[at-l] Hammock Question

[bennettk@wfu.edu (ken bennett)]

I used my Hennessey Hammock ultralight asymmetrical on several trips last
year, including a week in May. Overall, I like it, but it has a lot of
drawbacks that you'll need to think about.

Advantages:

1. You can pitch it anywhere there are two trees. No more worrying about
flat spaces or good campsites.

2. It pitches in about 2 minutes.

3. It is by far the most comfortable nights sleep I have ever had in the
backcountry, and better than a lot of nights at home. Just unbelievable
comfort.

4. It weighs 28 ounces with everything.

Disadvantages:

1. It does get cold. You'll need some kind of insulation when it gets to 50
or below. I use a Ridgerest 3/4 with a smaller piece of foam pad under my
feet. This is fine. I bought some Reflectix insulation at Lowes but haven't
tried it yet. Don't use a Z-rest -- it's impossible to keep it from folding
up inside the hammock while you are getting in. (Ask me how I know this
<g>.)

2. You can't take your pack or anything else inside with you. I hang my pack
from the hammock rope around the tree with a carabiner and cover it with a
pack cover.

3. It's easy to enter and exit, but only in theory. In practice, getting
inside the hammock and inside your bag and on top of the pad while trapped
in the folds of the hammock is not a pretty sight. This is worst when it's 3
am and you really, really have to pee and it's 35 degrees outside.

4. There's no place to change clothes, cook dinner, organize gear, etc. You
can supposedly use the covered area under the hammock when it's raining, but
that area isn't very large.

5. Rain protection isn't bad, but it could be better. I've thought about
using a larger silnylon tarp for the hammock -- a 5x8 tarp is slightly
larger than the supplied rainfly, and I already own one.

6. There's no good place to put your boots/shoes. I don't want to leave them
on the ground under the hammock (which would be the easiest solution), but
trying get into the hammock, take off my shoes, tie the laces together and
hang them from the hammock rope under the rainfly while balancing inside the
hammock and not losing my bag or my pad is a real PITA (see #3, above.) Then
you have to reverse the process to get out, especially if it's wet. Again,
this is worst at 3 am.


So overall it looks pretty bad for the hammock -- all those problems,
sheesh. But I'll tell you, the sleeping comfort and ease of setup outweighs
all the bad stuff. A good night's sleep is really crucial for hiking, IMHO.

I think the only time that I'll consider leaving it home would be winter
trips (I'm going for a 3-day weekend in a couple of weeks, and I'm probably
going to leave the hammock at home in favor of a tarp and bivy. Depends on
the weather forecast and my gut feeling.)


Ken
Big Cranky