My wife wanted to try her new Scandinavian wookie out this weekend, so Saturday evening I set our custom tarp up at the back of the property. Temps were forecast to hit about 12deg, 10-15mph winds.
I stuffed our sleeping gear in a pack and we walked back to our hanging spot at about 9pm, setting up the WB blackbirds in a chilly stiff wind. My wife used her new Scandi wookie and a 0 degree HG burrow, I broke out my seldom used 0 degree stuff, a JRB Old rag mnt and a Greylock 4. I did also use a homemade UQ protector.
I had a water bottle in my pack pocket from our last trip, so I kept it with me to see if I could keep it from freezing. We settled in, hung our new headlamps (BD storm 400, and I got a Fenix 50R) on our ridgelines- even though my wife inquired if this was a good idea, and went to sleep. I kept the smart water bottle around my hip, found it was fairly annoying there, and was cold. It didn't freeze of course though, during a early morning P break I moved it to my gearshelf.
At dawn we were ready to get up, I had had some cool spots at my neck/shoulders and had to scooch down a few times to keep them covered, and I felt one of my feet getting cold- I'm assuming through the hole at the end of my cinched top quilt. I usually wrap this shut with the cord, but left it out of laziness, apparently it makes a difference. My wife said she was warm all night, but the wind bothered her uncovered face. I had grabbed a fleece balaclava Id never used- and just cinched it around my nose when I noticed my eyes/cheeks getting too cold. The winds rattled the tarp, and shook the hammocks a decent amount which affected sleep a bit at times.
The little Thermo-drop she had bought me showed 12deg in the morning, and apparently that was the low as well. Not exactly the ground breaking test I had hoped since the forecasts had been showing some -0's were possible recently, but it was much windier out in the open than we would likely ever get in the woods.
The Scandi wookie is a winner. This test was pretty close to her lowest temp hang, and she was apparently much happier (Not a single, "$^!! I'm cold" is a great thing!). She'd be fine going lower, and still has warmer sleep clothes/hot water bottle, etc to add to things as needed.
My headlamp was dead!. It came on right before daylight to P, but shut off and was done afterwards. Hers did still work, but we didn't see how long it would stay on. I guess we do really need to sleep with these in a pocket!
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