Date: 2009-02-08
To: Cold weather hammock experiments 
Miles today: 0.0

I will be planning on taking a hammock with me on my hike. The only issues I have concerns over with the hammock is the start of my hike when I will run into colder temperatures at night. I have also considered bringing a tent with me on the first part of the hike until the temps warm up. I realy do not want to have to deal with a tent for several reasons.I hate trying to find a spot that is flat and void of rocks and roots.I hate waking up in the morning and feeling like I have been run over by a Mac truck.I hate the back pain I wake up with.When you need to set up a tent in a hurry in the rain it is almost impossible to do it without getting soaked.I started experimenting with some winter options for hammock. The current hammock that I own is a Warbonnet Black Bird double layer. I have tried three different backpacking hammocks up until I got my BB. The Hennessey Hammock was one of my favorites but only because it was pretty much the only backpacking option out there. There are some issues with the HH that I did not like.I did not like having to enter from the bottom of the hammock to get into it.They claim to have a flat lay to them and they do but I found that it put pressure on my knees because of the center line that you had to lay on a diagonal across.You could not remove the netting or flip it open.There was very little room inside the hammock to have anything other than your sleeping back and anything you could hang on the ridgeline.I learned of the Warbonnet on www.hammockforums.net. This is a very informative web site for anyone that wants to use hammocks for backpacking or hiking. I highly recommend it.The BB has elevated all the problems and concerns I mentioned about that I did not like about the Hennessey Hammocks. You can even order one with a double layer bottom to slide a pad in for extra warmth. I highly recommend this hammock to anyone over any other hammock on the market.Let me get back to what I have been experimenting with for my winter options. I bought a pad to insert in between my two layers. I also have a few different under quilts that people have lent me to try out to find out what best fits me. Last night I tried the under quilt that was made with wool. I also have a silk sock that I slide over the whole outside on the hammock, just like putting a sock on your foot. This helps keep the wind out and some heat in. Last night¢s temps only hit 32 degrees, It was not as cold as I wanted it to be. I was hoping for low 20¢s. I know that the beginning on my thru hike with be in the 20¢2 at night and down to the lower teens. I really need to have this hammock insulation down to a fine art before I leave for the trail.I have some more different under quilts come to me for testing purposes. I have some good friends sending me some different types in the mail. There is one that I am really anxious to try that I have not received yet. It is called the Snug Fit. It is made by Ed Speer of Speer Hammocks. The first time I saw this was at Trail Days in Damascus Virginia in 2008. When I saw it, it looked so warming. I wanted to buy one right then but it was expensive. I don¢t like spending that kind of money on something I am not sure will work for me. Now I am lucky enough to have someone loan me one to try. I cannot wait to get it.There was another option for a sock that I have but have not tried it yet. I only used the silk sock last night. I also have a rip stop sock that was sent to me as a loaner. I may try that one tonight because the wind has picked up outside and this will block the wind a lot better than the silk soak.Well that is my report on my warm weather hammock experiments so far. I will have to add more to this once I get more loaner gear in.