Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 18
  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Rochester, NY
    Hammock
    Dutch chameleon / Banyan
    Tarp
    Cubin fiber
    Insulation
    HG UQ TQ / loco UQ
    Posts
    84

    UQ for bridge hammock in the winter questions.

    Fellow bridge hammockers, I am looking to get information on deep winter camping.

    I have plenty of experience doing deep winter camping out of a GE hammock at this point.

    https://youtu.be/kB8KqnSROPg

    I just recently found out how much I love bridge hammocks. I am thinking of getting some new underquilts for the bridge hammock so i can use it in the winter instead of my normal setup. Has anyone done deep winter hammock trips in the bridge hammock? What did you use for insulation? I like how in a GE you kinda get the underquilt to help insulate your sides but in a bridge hammock you really dont have that much double coverage. I have also taken a sleeping bag and cacooned it over my entire setup when in the negatives and i dont think you can really do that with a bridge hammock...

    So how about it? anyone got some good information either on youtube or just your personal experience you can share? Just trying to gauge my odds of staying as warm as I do in my GE.

  2. #2
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Tupelo, MS
    Posts
    11,108
    Images
    489
    Did you accidentally post the same thread twice? If so, you might want to close this one, to avoid folks answering in both threads.

  3. #3
    Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Rochester, NY
    Hammock
    Dutch chameleon / Banyan
    Tarp
    Cubin fiber
    Insulation
    HG UQ TQ / loco UQ
    Posts
    84
    Quote Originally Posted by BillyBob58 View Post
    Did you accidentally post the same thread twice? If so, you might want to close this one, to avoid folks answering in both threads.
    Yes I did. I did it once on my phone and it didnt show up, or so i thought.

  4. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Rochester, NY
    Hammock
    Dutch chameleon / Banyan
    Tarp
    Cubin fiber
    Insulation
    HG UQ TQ / loco UQ
    Posts
    84
    How do I close the thread?

  5. #5
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Tupelo, MS
    Posts
    11,108
    Images
    489
    Quote Originally Posted by OG Honey Badger View Post
    How do I close the thread?
    The mods can close it for you. I'm not sure, but if the thread is new, you might can delete it.

  6. #6
    Member kanazky's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    Canada
    Hammock
    Warbonnet Eldorado
    Tarp
    Superfly
    Insulation
    Wookie XL
    Suspension
    Becket Straps
    Posts
    62
    You can get custom quilts made on Alibaba that you can provide the dimensions of your bridge hammock and work with them for connectors and get something that fits perfectly.

  7. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Valpo, IN
    Hammock
    Towns-End Luxury Bridge
    Posts
    1,746
    Start with new TOP quilts.

    Heat rises. The biggest challenge in a bridge is helping to drive that rising heat back down into your UQ to warm it up before you go to sleep.
    So by overdoing it on the top quilts, you will help drive more heat down into the system... it's also relatively efficient to stack quilts (rather than invest in some 'super quilt) so it's a more accessible solution for most.

    Unlike a gathered end (where the UQ is doing most of the work)- in a bridge the split is closer to 50/50 or 2/3 TOP quilt 1/3 UQ.

    The UQ is at a further disadvantage in a bridge since it is below you and below the surface of the bridge... so even when pumping some heat down into the UQ... it can still easily rise up through any uninsulated portion of the bridge body when your body moves or changes position... which is the point of the bridge in the first place yes?

    For SUPER deep winter- foam or sleeping pads may be the better choice than an UQ. (but then why not just go to ground?)

    ALL that said- I suppose if you're willing to haul a 60-100L Pulk full of stuff along you can solve any problem eventually in any way you like.

    So for me personally- I tend to limit myself to backpacking- rather than simply 'walk-in base-camping'. Hence the pulk comment... nothing wrong with walk in base camping in winter. It's kinda the way to go really, lol. But you're options are much wider in that case vs a backpack. I mean at some point you could pack a compact space heater (or gas lantern) that could throw enough heat in the right conditions. A hot tent and TI woodstove may be the wiser choice than any massive collection of insulation any day and take up less 'pulkspace' than rolls and rolls of foam would. Provided you feel confident about firewood availability you could argue this is the wisest piece of gear you could take.

    Around 20* a bridge gets fairly inefficient, but isn't super crazy to push to zero with some tricks.

    Around zero- a gathered end is more efficient to insulate. Unless I'm out for a week- I can deal with a one or two night trip in a GE.

    If there is enough snow for a pulk... there is probably enough snow that I would be comfortable sleeping on a pad atop of said snow.
    In that case- a Thermarest NEO-Air Max with a good mummy bag is about as efficient as you can get in terms of weight, pack size, and insulation value without relying on outside heat (like fire, gas, or warmers).

    So... depends what you want. Shug can put up some crazy low numbers in his backyard to demonstrate it's possible... but he can also sleep in his heated shed 20' away. He could sleep in a hammock, on the ground, all around, with a mop or while spinning a top. To me a 'deep winter' bridge is more of a 'party trick' than a real practical gear choice if that's the debate. Course if it's just for the hell of it to try it out- go for it! Nothing wrong with an adventure for adventures sake or a good trick for it's own sake.

    A sit pad, your pack, and a few other odds and ends you likely have is enough to supplement the pad, but a thin CCF pad is likely worth the insurance when talking below 20*F

  8. #8
    Senior Member P-Dub's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Ann Arbor MI
    Hammock
    Chameleon
    Tarp
    DIY (Olive Oyl)
    Insulation
    [allergic to down]
    Posts
    929
    Images
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Just Bill View Post
    ....
    For SUPER deep winter- foam or sleeping pads may be the better choice than an UQ. (but then why not just go to ground?) ....
    Because, duh, GROUND!
    (don't have to get up and down, stressing knees & other joints....)

    (note: this is just a general comment; I don't use a bridge hammock, and have not done winter camping)

  9. #9
    cougarmeat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Bend, OR
    Hammock
    WBBB, WBRR, WL LiteOwl
    Tarp
    OES, WL BullFro
    Insulation
    HG UQ, TQ, WB UQ
    Suspension
    Python Straps
    Posts
    3,751
    To be fair, “ground” in winter is not the same as ground in summer. In the winter, snow is your friend, your building material. If I had to go to “ground”, I’d dig a small trench in front of a sleeping platform. Not crawling on my hands and knees. It would be just like sitting on a bed. Also, unlike hard ground in summer, a snow bed custom forms to your body as you sleep.

    I don’t recall seeing what model bridge would be used but the WB Winter Lynx for their Ridge Runner Bridge hammock - with an UQP or full bridge sock - is a good start.
    Last edited by cougarmeat; 09-28-2020 at 11:52.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  10. #10
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Valpo, IN
    Hammock
    Towns-End Luxury Bridge
    Posts
    1,746
    Quote Originally Posted by P-Dub View Post
    Because, duh, GROUND!
    (don't have to get up and down, stressing knees & other joints....)

    (note: this is just a general comment; I don't use a bridge hammock, and have not done winter camping)
    Well that is the party line...

    A bridge is like a floating cot, and tends to work well with a sleeping pad in general since you don't have to do as many aerial acrobatics to get the pad in place as you do with a GE.
    But if there is a foot or more of good snow on the ground (which is an insulator in it's own right)... slapping a pad onto said snow is pretty comfortable.
    If you've got a decent amount of snow it's pretty quick and simple to build a small sleep shelf/bed too in reference to some of the advantages of getting a little elevation to ease yerself in and out.

    If the point is comfort... then it's always subjective.
    Most of the time I'd lean towards the hammock being comfortable.

    But if we're talking overall comfort in deep winter... you are walking in at some point.

    Some folks like pulks, where I live we rarely seem to have any chance to really use them. I've never owned one, so some of my objections with using borrowed rigs might be solved with fine tuning one of my own... but while your gear is off your back, it's not like it carries itself or the pulk is amazingly comfortable either. It's also the kinda thing one tends to overpack a bit (like a canoe is) since you can tolerate and fit a bit more junk in there than a backpack. Again not being a snowshoe expert either due to lack of necessity in my area... combining snowshoes and a pulk is a learning curve too. Toss cross country skis into the mix... messier still. So I do have fairly strong bias towards keeping it simple with deep winter stuff since there is often other realities you have to deal with beyond just sleeping.

    The amount of insulation/gear/junk you start humping along just to make the Bridge hammock work starts to cross the line for me in deep winter.
    A gathered end works well enough for a quick trip... so hammock duh.
    I can do around zero without much struggle, and two nights in a gathered end will not be the death of me. Much more than that though and I need the bridge again.

    But a Neo-Air at a hair over a pound and a few liters and a good mummy for a few pounds and a few more liters of space doesn't exactly blow the budget in my pack and does the job pretty darn well.
    Been using that for 30+ years so that's a trustier solution that has only gotten lighter and easier to pack as gear advances have progressed.
    On the comfort side... 12" of snow and a pad is just as comfy as a bridge for the most part to be blunt. And much simpler to setup truth be told. If you happen to be digging out a small spot for a fire, shaping a bench or two, and other common snowscaping at camp... then building a bed is pretty simple. In my area- a few fresh inches of powder is still alright to setup right on the snow too. I'll be sitting down to cook/melt water and warm myself at a small fire anyway, so at that point rolling onto the pad is no big deal... if anything it's easier to handle the chores from the comfort of 'bed' anyway.

    If you're camping out of the car/truck--- who cares? Go for what you like- it doesn't really 'cost' you anything if the system works for you.
    If you gotta pack it in though... pick your priorities. If it's (Bridge) hammock at all costs, then simple enough.
    If it's a balance of factors... fill in your own blanks.

  • + New Posts
  • Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. Bridge Hammock Questions
      By Topplestack in forum Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
      Replies: 22
      Last Post: 04-06-2019, 13:04
    2. diy bridge hammock questions
      By johne in forum Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
      Replies: 14
      Last Post: 01-05-2016, 20:28
    3. First bridge hammock, some questions
      By mtinaz in forum Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
      Replies: 24
      Last Post: 06-17-2014, 17:40
    4. UL Bridge Hammock Questions
      By SunshineHiker in forum Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
      Replies: 5
      Last Post: 05-17-2012, 18:46
    5. Bridge Hammock Questions
      By Desiel in forum General Hammock Talk
      Replies: 13
      Last Post: 12-30-2011, 09:01

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •