need advice for first night out

[bmwrider]

I will be using my HH backpacker for the first time for a small over night with a short hike in.
I just bought my hammock and don't have the money to get an under quilt I am going to have to get by with a pad in a bottom entry unit.

The pads I own are a few thermarests OC and a CC pad and I need to know which will work best with the bottom entry and how do I get in the hammock and get the pad arranged under me, I'm assuming it will be pushed to one side to allow me to get in.
This is assuming it gets cold enough to need it.

[GrizzlyAdams]

get the pad in the hammock and position in the diagonal as best you can. Getting in you can try to fold the bottom portion over to the side to let yourself in.

The key thing about pads is that the ones you use on the ground are typically too narrow for a hammock. If your CC pad folds in half, suggest you do that and position it under your shoulders, using something else for the rest of your body. Like making a "T" .

If you sleep pretty much in the same position on all night, you'll be fine once you get the pads lined up. If you move, well, a night in a hammock chasing a pad around is enough to set you on the trail of some kind of exterior under-quilt!

Have a great overnighter, and ever if you are chasing that pad, just keep saying to yourself "This really beats laying on the ground. This really beats laying on the ground.... count the rocks you aren't laying on anymore if you have trouble going to sleep.

[bmwrider]

I could use two CC pads to form a T, it would be bulky but lighter than a thermarest.

I will most likely get an under quilt when I have the money but for now I must stick with the pads I have and make them work untill I get the money for the UQ

[bmwrider]

Any other advice from bottom entry owners?

[WarmSoda]

Having a pad shaped to exactly your body would be best. Lay on the ground and have someone draw a chalk outline of you like you see in the movies after a murder to show where the body was. This will give you the size you need.

Also since its your first night out, I would suggest taking extra top coverings to try and make up for any lack in insulation on your bottom side. You'll still probably get cold-butt-syndrome but you may not lay awake all night freezing with hateful thoughts about your gear.

[KerMegan]

what temps are you expecting? what temps are the record low for your area this time of year? these two numbers will tell you how badly/how much insulation you might need. I think(?) the rule of thumb is 10*F for every inch of down/synth under you and about 15*F for every .25 inch of closed cell foam. this will vary with body weight, metabolism, time since last meal/hot drink, warm/cold sleeper, etc; but it is a place to start your experimentation. have a good trip!KM

[ragnall]

I was out this weekend with my Exlorer UL with no bottom insulation and the lows were in the mid to low 70's. When it is this hot I do not want any bottom insulation. Another 5-10 degrees cooler and I would have needed something.

I tried, about 4-6 times, to use a pad when I first got my Hennessy before I gave up and ordered the SS. I was trying to sleep in the sleeping bag at that time as well. If I had made a SPE like I have seen others use and just used the bag as a top quilt I might have had more luck. I never could get in the bag and on top of the pad through the bottom entry.

You could make a cheap SPE by cutting up one CCF pad to make the side extensions and just duct tape them to the other CCF pad. You might even be able to shorten one to more of a torso length and have enough material to make the sides.

I did consider a Big Agnes sleeping bag with the pad packet to hold it in place under me. Hennessy was having thier winter sale at the time, so it was much cheaper for me to try out the SS. So far I have been down into the low 30's with it and slept comfortably.

The friend that introduced me to hammock camping has sewn a pad pocket onto his ENO Double nest.

[Simon]

My pad use in my HH Expedition has evolved to a T shaped pad using 1 1/2 CCF pads Connected together with soft velcro straps and the the whole thing wrapped loosely in a poncho liner. Pretty warm and cosy on cool nights. I found without the poncho liner there was a bit too much condensation. If my face or any skin was in contact with the pad it was clammy and uncomfortable but the poncho liner made it more like a real bed if that makes sense. It helped as well if the pad moved slightly as the liner helped fill in the gaps and kept me warm.

That said, I am currently saving for an UQ.

[bmwrider]

This is helpful, I really want to try my HH before I have the money for an UQ, so I will try anything.

[ragnall]

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=36589

Hopefully that link will work to get you to a better description of what an SPE is.