Hey folks,

So I'm strongly considering making the switch to a hammock for the trip this year. My buddy has used one for the last 5 years and swears by it and I've read enough here to know I'll be glad to make the switch. However, I want to do it without spending a ton of money off the bat. We will be there in mid-August so I'm not planning on investing in an under quilt just yet, but I heard I will still need some form of insulation or I will likely be in for a cold bottom, which will mean sleepless nights.

I already have an Exped Downmat 7 DLX and a Thermarest Prolite 4 so I'm hoping to repurpose one of those unless it's more hassle than its worth. So, would either or both of those work and which would be best? I'll be using my Marmot Helium sleeping bag which will keep me plenty warm on top. Just not sure what it will do for me on the bottom. If my bag will be enough that would be amazing. But worst case I hope I can just repurpose something I already have.

Thanks!

And of course, in my excitement I completely missed the post right below this on the same topic. Ugh. Sorry about that.

you could re-purpose an old sleeping bag or get a cheap one and fasten some sort of velcro or something like that. Lots of info on DIY hammock stuff on hammock forums as well. Cold butt syndrome sucks, even in warmer months it does not take much for the backside to get cold.
hammock forums

My $.02 is to spend money on whoppie slings. Makes set up so simple.

First, despite what I'm about to say... Do it. Make the switch and you'll be glad you did.

Expect to spend more than you want. Some people love the pads in the hammock, and it will do the job, but most people don't like it. DIY stuff can be cheap. It didn't work out for me because A, I have yet to see another camping hammock Set up so I can see what the stuff looks like and how to use it properly. Second, no suitible place to hang at home so very limited testing opportunities to get things right.

I did a lot of sewing and have more shock chord than I will use in a lifetime. And in the end I ended up buying products made for my model hammock by people that knew what they were doing. Well worth it.

I have a Blackbird and have been using a 1/8 closed cell foam pad under me in Sept. This setup would be fine for you in Aug. It got down below freezing one night in 2012 and I doubled the pad in half for my torso and used my crazy creek canoe seat under my legs. Lots of clothes and hat and gloves and I was fine.

My point is that closed cell foam can be cheap and versatile and good to go down to 40 degrees. Just gotta be creative if it goes into the 30's. My pad is full length and 40 inches wide so I trimmed it narrower for my legs. Being pliable and wide around the shoulders it doesn't slip under me.

I think you should invest in a good quality hammock to begin with then upgrade your parts (tarp, underquilt) as you can. You can't go wrong with Warbonnet products.

I use a grand trunk skeeter beater pro, and I love it. Got it on amazon for around 60 bucks. I didn't want to spend a lot until I knew if I was going to like it. It came with everything needed to hang, I bought tree straps for it just to have a little more choice in where I hang. I'm one who loves sleeping with a pad. I have a thermarest 1.5" self inflating pad, and I have no troubles with it staying in place, and I've never had a cold backside. I have never been out when the temps are below freezing, so I don't know if I would need an underquilt for that. One thing I know for sure is I will never go back to sleeping on the ground.

I use a close cell pad also, what I did do tho, was have someone sew another thin liner under my hammock so that the pad can slide in side of it. When I use to try and sleep with the pad in my hammock, all it did was slip - slide & fall out of my hammock. I use my hammock until it gets down to the mid 30's with the close cell pad

Thanks for all the responses. I'm leaning toward getting a Hennessey Explorer Deluxe zip but got tons of time between now and August to figure it out. Regarding the under insulation, I'll probably go with he Exped but just inflated 50% or so. Again, lots of time until August so I'm sure I'll change my mind every couple days until the week before the trip. Ha.

You can get an Arrowhead Potomac quilt for not much more then an Exped pad. . .and be WAY warmer. The plus of the underquilt is it comes up around both sides of the hammock. In a Hennessy you sleep at the 2 pm to 8 pm position which makes a sleeping pad hard to use. We have Hennessy's, Clarkes, and Grand Trunk hammocks. The Henessys are the most comfortable. The Clarkes are the most expensive, better made, but heavier.

I have two Hennessy explorer deluxe hammocks. One side entry one bottom entry. I bought down underquilts for both from Jacks R Better. I bought the Henessy hamoocks during their fall clearance, and the underquilts during Jacks sale. Less then $350 in the entire set up.

quote brotherbob1958: "I use a close cell pad also, what I did do tho, was have someone sew another thin liner under my hammock so that the pad can slide in side of it. When I use to try and sleep with the pad in my hammock, all it did was slip - slide & fall out of my hammock. I use my hammock until it gets down to the mid 30's with the close cell pad"

A feature I really like on the Warbonnet blackbird is that it comes with this extra sleeve already built in for use with a pad.

Blackbird

TomT - One must order the double layer for the pad pocket. I did and am very happy I did so.

I forgot I actually have this:

Sea to Summit liner

If I used this inside my 20 degree Helium and actually zipped into my bag vs using as a quilt, would it keep me warm or am I still in for a cold bottom? I'm really just trying to leave the pad behind if I can. Not the end of the world to bring one along.

After digging some more, I'm looking closely at the Blackbird XLC 1.7 double so the built in sleeve will be nice in the seemingly likely event I will need a pad. Those that use it for that purpose, do you need to secure the pad with some form of clip to keep it in place? The sleeve looked pretty voluminous from what I've seen online.