Were you sleeping in the clothes (and especially the socks) that you wore that day? Perspiration can build up in clothing. You won’t feel the dampness, but it will chill you at night. I always change into dry sleeping clothes before getting into the hammock.
Thank you for everyone’s comments! You’ve definitely given me a lot to think about. Although, the UQ just clips on to the ridgerunner’s corners, so I shouldn’t need to adjust it right?
I should also clarify that I was car camping, so everything was setup 8+ hours before I went to bed. This is in the SW, so humidity was likely <30%. I started with just a thin layer of clothes to keep from touching the top quilt directly, but did cave and pile on some jackets when I woke up cold. I’ll try roughing it out a bit longer next time.
I had the same problem with both my ridge runner and gathered end hammocks . Pretty much the same conditions, (20° quilts in lower 40° temps). While standing and socializing around the camp fire for hours, my front side would be warm and my back would be cold. Getting in the hammock with a cold back was why I couldn't get warm. It would take a long time for my back to warm up, (hours). Problem solved when I started warming my back before turning in.
"When the power of Love overcomes the Love of power. The world will know peace." ~ Jimi Hendrix
"No matter where you go, there you are." ~ Buckaroo Banzai
And remember, YOU make the heat, not the UQ. It just keeps the heat you make around you. If you don’t make heat, cold happens.
As you’ve read, there can be a bunch-o-factors. You said the Tarp was low enough to prevent draft but now you know the concern is the fit of the UQ. I have both a WB full Lynx and a partial RidgeCreek. The connections/size/cut of the Lynx gives a guaranteed fit. The RidgeCreek depends on having the shock-cord suspension tight enough not to allow gaps.
As far as “rating” - as much as possible I try to have a 10 degree cushion - using my 20° gear up into the 40’s.
I also change into dry clothes at night. I wear light socks. I often wear a light balaclava.
Last but not least, when my body wants to pee, it stops making heat as extra incentive to get up. These days for fun, I wear a FitBit watch when I’m outside (at least 4 times a week). It reports my sleep pattern and I can see that when I get up a 1 AM and 3 AM, etc. that once I take care of the chore, I almost immediately return to a Deep Sleep phase.
Good luck - keep us posted. I’m sure your issue can be solved.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
Like Cougarmeat said, cover your head. I use an old down hood off a jacket, to which I sewed a down filled collar. Even with temps in the 40's I need this- western Washington is usually damp though which makes it feel colder.
Oooh! I think cougarmeat and slugbait may have solved my issue. Because it was so warm out, I skipped my usual balaclava/beanie. Even though my head didn’t feel cold, I probably lost a ton of heat that way. I feel quite dumb now.
I’ll make sure to switch into a single layer of fresh clothes, warm up my back, and not neglect the head covering next weekend. Thank you again for everyone’s input and encouragement! I have the XL Ridgecreek that can’t be adjusted, so I’m hoping it’s not an issue with the UQ.
Edit: I probably snuck my head inside sleeping bags in the past, which is why it wasn’t a problem when I was on the ground. But I’m much more mindful of the moisture from my breath nowadays.
Sleeping cold really sucks. Here's what's worked for me, including in subzero temps.
Clothing
Yeah, hat/balaclava/neck gaiter can really help. If that's the solution, fantastic and cheap! Warm socks are like balaclavas for your feet.My personal experience doesn't match all the advice in the thread. Wearing clothing is just fine provided it's dry and non-constricting--wear the layers you need to start warm but not hot. As long as you don't overheat and sweat, you're fine. Keep in mind your quilt and underquilt exist only trap escaped heat. It's much, much more efficient for your body to heat the small area under your clothing than the larger area under your quilt. There used to be a myth that sleeping naked is the warmest option. It's still a myth.
Intake
Make sure you're fueled up with calories and hydrated. A warm drink helps up your internal temp. A full bladder will make you feel colder (more liquid volume to heat); alcohol will make you feel colder. You can keep a hot bev in a thermos so you can sip it if you chill down at night.
Check your setup
Make sure your UQ insulation isn't compressed when you're in the hammock and it's not so snug that it compresses around your shoulders or butt. Check that's it's 'snug enough' against the hammock and the ends don't have gaps. Make sure your TQ is tucked around you, and again, insulation is not compressed and flattened around the edges. Leave some space in your footbox so your feet aren't compressing the insulation.
Make changes
If all that is a go and you're still cold, consider adding to your setup. Try a fleece blanket under your TQ and/or a foam pad under (could even be partial length or a small pad under your butt) If one of those does the trick, use them or upgrade your insulation. When car camping, you have the luxury of experimenting, too. To see if air currents are robbing your heat, for ex, you can rig up an UQ protector or even pin some tight-weave bedsheets around your ridgeline to form an envelope.
...
Years ago, on my first winter camping trip, I so believed my sleeping bag rating (-30F), that I set up a tarp and sleep mats on the snow, zipped up in my bag, and drifted off to sleep. That night it hit -10 and I was bitterly cold. By the mfgr's rating, I still had 20 degrees of wiggle room! Sure, the temp rating was highly exaggerated. But it was also my fault. Without a tent to create a milder microclimate, with imperceptible air movement constantly refreshing that bubble of air around me, with only thin long underwear, that cold air crept through the bag's insulation, my clothing, and walloped me. I'm thankful for that experience because it taught me to think about the whole system and not just one piece of gear.
Quilt hooks keeping UQ in place overnight and not over cinching or under cinching your UQ is key
Watch Shug’s videos on underquilt setup.
If your underquilt short ends shock cord is too tight, causing a horseshoe shape or a U shape, then there will be air gaps on the short ends.
I setup hammock and then attach underquilt.
Then I pull underquilt to the front side of hammock. Both hammock and underquilt will still be attached. But they will be side by side.
Both hammock and underquilt will have the characteristic curve or Happy Face.
Bottom edge of underquilt all along its length should be about a foot higher than bottom edge of hammock.
At no point should underquilt be lower than hammock. You should be able to see about a foot of bottom edge of hammock all along and just below underquilt.
If not, then tighten underquilt shock cord suspension, along the long ends or primary suspension.
Now pull underquilt back in place under hammock. The underquilt should lift hammock about a foot.
Think warm and apply know how from above posters.
More clothing worn at night can help keep you warmer, it can also freeze you. How? If socks have tight elastic at top-your circulation is reduced to your feet and your feet can be cold.
And if your clothing is so warm-you break a sweat then you will be cold rest of night unless you remove all wet clothing—also what you gonna wear in morning while getting coffee and chow—wet frozen clothes-that’s what!
If cold sometimes I put my extra sweatshirts and coat—laid on top of my torso and under or inside my topquilt, if I start to get too warm—easy to push off and hang over hammock ridgeline without having to get up.
If you have a bridge hammock, some of my post does not apply—I was thinking gathered end hammock. Oooops Sorry!
Seems to me, you can use an underquilt under your bridge hammock and an insulated pad inside-on top of hammock. I can be wrong—I don’t have a bridge hammock.
Most all of us have been cold a time or two.
When real cold weather happens, ok to stack underquilts.
Good luck
Last edited by Phantom Grappler; 08-15-2021 at 22:18.
Since you are in a bridge hammock, one other point made earlier was to make sure the quilt is actually touching the bottom of the hammock.
I have several bridges and one issue that can come up, is getting enough stretch/pull lengthwise on the quilt. If it is just clipped and there isn't enough pull, the quilt can sag in the middle, leaving an air gap under your body and it still fits snugly at the sides. This can compromise how well the under quilt works.
Next time your hammock is setup, get in and have some one check that the quilt is snug all the way across under you ...
I initially clipped my under quilt at the corners and used the shock cord to snug it up .... that left a gap and I got chilly a few times. I have now added a clew suspension and with that light pull the quilt snugs up and the issue went away.
Brian
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