Controlling condensation in a hammock setup

I don't follow the two garbage bags filled with emergency blankets part.

I think he was using that as under insulation on his hammock.

go over to hammockforums and ask. You will get lots of answers over there

For starters, I doubt if your GoLite Ultra 20 is warm below 30 in a hammock, they are known to be overated.

I recommend just biting the bullet and making or getting an underquilt that breathes, although all on the market are made out of 1.1 ripstop nylon and could breathe too much.

"For starters, I doubt if your GoLite Ultra 20 is warm below 30 in a hammock, they are known to be overated"

not from the comments I have seen on HF

I use vb clothing when its cold enoungh. To protect my ultra 20 from breath condensation: I lay my rain jacket over the top of the quilt & tuck the hood under so its btw my chest & the quilt. If its cold enough I sleep with something covering my mouth (balaclava, bandana).

What you have left out is where you set up. The only times I have had any condensation whatsoever were when I used a vapor barrier on the bottom (PU poncho as windbreak over quilt) and when I set up in a river valley where the ground was saturated. With the poncho, i had ice droplets on the DWR of the underquilt, no loss of loft with either quilt. With the second scenario, I was using a thin evazote and NeoAir layered in a double bottom hammock. The tarp was wet top and bottom – soaked, in fact – the hammock was damp but the quilt was okay, just a little wet on the DWR. All were dried on the granite in the sun.

"For starters, I doubt if your GoLite Ultra 20 is warm below 30 in a hammock, they are known to be overated"

Interesting considering I slept in one last night for 9.5 hours in temps ranging from 22dF – 14dF.

I read the same thing you did, but maybe I got one of the newer models, or just got a good one.

With the addition of a BPL pro 90 parka and a insul pants and down booties and more bottom insul I probably could have taken it down to 0-5dF no problem.

I am a warm sleeper though.

I will build a quilt later, but just more testing this alington type setup.

"I don't follow the two garbage bags filled with emergency blankets part"

The garlington taco is what I was trying sort of.
Its cheap and I was trying to use my poncho for double duty.

A real garlington taco is a full wrap top and bottom and has a couple of large garbage bags filled with crumpled emer blankets for bot insul uder the hammock. Do a search and it will come up.

If not I can link you.

You can fill the bags with leaves or mostly anything.

I was just using a bottom half of a garlington as an extender to the CCF pads because I knew they would not be warm enough alone.

During the night the garbage bags shifted off to the side, and I got a few cold spots on the bottom with just the pads. What is nice is you can reach under the hammock and shift the G bags around. When I did that the cold spot went away almost immediately.

All that said. CCF pads in a hammock is a PIA but its cheap and it insulates well down to about 40-45dF.
I am going to mod my hammock so I can insert them between the double layers.

My garbage bags were too small but still worked.

My hammock is very long and if you wanted it really warm you really need contractor size bags and add some leaves.
Also 3 bags would provide much better coverage. I was close to the low bottom rating without more insul in the bags or thicker/more dense CCF pads.

"What you have left out is where you set up."

Mid Georgia, 500' elevation, not close to water, not in a bottom, probably about 30-50% humidity.

Clear skies.