Hennessey Hammock

[highway]

Hammock use appears to be growing exponentially.

Received mine a short while ago and want use it til October. After experimenting in the back yard, though, it will probably become my favorite shelter-its just that comfortable. My concern is at what temp I will need more insulation from the cold wind or breeze wicking my body heat away from my backside where it compresses my down bag. I know its subjective, dependent upon many factors but it is a concern I have. I have looked at the 1/4" Oware pad suggested by Sgt Rock but if I'm forced to sleep on a hard surface-like the ground- it want be as comfortable as my 3/4 16 oz ultralite Thermarest. And taking both pads seems counterproductive to me. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[flop]

I would also be interested knowing if anyone has used a Thermarest and their experience with it.

Flop

[Hammock Hanger]

If you want to sleep as comfy on a shelter/hostel floor as you do with your thermarest, you'll need to carry your thermarest. It works very well in the hammock. I find if you open the value and either underinflate it or just leave the value open at all times it won't slide around much. The thermarest works well in really cold. If you carry the thermarest you need NOT carry anything else. -- Most of us are trying to cut weight, which is why we orginally got our hammocks. Of course once we found how comfy they can be weight wasn't the issue comfort was. Therefore we have opted for other types of insulation that does not always work well in shelter/hostel situations.

Hammock Hanger

[highway]

In an attempt to have both-comfort in hammock & comfort on ground, I have decided to take your advice HH & go with my trusty 3/4 Thermarest ultralight. I once slept for a few nights on snow, no pad, just a thin waterproof shelter material under me, & I inside a down sleeping bag. The down compressed where my weight was upon it. I slept first on one side till it became cold and woke me up, then I switched to my other side, and so on til morning. I survived. Had there been a pad or even any more insulation between me and the cold I would have slept better. I am counting on the two pieces of material of the thermarest, separated by some amount of air for insulation. But what about the part of the body not protected by the thermarest, since the hammock cocoons you?

here I am spending all this time worrying about something which, no matter which way I go, I will survive well. And, Grandma Gatewood would not even give it a thought; she would just go. I really dont think we pay homage sufficiently to that hardy, intrepid soul who is probably now looking down upon us, laughing her guts out at some of the responses on this forum-mine in particular!.

[Trail Yeti]

Yep, I'm a tree dweller!!! Got my Hennessey ultra lite a-sym in vermont and used it the rest of the way. Soooo comfortable, and the stealth camping w/no impact capabilities are limitless. Best part was being able to set up anywhere there are trees and not worry about rocks and roots.
I slept w/my full length z-rest underneath me to keep me warm. I got cold a couple of times from where my arms would shift off the pad, but it wasn't that bad. I think the lowest I slept in it was in the high 30's to low 40's.
By the end of the trail I couldn't sleep nearly as well sharing my girlfriends tent as I did in my hammock.
life is good, WEAR A KILT!
Trail Yeti
ps-if you buy this I HIGHLY recommend getting the snake skins, they make life so much easier

[windwalker]

I use the explorer asym and my sons use the expdition. No question it is a more comfortable way to travel in warm weather. (cold weather has issues). Only downside on this shelter is the tarp has to be hung *just* right or you'll get wet in bad weather. Other hammocks like Speer provide a larger rain fly... and cost more.

[Virginian]

I used a Zrest. It was easy to install and trapped the condensation. I used a pad for all of the hike except for a few really hot nites

[mongo]

What Trail Yeti didn't say is that at his size he would be warm sleeping inside an empty "cheeto's bag hanging between two trees. From what I seen and heard (mainly grumps from tree-hangers) is that you need to practice. If you don't put it up correctly and it wet and cold then it is like opening the door to hell. However baby those pounds are not in your pack.


Mongo

[MedicineMan]

If you know my posts then you know I have experimented a lot with the hammock....I have the backpacer a-sym and am now using a GoLite tarp-the Cave 2 model, it gives much more coverage, never had a problem getting wet, just wanted more room underneath to cook under.

[Second Wind]

When temps drop below about 60, I use a sunscreen designed to go on the windshield of your car. I use the silver (on both sides) bubble wrap looking one, that is about 1/8 inch thick. It can be trimmed if you need too, and is easier to position than a conventional sleeping pad.

Gourm

[MedicineMan]

Check out this link for extremely large pieces of close cell foam:
http://www.knoxfoam.com/cgi-bin/Soft...039+1064660302

The foam sold here is 73 inches wide...so why is this important? for those of you who dont mind carrying a piece of foam attached to your pack, you can order a piece from these people that is 8 feet long and 73 inches wide, then you can cut out exactly what footprint you need to insulate the hammock when you are in it....this means one piece of foam can include the 'wings' that your upper body needs to keep the hammock from coccooning/wrapping and crushing the insulation around your body...
I have ordered a piece to play with and will report later...