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  1. #1
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    Default hennesey hammock question

    Im getting super interested in the hammock thing, sounds like the answer to the "where to set up camp". I got one question- If you climb up inside the hammock then recline, how do you get in and out of your sleeping bag? Do you not use one and use a blanket and sleeping pad?

  2. #2
    Registered User 2Ply's Avatar
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    Wink You do have options

    While it seems that the majority of folks here use the HH, there are other hammock makers out there. Many of us use and love the way our Clark hammocks work. More like a traditional hammock with entry from either side. The fly, netting, & weather shield can be used together or in different combinations. When getting into your bag, just open up the bag as normal, sit on the side of your hammock like a chair (can't do that with some brands) & when your ready for bed just swing the legs into your bag & enjoy a great nights sleep. In the morning you can get your stove out of a pocket, & make that first cup of the day still in your bag while enjoying the view. Everyone has an idea about what works best for them, this is just what works for me. Check out http://hikinghq.net for great advice and a list of various hammock makers & sites.

    2Ply

  3. #3
    GA to ME someday... brian's Avatar
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    Coaster: To answer your question, its quite simple. Yes, you can use a regular sleeping pad, but it is recommended that u use a pad at least 24" wide, so u dont slip off. But as for getting into your sleeping bag, you just kind of wiggle your way in, or just raise your upper section, pull, raise your middle section, pul, ect. Its not difficult, it just takes a second to figure out. And i am clear proof of the wonders of the Hennessy Hammock...i prefer it to my bed!!! Dont get the clark or crazy creek, get the hennessy.

    Brian

  4. #4
    Registered User 2Ply's Avatar
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    Wink You do have options

    While it seems that the majority of folks here use the HH, there are other hammock makers out there. Many of us use and love the way our Clark hammocks work. More like a traditional hammock with entry from either side. The fly, netting, & weather shield can be used together or in different combinations. When getting into your bag, just open up the bag as normal, sit on the side of your hammock like a chair (can't do that with some brands) & when your ready for bed just swing the legs into your bag & enjoy a great nights sleep. In the morning you can get your stove out of a pocket, & make that first cup of the day still in your bag while enjoying the view. Everyone has an idea about what works best for them, this is just what works for me. Check out http://hikinghq.net for great advice and a list of various hammock makers & sites.

    2Ply

  5. #5
    Addicted Hiker and Donating Member Hammock Hanger's Avatar
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    Default other hammocks...

    There are many hammock options out there. My friend Ed Speers makes one and in his book "Hammock Camping" he even tells you how to make one.

    That said the hammock craze sort of came about at the same time as ultralight hiking. The HH is a very light and affordable hammock. BY not having all the zippers and stuff the weight stays down.

    Getting into the sleeping bag can be accomplished in a number of ways. Some sit on the edge of the opening and step into their bag. I get into the hammock, unzip my bag and roll in, zip up. There is a small learning curve to all hammocks and once you figure them out you will love the hammock experience.

    Some hammocks are more claustrophobic then others, some you have to sleep in that curved hammock position and others (like the HH) you sleep on the diagonal and can sleep in a variety of positions.

    Am I bias, yes, I am. I have had 3 HH's and absolutely love them all. However, check them out compare and pick what is best for you.

    Hammock Hanger
    Hammock Hanger -- Life is my journey and I'm surely not rushing to the "summit"...:D

    http://www.gcast.com/u/hammockhanger/main

  6. #6
    Yellow Jacket
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    Having just purchased a HH...Don't use a sleeping bag.

    I unzip my bag all but that last foot. Lay back and tuck my feet into the foot box. The rest of the bag is just drapped over my body. Tuck it around your body if it gets too cool.

    I do, however, use silk sheets (to help keep the bag clean from hiker body scum). They are a bit difficult to get into. What I do is make sure the open slit on the silk bag is facing the opening of the hammock's slit. Get in the hammock on top of the silk sheets. Then I pull the top open and slide my feet into the bag (arch your back a bit but it works).

    I put my sleeping bag/blanket way up at the top of the hammock, until after I get into the silk sheets. Then I just throw the bag over my body and tuck my feet into its foot box. Un-clip my stuff stack from the center line to use a pillow.

    Regarding a pad. The hammock rocks without a pad. But, unfortunately, you'll get cold if the temps drop below 60F without some means to insulate your back. A simple 24"x60" pad will work down to 40F (little, or no, wind).

    If it gets real cold (below 35F) and/or windy, you'll probably need a bit more to keep your back warm.

    You have a few options...
    • Add a reflective windshield screen under the pad (I'm not sure this really helps)
    • Build an under quilt (these rock, but if you are lazy like me, it ain't going to happen)
    • Build a "taco" shell for your hammock (this seems like the easiest method)


    I'm leaning heavily toward the taco approach. Because...
    • Simple to sew (or just buy a large sil-nylon poncho, or tarp)
    • Easy to insulate (trash bag with news paper, or your space blanket which you probably already carry)
    • You don't have to use, or take, a pad (big plus, though what about shelters?? Avoid them??)
    • If you use a poncho for the taco shell, you can also us it as a dinner tarp until bedtime and/or a pack cover. I (personally) would still carry a "normal" shell for hiking in the rain (RH would say otherwise). But the poncho would be great for camp/town rain.
    Last edited by tlbj6142; 05-08-2003 at 09:14.

  7. #7
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    Default

    yeah, but

  8. #8

    Default

    In answer to your question quilts work very well with the hennessy as they eliminate the hassle of getting in a bag. Some try pulling up the bag to waist level before getting in...

  9. #9
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    Default

    If you don't spell Hennessy correctly, you won't get to their website. NB "sy", not "sey". Make a Jardin Quilt, add a zipper to make it into a bag, and you'll have a bag where your feet can stick out the bottom. Put on a belt and you can hop around a cold campsite, or put on your bag and easily slip into aHH. Otherwise, don't worry about getting into your sleeping bag and hammock. You will figure it out. Do not use a regular size inflatable pad. It will slip out from under you in your sleep. At the HH website, click on "Cold Weather Camping". Instead of a space blanket, cut a piece of fabric (Ultrex) to size, add gromets and use the shock cord method. It works great as a summertime windblock hanging underneath you outside the hammock. The shock cord allows the hammock's side ties to be used. Another tip: do not detach the fly when you take down the hammock. It will be already in place for next time you setup.HH

    PS I have learned to get in and out of my sleeping bag while in the hammock. If I have to get up in the middle of the night, my feet drop into my perfectly placed camp shoes or flip-flops before the bear feet hit the gound and my tootsies don't even get dirty. Ahh--the luxuries of tree hanging.
    Last edited by Rambler; 08-10-2003 at 23:44.

  10. #10
    Springer-->Stony Brook Road VT MedicineMan's Avatar
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    Coaster surely you have searched here at Whiteblaze for info on hammocks...anyway for me after much experimentation and a variety of bag and bag modifications it is the quilt on top and a quilt and taco below....I love not having to strap a pad on the pack but did that too, and I love not having a Therm-a-rest sliding around under me-tried that too....so after all the study I have two underquilts...one we made out of Radiantek and cheapo nylon and another that is a modified Golite Fur...regardless of the underquilt used, each will be accompanied by the Taco which allows adding any extraneous insulation you might have on hand or can stuff into a garbage bag...the taco could also serve as groundcloth and emergency shelter for someone else, and most importantly it can prevent the horizontal rain from getting you.
    And like Brian, I have found the hammock extremely comfortable..so much so I added a hammock stand to the bedroom but where I live even inside it is cold but so far I havent put the underquilt/taco on and just lay back in the hammock on a thick towel. Ultimately I have to thank Hammock Hanger and Sgt. Rock for getting me into hammocking-it would be a snowy day in hell before I sleep on the ground or on a hard shelter platform againl.
    Oh and for you sea kayakers out there think of the possibilities of a hammock in the mangroves or blackwater swamps! I havent yet but am looking forward to the day I crawl up and into the HH from my kayak
    Start out slow, then slow down.

  11. #11

    Default gettin in

    You just lay back and get in. You will get the hang of it in short order

  12. #12
    Springer-->Stony Brook Road VT MedicineMan's Avatar
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    Default did something new with my hammock....

    this was on a paddle trip last week near McClellansville SC...we needed a cheap place to stay the night before the paddling and we found the Francis Marion Nataional Forest.....anyway...I used to have a Golite Cave2 and recently have been wanting a larger tarp for my HH backpacker a-sym to cook/lounge under...so I found the CAve2 tarp and took it along....WoW what a difference it makes...not that the OEM tarp was inadaquate but it is so nice to have acreage under the A-sym now for the other rudiments of backpacking.

  13. #13
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    Default wide pad for the HH

    Somebody pointed out that the Therm-a-rest Ridge Rest 25 or extra large (rei.com) is 25' wide. A heavier yet more durable option for a wider pad than average foam. Cut the length down to the size you want.

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