Blanket(s) or sleeping bag ?

[budgetbus]

The last thing for me to get is a "sleep system"

I dont really get on with sleeping bags, but my issue is will a military wool blanket or blankets be enough in my hammock under tarp ? given that one is needed under neath your body generally.

Yes i know i could live under a fern, but i like not being too cold that i cant sleep. So are the wool blankets as good as people say ?

Thanks

 

[durulz]

I go with a sleeping bag but use it like a blanket/duvet.

 

[Wild Thing]

If you don't get along with sleeping bag's try the Dutch issue wool blankets.

They aren't cheap, but they are larger and thicker than the British blankets, and if memory serves correct are made out of better quality, or a higher percentage of wool in the blanket.

Link here for reference http://www.endicotts.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=1872

Regards

Phill

 

[Neumo]

Go with a hammock underblanket & hammock duvet combination, as long as it is not seriously cold. The underblankets from a gent called unsponsored in the makers section are good; Snugpack do a hammock quilt/duvet & their underblanket may be worth a look as well. That way you get all the warmth without a sleeping bag; if you go for a bag remember to get a center zip one, which is much easier to use in a hammock.

 

[Shewie]

Wool blankets work okay in a hammock, they do provide some insulation from underneath but they do slide about quite a bit. Sleeping bags once compressed don't provide enough insulation underneath, synthetics work slightly better than down but you still need something else like a mat or preferably an underblanket of some description.

 

[andy_e]

As Shewie says, wool works ok in a hammock. If you have a double-layered hammock, you can fold the blanket and put it between the two layers. A Dutch army blanket should be big enough to stay in place all night.

I have used just the wool blanket in a hammock on its own in summer down at the Moot and also doubled as an under-layer up here in Scotland from late-Spring to late-Summer and had a comfortable nights sleep. The main problem is always insulation underneath you, so I think if you combined the blanket with a foam sleeping mat or thermarest-type mat you'd be fine in Spring to Autumn temps.

Underblankets are the warmest all-year option I've found though.

 

[pteron]

Love my underblanket, used it at the moot with a sleeping bag but had to keep the bag unzipped to avoid being cooked.

I fancy a quilt tho - any ideas for suppliers?

 

[Ray Britton]

Purely out of curiosity, what is is you do not like about sleeping bags?

I am not trying to get you to use one, and would not try to advise against using a hammock either.........Despite having no idea why they are so popular in 'bush craft' circles for non jungle/ship use

 

[pteron]

For me, the sleeping bag has more bulk and restriction of movement than i want. With the underblanket, I don't need any sleeping bag under me. I also like to stretch out

 

[Shewie]

I fancy a quilt tho - any ideas for suppliers?

If you can stomach the import duties I'd say shop over the pond.

I've used these guys in the past and have alway had good service ...
www.arrowheadequipment.webs.com
www.jacksrbetter.com
www.warbonnetoutdoors.net

Have a look on www.hammockforums.net for plenty of others though

 

[pteron]

Thanks Rich, I'll check them out.

 

[budgetbus]

Purely out of curiosity, what is is you do not like about sleeping bags?

I am not trying to get you to use one, and would not try to advise against using a hammock either.........Despite having no idea why they are so popular in 'bush craft' circles for non jungle/ship use

Its the restriction of movement for me...makes me real fidgety...when out in my camper i use a double sleeping bag just for the extra room.

 

[Ray Britton]

pteron

Thanks for the reply. I can understand that with a mummy or omega bag, but was just wondering how many folks have tried envelope or extra wide bags.

Thanks for the info anyway.

Thanks budgetbus too. As per my first post, I am not trying to change your mind, but was thinking more in terms of the wide bags that are now available. I was looking at one the other day about 120cm wide.

Again, thanks for your reply

 

[Tengu]

I hate them too, and will sleep in my highlander bag under sufferance

But Im so better off without

 

[crwydryny]

I tend to go with blankets, prefrably a large but thin one that you can double up and still wrap around youit allows you to fold it up underneath with one layer over you when sleeping on the ground for insulation and padding reasons, but also can be doubled up for cold nights, obviously on cold nights you'll need a thicker blanket or a sleeping bag but for milder climates it does offer a wide range of set ups depending on you're prefrences.

the best blanket I've ever used was a goat fleece type, it was extreamly toasty but unfortunatly I left it in my gran's cabbin which she sold years ago.
when I do use sleeping bag I tend to leave it unzipped and use is much like a blanket

 

[Ray Britton]

crwydrny

Can I just ask at what kind of temperatures do you use a sleeping bag?
Oddly enough, I have just been having a conversation with someone about German troops in WW2, and how at cold temperatures, their woolen blankets were in no way adequate (the same obviously applied to all troops, not just German ones), and many died of the cold, despite being tightly wrapped in their blankets. So, what kind of temps are you leaving a sleeping bag unzipped? you may be a 'hot' sleeper, so I wont make any assumptions that you are referring to temps above freezing.

 

[budgetbus]

The eastern front was cold though

 

[Ray Britton]

That is very true (and prompted literally hundreds of suicides, to escape the cold, with some troops even sitting in ammo boxes while being strafed, in an attempt to let the other side kill them, as they could not do it themsleves), but I was talking of general cold, not just eastern Europe.

 

[John Fenna]

I have found that using a down filled airbed under me in a hammock or on the ground reduces the need for a thick upper insulating layer and I have used a tropical weight sleeping bag, unzipped, or a single wool blanket....and been too warm during a Welsh summer!
Insulation below you is critical in keeping warm!

 

[Mr Adoby]

I use a underblanket and a unzipped cheap spring-summer-autumn sleeping bag as a cover. I stick my feet in the bottom, and pull the rest over me. Very nice and not any more restrictive due to the sleeping bag. When this pic was taken it had been -8 celsius during the night, and I was warm and cosy and slept 9 hours straight.