ViDEO: Pad and UnderQuilt Combo in a hammock

[Shug]

Will it get you to lower temps?
Yes.
Is it as comfortable as just a UQ?
Up to you.
Will you get condensation?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Shug

[Pop_Eye]

I just did this yesterday out of necessity. Layering my thermarest with the UQ saved a night of very uncomfortable cold.

Unfortunately the rain soaked my hammock and the UQ and it cut a 2 night trip to one night. I made some mistakes with my tarp hang for sure which was a contributing factor.

Thanks for the tutorial!

[Shug]

I just did this yesterday out of necessity. Layering my thermarest with the UQ saved a night of very uncomfortable cold.

Unfortunately the rain soaked my hammock and the UQ and it cut a 2 night trip to one night. I made some mistakes with my tarp hang for sure which was a contributing factor.

Thanks for the tutorial!

Did you not center your tarp and an end got wet?
Do tell.
Shug

[Pop_Eye]

Did you not center your tarp and an end got wet?
Do tell.
Shug

I did watch your tarp series of videos a few months ago, they really helped me with my tarp setup. Thank you for those!

I did center my tarp. I have it on prussic loops on a continuous ridge line. On my hammock suspension there are water breaks (beetle buckles) I even had drip lines on my continuous loops. My tarp’s continuous ridge line is above the tarp to mitigate rain migration from the ridge line.

I think my problem was that my tarp was too low. Not much of a gap between the ridge line of the tarp and the hammock ridge line. I also had the a-frame pitch way too steep. There was contact between my bug net and the underside of the tarp. When the rain let up I adjusted the stake out guy lines to increase the a frame angle,, but that wasn’t enough of a fix.

There was moisture on the tree straps that were in the rain and in contact with the tarp, but no moisture on the hammock continuous loops.

The rain wasn’t supposed to be as bad as it was. I tried closing off one end of my rectangle tarp as a set of doors to retain heat. I think this created a lack of air movement that caused condensation that migrated by capillary action from the bug net to my hammock and UQ.

Given the temp differential of the air inside my low air flow semi closed off tarp and the evap cooling effect of the rain on the top of the tarp made my very own personal indoor rain maker.

It’s my belief that my user error was more about a lack of air exchange and clearance. I’m sure there were other blunders I made, but I only started hammock camping and backpacking a few months ago. My learning curve is a factor.

I didn’t die from hypothermia and I learned something. Win win! I also learned that I don’t know what I don’t know.

[BillyBob58]

Alright! Shug weighs in on an oft discussed subject which has widely differing opinions! I look forward to watching!

[BillyBob58]

Shug, I think that TR Ridgerest pad you discuss at about 3:09 has an R value of 2.6, or at least my old one does. Unless you have the fancier model, which also has a reflector or some such and a slightly higher R value. This is the pad I used years ago to test the Speer SPE in a Speer hammock. I had stacked this full length pad and an ancient TR torso length, self inflating, 1" thick, 16 oz, also R value of 2.6. So, under my torso I had a total of 5.2 R value. I think that was my coldest night in a hammock to that point, about 20F or a bit under. I was so toasty that night, that I was even able to use my bag as a TQ with no issues, first time ever.

[BillyBob58]

OK, thanks for that video Shug, just watched it! It is great that you rigged a test using an UQ not quite warm enough for the 29F, and added a pad that is minimally insulated, and apparently slept plenty warm. That is a good test! Did you get any condensation? Both the quilt and the pad were, by themselves, not up to the task. But add them together, bingo!

[FrankGarrett]

I agree, this was a great video, and I plan on testing this method myself the first week of November!

[Adroa]

Awesome video! Been thinking about this since the MN Frozen Butt hang last year.

[Shug]

I did watch your tarp series of videos a few months ago, they really helped me with my tarp setup. Thank you for those!

I did center my tarp. I have it on prussic loops on a continuous ridge line. On my hammock suspension there are water breaks (beetle buckles) I even had drip lines on my continuous loops. My tarp’s continuous ridge line is above the tarp to mitigate rain migration from the ridge line.

I think my problem was that my tarp was too low. Not much of a gap between the ridge line of the tarp and the hammock ridge line. I also had the a-frame pitch way too steep. There was contact between my bug net and the underside of the tarp. When the rain let up I adjusted the stake out guy lines to increase the a frame angle,, but that wasn’t enough of a fix.

There was moisture on the tree straps that were in the rain and in contact with the tarp, but no moisture on the hammock continuous loops.

The rain wasn’t supposed to be as bad as it was. I tried closing off one end of my rectangle tarp as a set of doors to retain heat. I think this created a lack of air movement that caused condensation that migrated by capillary action from the bug net to my hammock and UQ.

Given the temp differential of the air inside my low air flow semi closed off tarp and the evap cooling effect of the rain on the top of the tarp made my very own personal indoor rain maker.

It’s my belief that my user error was more about a lack of air exchange and clearance. I’m sure there were other blunders I made, but I only started hammock camping and backpacking a few months ago. My learning curve is a factor.

I didn’t die from hypothermia and I learned something. Win win! I also learned that I don’t know what I don’t know.

Always learning aren't we? Keeps it interesting.

Alright! Shug weighs in on an oft discussed subject which has widely differing opinions! I look forward to watching!

I did weigh....

Shug, I think that TR Ridgerest pad you discuss at about 3:09 has an R value of 2.6, or at least my old one does. Unless you have the fancier model, which also has a reflector or some such and a slightly higher R value. This is the pad I used years ago to test the Speer SPE in a Speer hammock. I had stacked this full length pad and an ancient TR torso length, self inflating, 1" thick, 16 oz, also R value of 2.6. So, under my torso I had a total of 5.2 R value. I think that was my coldest night in a hammock to that point, about 20F or a bit under. I was so toasty that night, that I was even able to use my bag as a TQ with no issues, first time ever.

Mine is pretty darn old for sure.

OK, thanks for that video Shug, just watched it! It is great that you rigged a test using an UQ not quite warm enough for the 29F, and added a pad that is minimally insulated, and apparently slept plenty warm. That is a good test! Did you get any condensation? Both the quilt and the pad were, by themselves, not up to the task. But add them together, bingo!

I did not feel any condensation though psychosomatically I felt like I did a bit on my buttocks/thighs.

I agree, this was a great video, and I plan on testing this method myself the first week of November!

Give it a good go....you will be warm I bet. Hope no condensation....

Awesome video! Been thinking about this since the MN Frozen Butt hang last year.

It will for sure get you down a bit. Worth it where we live. More comfortable to stack UQs.