View Full Version : Hennessy Exp A-Sym
Chaco Taco
07-31-2009, 13:25
I am looking at getting this hammock as my first. Should I buy it with an underquilt for summer or can I use my summer bag for now and get it later?
HikerRanky
07-31-2009, 13:45
It depends on if you are a cold sleeper or a warm sleeper.... I have an UQ on mine if the temp goes below 60 degrees at night, but I am a warm sleeper....
Randy
I'm a cold sleeper and use my thermarest and sleeping bag down to the low 40's.
I don't have an underquilt yet, so I cowboy camp once the temps get below 40 degrees.
Rain Man
07-31-2009, 14:09
I am looking at getting this hammock as my first. Should I buy it with an underquilt for summer or can I use my summer bag for now and get it later?
I don't have a summer bag, so I take my 20-degree Sub-Kilo REI bag (but I use it as a quilt). I do use some sort of sleeping pad underneath me. If my knees or back press against the side of the hammock and get chilly, I just put some spare clothing there and warm right up. So far, I've been toasty in the summer.
Rain:sunMan
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Cannibal
07-31-2009, 14:10
Yeah, I think most folks can get away without an underquilt in the warm months. The sleeping bag should give enough insulation even compressed. Draping a Neat Sheet (http://www.theneatsheet.com/buyonline/buyonline.asp) around the bottom of the hammock is a great $10 summer uq. Keeps the breeze and bugs off of ya!
Chaco Taco
07-31-2009, 14:34
Thinkin about trying to get one for a hike week after next just to see if I like it.
I think the cheapest way to try your new hammock would be to get a Walmart blue foam pad and cut it to torso size so that it sits above your entry slot. You might even round the corners out a bit... For warmer temps that'll work just fine -- you shouldn't need leg insulation. Easiest to use your bag as a quilt, but people do manage to zip up their bag for more warmth -- even in a hennessey. I'd be afraid to go without any under insulation -- it could sour you to the whole hammock thing, and that would be a real shame! the future probably does hold an underquilt for you, but no need to rush into that. It is hard to imagine your not really liking your new hammock... and continuing to slant your gear choices toward use of one.
Will you save any money by buying them together? I've slept in my HH using just a Ridgerest cut to 3/4 length into the forties with no issues YMMV. If your not saving any money by buying it now then you may want to try it without spending the extra cash, you never can tell -maybe one will show up in a Gear 4 Sell thread save you a Grant or more.
Chaco Taco
07-31-2009, 15:43
I have a z lite and a nice piece of foam I can cut.
i use a 20"x20" section of blue walmart pad during the summer. this is placed under my butt and bottom of my lower back and keeps me comfortable during the summer...
underquilts are great but very expensive. i'd be sure you were going to get your $'s worth before purchasing
MikenSalem
08-02-2009, 23:13
I just started hanging and using that hammock this year. I also Just got back from 3 nights in the high 60's in the Nantahala's with a 30 deg bag. I'll be getting something my back got cold enough to wake me up every night. Still beats a tent to death! I'm hooked for life...
I use that Hammock and like it, but you'll probably need something extra to reach maximum comfort even in summer.
I think that Neat Sheet looks interesting.
peter_pan
08-03-2009, 12:24
If you are a back sweater, recommend you consider a breathable under insulation plan......Much more comfortable and no stay on the pad hassle.
Pan
I am looking at getting this hammock as my first. Should I buy it with an underquilt for summer or can I use my summer bag for now and get it later?
I bought a ULBP HH for my first hammock and until it had the #2 mod from 2QZQ it was literally a pain to get in and out of specially if you were just lounging around camp or just needed a place to sit down for a bit. Now that the mod has been done, I LOVE IT!:).
On the insulation issue. Ive found that I can make it to 60ish with no bottom insulation only top-which i use a old rag from the Jacks. Its a little warm for the summer months and now Im wanting a Shannondoah(sp). Happy Hanging. Welcome to the cool crowd!
Cannibal
08-05-2009, 13:55
I think that Neat Sheet looks interesting.
Here is a link (http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1860&highlight=neat+sheet) with directions if you feel like a new project. :D
2Questions
08-08-2009, 19:59
If you are a back sweater, recommend you consider a breathable under insulation plan......Much more comfortable and no stay on the pad hassle.
Pan
Comfortable! Absolutely! I began with a pad and, although not a back sweater, turned to the quilt for the shear comfort of it. I can also alter positions while sleeping and am not confined to stay on the pad. The #2 mod on the HH then tops it off for a very user friendly hammock.
Here is a link (http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1860&highlight=neat+sheet) with directions if you feel like a new project. :D
Thanks, I'm planning to come to the Hangout in Grayson Highlands this winter.
Hope to have it completed by then.
jjj
I have never used a pad as I started off with an underquilt. Last weekend the temps were down into the low 60's with a breeze and I could tell that any lower temps, I would start having cold spots. I have never had to adjust the quilt as I have always been comfortable, but this was as close as I have come. I took the UQ off of my wifes hammock, this was her first hang, in the morning as I was packing up camp as she rested, and she could immediately feel the coolness under her as I took off the quilt.
TinaLouise
08-17-2009, 12:03
Hey another Wilmington NC hanger and his wife hangs too!!!
I seem to be hot all the time (yep, I've hit that age!!) until I get into my hammock, then I've got to have some type of under insulation. Only on very rare occasions (middle of the day in the summer) have I ever had to slide the uq over to the side. At night I always have the uq under me. It may be attached very loose in the middle of summer, but it's there. If you're a cold sleeper, you'll need some type of under insulation for most of the time.
TinaLouise
I don't know much about the HH but I have a clarks jungle hammock best hammock ever in my opinion.
peter_pan
08-17-2009, 19:51
I have never used a pad as I started off with an underquilt. Last weekend the temps were down into the low 60's with a breeze and I could tell that any lower temps, I would start having cold spots. I have never had to adjust the quilt as I have always been comfortable, but this was as close as I have come. I took the UQ off of my wifes hammock, this was her first hang, in the morning as I was packing up camp as she rested, and she could immediately feel the coolness under her as I took off the quilt.
We did this same experiment for a few hundred folks at the Outdoor Retailers Show in Salt Lake City last year in an air conditioned building and after a mear 30-60 second warm up, when we removed the Mt Washington Under Quilt from the BMBH the cold was immediate and very noticible...
Pan
Chaco,
In cold weather when you need insulation there usually aren't any bugs (or not many, anyhow). I use a standard hammock and pull a semi-rectangular bag over it (really a hoodless mummy). I got the idea from the Speer site (the Peapod). In hot weather you can use a bug net over the hammock and have protection from things that might otherwise bite you from underneath (mosquitoes don't seem to be able to do this, but horseflies might). I actually got stung while in my HH one day in the backyard. I had my hand over my head, lying on the "floor" material and something stung me through the fabric. I know it was a sting because I'm allergic to beestings.
I use an ENO bug net over the hammock and whatever tarp seems the best for the weather. The only downside to the sleeping bag over the hammock is that the down tends to migrate to the underside of the hammock. I just turn the bag around my body until the "bottom" is on top.