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Cold camp trip!!!

J

jmjkd

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I just came back from a very cold camp out, single digit and teens. 30 miles from Canada. 3 guys went 2- made it, One guy hade to retreat.. We used the camp set up mentioned in an earlier “How to set up camp” thread. Don’t want to bore you with the vid so here is a recap.
Hybrid shelters, half modern, half primitive, with a hammock to sleep.

Everyone had their own 25x25ft camp area. Everyone was responsible for their own, shelter, fire, wood, kitchen, water, food, work station and latrine.. It was individual isolation with a safety net.

Lots of lessons learned by all.
 
On the bright side, no ticks or mosquitoes?

I've been tempted to add a "tent hammock" to my camping supplies, has anybody tried these?
 
Kevin_NH said:
On the bright side, no ticks or mosquitoes?

I've been tempted to add a "tent hammock" to my camping supplies, has anybody tried these?
Click to expand...

There is a whole forum dedicated to those things. Never tried one myself but they do seem neat.
 
Sleep systems, the guy who left had a hammock, 2- wool blankets and a 3-season sleeping bag, it was just to cold and showing signs of hypothermia, so the smart thing was to go. The guy who stayed had a hammock. 1- wool blanket and a recon 5 bag. He to was cold. I had a hammock and 1- wool blanket.

Big problems for both guys.
1. They spent way to much time procrastinating looking for Gods perfect site. ( Only in camp grounds). They lost valuable daylight pussyfooting around. .
2. Spent way too much time making a shelter. But both guys did a good job.
3. Inability to process mass amounts of wood in short time to last through out the night..
4. Trouble identifying the right combination of wood to burn long and hot through the night.. Neither guy could sustain a strong fire.

My mistake was under estimating the amount of heat I lost under the U of my hammock. Next time I will make a hardy natural insulation bed to trap all that cold air seeping into my back. Not good.
 
Kevin_NH said:
I've been tempted to add a "tent hammock" to my camping supplies, has anybody tried these?
Click to expand...

I love mine - brought the enjoyment of sleeping outdoors back again. No more searching for that perfect flat spot. No more sleeping on rocks or roots. No ore "sore spots" developing in the shoulders and hips.

RB101 said:
Kind of a PITA to set up IMO, unless you do it on the regular. Neat and compact though.
Click to expand...

What do you find so difficult about setting up a hammock?

All I need to do is tie the hammock between two trees. I may want to stake out the rain fly, but its not necessary.

HennessyHammock.jpg
 
with the tree straps and carabiner it is extremely simple to set up the hammock, remind me next time we meet and I'll show you my set up
 
Andy in NH said:
I love mine - brought the enjoyment of sleeping outdoors back again. No more searching for that perfect flat spot. No more sleeping on rocks or roots. No ore "sore spots" developing in the shoulders and hips.



What do you find so difficult about setting up a hammock?

All I need to do is tie the hammock between two trees. I may want to stake out the rain fly, but its not necessary.

HennessyHammock.jpg
Click to expand...

No where near this extreme but my brother and I stayed at monadnock with almost the same set up this weekend, had some light snow friday night into saturday - zero degree bags and a little fire, temps down to high 20's low 30's all was fine.
 
Andy in NH said:
What do you find so difficult about setting up a hammock?

All I need to do is tie the hammock between two trees. I may want to stake out the rain fly, but its not necessary.
Click to expand...

Well, maybe it's just me then. Let me preface this by saying I was given a gently used one that was a jumble of knots and fabric when it was gifted to me. I don't camp every weekend. I'm a recreational guy, a few times through the spring, summer, and fall seasons. The first time out with it, it took me 45 min to get it set up.
Have you ever watched this guys instructional videos? I thought it was like a science project Try to do that from memory in the woods...1 meter apart, start at eye level to hang it, i had to readjust that after getting it all set up, my fat ass was sagging on the ground, figure 8 knots, half hitches, rainfly "do-hickey's" as he calls them, fly tension knots, sliding knots.
Opinions vary. I had an easier time with a ground pup tent...
 
jmjkd said:
Sleep systems, the guy who left had a hammock, 2- wool blankets and a 3-season sleeping bag, it was just to cold and showing signs of hypothermia, so the smart thing was to go. The guy who stayed had a hammock. 1- wool blanket and a recon 5 bag. He to was cold. I had a hammock and 1- wool blanket.

Big problems for both guys.
1. They spent way to much time procrastinating looking for Gods perfect site. ( Only in camp grounds). They lost valuable daylight pussyfooting around. .
2. Spent way too much time making a shelter. But both guys did a good job.
3. Inability to process mass amounts of wood in short time to last through out the night..
4. Trouble identifying the right combination of wood to burn long and hot through the night.. Neither guy could sustain a strong fire.

My mistake was under estimating the amount of heat I lost under the U of my hammock. Next time I will make a hardy natural insulation bed to trap all that cold air seeping into my back. Not good.
Click to expand...


What type of trip are you doing, if you don't mind me asking? I guess what I am curious about is the sort of gear you use. The reason I ask is because that sounds pretty bad for weather in the teens. Without much wind, that shouldn't be bad at all with the right gear. I've done more than one trip where it was about that cold and with a 4 season tent, 4 season bag, the right clothes, stove, ground pad,and equipment, its not too bad at all.

I can't imagine why anyone would be packing wool blankets and hammocks and what not unless there was a speciffic theme to your trip that I am unaware of. Is it that you are going for a primitive type of scenario? If so, have you ever done this with modern equipment and how does it compare?
 
SteelShooter said:
.... I stayed at monadnock with almost the same set up this weekend, had some light snow friday night into saturday - zero degree bags ...
Click to expand...

How do you manage getting in the hammock with a bag?

Do you get in the bag and them squirm into the hammock?

Or get into the hammock and then wrestle yourself into the bag.

I've tried it both ways and neither method seems ideal, but I'm not sure there are many other ways to do it. I just have a hard time getting the bag positioned correctly in the hammock. Lots of squirming and shifting is needed to keep the material from bunching up in any one area.

Add trying to position a full-length ground pad correctly inside the hammock with a bag and things begin to look like a madman dancing in a straight jacket!

Normally I just use a light bag (or a USGI poncho liner) as a blanket, but this limits me to "hanging out" during the more temperate times of the year.
 
I love my Hennessy hammock..... Very comfortable but have found it much colder in the winter than a tent with a good ground pad..... Mine has the cold weather stuff (thin insulation pad below and survival blanket) but still has proven colder than my tent..... Also with the cold weather stuff I can't use the snakeskins (which greatly ease the hammock setup) since the combined package is too bulky..... Have tried lots of different configuration (ground pad in hammock, zero degree bag etc) but still find it warmer to tent in the winter....

BTW, my trick with the sleeping bag is to put it in the hammock unzippered, climb in, roll to the side and zipper it up.....

Also one of the best things I've found with the hammock is when it rains hard..... Have been on lots of camping trips (22 years as scoutmaster) where rain was a problem with tents.... Hammock was always dry....
 
Last edited:
What gear these guys should have had is irrelevant. They are hammock guys. ( They like hammocks) They asked me what I would do if I had a hammock and minimal gear. Ok I took a hammock and a wool blanket and went up north. This could be any one of scenarios why you didn’t have much gear.

I made a hybrid using only the resources available and the hammock. . I’m not talking about roaming up or down tree lines looking , I’m saying resources at my fingertips. I could have made a debris hut or a tepee if I wanted to go 100% O’natural . But they wanted to use hammocks too…so I did.

The only difference between their cold night and my warm night was a fire, and they had sleeping bags. In fact I had a coat and did not need to wear it.

Everyone has their own ideas of what gear is better for what task, but IMHO I try not to become gear dependent. I depend on what can’t be broken, stolen or left behind, and that would be my .knowledge and skills. Gear enhances skill, it’s not in lieu of..

The goal was not to bring the appropriate winter gear and camp happily unchallenged, but just the opposite. This was the training they wanted to learn. How to improvise, adapt, and overcome using what they had, not wishing they had something else.
 
Andy in NH said:
How do you manage getting in the hammock with a bag?

Do you get in the bag and them squirm into the hammock?

Or get into the hammock and then wrestle yourself into the bag.

I've tried it both ways and neither method seems ideal, but I'm not sure there are many other ways to do it. I just have a hard time getting the bag positioned correctly in the hammock. Lots of squirming and shifting is needed to keep the material from bunching up in any one area.

Add trying to position a full-length ground pad correctly inside the hammock with a bag and things begin to look like a madman dancing in a straight jacket!

Normally I just use a light bag (or a USGI poncho liner) as a blanket, but this limits me to "hanging out" during the more temperate times of the year.
Click to expand...

My bag has the straps on it to keep the pad from moving, I added a couple of clips (not magazines) to hold it firmly in place as almost a single unit. I then tie the straps and pad to the hammock through some eyelets I installed and unzip the bag the whole way to get in, then using my superior abs, bend down (I like a lot of flex in the hammock) and zip myself in, very little shuffling around after a few practice runs in my back yard.
 
I disagree my friend. Not “wishing” they had something else. But actually improvising to achieve something else to complete the task.. There is a big difference. You can’t just runaway, you have to make it work. And that is part of the training, to stay calm, identify the problem and work through it. Isn’t that what we try to do in everyday life?
Or do you just quit and get medivaced out of life?

Why would the Marine Corps emphasize in training the ability to improvise, adapt, and overcome? Unless they had an inclination something might go wrong.

Why did I go with them with very little gear? Because I just didn’t know better? No because I have been faced with that problem before and new how to fix it. And to prove it I brought very little gear. Now if these guys were ever face with that situation again they will be better prepared and take calm, immediate action and have the confidence needed because they have faced it before.
It was a good camp trip.
 
Andy in NH said:
How do you manage getting in the hammock with a bag?
Click to expand...

We have a Hennessy for each family member. Velcro bottom entrance. Step into sleeping bag while standing in Velcro opening, pull it up, sit down, lift feet, done. The Velcro snaps shut when you get it all by itself. To get out, reverse procedure.

If you inherited a Hennessy and it doesn't have snake skins, buy a pair. It will prevent entanglement and makes setup/takedown possible in less then two minutes.

Also you should get the reflective pad from Hennessy if youre going to camp cold weather. It eliminates cold back. They're super light. If anyone wants to try mine out PM me.
 
xtry51 said:
Also you should get the reflective pad from Hennessy if youre going to camp cold weather. It eliminates cold back. They're super light. If anyone wants to try mine out PM me.
Click to expand...

understanding there are warm and cold sleepers...
in your experience, to what low temp would you rate the reflective pad?
 
xtry51 said:
Step into sleeping bag while standing in Velcro opening, pull it up, sit down, lift feet, done.
Click to expand...

I've tried it that way with mixed results. I tend to step too far into the bag (cramping my feet), or not stepping in far enough (squishing my head and shoulders).

Thanks for the info - I'll just keep giving it a try.
 
May I suggest that next time you look at a Sawvivor and an Ontario knives RTAK-2. The Sawvivor will cut logs all day long and the RTAK can be uses to baton them into usable firewood. Its a great combo. The knife is a little heavy but i consider it good productive weight.
 
I sleep with a 20F synthetic bag and a .mil goretex outer shell with the pad in an explorer deluxe asym. I would say 10-15F wih no fire or hybrid shelter with 5mph or less wind.

Wind is the real killer in a hammock and if it's windy you need to have a sheltered spot or build a wind break with branches and leaves or pine boughs. Fire is great, but I'm not a fan of getting in and out all night long. It tends to make me colder than if I just stock it before I sleep and stay in for the night.

Where I am in CT it's rare to see nights under 10F so I don't get chances to use it in super cold weather. Next winter I'd really like to go out on a cold night up in NH.

ETA: I like the hammock because it along with the pad fit with everything else in my 72hr Condor pack. Yes I'm a multicam whore [smile]

http://www.desertdeucesurplus.com/servlet/the-775/Condor-3-Day-Assault/Detail
 
Last edited:
xtry51 said:
I sleep with a 20F synthetic bag and a .mil goretex outer shell with the pad in an explorer deluxe asym. I would say 10-15F wih no fire or hybrid shelter with 5mph or less wind.

Wind is the real killer in a hammock and if it's windy you need to have a sheltered spot or build a wind break with branches and leaves or pine boughs. Fire is great, but I'm not a fan of getting in and out all night long. It tends to make me colder than if I just stock it before I sleep and stay in for the night.

Where I am in CT it's rare to see nights under 10F so I don't get chances to use it in super cold weather. Next winter I'd really like to go out on a cold night up in NH.

ETA: I like the hammock because it along with the pad fit with everything else in my 72hr Condor pack. Yes I'm a multicam whore [smile]

http://www.desertdeucesurplus.com/servlet/the-775/Condor-3-Day-Assault/Detail
Click to expand...

Yea wind sucks in the hammock, I've made some guy wire attachments to keep from swinging around in the high winds and made an extended rain fly that will go to the ground as a wind block, haven't tried it yet though.
 

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