User Review: Hennessy Hammock

Reviewed August 16, 2001 by Scooby

Rating: rated 4 of 5 stars
Design: hammock
Sleeps: 1
Ease of Setup: Really easy BUT only after practice and adding simple extensions
Weight: 2.25 (I think)
Price Paid: $99

The Hennessy Hammock is a great idea, and perfect for warm-weather camping, but not quite perfect yet. What they say is true: it's lightweight, you can lie almost flat (the trick is to lie diagonally), it's more comfortable than the ground, and you don't have to worry about finding a level or dry campsite. (I have a knack for getting flooded, including when a glacier blew out in warm weather in Alaska and let a higher lake dump into the lower lake I was camped on: 8' water in 48 hours!) So I love the idea of hanging off the ground no matter what the slope, weather, etc.

But there ARE two drawbacks. First is minor: the ropes that came with mine weren't long enough. I bought some web straps at REI, tied them onto the end, and voila: plenty of line to tie it up. (Related issue: at first I thought I had to get it really taut to be able to lie flat. Not true: taut enough is taut enough; you don't need bulletproof trucker's hitches etc.) So with my little addition, setup is a breeze: under 2 min.

Second drawback is more significant, in my mind. The thing's amazingly cold. It's surrounded by air, with nothing but nylon to keep out the cold, so however cold the night air drops, that's how cold the inside of the hammock is. Plus, the bottom of your sleeping bag is flattened -- no loft in the insulation there -- so your underside is literally freezing. I've tried using my Thermarest and it doesn't work. The company recommends fastening a cheap space blanket to the underside of the hammock to reflect back body heat, and I've heard it works really well, but it seems mickeymouse to me. I'm hoping they come up with some better solution.

Oh, two more pluses. You can roll the hammock up around the ridge cord, which leaves plenty of room under the fly to sit, cook, read, etc. even in a drizzle. And (men only) -- forgive me, but this is a high point for me! -- if it's really cold or you're not feeling well, but need to answer nature's call, you can "lower periscope" through the entry slit and whizz away. Admit it: that's worth the price of admission alone!

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