hennessy hammocks bottom entrance vs side entrance

[Rain Man]

I am more concerned with all my gear falling out once I try to exit. Also the difficulty of exiting through the bottom once my gear is inside....maybe to get up to use bathroom

This is a problem no matter what. I have a bottom-entry HH from before the days when they came with side zippers. I had 2Q2Z do a zipper modification on mine, so now it's both bottom and side entry. I never use the bottom entry any more.

However, stuff still falls out, maybe even worse, when I exit or enter or just sit on the edge of the hammock. It forms a big, slick "funnel" that leads straight to the side I sit on. My pillow falls out. My jacket falls out. Socks. Etc. I recall that hardly ever happening with the bottom entry, maybe because I "clog up" that hole with my body.

Rain Man

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[toegem]

I have one of the old HH 2.5 I've never tried a side entrance so I could not tell you which one I thought was the Best I just know that I've never had any issues with the bottom entrance. I felt that it was great for stripping mosquitos off here in Fl when entering thru the bottom.

[LadybugPicnic]

Well if I thought it was a "birth canal" I would hate it too. When you paint that kind of picture, you are psyc-ing yourself out of something...

I did not psych myself out of using it - I actually did buy it and use it. I never liked the bottom entry/exit and as a joke, that is the nickname I gave it. I could have not given it a nickname at all or painted any kind of picture and I STILL would have hated it. I just didn't care for it is all - everyone has their own preference and mine is the side entry. For me, it just works.

[ocourse]

I have the standard bottom entry, along with a side zipper mod. I enter/exit the hammock exclusively with the bottom slit. I use the side zipper to place my sleeping bag and the survival and valuable stuff I sleep with, and to (from outside) to get to the camera, light, etc. I use the ridge line to hang stuff, so nothing falls out the bottom.

[bear bag hanger]

I started out with a bottom entry HH before there was anything else available. It worked, but all my other hammocks are side entry and I feel they are better and more comfortable.

Some additional advise I'd add is the bottom entry won't allow you to use the hammock as a chair. But, if you do use it as a chair, you should try to get side zippers on both sides. If you only have a zipper on one side, that side will stretch out and the hammock may become uncomfortable.

[jalbright79]

http://hennessyhammock.com/ in this video he uses it as a chair

["Atlas"]

I am not concerned with me falling out the bottom. I am more concerned with all my gear falling out once I try to exit. Also the difficulty of exiting through the bottom once my gear is inside....maybe to get up to use bathroom

GUYS, we are missing this posters real thoughts.....YOU DONT bring your gear inside the Hammock, you leave it under your hammock. Sure you can bring in a book or something small, but you are not going to bring your stuff inside with you like a tent. So in that regards it doesnt matter if you have a bottom or side opening.

Bottom opening is what I have. I have slept in a side opening, and it really doesnt affect the hammock or sleeping.

[msupple]

I wouldn't even consider a "birth canal" hammock. Just to lounge in it in chair mode you have to flip the thing completely upside down because of the sewn in netting. Who wants to do that? You want to heat up some coffee while in your hammock....you can't do that in a bottom entry. Forgot something outside your hammock....big hassle in a bottom entry. And the list goes on....get a side zippered entry....you'll be much happier.

[Dogwood]

I have had both in the UL and MUCH MUCH prefer the side entry with the zippered bug entry. The side entry makes it much easier to enter and leave the hammock. It didn't happen very many times but yes I did lose gear out of the bottom(peapod) entry a few times. Much more flexibility and a less claustrophobic feeling with the side entry. Beware though I would advise you unzip the netting all the way open when exiting or entering from the side so you don't put un-needed stress on the zipper or zipper seam.

[TheYoungOne]

I wouldn't even consider a "birth canal" hammock. Just to lounge in it in chair mode you have to flip the thing completely upside down because of the sewn in netting. Who wants to do that? You want to heat up some coffee while in your hammock....you can't do that in a bottom entry. Forgot something outside your hammock....big hassle in a bottom entry. And the list goes on....get a side zippered entry....you'll be much happier.

That is why if I was going to get a Hennessy I would get a side zip. Every other camping hammock like ENO, Warbonnet, and Clark has a side zipper. If there was an advantage to the birth canal others would have copied it. Also if you using a bottom entry hammock on a hot summer night with no pad and just wearing shorts, doesn't the velcro seam irritate your legs?


It annoys me that REI offers side zip on the hennessy standard models, but only carries the bottom entry on the "Big Boy" model. Damn my freakishly tall body.

[scope]

GUYS, we are missing this posters real thoughts.....YOU DONT bring your gear inside the Hammock, you leave it under your hammock. Sure you can bring in a book or something small, but you are not going to bring your stuff inside with you like a tent. So in that regards it doesnt matter if you have a bottom or side opening...

I don't think that's what the OP meant... I think he's using a pad and bag. My experience with that setup was that it was occasionally a problem, but its not like there's a hole in the bottom - its more like 1/3 of an end. Full length pads are a problem in any hammock and are especially so with the bottom entry - I used a Big Agnes petite which allowed my head and feet to hang off either end and that worked pretty well - also made for a flatter lay. Went to an UQ and had a problem with not being able to reach out and adjust due to the net, but that can be solved these days with some clips - or better yet, Dutchware! Or, get a zip mod.

I really, really, really liked getting in and out of the hammock at the ends, rather than ducking under the tarp to get in a top-loader - even if I am setup in porch mode. That end of the tarp entrance seemed much more natural to me. Obviously a lot of folks don't feel the same way. Guess the HH was my first setup and like a lot of firsts in life, you end up wishing things were more like what you remember with those initial memories.