Chris shares the story of his first winter hammock camp where he woke up shaking from the dreaded hammock freeze and learned why convective cooling robs campers of their warmth. He breaks down the real fixes under quilts, pads, tarp strategy and closes with a reminder that true peace comes from the One who holds us.
At Camp Wut Da Heck, with smoke drifting from the fire and Mississippi kites overhead, Chris dives into a lesson every hammock camper eventually learns. He recalls his first cold night in a hammock when comfort quickly turned to misery and explains the science behind convective cooling how moving air under a hammock strips away body heat once insulation is compressed.
From there, Chris unpacks real-world solutions. Under quilts that hang beneath the hammock to trap warmth, three-season quilts for versatility, and budget options like closed-cell foam pads, inflatable pads, reflective pads, even cheap pool floats for short trips. He explores why tarp pitch and wind direction make or break a night’s sleep, how wool blankets can stand in for under quilts, and why testing setups at home is vital before heading into the backcountry.
This episode also includes practical wrap-up points: always plan for the underside of the hammock, remember that convective cooling is the main enemy, and know that gear like quilts and pads are worth their weight when the temperatures drop. Chris ties it together with Psalm 4:8, reminding listeners that peace isn’t found in a perfect setup but in trusting the One who holds them steady through the night.
To wrap things up, Chris challenges listeners to hang their hammock in the backyard or on the porch, experiment with pads or blankets if they don’t have an under quilt, and pay attention to what works. The Primitive Camping and Bushcraft Podcast is about lessons that keep you ready in the woods while strengthening your faith.
(upbeat music)
Welcome to the Primitive
Camping and Bushcraft Podcast.
I'm your host, Chris Speir.
So here we're gonna talk about gear,
grit and the kind of stories
you only get around a fire.
It's all about learning, adapting
and keeping your faith strong.
So whether you're a seasoned outdoorsman
or just looking to unplug and reconnect,
you're in the right place.
So pull up a chair by the
fire and let's get into it.
(upbeat music)
What I wanted to show
real quick is how to process,
how I process.
What I wanted to show
you real quick is how I,
what I wanted to do is show you.
All right, welcome back
to the Primitive Camping
and Bushcraft Podcast.
I'm here at Camp Wut-Da-Heck Today,
And it's a little warm.
It's cooler today than it has been,
but it's not 9,000 degrees.
It's a little overcast
today, the sun pops in and out.
I got the fire rolling
over here in the fire pit.
You may see some smoke flying in and out
if you're watching the video.
And we're just sitting
here under the shade.
And today, I wanna talk about something
that every hammock
camper learns sooner or later,
a valuable lesson.
(laughs)
Sometimes you learn this
lesson the hard way like I did.
It's not about broken buckles or broken,
what's the word,
carabiners, broken equipment,
or rip tarps or anything of the such.
It's not even about a leaky roof or rain
or anything like that.
It's a cold backside.
(laughs)
It's what I like to
call the hammock freeze.
I have a couple of
Mississippi kites flying around.
You might be able to
hear their little call.
They fly around looking for
dragonflies or large insects.
They look like a hawk and they're very,
very cool looking birds.
But that's neither here nor there.
The first time I went
hammock camping in the wintertime,
I thought I had it made.
I got out there, it was nice.
It was perfect weather.
I slown my hammock up between two trees.
I pitched me a little tarp above it.
Made a nice little
shelter, little A-frame.
I threw my blanket into the hammock.
And it was good to go.
There wasn't gonna be
hardly any mosquitoes.
In the fall, wintertime, the
mosquitoes kind of died down.
So here in South Mississippi,
it's the best time to go camping
because you don't
have as many mosquitoes.
Every once in a while you get some,
but not like it is in
full fledged summer.
This particular
evening was almost perfect.
The fire was burning down to the coals.
Bugs were making the little
orchestra in the background,
it was like a perfect evening.
I stretched out my hammock
and thought life was great.
At first it was, I
started sleeping like a baby.
And hammocks have a way of
making you feel so comfortable
with that gentle sway,
that little cradle feeling.
You know what I mean?
It's hard for me to describe.
You get to look out, you'd look around,
just not like living in a tent.
You got more view, let's
see, you got more freedom.
You're not as restricted.
You don't feel as claustrophobic.
Somewhere around two in the morning,
three in the morning,
something to that effect.
I didn't actually have a clock or watch.
I woke up, I was shivering.
Like completely bone chilling shivering.
And it wasn't just a little bit cold.
I mean, I was shivering pretty hard
and everybody knows
once you start shivering,
it's the first sign of hypothermia.
And I don't think I
was getting hypothermic,
but it was, golly, I can
remember this was cold.
My arms and my chest were warm,
but I was just freezing on my back,
just freezing on my back.
My whole underside, it
felt like it was pretty much
lying on an ice block.
I tried everything, I curled up tighter.
Tried putting my blanket in
between me and the backside.
I tried sleeping in
my blanket with a taco,
like a taco shake.
I tried laying diagonal,
nothing worked, nothing worked.
The cold was, it was just cold.
I finally got up and
started building the fire
because it was miserable.
And whenever I have a
miserable night's sleep
when I'm out careful,
I tend to just get up
and tend to the fire.
And it's called the
television of the woods,
so it's entertainment.
So I sat out there,
warmed myself up,
stubbed on my back to the fire.
So why does this happen?
Before we get any further on that,
on page 59 of my book,
Primitive Captain and Bushcraft,
if you haven't picked
up a copy swing by Amazon
or your favorite retailer,
then go ahead and pick up a copy
of the Primitive
Captain and Bushcraft book.
So on 59, I was talking
in here under shelter,
and I'm talking about how an under quilt
prevents warmth from
escaping via convective cooling.
And that is what
happened to me that night.
It's called convective cooling.
Here's how that works.
In a tent, you're on the ground.
The ground might be cold, but it's solid.
You lose some heat to conduction,
the transfer of heat into the earth.
But the ground don't move.
In a hammock, you're
suspended in the air.
Air is moving freely
underneath you all night long,
and that moving air
strips away your body heat.
Now, your sleeping bag or quilt works
by trapping loft little
pockets of warm air around you.
But as soon as you lay
down in your hammock,
all the insulation under
all the, I can't even talk,
all the insulation
underneath you is crushed.
It's crushed flat.
So there's no insulation.
No loft means no insulation.
And with air flowing
underneath the hammock,
that heat gets stolen almost immediately,
and that's called convective cooling.
So you can have a 20 degree sleeping bag.
Now, if you're in a
hammock on a 45 degree night,
you can still get cold.
You can still get cool.
And it's not because that bag is bad.
It's because the air
underneath you is pulling heat away
faster than the bag can
replace it or retain it.
So once you understand that,
you start to see why hammocks require
a little bit of extra planning.
And it's not just
about what's on top of you.
It's what's underneath you as well.
And that's gonna either
make or break your night,
to be honest with you.
So the best answer to convective cooling
is a hammock under quilt.
If you have never used one,
picture, and this is
exactly what it looks like,
but picture a sleeping bag that hangs
beneath your hammock.
So instead of on top of you
or around you like a cocoon,
it hangs below you and it kinda,
it contours to the hammock.
And it does not get compressed,
but your body, it stays insulated.
Your body warms it up and it keeps you
warm all night long.
The first time I used an under quilt,
it was, no other ways to describe it.
It was like night and day.
I strung it up, I climbed in the hammock.
And for the first time I slept through
a 20, some 29 degree
night, I believe it was.
And it was the first time I used it,
it was on 29 degree night.
And I didn't wake up cold.
I actually stayed warm.
And because my backside was so warm,
I did not stay as
covered up on the top side,
if that makes sense.
It was weird for me to
explain, but I'm a weirdo anyway.
If one part of me is hot,
the rest of me has to
compensate to cool off.
I don't know, but I do
that even at the house
when I'm laying in the bed.
If I'm covered up with covers, my feet
have to be uncovered.
If my feet are covered,
then my chest and all that
has to be uncovered, it's weird.
But my advice is to start
with a three season quilt,
spring, winter, fall type thing.
And it'll be, it depends.
Honestly, if you're going to go camping
in the wintertime with a hammock,
get you one with a three
season, like a three season quilt.
They got on the ends,
they attach to your hammock.
Some of them are carabiners.
They just attach there and
your hammock fits inside of it
like a taco.
And then on the other end,
it's got a carabiner does the same thing.
And they got different
lengths, different thicknesses,
different grades.
You've got some under
quilts or hammock quilts
that completely encompass the hammock.
And you sleep inside
a suspended mummy bag
is basically what it looks like to me.
That's the only other
way I can describe it.
But if you're serious
about hammock camping,
especially outside in the
summertime or the wintertime,
it is definitely worth every penny.
If you're sleeping outside in the
wintertime in the hammock,
it is worth the penny.
Now, if you're sleeping
out in the summertime,
a bug net is perfect.
You don't have to have
a bug net all winter.
Even here in South Mississippi,
you still do get some of the mosquitoes.
My advice is to start with this quilt,
pick you up a cheap one.
You don't have to buy any expensive.
If you watch my show, listen to my show
or anything like that,
you know that cheap
gear will get you through.
And I'm not saying
everything has to be cheap,
but try you something cheap
first, see if you like it,
and then upgrade it to
something more quality
that'll last longer.
Cheap gear is just as
good as quality gear.
It's a cheap gear is
not gonna last as long,
if that makes sense.
And you see where I'm coming from?
I'll probably get some
people throwing some darts at me
for that, but I'm not worried about it.
A three season quilt will
keep you warm down to 30 degrees.
And like I said, the one that I had was,
it was 29 degrees at night.
I remember it vividly.
Even the dog was shivering.
I had to cover them up in a wool blanket.
So that's all well and good,
but what do you do if you
don't have an under quilt?
Sleeping pads, that's
where a sleeping pad comes in.
A closed cell phone pad will work.
Now, is it gonna be as warm?
No, it's not gonna be as warm,
but they're lightweight, they're cheap,
and they'll stop the convective cooling
from stilling all your heat.
They're not gonna be the most comfortable
inside of a hammock
because hammocks hug your body
and a stiff pad can
feel a little bit awkward,
but they will do the job.
And I got Ranger patrolling around camp
here digging holes everywhere.
I don't know what he loves to dig.
Inflatable pads can work.
They pack smaller and
some are pretty comfortable.
And the one that comes to mind,
and hear me out on this now,
is the little
floaties for swimming pools,
the little things that you
lay on in a swimming pool.
You can get those cheap,
and they're great for
one-night campout trips
and two-night campout trips.
And those, I've used those before.
My brother has used those
sleeping on the ground before,
and they work, they work
perfect for a few days.
But if you're gonna do it long-term,
they're gonna pop,
they're gonna, whatever,
but they'll get you through.
Now, they're cheap.
You could pick them up at,
let's say, Dollar General
every fall sells off
all their summer stuff,
and you could pick these
things up for a dollar.
They're cheap, they're effective,
and I'm all about cheap and effective.
So if you don't get anything else,
you can use just that floatie,
what is it called, a
floating mat, a blow-up mat?
I'm not sure what it's called.
If you know what it's called,
leave a comment and let me know.
Then you got the reflective pads,
the foam pads with a shiny side
that bounces body heat back to you.
They're inexpensive,
and from my research,
they are surprisingly effective, I guess.
I have never used one, especially for,
like, fall camping, stuff like that.
I guess it's like the same
thought as a Mylar blanket,
Mylar emergency blanket.
But that would drive me nuts.
Every time I turned over,
I had that crinkle sound.
It reminds me of doing the
entropy survival bag video,
where they have an emergency tube tent,
and you just hop up inside that dude,
and it reflects all
your body heat back to you
and keeps you warm.
But as several commenters have commented,
and the truth is that if
you're already freezing cold,
you're already shivering,
hypothermia has already started,
and Mylar blanket ain't gonna help.
You have to have fire,
you have to have heat,
you have to have something
else to help warm you up.
Even with an underquilter pad,
the wind is gonna make a big difference.
If the breeze is ripping
underneath your hammock,
you're still gonna feel the chill.
Now there's several
things that you could do
with your tarp, and
that's why your tarp pitch
is gonna matter in the summertime.
A high open pitch is gonna
give you plenty of airflow,
that way you don't sweat to death.
But in a colder months,
you need to drop that tarp
a little bit lower and get the sides
close to the ground.
And I have seen several videos online
where people will take these tarps,
and it almost looks like a tent.
It is that high up off the ground
with their hammock in there.
And I'm like, dude, you
climb up in that hammock,
you're gonna be butt rubbing the ground.
It's just gonna keep
you barely off the ground.
And that's the truth,
that's what happened.
But if you get that tarp like an A-frame,
it's gonna keep the moisture off of you,
because usually in the wintertime, you
have a low dew point.
Like the low for the night is usually
gonna be the dew point,
especially here in South Mississippi.
You wake up the next morning,
and everything's gonna be
saturated with all kinds of water.
One of the other
options that people will use
is a wool blanket.
They'll put a wool blanket
up underneath their hammock.
And that does basically the same thing.
And wool traps all the heat,
and will do basically the
same thing as another quilt.
Your tarp does matter,
your shelter does matter
when you're hammock camping.
People, diamond fly works great for rain
and that kind of stuff.
A-frame is great for wind.
Now, you could probably do some sort,
some variant of a
lean-to, overhead lean-to,
where you got maybe two
or three feet at the top.
And then your ridge line,
and then down in the back.
That way you get some
protection from the dew
or the moisture of the air,
but it's gonna block the wind.
And that's feasible.
I'm not gonna do it like that.
I'm gonna do an A-frame no
matter where I go, what I do.
There's a reason why
these tarps are nine meters
by nine meters or whatever.
Three meters by three meters, I'm sorry.
That's what double D three by three is.
It's three meters by three meters.
So that's what, 10 feet, almost 10 feet,
right at 10 feet, nine
point something feet.
And if you got it at
nine point something feet
on each side, that's pretty good.
You're gonna have some decent coverage.
So that first night in the hammock
where I almost froze to death,
didn't give him much sleep at all.
I remember tossing and turning,
he finally get up and
start poking the fire.
Shivering to death.
But somewhere in the middle of it,
and then now thinking
back to it reminds me
of this verse in Psalms.
Psalms chapter four, verse eight says,
"I will lie down in peace
and sleep for you alone,
O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
That's powerful stuff.
"For you alone, O Lord,
make me dwell in safety.
I will lie down and sleep for you alone."
That verse speaks very
loud on very cold days.
It should remind us all
that peace isn't about comfort.
And it's not about a
warm bed or a perfect setup,
but peace comes in knowing who holds you.
The realization changed that night.
And I was still cold,
but I wasn't afraid.
I wasn't, and I don't see how afraid
I had anything to do with it.
I wasn't, I wasn't worried about it
because I knew that I went alone.
My brother was there camping.
He had another set up, but he wasn't,
he was camping on the ground.
He don't ever like bananas.
(laughs)
He don't like hammocks
because it makes him feel like a banana.
But God uses discomfort to
remind us of a deeper truth
that he is with us.
Even when the circumstances aren't ideal.
Eventually I learned to
fix the hammock freeze
or the convective
cooling with an under quilt.
And I learned various other ways
to make under quilts for my hammock.
God's gonna give us the tools
to face the challenges of this life.
He gives us his word.
He gives us his spirit, his presence.
Those are the under quilts for our soul.
They're gonna keep us steady
when everything else is cold
and everything else is shifting.
So what kind of under quilt do you have?
Do you even use an under quilt?
Do you even rely on an under quilt?
Do you go camping?
Do you go camping?
And use a hammock and
have an under quilt.
Now I wanna give you a few
little bullet points here.
I got written down, practical wrap up.
So here is the bottom line.
If you're going to sleep in a hammock,
always plan for your underside.
Always be ready to
keep your underside warm.
Always plan for the
bottom of your hammock.
Remember the term convective cooling.
That's what you're gonna be fighting off.
That is going to be your enemy.
Under quilts are best.
Pads also work.
Your overhanger, your shelter, your
tarp's gonna help out
a little bit, but it's not gonna be,
it's not gonna really,
you're still gonna be cold.
Now the direction that you hang this tarp
is gonna be what's
really gonna block the wind.
If you got this thing
turned in a direction
where the wind's gonna
keep on coming through,
then silly you, you're gonna freeze.
Pretty much no matter what.
That's why I wrote the
whole book here on shelter,
the whole chapter on shelter.
How to set your
shelter up to block the wind,
the elements, all that kind of stuff.
So don't wait until you're
in the woods on a long trip
to try to figure out
how to deal with this.
Plan for it before you leave.
Try it out. Try it out. Try it out. Try it out. Try it out. Try it out. Try it out.
If you can in your yard, try it out.
Try it out if you got a
front porch with posts.
Go ahead and set your
hammock up on the posts
out in the front yard or the front porch
and see if you can do it.
I got posts out there on my back porch
and I've set hammocks
up there several times.
Learn how to set your stuff up
before you have to depend on it,
before you get out
into the great outdoors,
before you go on a long backcountry trip.
Always know how to use your gear.
And I've said that
from 50 some odd episodes.
Always use your, always
know how to use your gear.
Always use your gear before you head out.
Always be proficient with
what you're going to use.
Unless you're trying something new out
and taking it to learn,
and this trip is going to
be your learning experience
on that piece of gear.
I've done that before.
I went camping just to try
out a specific piece of gear.
But I had another one
that was similar to it
to back it up just in case that one,
I couldn't get that
one or that one broke.
As the fires winded down here at Camp Wut-Da-Heck
for the day
Today, here's going to be
our action for the week,
or action tip for the week,
what our homework so to speak.
Set up your hammock and
spend the night in it.
Even if it's just in your backyard.
Front porch, back
porch, barn, shed, garage.
If you don't have an under
quilt, try some kind of pad.
Try a blanket underneath it.
Try something and set
something up to give you
some way to trap in some body heat
to keep you from freezing,
waking up with the chivers.
Get your tarp as low as
you can to block some heat,
or block the wind to keep
the heat trapped in there.
And then pay attention to how it feels
and whenever you get out
into the great outdoors,
you can replicate that.
And while you're out there,
take a moment to thank God
for the peace that He gives you,
even in the nights that are not perfect.
Just know that you can always
and should always rest in Him.
So thanks for joining
me today on this episode
of Primitive Camping
and Bushcraft Podcast.
If you found it helpful, go ahead and
share it with a friend.
Subscribe to the Primitive
Camping and Bushcraft Podcast
channel on YouTube.
Join the Facebook group.
I can never say that, Facebook group.
Join the group on Facebook,
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Bushcraft Facebook group.
And then leave a comment.
Let me know if these
episodes are being helpful.
Just let me know.
Yeah, but anyway, until next time,
remember in all your
ways, acknowledge Him,
and I'll see you in the
next video or the next podcast.
God bless you.
Thanks for sitting
around the fire with me today.
If this episode gave you
something to think about,
if it helped you feel a
little bit more prepared,
or it even stirred your faith a tiny bit,
go ahead and share it with someone else
who might need it as well.
We don't go camping
to run away from life.
We come out here to
slow down and to recharge.
So grab another law,
throw it on the fire,
and remember this.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him,
and He will direct your path.
I'll see you next time.
God bless you.