Notes from the Field: SuperUltraLight Tarp vs. Hammock in the High Uintas

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Following the non-stop pace of the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, it was a wonderful respite to backpack along the Highline Trail in the High Uintas with Backpacking Light Production Editor, Ken Knight. The weather was perfect for SuperUltraLight gear testing - lows around 40 °F and a good amount of rain during the day and night. I carried gear for both tarp camping and hammock camping, merging two, sub-5-pound base weight trips into one. All the gear was the same for both "trips" except for the sleep system. I carried a Bozeman Mountain Works tarp and bivy, a Jacks 'R' Better quilt, and a Pacific Outdoor Equipment self-inflating torso sleeping pad for on-the-ground sleeping, and a Hennessy Adventure Racer hammock, underquilt (same as the tarp camping quilt), and Speer Top Blanket for hammocking. I was surprised by the minimal weight difference between the two systems (see the chart), and by which system was warmer

ARTICLE OUTLINE

Introduction
Gear - How'd it work?
Tarp Setup

Jacks 'R' Better Shenandoah Universal Blanket.
Bozeman Mountain Works Vapr Bivy Sack
Bozeman Mountain Works SpinTarp X-LITE
Pacific Outdoor Equipment Uber-Lite sleeping pad

Hammock Setup

Hennessy Hammock Adventure Racer
Jacks 'R' Better Shenandoah Universal Blanket
Speer Top Blanket

TABLE: Weight Comparison of Sleep Systems - Tarp vs. Hammock
Other Gear and Clothing

Fanatic Fringe Alpine Trail Pack (7 oz)
Mini Bull Design Elite alcohol stove
Heineken 25-ounce beer can cookpot
Nalgene bladder bowl
GoLite C-Thru Lite-weight zip top
DriDucks Hooded Zip Jacket
CW-X Sport Support Bra
Inov-8 Flyroc 310 shoes

Journalism Gear

Pentax Optio WP digital camera
TABLE: Journalism Items and Weights

Behavior Modification

What I've discovered so far

TABLE: Sub-5 Gear List for August, Tarp & Hammock
Upcoming Sub-5 Challenge Trips
Expected Conditions / Context for September Trip

# WORDS: 4400
# PHOTOS: 9
# TABLES: 3

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Viewing 17 posts - 1 through 17 (of 17 total)

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Aug 30, 2005 at 7:38 pm #1216718

Ryan Jordan
Admin

@ryan
Locale: Central Rockies

Companion forum thread to:

Notes from the Field: SuperUltraLight Tarp vs. Hammock in the High Uintas

Aug 30, 2005 at 10:51 pm #1341134

John S.
BPL Member

@jshann

Does Miss Carol have an opinion on which hammock she likes the best so far?

Aug 31, 2005 at 7:45 am #1341147

SAM LAMBERT
Spectator

@sammyl

Thank you for the full, detailed report with all the specifics you provided! This side-by-side comparing of hammock vs. ground sleeping in the cold really helps figure out what will work for us. It’s rare to have this much good information.

Aug 31, 2005 at 8:33 am #1341150

paul johnson
Member

@pj
Locale: LazyBoy in my Den - miss the forest

Been very interested in all of Carol’s recent articles. Very informative. Well written. Good job Carol.

Aug 31, 2005 at 2:49 pm #1341163

Carol Crooker
BPL Member

@cmcrooker
Locale: Desert Southwest, USA

Well…
I also have a review of the Speer hammock coming out in the near future. So, which is better – Speer, Hennessy, or The Travel hammock?
First – Hammocks are Good.
Second – Depends.
If I’m in a bug free zone, I love the simplicity and light weight of the Travel hammock. I like being able to reach over the side and grab something on the ground, or lounge while dinner is cooking.
If it’s buggy* or I’m going SUL, I prefer the Hennessy Adventure Racer. It’s the lightest thing out there and the integrated bug netting is simpler to deal with than the Speer bug netting (which attaches with Velcro).
If it’s cold, I like the Speer hammock which has a great cold weather system with the PeaPod and Top Blanket. I haven’t had a chance to try the Hennessy Super Shelter system for cold weather. And, I really like what I’ve seen so far of the Jacks ‘R’ Better underquilts, but haven’t had the No Sniveller in cold weather yet.

*An unknown for me is how well the Travel hammock and Hennessy Adventure Racer fabrics resist heavy mosquito pressure when it’s too hot for some type of under cover.

Obviously, there is still a big opportunity for me to do some more hammock testing – darn!

Sep 1, 2005 at 12:02 am #1341168

Anonymous
Guest

How about using mylar emergency space blanket vapor barrier inside your sleeping bag? It’s only 2 oz and effective.

Sep 1, 2005 at 12:49 pm #1341172

Rick Dreher
BPL Member

@halfturbo
Locale: Northernish California

A mylar emergency bag, rather than a blanket which wouldn’t be an effective vapor barrier, might work in dry, subfreezing condtions. I’d be mightily challenged to get inside the thing inside a hammock, however, based on my failed fumbling with a sleeping bag+liner in a hammock.

Sep 3, 2005 at 6:35 pm #1341215

John Carter
Member

@jcarter1
Locale: Pacific Northwest

I think part of the HH super shelter system is a mylar blanket (with some foam), but it gets me wondering. Is this assuming that the occupant is in a fully enclosed bag, and thus has some additional insulation (albeit crushed)? Would this system be colder with a quilt-style bag? Is this what makes hanging a quilt underneath more desirable? Is the underquilt more susceptiple to getting rained on? And most important, do you need as much down insulation below you as you do above (after all, heat rises, and none of the pads I sleep on are nearly as thick as a quilt!

I am eagerly looking forward to further testing! This article has really given me a push to try hammocking, but there are so many untested variables…

Sep 3, 2005 at 7:48 pm #1341217

Jeff Jackson
Member

@just_jeff
Locale: Colorado's Front Range

If you have insulation between you and a vapor barrier like mylar, the insulation will likely get wet from perspiration.

Pads generally have a higher R-value per thickness than underquilts, so you might get to 30F with 1″ of CCF pad, whereas you’ll need 2″ of uncompressed down under you for the same temp. But the down will compress much smaller in your pack and cover much more area of the hammock than a pad will. If you use a pad in a hammock, you’ll need to consider how the pad wraps around your hips and shoulders…use a SPE or something. Keeping a pad will enable you to go to ground if you want to, as well.

Heat rises, but most hammock users report being colder on bottom than on top, due mostly to convection (wind blowing under you). I’ve been sweating on top and freezing on bottom before. So I’d use the same thickness below. If I had two different thicknesses, I’d choose the thicker one for the bottom. Just me, though.

You might check BGT to see if users have reported a difference in warmth with the SuperShelter when using quilts vs bags inside.

Underquilts can be more succeptible to getting rained on simply because they’re outside the hammock. Using a tarp that provides adequate coverage solves the problem easily, though. I’ve found the stock HH fly too small (other folks don’t have a problem with it). I’m comfortable with the JRB 8×8…it’s plenty big enough for my UL BP Asym and very light for the coverage you get. The MacCat gives better protection on the ends (where I’ve experienced the only problems with wind-blown rain) and more useful area along the sides due to its shape, but weighs just a bit more and you need 4 stakes w/ cords. Both tarps have die-hard fans, and both are quality pieces of gear. MacCat is coming out with a Micro model…I’ll be interested to see how it compares with the JRB.

Lots of rambling…hope it helps!

Jeff

Sep 17, 2005 at 3:01 pm #1341740

Anonymous
Guest

Carol, or others with similar experience, were you warm at 40 degrees with just the shirt, vest, and rain jacket (and hat)? Or did you have to retreat into the bivy for total comfort?

Thanks,
-G$

Sep 25, 2005 at 12:16 pm #1341996

Louis Vest
Member

@louvest

I experimented with space blankets both inside and outside the Hennesy hammock. Condensation was a problem and it didn’t help keep me warm. What worked was a 25×72 closed cell foam ground pad that I cut down to 36″ long. I just put it inside the hammock under me. The 25″ width was enough that it curled up around me and I didn’t have to worry about slipping off. I tried a narrower Thermorest self inflating pad and couldn’t keep it under me. I’m 6’5″/230lb, so a smaller person might have better luck. My legs didn’t get cold, my feet were in the pocket of the foot of the sleeping bag. The bag was unzipped over me. This was around 40 degrees F. Another advantage to the CCF ground pad was that it could be used on the ground (surprise) if there were no trees around for hanging the hammock.

Sep 25, 2005 at 3:53 pm #1342004

Douglas Frick
BPL Member

@otter
Locale: Wyoming

I suffered through a few nights in the high 20’s (F) with a space blanket and a borrowed tent footprint. Not much better than nothing, and I ended up sleeping on top of all of my clothes and jacket. Condensation was also hideous.

Next round of testing was with various single-layer insulating pads in the 30’s (F): generic closed cell full-length pad, 3/4 length Z-Rest, Gossamer Gear ThinLight 1/8″ Evazote pad. No single pad kept me warm enough by itself.

Further testing with pairs of the above (lightest was the GG ThinLight with a torso-length Z-Rest) yielded satisfactory performance in the 30’s (F). I’m waiting on a BMW TorsoLite to try with the GG ThinLight, and I’m going to try the new GG 3/8″ ThinLight soon.

Ultimately, I’m hoping to come up with a 3-season pad-based insulation system for the Hennessy Hammock (sufficiently warm in 20’s (F) weather) without having to involve an external bag. Still more testing to go…

Sep 25, 2005 at 5:29 pm #1342007

Todd Homchick
Member

@upricon
Locale: San Gabriel Mountains

I have made a down underquilt which was custom fitted to my body while laying inside the hammock. It has the shape of a canoe. I have taken it down to about 20 degrees and have been really warm. With it under me and another quilt over me I am so warm and comfortable. This system has none of the restrictive feeling of a mummy bag. While lying in my hammock I feel like I am being cradled in my Mothers arms, all warm and cozy. The quilt weighs about 20 ozs. It has extra down in it to keep the feathers from migrating down to the underside of the hammock. My total sleeping system weighs about 5lbs. including hammock, underquilt and sleeping quilt. That may be a bit heavier then some systems but it is still pretty light and I can say with all honesty that I sleep better in my hammock when out in the backcountry then I do at home in my own bed.

Sep 26, 2005 at 4:51 am #1342017

john Tier
Spectator

@peter_pan
Locale: Co-Owner Jacks 'R' Better, LLC, VA

Lots of information on under quilts and other hammock insulation options at http://www.whiteblaze.net…several years worth of discussions and growth of concepts/approaches.

Oct 2, 2005 at 7:48 pm #1342325

Tim (Slowhike) Garner
BPL Member

@slowhike
Locale: South East U.S.

take a look at the speer “segmented pad extender” (SPE)on the speer site; speerhammocks.com a lot of folks have been well pleased w/ it. also you can find plenty more hammock talk at [email protected] carol… i have a couple questions about your gear list. you mentioned the photon w/ mini alligator clip. did it come that way or did you attach it? if you did, what did you use? also, you mentioned the red cap on your lil nipper w/(lip trimed for leak proof seal). could you elaborate on that? i have the red cap i got from BPL & it does leak a little. or at least when closing the spout after use. it always deposits a small amount of fule on my fingers. thanks…slowhike

Nov 27, 2005 at 8:10 pm #1346027

Carol Crooker
BPL Member

@cmcrooker
Locale: Desert Southwest, USA

HI Tim,
I trimmed a bit from the bottom edge of the red BMW cap and it doesn’t leak out the bottom when screwed onto a Platy Lil Nipper.
It’s just a tiny alligator clip attached to the Photon by unscrewing one of the four screws, threading the screw through the alligator clip, and screwing it back into the housing.

Oct 26, 2007 at 5:19 pm #1406783

Steve Skinner
BPL Member

@skskinner
Locale: mid west

I have a new HH coming with the winter package, the torso and kidney pads. I am now wondering about the in-between cold like 30 to 40 F. Would a bivy like the eVent unishelter be of any use in the hammock? What is the answer to the sleeping bag/quilt question? Thanks for your help and thanks for a great forum on the subject. Steve
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