GG 1/4" or Hennessy Double Bubble??

[Kerry]

Hi all,

I'm trying to solve the bottom insulation issue on my Hennessy ULB. I'm only looking to get comfy down to, say, 50ish, for now; most of my trips are midwestern summer trips, where 50's are rare, 60's are common.

I have a JRB nest, but I'm not a big fan of the bulk and weight, and lack of ability to go to ground if necessary.

I'm considering investigating pads... again. I've tried a few options, including wing pads that were far, far too bulky. But there are other options I haven't tried.

What do you think would be the best one to try: Hennessy Double Bubble, or the wide 1/4" thick pads from Gossamer Gear? I bet the insulating properties are more similar than different, cost is quite similar, but I bet the Double Bubble is slippery and probably comparably sweaty feeling... What do you think?

Kerry

[OneThing]

I have the Gossamer Gear and cut it to fit. I only use 3/4 but it covers shoulders to middle of my legs. I use my pack to put my legs on to keep them elevated so it works for me. Total weight is 6.5 ozs. I use a 7 oz JRB weather protector to block the wind and add a layer of leaves in black plastic bag I carry if it drops down to the 40's.

[Kerry]

Thanks!

I like your resourcefulness regarding the bag and leaves!

Looks like I'll have to try the GG pad, cut to fit.

My pack has no foam (Ray Way), so I'm not sure what I'll do for the legs if I go 3/4 length. Guess I could add a sit pad to the setup, but I normally sit on a small square of 5mil plastic, just to help keep clean/dry.

[DaleW]

I would go with the GG pad. I carry a sit pad anyway and that takes care of my feet. I found that rounding the corners helps with any CCF pad. You could buy a cheap windshield reflector and give it a test drive.

[Kerry]

One of my first hammock camping experience was with a windshield reflector pad. Biked out 30ish miles in the evening, camped at a random spot in the woods. It got pretty cool that night, probably 45ish. Horrible night. I doubt any thin pad would've worked for me that night, but I think my particular bubble-wrap windshield pad was particularly poor: the 'cells' went all the way through and were fairly large, as opposed to having 2 layers of offset small 'cells' like Reflectex has; I think convection was doing me no favors. Tough lesson. Next lesson was a 3/8" 'wing pad', similar conditions. Worked OK, but was difficult to position, and my 'wings' were'nt quite long enough. That pad took up most of my packspace, too.

I'm a little concerned about the short length of the GG pad. Easy enough to carry an extra sit pad, I suppose, but then I'd expect to run in to minor positioning difficulties.

[OneThing]

One of my first hammock camping experience was with a windshield reflector pad. Biked out 30ish miles in the evening, camped at a random spot in the woods. It got pretty cool that night, probably 45ish. Horrible night. I doubt any thin pad would've worked for me that night, but I think my particular bubble-wrap windshield pad was particularly poor: the 'cells' went all the way through and were fairly large, as opposed to having 2 layers of offset small 'cells' like Reflectex has; I think convection was doing me no favors. Tough lesson. Next lesson was a 3/8" 'wing pad', similar conditions. Worked OK, but was difficult to position, and my 'wings' were'nt quite long enough. That pad took up most of my packspace, too.

I'm a little concerned about the short length of the GG pad. Easy enough to carry an extra sit pad, I suppose, but then I'd expect to run in to minor positioning difficulties.

Windshield reflector pads, or space blankets were a PITA for me. After one night using them and creating a river in my hammock, I never used them again. I do have a 3/4 Therm-a-Rest. I think it's rated down to 0. A little over 1lb. @$100 back then. I would use it for summer if I was doing some cowboy camping, but found it nice to have for a backup in extreme cold. Most of the time, it was in my 'Bounce Box" on the AT.