Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Does anyone here own a Hennessy Hammock?

If so, how do you like it?|||They are insane cool. I used to work at a therapeutic wilderness camp and about half the staff had them. I had one for a while, but I didn't have a rain fly for it so it didn't seem worth the effort to set up the hammock and a separate tarp. (I bought mine used without all the parts.) However when you have all the right pieces it is a lightweight (different weights depending on your needs, body weight, and how much you want to spend) self-contained shelter. Keeps you off the ground, out of the bugs, puddles, and gives you great circulation in warm weather. It's extremely well ventilated with good visibility due to its black mosquito netting which basically disappears when you peer through it.





The telltale of a Hennessey is that it looks like a little alien spacecraft. Also the velcro closure which looks like you would fall out but it closes automatically when you get in, due to simple physics of pulling the panels tight so they close. You also aren't laying directly on the slot with your full body weight, it's underneath your calf area.





Anyway. When you have all the right parts, they are a snap to set up, and they are really really comfortable...IF you like hammocks in the first place (which I always did). They can seem kind of claustrophobic and you have to get used to the motion, when you move the whole setup moves and instead of pushing off to get out, for example, you have to deal with the fact that the hammock "gives" to your motion.





None of my co-workers or I had any addons, other than the rainfly. They make a whole kit to winterize it which sounded wonderful, because the air underneath me always froze me out in colder weather and reluctantly I went to the ground.





Another really cool one is available from mosquitohammock.com, a private small company where the owner is more intimately involved with production. His name is Tom. A little more setup, a little heavier. But a lot cheaper, and roomier...and there is a sleeve in the bottom to put a mattress. This spreads it out a little and makes it not close in so much like a pea pod.





Other well-regarded hammocks are the Speer and the Clark, which are modelled after the military jungle hammock, boxy shaped, rather than pea-poddy. I would steer away from the Byer, it is very cheap and not well made for any continuous use, such as a through hike. Some of the other pea pod hammocks are great, I have run the gamut of different ones made of parachute nylon. Some have bug protection and others have accessories that you can buy to enclose the hammock with bug net.|||I enjoyed it when I slept in one but they aren't for everyone.|||Henessy Hammocks are by far the best sleeping accomodation for the outdoors that I have found. They are lightweight, and quick to set up and break down. They have water proof wraps that keep the ropes that keep it up in the air from dripping into the tent. You even have the option of using these to fill your waterbottles with clean rain water. I believe most of them come with a insulation slip. You can fill this with leaves or a space blanket which will reflect back your body head on cold nights. They compress very small so it takes up little room in your pack. You can put them just about anywhere which is cool. I've camped right down on a river bank before where it would have been impossible to sleep if your were in a tent. Another good thing about them is you have dry storage underneath it. I can't tell you how awesome and versatile these things really are. I can guarantee you will not be dissapointed if you purchase one.|||I bought the Hennessy Expedition 3 years ago and still love it.





I think you have to have the right mind set for it though - the first 5 times I used it I was doing a lot of adjusting to figure out was the most comfortable and easiest. I also found SGT Rock's Hiking website to be the best source of information. He's tried out all the different kinds of hammocks out there and has great pictures and explanations.





I picked mine up at MEC, but I notice that if you buy direct from Hennessy, they are including free Snakeskins - definitely a great accessory.

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