Ah. I've got a -20C bag (roughly -5F), but it only weighs about 4.4 lb and packs down to 15L. But hey, I'm Canadian, so it's just easier/cheaper for me to get ahold of that kind of gear.
Ah. I've got a -20C bag (roughly -5F), but it only weighs about 4.4 lb and packs down to 15L. But hey, I'm Canadian, so it's just easier/cheaper for me to get ahold of that kind of gear.
Hey, dirtbagging's definitely got its merits. I've slept at freezing temp in a ratty old free t-shirt in a tent that was worth less than the shirt.
Recently though I had some extra money and thought that of any piece of gear, the money would probably be best spent on a good bag. Almost got a new climbing rope instead, but figured I'd resist temptation and enjoy my future winter trips instead
Hi Elfer. I guess an answer to that would partly depend on what you mean by "easier". Was your warm sleeping bag down or synthetic? I have found that synthetic sleeping bags definitely had a few degrees to back warmth (anywhere from 3° too, who knows, maybe 10° or a bit more?). All partially depending on the thickness of the bag of course. Whereas a down bag will add to overall warmth if you beef it up, it's probably not going to add much of anything to warmth in the center of your back and butt, where even a large amount of down will be pretty much compressed to close to zero in thickness. Unlike a synthetic bag which will compress but not as much is down. So most of your back warmth – I would imagine – was due to the blue pad, and maybe another five or 10° worth to your sleeping bag especially if it was synthetic.
But I don't think you would have gained much more(on the bottom) by adding the super shelter undercover and over cover. First of all you might have run into additional condensation problems caused by the Sil-Nylon undercover, or maybe not. But I personally haven't found that the undercover by itself adds a ton of warmth. A little bit, but hard for me to say exactly how much. Its main benefit- seems to me- is if there's wind getting past the tarp. And by greatly slowing down the rate at which even a tiny breeze can suck the heat out of that HH OCF pad. However, you might have indeed ended up roasting on top from the addition of the over cover. Some of us have experienced – by trying to use sleeping bags that were way too warm for the conditions in hopes of staying warm on the bottom – sweating on top while having a cold back!
Actually I'm thinking an easier approach – assuming your sleeping bag is plenty warm enough on top already – is to add a thicker pad or multiple pads stacked inside of an SPE. With thick enough pads or enough pads, your back can be warm at pretty much any temperature, with or without an HHSS.
And again – in terms of "easier" – one of the reasons people fool with a HHSS or under quilts in the first place – rather than the simplicity of pads – is to escape having to lay on a pad inside the hammock. Because so many people find it much less comfortable than a hammock without a pad. Some people just hate a pad in a hammock. Not everybody, but it seems like most people much prefer any under quilt to a pad in the hammock. So especially if you're going to the trouble of using and HH UC in the first place, I would prefer the comfort factor of going ahead in using the HH pad and space blanket.
Lastly, an "easy" way to get more out of the HHSS is just to add really lite stuff- ( fleece balaclavas or wool socks or very light jackets/vests/clothing) on top of the HH pad(under the space blanket) or heavier thicker stuff ( thick fleece jackets/Parkas/Garlinton insulators/whatever) under the pad. Whatever you are not planning on wearing to sleep in, whatever is available (if anything is) and is not needed to keep you warm enough on TOP.
I'm sure that Canadian thing also aids in your ability to keep warm compared to us southerners! A couple of years or more ago, one of your fellow Canadians reported sleeping to minus 13F in nothing more underneath than a HHSS with pad and space blanket! Not only that, but two of his buddies did the same thing on the same trip!
Now frankly that blows my mind, I can't even comprehend doing that. I've always been one of the main promoters of the HHSS, but there's no way I'm going comfortably or toasty well below freezing- much less below zero F - with just the basic system. Forget about it. But it just goes to show the difference in people and the differences that acclimatization can make.
It's a down/synthetic hybrid, with synthetic material for the back, footbox and hood, while the top is a layer of synthetic over a layer of down for loft. It's weird, but I've never seen this kind of bag available in the US. Most people who want that kind of system end up getting a down bag with a synthetic overbag, but that's a lot more expensive.
I should also note that on cold nights, I put my jacket (fleece with hardshell) between the bag and the pad, which added a bit more insulation and reduced the feeling of sleeping on a pad.
This is more along the lines of what I would call "easy"Lastly, an "easy" way to get more out of the HHSS is just to add really lite stuff- ( fleece balaclavas or wool socks or very light jackets/vests/clothing) on top of the HH pad(under the space blanket) or heavier thicker stuff ( thick fleece jackets/Parkas/Garlinton insulators/whatever) under the pad. Whatever you are not planning on wearing to sleep in, whatever is available (if anything is) and is not needed to keep you warm enough on TOP.
I supposed my criteria for "easy" would be:
- Not adding appreciably to pack volume (this is why I'm going for an HHSS to replace my sleeping pad, the foamie is seriously bulky)
- Not carrying more items than you would otherwise (ex: Adding clothes to the undercover is really efficient
- Not adding too much to setup time (this is a concern for me with the HHSS, but after some playing around it should be fine)
I guess I see what you mean, since if the stock SS is comparable to a foam pad, -13F would be doable, particularly if it wasn't windy. Sleeping at or below freezing is par for the course here if you're camping a little outside of summer.I'm sure that Canadian thing also aids in your ability to keep warm compared to us southerners! A couple of years or more ago, one of your fellow Canadians reported sleeping to minus 13F in nothing more underneath than a HHSS with pad and space blanket! Not only that, but two of his buddies did the same thing on the same trip!
Really what I'm hoping to test with the SS is dumping my sleeping bag for a fleece blanket, should be good!
On my thru hike in 2007 I ran into single digit temp. in Georgia and a white out in the Smokies. My set up was HHSS with the under quilt from the Jacks under the HHSS. Inside I was in a western Mountain 20 degree bag wore a fleece on my head made sure I peed before got in and sleept all night. As I got further north in Virgina I sent the bag home used the under cover as a quilt and the HHSS under. No condensation issues.
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