Richard RathePitching in the Cold ( #HammockCamping )
One advantage of sleeping in a #hammock is it can be very cool in hotter weather. The flip side is it gets cold fast as the temperature drops. This is a big topic so I will just summarize the highlights here:
#SleepingBags give little protection from the cold when compressed by your body weight. This is why you need an insulating #pad when sleeping on the ground. Using a pad in a hammock is possible, but it can be very tricky. I've never gotten it to work myself.
Putting on More Clothing can help. I like to wear a #fleece to bed (since it doesn't compress as much).
I had many cold nights before I invested in a simple #Underquilt. It is basically a blanket shaped like a taco. 😉 The goal is to suspend it under the hammock but not put much weight on it.
Since the part of the sleeping bag that you lie on adds very little, many serious hammock campers use an #Overquilt. These look like mummy-style sleeping bags with the opening in the back! You don't need much of a back if you are using a corresponding underquilt. This also makes them easier to get into! Overquilts generally have a collar that can be closed around your neck, but they do not have hoods, so wear a hat if your head gets cold easily!
If your fly is large enough, you can cut down on exposure to cold winds by wrapping the windward side under the hammock to make a sort of cocoon. This is very easy with a standard diamond-shaped fly.
https://mdpaths.com/rrr/camping/hammocks/hammock_guide/index.html
Montag