Winter hike.

[LostOutrider]

I'm gearing up for a cold hike this time. 40+ miles on the Buffalo River Trail (and assorted offshoots and such). The weather is going to be between 20 and 40 degrees with some snow, some showers. About the only thing that'll call off the hike is freezing rain - so we're all watching the weather.

The plan is to start on the 28th and come off the trail on the 31st. I've had a couple of backpacking threads before, with an eye toward dealing with different weather conditions. If there's interest, I'll break down the gear for a wet winter hike.

I do have an early Christmas present to use this time: a Clark North American jungle hammock.

[Stargazer]

Sounds like a fun trip.Stay safe and take lots of pics for those who cant go.

[crashdive123]

Enjoy the trip. Hammock in winter? Brave man! Stay safe, and pictures - don't forget the pictures.

[Mertell]

Sure would like to see that hammock in use....

[LostOutrider]

Yeah, me too. I am a die-hard trail hanger. I've managed to convert one of the guys I hike with, but the two going with me next week are bringing in a tent, ground cloth, ground pads, etc. While they're shuffling around muffling farts at each other, cramped in that tent, I'm going to be gently swaying to sleep.

I'll have the NA hammock, a 0-degree mummy bag, and a fleece blanket.

I fully intend to stay dry and warm, even when the snowy rain is falling. That is the fun of the challenge. Warm will be the easiest, but I've got a Simms Watershed jacket that I use fly fishing that is a lightweight, hooded, gore tex shell layer.

I tend to go extremely cheap on most of my backpacking goods - buying used, making it myself, going with mil surplus, etc. There are three things, though, that I saved my pennies and splurged on: the hammock, my boots, and that jacket. If you can't sleep well, your feet hurt, and you're sopping wet - then nothing about backpacking stays fun for long. You take care of those three things, though, and you're golden.

[finallyME]

What are you using for under insulation in the hammock?

[Rick]

And the bears are forced to unwrap their ice cream treat. So messy.

[Barefoot]

i have slept in a hammock in the winter several times. your feet get cold a lot more than tent/cot camping because of the poor blood flow to your feet due to the incline. also, there is no insulation on your backside which makes a very very big difference.

2 things that really help out are: making the hammock very tight so that the droop is less (feet/head stay more level) and putting a thermarest INSIDE your sleeping bag with you.

without these 2 things, my 0degree bag keeps me warm enough but not comfortable in 30 or less weather.

i have hammock camped in 15 degree weather before. not the most comfortable night but doable.

enjoy

[finallyME]

You can take hammocks really low, below freezing, if you have the right gear. I know a few Canadians that sleep in the winter in hammocks, although they do have their limits. The main concern is insulation underneath. But, if you have to string your hammock tight for better blood flow to the feet, you either have the wrong hammock, or you don't know how to sleep in it properly. Most high end hammocks (and a lot of cheap DIY hammocks) allow you to sleep flat, without stringing tight. For insulation, there are several schools of thought. You can just put a pad under you, and between the hammock. A simple ccf pad is good to a little below 20F. You can also have an underquilt. Or you can use a peapod. Or you can have a built in underquilt, or built in slot for your ccf so it isn't between you and the hammock. You can also combine any of the above. Also, you can hang low and pile insulation (like leaves) between you and the ground.

[LostOutrider]

The Clark North American is supposed to be a 4-season hammock.

http://www.junglehammock.com/store/p...age=1&featured

I'll let you know how true it is. Essentially, this hammock is made with large pockets to hold air along the sides and bottom - and it has a rainfly that wraps around the whole thing to create another windbreak air pocket. Inside the hammock, I'll be in a 0-degree mummy bag and sleeping in two layers: thermal underwear + fleece layer. I also have a fleece blanket, but I usually end up with that balled under my head as a pillow.

[finallyME]

Well, it says it doesn't need a pad. If I were you, I would bring a ccf pad anyways. Then try and not use it. If you don't need it, great, if you do, you have it. Plus ccf pads are very light, and come in handy if you have to sleep on the ground for some unseen reason. Tell us how it turns out.

[tipacanoe]

I would think that a few packages of disposable heat packs would help make sleeping easier.

[tacmedic]

LostOutrider- How much does your hammock weigh?

[LostOutrider]

2lbs, 5 oz.

We're off the trail. Weather came in and we decided to keep it short - 26 miles - so that we could come off today before it got slick and snowy.

That hammock is worth every stinking penny. The first night was about 16 degrees outside, clear sky and terrible windy. I set it up as per the instructions and extended the rain fly - spread out my polar fleece blanket under my 0-degree mummy bag. Zipped up all snug wearing two layers on my legs, three on my torso. My toes were cold from sitting outside cooking, so I stuck a 10-hour handwarmer in each sock and went straight to sleep. Woke up once around midnight to a coyote chorus. Frost had formed on the outside of the hammock, but inside the noseeum netting was misted from my breathing.

Second night was in the high 20's with rain turning to snow. We were camped up on a knob, but the wind wasn't nearly as bad and we were able to build a fire. Instead of extending the rain fly out, I used the velcro to close it around my hammock. I woke up sweating and had to take off my outer layer and sock hat.

There are definite "cold spots" at the peak on both ends where the zipper didn't close completely, but if I sealed the rain fly then it wasn't as noticeable.

I'll talk more about body temperature regulation in another post. Right now, I'm being welcomed by two boys who missed their daddy these past three days.

[crashdive123]

Sounds like a good trip.

[Rick]

Good for you. I'm glad you're back safe and sound.

[LostOutrider]

I'm setting up a photobucket acct now to share some of the pictures. My camera ran out of juice mid-hike, but my friend will upload his in a few days and you can see some more shots.

Here is part of the trail:
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

And here is a triple waterfall:
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

I feel I should apologize for the size, but they just beg not to be sized any smaller. The water down below on the first one is the Buffalo River.

[smittysurvival]

im all for the hikes but im not much for the three day stuff. maybe a two day. sounds real nice. but your looking a bit close to the edge in that first pic buddy. looks kinda icey

[crashdive123]

Looks great LO. Thanks for letting us have a look.

[LostOutrider]

So let's talk about cold weather hiking. You bug-outers and the few non-greatwhitenortherners we have on this forum might pick up a few things. I sure did.

This was my first winter hike. I've hiked in all the other seasons, but always seemed to travel to see family during any winter off-days. The original plan was ~40 miles spread out over four days (two half and two full). A call to an outfitter on the Buffalo River led us to believe that enough freezing precip would fall tonight that we scaled back the hike to two nights, three days (one full, two half).

I overdressed. Plain and simple. I was not prepared for the amount of heat my body would give off. Started out with three layers: thermal, fleece, and windbreaker. Fleece neck gaiter, wool cap, polyester 'stretch' gloves. Two pair socks: liner and basic wool hiking socks. Gortex hightop hiking boots.

Before the first mile was behind us, I had zipped the legs off of my outer layer, stowed the Simms Watershed jacket in the pack, pushed my sleeves up to my elbows, and pulled off the gaiter. A 180 lb man carrying a 35 lb pack over moderate terrain going about 2 mph burns approx 1000 cal/hour. I'm 175, had a 45 lb pack, and the BRT isn't what I'd call moderate. I don't think it ever got above freezing. I was carrying water in 1 qt gatorade bottles in an insulated canteen pouch and it was trying to freeze up on me. As long as you kept moving, though, you stayed hot. Not warm, hot. We'd stop long enough to scarf down a Snickers bar or some jerky and let the sweat dry before humping it up again.

I tend not to lose weight on the trail since I intentionally scarf down as much high-fat, high-sugar food as I can. Hey, when else can you eat crap like that without guilt? I lost about 4 lbs, though, and I was constantly shoving food in my mouth. Feeding the furnace.

While I didn't eat all the food I packed, I did end up wishing I'd packed different food for the cold hiking. I needed more quick-burn energy than I expected. Drinking near-frozen, icy water meant that my body had to expend even more calories to process it. Same with the cold candy bars and energy bars. Funky as it may seem, it helped to shove the next rest stop's snack under the shirt or in the first layer to let the body heat melt it.

The only time I was glad for the extra clothing was when we stopped for camp. We all try to leave as little trace as possible, so all cooking is done with fuel-pellet stoves. No fire the first night because, especially on established trails, you just don't make new fire rings. Clutters up the place. Soon as you drop that pack, better bundle up tight.

(more in a bit - time to read a book to the boys)