Sue, thanks for the comliments. BTW, new face to my student page:
http://www.unc.edu/~mkirk
that may have good info for you too. I don’t think the bivy in a hammock will make too much of a difference. Most of the heat loss is from convection out the bottom of the hammock since insulation is compressed to nil. A bivy won’t add insulative value (or very much of it). A wider sleeping pad inside the hammock and a quilt are the best additions to a hammock sleep system. condensation will occur on top of the pad and I doubt a bivy will reduce this, this is the main thing that turns me off to winter hammock camping. On the AT you want to carry a pad. You don’t want to carry reflectix or something else just to be insulative when using the hammock cause to me, I most often hit the shelters. So only in the warmer months did I really like the hammock. The quilt is good since you don’t need to worry about insulation getting wet. Build yourself a Hecko quilt (see my page) it’s pretty darn simple and cheap and at 1.5 pounds not too heavy for temps down to the mid thirties. THe quilt really compliments the hennessy. The bivy would be good for preventing drafts, but in a hammock the side walls are nylon taffeta and reduce much wind getting in, below you, you need worry only about getting some insulation (ie padding)…
Sweeper
