So, I just got back from a trip to Southern Argentina / Chile. We spent a couple of nights camping and hiking in Torres Del Paine National Park as well as in Los Glaciares National Park. Great times. Among other things, Patagonia is known for its strong winds and sideways rain. Also, they say you can experience 4 seasons in one day hiking there. So it posed a nice challenge to my lightweight equipment. Since I’m travelling with a 40l carry-on bag only and the time in Patagonia has only been one part of a larger trip, space in my bag has been limited and I knew I‘d be at the very limit of my setup down there. The nights usually got down to something in between 37F / 3C and 47F / 8C and it’s been damp at times. This is what I brought:
12’ SLD Trail Lair 1.3oz + wind shield
Loco Libre 50 Operator S. topquilt
Loco Libre 50 Operator S. underquilt
Straps + Turtle Ties + plenty of amsteel
SLD 0.9oz asym tarp
To boost my underquilt, I got myself a cheap and tiny evazote pad. Plus I always slept wearing some clothes.
As expected, I’ve never really been toasty, but considering the circumstances my quilts performed exceptionally. The same is true for the hammock. Sometimes the wind made it next to impossible to set it up. The single snakeskin that I brought was a huge help to get it hanging. Most nights, I didn‘t even set up my tiny tarp, partly because of the clear skies and partly out of fear it might rip in the wind.
According to other travelers, we’ve been very lucky with the weather in general though. We only experienced one night of rain for example. Unfortunately, you‘re not allowed to camp outside the campgrounds in those parks so your site selection is a little limited and lots of times you find yourself exposed to the elements. The only time hanging didn‘t work out was in the Paine Grande campground in Torres Del Paine. Not a single tree or anything around. I wouldn‘t recommend that to hammockers.
Some things I’ve learned: Getting myself some woolen socks and migrating the down carefully each night made all the difference using my 50F quilts. Above all, I’d advise anyone to bring earplugs and a windshield or sock of some kind to Patagonia and always expect sideways rain. Lots of nights my hammock has been rocking back and forth in the wind - which was actually quite comfy if it wasn‘t for the noise that went along with it.
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