Semi-fail

[JeffP]

I set up the hammock in the back yard last night to test both my Featherstone Moondance (26 degree top quilt) and the Klymit Insulated Static V Luxe sleeping pad. The V Luxe has an R value of 5. The low temp was supposed to be around 20F. I didn’t have a thermometer, but the Weather Channel showed overnights lows around 26F.

The Moondance top quilt, supplemented with a diy fleece top quilt over the top worked like a champ. Toasty warm on top. After about 2 hours, my butt was noticeably cool. I added an R value 1.3 pad under the R5 pad after doing some jumping jacks to warm up and managed to get some sleep. After another three hours My butt and back were cold, but I wasn’t shivering. I abandoned the hammock at that point.

I never thought the sleeping pad would be the weak link, as the R Value temperature charts showed the pad should be good below 20 degrees. I guess better to be cold in the back yard with the house steps away than in the woods.

I have a 20 degree underquilt ordered.

[possum daddy]

Don’t quote me but I believe r-value only deals with conductive heat loss and leaves out convection, which is the cold butted killer.


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[cougarmeat]

JeffP - we are all a little different so a 20° UQ may work for you in 26° weather.

For me, it would get a little light. I need about a 10° hedge - like a 10° (or warmer) UQ if it will be in the low to mid 20's. Humidity might play a factor too. I can be in a tee-shirt (for a short time) in the 20's in Bend, but would freeze in the mid 30's in Portland/Eugene where there is humidity.

I would imagine your UQ plus one of your pads - or a UQP (Under Quilt Protector) would make those mid 20's more comfortable. I am surprised your combination didn't do a better job.

Did you use a tarp? If so, was it staked down to minimize draft? Is your hammock double layer so the pads are in a sleeve and don't move around much?

[JeffP]

JeffP - we are all a little different so a 20° UQ may work for you in 26° weather.

For me, it would get a little light. I need about a 10° hedge - like a 10° (or warmer) UQ if it will be in the low to mid 20's. Humidity might play a factor too. I can be in a tee-shirt (for a short time) in the 20's in Bend, but would freeze in the mid 30's in Portland/Eugene where there is humidity.

I would imagine your UQ plus one of your pads - or a UQP (Under Quilt Protector) would make those mid 20's more comfortable. I am surprised your combination didn't do a better job.

Did you use a tarp? If so, was it staked down to minimize draft? Is your hammock double layer so the pads are in a sleeve and don't move around much?

I had a tarp pitched fairly low with the doors closed on one end. The pad rests in a sleeve to which the top quilts attach. The pad is also 30 inches wide. Between the two I stay firmly planted in the middle of the pad.

[JeffP]

JeffP - we are all a little different so a 20° UQ may work for you in 26° weather.

For me, it would get a little light. I need about a 10° hedge - like a 10° (or warmer) UQ if it will be in the low to mid 20s?

I was torn between a 0 degree quilt and a 20 degree quilt. On an old thread here, most respondents favored the 20 degree quilt, arguing that the number of zero degree nights are few and also that you can layer, as you suggested, to camp comfortably on those more rare zero degree nights. That’s what pushed me to the 20 degree quilt. Fingers crossed…

[cougarmeat]

JeffP, the 20° quilt is a good all-around choice. The deep winter environment is different and might demand gear you'd only use a few times during that season. The 20° UQ quilt can serve you through spring, mild summer, and fall. With the addition of one or two pads, it might add enough insulation that those 26° (or lower) nights are tolerable too.

When I was starting out, I used the 0°, 20°, 40° categories. But as I see the climate changing and pay more attention to the average temperatures around here, I think 10° and 30° would cover more days. Though it happens, we rarely get below 20° in town and outside of winter, especially at elevation, nighttime temps in the 40s are quite common.

[Phantom Grappler]

Although I’ve not tried this yet.
One of my friends used a zero* under quilt on a 60* low night.
He said he might use his zero* under quilt year round, since he was comfortable that night without overheating.
I commented to him, that bed mattresses have insulation (a lot?) and when someone gets too warm in bed, they push some or all their covers off the top.
Drawbacks could be cost, pack weight, pack volume. Or overheating??? Maybe, maybe not!
I reckon you can try zero* under quilt on a 25* night, or any other night to see hopefully good results.

I suppose I could always change my mind, up until the moment I’m visited by the angel of death.
If I’m still lucid, I’ll place one palm fingers together pointing upwards. My other hand can be on top of the first hand, tapping a time out sign. If he loses his composure, laughing, I’ll slip away for one more day…

[JeffP]

Although I’ve not tried this yet.

Drawbacks could be cost, pack weight, pack volume. Or overheating??? Maybe, maybe not!
…

Surprisingly, the cost difference between 0 and 20 degrees was only $20 and the pack volume was identical. Weight was only a 5 ounce difference. You guys have me reconsidering my decision…. I have a cheapie “40 degree” underquilt which is plenty warm enough for 60 degree night. So, do I plan to layer the 20 and 40 degree Underquilts on nights between 0 and 20 degrees (and maybe add a pad), or do I go with the 0 degree underquilt and layer for temps below 0 to 10 degrees?

[cmoulder]

Surprisingly, the cost difference between 0 and 20 degrees was only $20 and the pack volume was identical. Weight was only a 5 ounce difference. You guys have me reconsidering my decision…. I have a cheapie “40 degree” underquilt which is plenty warm enough for 60 degree night. So, do I plan to layer the 20 and 40 degree Underquilts on nights between 0 and 20 degrees (and maybe add a pad), or do I go with the 0 degree underquilt and layer for temps below 0 to 10 degrees?

For cold winter (down to about 0°F) I use a 0deg rated UQ and 20deg TQ, supplementing TQ with down parka *and* pants, which I would be carrying anyway. For backpacking you really want primo quality 10D shell and 850-950FP down, both for lower weight and compressibility.

Early in my hammock journey I messed around a little — *very* little — with air mats and found them far too fidgety and uncomfortable in a hammock... far inferior IME to a good underquilt. For backpacking, air mats generally occupy a bit less volume than a UQ although the weight difference is minimal, perhaps zero depending on which items are being compared. Looking at the Static V luxe specs, it weighs around 31oz while a HammockGear 0deg UQ (Incubator) 10D/900FP is about 27oz.

Of course if you're car camping or pulking a short distance over flat terrain these are not concerns. But if you're trying to fit everything into a 60-liter pack that you'll be humping up and down big hills it's a different story.

[psyculman]

I have the HAMMOCK Static V: at around 32 deg......... I have to add a reflective mylar windshield sheet, or it's CBS, and I am a little disappointed. It is rated 4.4 R value. Have not used it below freezing yet. (Hennessy set up, SS undercover, no wind)