hammocking in the cold, beginner tips

[campingyeay]

My friends and I love hammocking after our weekend hikes, but this is the first time going to do this in cold weather!
We need some serious tips for staying warm when the temps drop. What are the best things we can buy and easily pack in a backpack to keep both of us cozy?

 

[cougarmeat]

campingyeay - have you read the Cold Night Tips thread already posted?

One "best" piece of advice is to setup at home - stay out one night in the expected nighttime temperatures - that way you can see how fit your gear is before you hike some far distance away from a bail-out option if you get it wrong.

One tool winter campers use is a cheap (around $10 USD) MinMax thermometer. I use mine to see what the coldest "cold" was at night and note if I was comfortable or not. I've found that I need a 10° cushion between my quilt ratings and the expected temperature. For example, if it's going to be in the low 20's, I'd use my 10° or 0° quilts. If I used a quilt rated at 20° and the temperatures were in the low 20's, I know I'd feel it. That's just me. YMMV.

In winter, I wear a beanie or balaclava (that can cover my nose) at night. My winter tarp has doors, or I use a full sock. I understand that if I eliminate too much airflow in the pursuit of warmth, I'll end up with too much condensation "frost".

If you are lucky enough to have snow, you can (a snow shovel is your friend) create a brim or cut snow blocks to make a wall around the perimeter of your setup, creating an additional wind block.

Though in the non-winter months the tarp is hung UNDER its ridgeline, in the winter I may set up with the ridgeline under the tarp. That's because I'm not expecting rain - which might run down the ridgeline under the tarp - but a clump of snow might fall from an upper tree branch, and the ridgeline under the tarp gives it more support.

Winter in Arizona is different from winter in Minnesota. It helps if you mention the temperatures you are expecting to endure and the temperature rating of your gear. But don't fall in love with the numbers. Use your gear in a situation where you can "go back inside" if you get it wrong - until you get it right.

 

[Hammock k1ng]

you need to be a sandwich lol. both the top and bottom layers are essential to keep everything cozy in the middle. Miss one, and the whole thing unravels. Insulation above is every bit as crucial as insulation below

if the section of your sleeping bag beneath you loses its warmth, just as it does when you sleep on the ground. in a hammock, swirling air brings new challenges, but an underquilt keeps you warm without changing the hammock’s natural comfort the way a pad might

 

[TheWiz]

campingyeay - have you read the Cold Night Tips thread already posted?

One "best" piece of advice is to setup at home - stay out one night in the expected nighttime temperatures - that way you can see how fit your gear is before you hike some far distance away from a bail-out option if you get it wrong.

One tool winter campers use is a cheap (around $10 USD) MinMax thermometer. I use mine to see what the coldest "cold" was at night and note if I was comfortable or not. I've found that I need a 10° cushion between my quilt ratings and the expected temperature. For example, if it's going to be in the low 20's, I'd use my 10° or 0° quilts. If I used a quilt rated at 20° and the temperatures were in the low 20's, I know I'd feel it. That's just me. YMMV.

In winter, I wear a beanie or balaclava (that can cover my nose) at night. My winter tarp has doors, or I use a full sock. I understand that if I eliminate too much airflow in the pursuit of warmth, I'll end up with too much condensation "frost".

If you are lucky enough to have snow, you can (a snow shovel is your friend) create a brim or cut snow blocks to make a wall around the perimeter of your setup, creating an additional wind block.

Though in the non-winter months the tarp is hung UNDER its ridgeline, in the winter I may set up with the ridgeline under the tarp. That's because I'm not expecting rain - which might run down the ridgeline under the tarp - but a clump of snow might fall from an upper tree branch, and the ridgeline under the tarp gives it more support.

Winter in Arizona is different from winter in Minnesota. It helps if you mention the temperatures you are expecting to endure and the temperature rating of your gear. But don't fall in love with the numbers. Use your gear in a situation where you can "go back inside" if you get it wrong - until you get it right.

I camped a few nights in Flagstaff last January and condensation was my biggest battle. You mentioned frost from cutting airflow, how do you balance warmth with ventilation when temps dip below 20°F?

 

[cougarmeat]

> how do you balance warmth with ventilation when temps dip below 20°F?

Experimentally

It's a work in progress. The OneWind Sock has a built-in mesh window near the top. It seems pretty effective in retaining heat and minimizing frost. When I use something like the WarBonnet "traveler" sock, It has a much smaller interior environment, and the sock has an arc'd zipper on one side (two sides if I'm using the SpinDrift with the RidgeRunner).

I can open the zipper at the top of its arc, or I can open it near the end of its run, closer to my face. I don't have a formula. As I set up, I just feel the wind, feel how cold it is, and make a guess. The next morning, or during the night, I find out how good my "guess" was. I remember that and make adjustments the next time.

Note that around here - high desert country - we don't have much humidity. And we don't have much frigid cold. Minnesotans would call our winters "summer".

I've always wanted to live in Flagstaff. I thrive above 6000 ft. Maybe next lifetime. Has Flagstaff been "discovered" as Bend has? People come here to get away from the city, then they set about changing the town so it's just like the places they left.

 

[LowTech]

I've always wanted to live in Flagstaff. I thrive above 6000 ft. Maybe next lifetime. Has Flagstaff been "discovered" as Bend has? People come here to get away from the city, then they set about changing the town so it's just like the places they left.

Not horribly yet as they're too busy overpopulating Sedona and Prescott.
When you come visit we'll go camp in Williams and day trip to Flag . . . when we're not paddling the Colorado River.

 

[TheWiz]

I’ve only passed through Flagstaff once on a cross‑country road trip, but the altitude hit me in the best way, like my lungs suddenly leveled up. So your “thriving above 6000 ft” line definitely caught my attention.

What’s the vibe in Flagstaff these days @cougarmeat? Has it kept that small‑mountain‑town feel, or are you starting to see the early signs of the “discovered” effect creeping in?

And camping in Williams plus paddling the Colorado sounds like a dream. Do you have a favorite stretch of the river you always go back to, @LowTech?

 

[cougarmeat]

TheWiz, you misread a little. I've never been to Flagstaff; I was asking about it.

 

[LowTech]

And camping in Williams plus paddling the Colorado sounds like a dream. Do you have a favorite stretch of the river you always go back to, @LowTech?

Haven't been in this area for very long, full time nomad, but we've been hitting the section between Hoover dam and Davis dam "Black Canyon" the most. Heading out on Sat to do a paddle from Willow Beach up river to Hoover dam and back. Will be two nights camping on the river and my hammock will be w/ me. It's always a challenge to find hammockable spots out here but I'm a determined hanger and my Solo pole is always w/ me.
At some point I'd like to paddle the full length from Hoover to Yuma as a through paddle.