stack underquilts if it gets close to zero
SilvrSurfr is right—underquilts and topquilts are the way to go—just as soon as you get enough Jack
Aren’t there hammocks like the Amok and 90 degree hammocks that use pads and air mattresses to hold their form?
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