Thru-Hiking w/Hennesey Hamock?

[PhatNate]

Hey guys,
I wanted to get your opinions on thru-hiking with a H. Hammock. Ive seen some great reviews, but I havn't talked to anyone who's thru-hiked with it. My main concerns are longterm durability, and rainy and cold weather (I'll begin SOBO in June, so I'll hit some cold nights towards the smokeys) Any ideas?
Peace, PhatNate

[orangebug]

It has been done, but it is a compromise like any other shelter system. You may want to seek a YahooGroup HammockCamping, as well as check out Ed Speer's and other's hammocks. We now have a variety of means to deal with cold, including sleeping pads and quilts that surround the hammock. Tarps are essential to any hammock, which also provides you with options other than hanging in the hammock. I have an early HH, the Speer with Pea Pod and a Wanderlust Nomad in my gear closet.

My impression from moderate cold to really cold camping in a Speer hammock and a Wanderlust Nomad (small tarp/tent): there is much more bulk and weight in hammock camping and similar time to set up. Hammocks allows you more choices of campsites, especially stealth camping. Hammocks are far more comfortable the first few nights out, but I sleep like a log within 4 days of a hike. I'd probably bag the hammock once temps were reliably less than 40 degrees and either tent, tarp or go to the shelter.

[SGT Rock]

Hey guys,
I wanted to get your opinions on thru-hiking with a H. Hammock. Ive seen some great reviews, but I havn't talked to anyone who's thru-hiked with it. My main concerns are longterm durability, and rainy and cold weather (I'll begin SOBO in June, so I'll hit some cold nights towards the smokeys) Any ideas?
Peace, PhatNate


I spent abut 6 months living in one in Iraq. I could have moved out of it to a heated building during the winter, but for comfort reasons I chose to stay. I still think comfort is the #1 advantage. the only durability issue I had was when I stuck my arm through the bug net during a mortar attack, I doubt you will have these issues on the trail.

Wit my Oware pad, underquilt and top quilt I still sweat in mine up in the Smokies Sunday night. I figure for a 2 pound shelter, 9.6 ounce pad, and 2 pounds 12.9 ounces of bag (two quilts) I am in the same ballpark weight of a lot of tarpers out there using 14 ounce tarps, Thermarest pads, and 2 pound sleeping bags. I always have the option to double my overhead coverage with both quilts and bivy on the ground or stay in a shelter too, just like a tarper:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/5847

[Haiku]

I didn't get my HH until Damascus, but started with a tarp. While I did use the tarp a few times, even in the cold, for the most part I stayed in shelters when it was cold anyway (all the way through the Smokies). After I got the hammock I went back and forth between using it and sleeping in the shelters, not necessarily having to do with how cold it was out. I never had a quilt for the hammock, but could definitely notice the difference between lying on my Ridge Rest and not (when it got warm enough out, I never put the sleeping pad in the hammock).

Haiku.

[Glee]

I saw this pic in the gallery:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/s.../cat/577/page/2 (http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/3561/password/0/sort/1/cat/577/page/2)

It does not look like the same one on the Hennessy web site. Is this an all in one piece? I like the fact that it covers both the head and feet area but still has an opening to vent. (How was/is condensation?)
I've noticed the Clark hammock has a bad weather cover, but then on that model you can zip and unzip to adjust it.
I've also noticed that JackRBetter has his weathershield out and have some serious questions about his setup, but as of yet he has not responded.

I will post the question here that I asked there:
Reading the info on JackRBetter site, I'm not quite sure about the setup. I think there is about 3 ways of using it during different times of the year. I take it that it can be used with the JRB Underquilt and then the weathershield on the outside. I'm wondering how much these 2 together will add in warmth. The cover, which is to be used in case of fog or heavy dew, leaves me asking a few questions. Is this to be used inside the hammock to cover a quilt or sleeping bag? If so, then it seems the outside of the bag will get just as wet from the water passing thru your sleeping bag. On a cold and foggy night, I used a VBL on the inside of my sleeping bag and used a VBL on the outside. In the morning, the outside of my bag was very wet. The VBL on the inside of my bag was full of water from sweat. The inside of my sleeping bag was dry so no vapor passed thru the VBL. I stayed warm all night, but if I were on the trail with a down bag I would have been in trouble.
Condensation, dew, and the cold are some tough problems, which face hammock hangers. I would love to hear, if this overcover works...

[SGT Rock]

That photo is mine, so here is what I remember -

The cover is a one piece sil-nylon cover that did increase the warmth of the hammock - but I didn't do any tests of hard conditions. I only slept in it for a couple of nights at Trail Days last Spring. Anyway, the other piece is a pad that is between the hammock and the Supershelter - the supershelter has clips in it that hold the pad in place directly under you so you can get that more comfortable sleep by sleeping in the hammock instead of on the pad in the hammock. The idea is also that you can get multiple pads and stack them since they would all attach at the same point. The pads use open cell foam so they are very light and highly compressible. The pads also had a mesh top so you could add leaves or clothing to bulk them up with available materials if you wanted too.

As to condensation, I only stayed in the thing a couple nights and did not have condensation problems. The second night was a Frog Strangler of a storm, but I never had moisture build up problems, so I assume that the vent is just about righ in it's placement and size. The entire Supershleter is removeable, so it is something you could bring for winter then remove.

[Footslogger]

I own a Hennessey Hammock and had it sent to me in Pearisburg, VA last year on my thru-hike. I started off with the Nomad Lite (silnylon tent). When I hit Pearisburg I bought a smaller pack and started to send stuff home. I thought I could save a bit of weight by going to the hammock.

Long story short ...it was the wrong decision for me. For starters the weather at night stayed cold, even thought the daytime temps were getting warmer. I was cold and uncomfortable. And before you ask ...YES, I have and have tried near all the cold weather adaptations for the hammock but I didn't have them with me on the trail. For me personally, having to implement the cold weather accessories for the hammock takes away from its apeal as a shelter.

The other thing I discovered was that on a distance hike I really like to spread out a bit at night and do some journaling or reading, neither of which were doable in the hammock. So, after a few weeks I sent it home and went back to my tent. I hiked with the tent the rest of the way to Katahdin and was much happier.

I still own the hammock and wouldn't hesitate to take it on a one or two nighter in the warmer months but it wasn't the right shelter for me on the AT during my thru-hike. You're experience may be different. What I would suggest is that you take the hammock on a 1 - 2 week shake down hike prior to the start of your thru-hike and see how it works for you.

Happy Trails ...

'Slogger
AT 2003

[SGT Rock]

Excellent points Footslogger!

[Cehoffpauir]

I used mine the whole way and it really worked great for me. I camped at some really neat spots. Develop a pad-system now while it's cold out; remember you can sleep in fleece. If you can afford an underquilt, go for it. But an egg-crate foam pad worked for me, with an extra thinner pad beneath that, and silk bag liner.
Learn to set up the tarp tight and close and you won't get wet. Your gear outside might, but some nights you might hang those in shelters.

[Pooja Blue]

I tried it. I hated it. Anything underneath me ended up on top of me and anything on top of me ended up underneath me. Also, I sleep COLD. Even with an underquilt I was freezing at night on the trail in March.

The worst problem I had with the Hennessy was the fact that if my face was turned to the side, or if I slept on my side, the hammock material was RIGHT THERE at my face. That part of my sleeping bag and everything around it got soaked from the condensation from my breath. Then I was cold AND wet. It sucked. No more Hennessy for me. They're certainly not for everyone.

[orangebug]

That is why you tie a HH out and sleep on the diagonal in any hammock. It makes is easier to roll around and keeps you from smothering on the hammock sides. I found out the hard way that if you roll too much in an unsecured HH, you can find yourself laying on the bug mesh screen, unable to find the exit in the dark.

Hammocks have their shares of compromises with the benefit of more comfort earlier in a hike.

[Pooja Blue]

I was on the diagonal. It was comfortable, but the other problems just weren't worth it. That Hennessy is going up on eBay soon, underquilt and all!

[SGT Rock]

What sort of underquilt were you using?

[neo]

i now use a pad from rei 3/8 thick 25 in wide cut down to 56 in long,with a ed speer lite loft quilt,i sewn in two elastic bands one at the head and one at the
waist to keep the quilt wrapped around me,i can sleep down to 30 degrees
the quilt wieghs 1 lb 9 oz the pad wieghs 7 oz.going to get a winter rock wren
by feathered friends for colder temps.taking the quilt and pad on my secton hike from dalton mass to gorham nh next sept.:sun neo:jump

[SGT Rock]

That is cool, I was wondering what sort of underquilt Poja Blue had/used. If he is going to sell it and it is one I am interested in, I might want to get it.

[Pooja Blue]

It was a homemade one, from a sleeping bag (new) I cut up. Personally, I don't think it worked all that well. I would really need something like a peapod if a hammock were to work for me, but I'm guessing even that wouldn't do it. I really do sleep very cold.

It'll go on eBay with the hammock and snakeskins, but probably not until later in January.