SLEEP SYSTEM TEST#1

11.15.2024

This post is unlisted, but it and other experiments on alternate systems are located at the bottom of the “SHELTER / SLEEP SYSTEM FOR GHB” parent post.

11.15.2004 SLEEP OUT

A predicted low of 35F was on the menu for tonight’s hang, not quite cold enough to qualify as a “2024 FROZEN BUTT CHALLENGE” entry (hoping to get < 32F for those) so I thought I would try going lighter on insulation to see what to expect performance wise in the 35-40F zone.

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THE SETUP

1. Hammock Setup (8.72 lbs)

   1. SLD Voyaguer Hammock

   2. 10x10 Rain Tarp

   3. Ground Cloth

   4. COSTCO 80% Down Quilt “top quilt”

   5. ALICE WP bag for “foot box”

   6. Swagman Roll as “Under quilt”

THE RESULTS

The temps did not behave like normal last night. It got colder in the middle of the night then warmer before 0600, usually the coldest temps are at 0600-0700 in the daily cycle but a little wind made a difference.

When I crawled into the hammock at 20:56 it was showing 40F on my phone, meaning the airport was reading 40F not my AO but it’s usually within four degrees so good enough as I go by my local weather station’s temp in the morning to establish the lowest overnight temps.

The setup was nice and warm and I was amazed at how well the top quilt was my holding body heat in. It felt like it did a better job than my 0F bag had last hang, down is amazing, even cheap down! The under quilt (Swagman Roll) was sufficient but not as warm as the top by any means.

The hammock itself was very comfortable and I attribute most of that to the 12ft length verses the 9ft of my previous hammock. If you are over 6ft, you should look into an 11/12ft hang, it makes a difference.

I woke at 22:59 and the phone said it was 39F so no change really, but my legs and butt were just cold enough that I knew I was in for short naps if it got colder.

When I woke again an hour later at 23:59 the phone showed 38F but it felt much colder to me and I knew it would be a night of hour long naps at the present comfort level so I called it a night and headed into the nice warm bed waiting for me.

Taken at the same time. Airport temp verses calibrated home weather station.

You can see by my home weather station that the temps indeed were a lot lower than at the airport so considering I was not terribly uncomfortable at a “feels like” 28F…

I think the system did very well and could be used down to freezing and farther with another layer on the UQ side.

I’m pretty sure if I had added my poncho over the Swagman Roll UQ, it would have handled the chill and I could have slept through the night.

Another option, but one that adds weight/bulk to the ruck is to use my modified GI Woobie as a second UQ. I only consider this as it gives me a lighter option as a TQ in warmer weather than the COSTCO Down Quilt.

I will be looking into a quick way to attach the poncho to the Swagman (I believe it can just snap into it) but if not, I will devise a way to hang it from the hammock or add the Woobie UQ to the ruck. Will see how well the poncho works first before adding gear. The whole point of testing is to find the minimal gear to make it through the temperature range I plan to be in.

OVERALL RATING

1. Rain Protection 5:5

   1. The 10x10 tarp turned on diagonal covers the 12ft hammock completely along with enough room to cover twice what I need for my ruck. Being on diagonal the tarp not only covers everything but allows me to see out in all directions.

2. Warmth 3:5

   1. Before the night came, I was testing the setup in 42F weather and thought a foot box would be a good thing so I put my feet into so I added my larger ALICE WP liner to use as such. The quilt is just a hair short so the WP liner served to keep all covering from coming off the feet and with some of it in the vapor barrier it seemed to work. I did have my wool ACORN slippers on over my normal wool socks also.

3. Comfort 5:5

   1. No better sleep when warm enough to stay asleep.

CONCLUSION

I felt the time was worth it as I now know a little more about how the down quilt works and feel that I’m close with this setup to handling 25-32F temps with comfort.

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EDIT: FOLLOW-UP HANG

I spent the next night in the same setup with the follow changes:

• Added a modified GI Woobie as a second UQ

• Switched the COSTCO Down Quilt for a GoGear Double Puffy (synthetic) as the TQ

The night’s low temp was on 45F instead of 31F like the previous night. It rained all night which kept it warm.

The large tarp kept everything nice and dry. Allows ya to whiz out the end of it without getting into the soaking rain also. ;-)

The synthetic quilt was significantly less warm, I will try packing both instead of a bag and feel I can get to 32F easily with that setup. Someday a formal down TQ or an SLD Synthetic TQ is in my future though. I much prefer this setup over a sleeping bag.

The rain got me thinking about how much suck there would be in setting up in the rain (a likely scenario in the PNW) and how important having a large tarp to setup first and creating a place to put down a bedding system be mattress on the it ground or hammock in the air.

Using a poncho as a shelter is a no-go unless you are wearing a second one or have rain gear on. My Goretex rain suit is ~4lbs, my poncho ~1.8lbs. Hard to argue for the weight and not using the poncho as it’s a very small shelter and everything is going to be soaked under it.

If I was really worried about a “non-permissive” environment, I would go with the rain suit and a poncho and no sleeping system at all, just hang the poncho in a plow config, get out of the rain gear and put on the Swagman Roll and use a candle under it to stay warm.

Because I see the setup I’m developing as one I don’t need to worry about being spotted in (going off the Interstate into a tree grove) I’d prefer luxury, but I will need to re-evaluate the route and see if there is such conditions at the rest interval mileage along the path.

It’s tempting to stick with this method of Swagman Roll and candle and let sleep suffer. I will likely test this method next. The difference in weight will be huge but perhaps the middle ground is not worth the effort and the “Hilton” hammock setup a bit too much.