Originally Posted By chaz
To stay warm I add a temporary pocket under the hammock with a cheap space blanket and use xtra clothing in the pocket for insulation. Also wear long underware, socks and a sock hat. Beyond that you would probably need to go to the ground in a tent because the weight difference will surpass the weight savings of the hammock. Phat... help me out here. I know you have discussed this many times. Also a scale would come in handy. Something I have yet to purchase.


I do this, but not with an extra pocket under the hammock. since that is just useless weight that can't serve any other purpose. What I do is carry an integral designs silponcho for raingear, sitting tarp, etc. etc. at night before I go to bed
it takes about 5 minutes to rig it underneath my hammock as that "temporary pocket" - it also blocks wind nice. I carry a couple of cheap little space blankets (the disposable kind) which I wad up and put in there to keep the air from moving around too much. This provides a pretty good windblock and insulating layer, and with a blue pad in my hammock, I'm good
down to a bit below freezing. if I expect colder I have a wad of poly insulation that cost me like 3 dollars at walmart, it's cut roughly hammock bottom shaped. it goes in then the space blankets, and voila - deconstructed underquilt, and I am comfortable wearing clothing, with an appropriate bag down to about -10C in this rig. I've never gone colder. I prefer this
method to a dedicated underquilt or a pocket, because the shell of the system (the poncho) is used for other things and thus saves weight.

However, you are talking about weight as opposed to comfort. Sorry, a hammock is a pretty light rig, and *very* comfortable, but it's not as light as tarping it on the ground. My hammock with straps weighs a couple of pounds or so. if I leave my hammock at home and sleep on the blue pad on the ground - voila - it's lighter! smile

Now, if you want a little comfort, to compare oranges to rutebagas, I'll tell you my hammock rig with a big 8x10 silnylon tarp overtop. + hammock + blue pad + space blankets (I don't count the poncho) weighs just about the same as what
I would say is reasonably comfortable on the ground for me - and that's a six moon designs lunar solo tent, with a 25 inch wide and long big agnes insulated aircore mattress put inside it. no problems with warmth there, and while not as comfy as a hammock, still very livable. (nothing like sleeping on a blue foam pad on the ground). There are advantages to both. the little tent of course can pitch with no trees, and you don't have to worry so much about your butt being cold. but to me it's still not as comfortable as the hammock, and doesn't have the advantage of having stand up room to dress in the rain, or lounge in and have pleasant conversations with young ladies who wish to get out of the storm while watching their macho companions learn how to set up their tent in weather..

So really, it depends - what do you need for comfortable sleep? if you can sleep comfortably on bare ground with just a thin little blue pad, a small tarp is the lightest thing you could possibly sleep under - if I *really* wanted to be light, I could take only my silponcho, and sleep under that. If you want bug protection, change that to a bivy or ultralight solo tent (like the lunar solo or a tarptent). If you need the big chunky pad to have a decent sleep, those start to get heavy, and into hammock range of weight. but really dude, a hammock is about getting a good night's sleep if you are comfortable in one. If you're one of those people who can sleep comfortably on the floor with nothing but a thin pad - forget it, save the weight and sleep on the ground.


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