SuperShelter on a Black Bird

Lately I have been doing much better avoiding left calf problems in my WBBB, either with a normal hang or especially with a shorter ridge line. Which means I have been hanging a lot more in this hammock since it is otherwise so dang comfy PLUS has such great features.

So today I finally got around to checking something I have often wondered about, though I have heard of someone else doing this(who?). But I guess I figured it would take a lot of mods. And it would be harder with my old style HHSS, with the small holes meant to be threaded with rope, as opposed to the webbing on my WB. But the newer style just clips around the ends of the WB with ease.

The larger #2 system fits with plenty of room to spare. Works as is, but will work better with some minor mods to allow side tie outs. I was originally thinking of sewing on some Grosgrain loops to run a tie out elastic through the SS UC/pad loops. But I think in stead I will just Larkshead some shock cord through the pad/UC loops and run that up to the WBBB upper netting tie out. And something similar on the foot end.

The over cover also fits with plenty of room, but some little mod will be needed much more with it than with the UC/pad. You can move thee UC or pad where you need them after you get in, and they seem to stay put pretty well. But the OC def needs some side tie outs to keep it in place, or the wind will just blow it right off to one side when only attached on the ends.

I don't know if the #1 SS would be too small, it might be too tight.

It felt like normal SS warmth. A down vest added under the pad was hardly compressed at all, due to this larger SS being used on the BB. This resulted in scorched back sydrome with these temps in low 70s.

Though usable as is, some experimentation might be called for with suspension tightness to determine the correct tension for the base pad or added insulation. Considering this is no custom fit, and technically too long I think. But not too wide, I think the BB is wider than my Explorer. Thus, the sides of the SS don't seem to come up as high above me as on the HH, though high enough.

We used this #2 SS on my friends HH Expedition on my last trip. It was definitely bigger than needed, but still seemed to function just fine, my friend loved it. Looks like it will work just as well on this WBBB. I can't wait for a freezing night to try it out! I think I would have loved this combo on my recent Sawtooth trip, what with all the room under the net. With all of those mossies outside the net, rather than counting on Picaridin on my face/hands and hoping it would work all night(it did!).

http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery...3063_thumb.jpg

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I had always wondered about this but I had the number 1 model SS. also I didnt love my blackbird so much so I didnt have her for long. but thats very cool. in the picture with the over cover on you could barely tell it was a blackbird.

Holy cow. batman
You mean to tell me that a BB needs a super shelter? The way those are described I figered they had some force field sewn into them...that kept them warm.... and to think I was gonna give up my Hennessy.....NEVER

just kidding ya'll

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Originally Posted by Randy

Holy cow. batman
You mean to tell me that a BB needs a super shelter? The way those are described I figered they had some force field sewn into them...that kept them warm.... and to think I was gonna give up my Hennessy.....NEVER

just kidding ya'll

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Yes, it is shocking, but even a WBBB needs some form of under insulation! :eek:

I really like my HHs as well as my BB. But a main reason reason (other than the occasional leg discomfort which I don't seem to be getting much lately and which was always pretty well solved with a knee pillow) I didn't use it more than I did was I often still liked to use my SS. I'm one of those wierdos that actually kind of likes it. So that is no real excuse now. Just what I needed: yet another hammock to be a main contender ( vs HH- Safaris or the smaller ones- and Bridge ) to try to decide: which one for this trip? :rolleyes:

Because, having spent a while now laying around in it, I can say that even without adding some helpful minor mods, it feels pretty much exactly the same as when I have the SS on my HH Explorer.

The side tie outs will interfere a bit with the OC, but it will still be beneficial under certain conditions. But they don't interfere at all with the UC or pad.

If you want mounting points, you can sew mitten hooks or mitten hook rings to the hammock and/or under cover with a small button on the back side for reinforcement. Using those for attachment points, you can add short shock cords with their own mitten hooks to give a bit of flex as you enter/exit and move around in the hammock.

The 2QZQ undercover will work in the same way. I went a similar route with my SS undercover-clone/poncho arrangement. I use the short shock cords to the Hennessy side pull-outs to attach the Hennessy SS foam pad rather than treading the side pullout lines through it. A mitten hook or ring on the undercover at the proper point on the sides can be clipped into the Hennessy pull-outs. You could do the same with a WBBB. Getting around the footbox on a WBBB may take some tweaking with side tension and attachment points. An undercover with good width would be the cure I think. Mine is 65" wide and 110" long.

An undercover really doesn't need much in the form of pull-outs if it has light shock cord in the side hems and it will conform to either asym or gathered-end hammocks. It will climb higher on a rig without tie-outs, but the functional difference is slight.

For an undercover, all you need is a rectangle of ripstop or silnylon with simple end channels and side channels, 3/32" shock cord and toggles. The end shock cords gather the fabric just like a hammock. I use a mitten hook on one end of the shock cord and a toggle on the other, so they can be clipped into my suspension and adjusted. The side cords have a mitten hook ring at the foot end, just to keep the cord from going through the side channel and toggle at the head end. I can reach up and adjust the side tension while laying in the hammock. I can adjust the gathering and tautness on the end channel (head end only) from the "driver's seat" too, allowing more or less ventilation and clearance for insulation.

Take the time to make and try some Garlington Insulators with the SS undercover. All you need is some low density trash bags and you can use crumpled newspaper for fill for the trial. If you like it, space blankets work better. You will be surprised how warm they are. Just adding a space blanket to the SS makes a noticeable difference.

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Originally Posted by DaleW

If you want mounting points, you can sew mitten hooks or mitten hook rings to the hammock and/or under cover with a small button on the back side for reinforcement. Using those for attachment points, you can add short shock cords with their own mitten hooks to give a bit of flex as you enter/exit and move around in the hammock.

The 2QZQ undercover will work in the same way. I went a similar route with my SS undercover-clone/poncho arrangement. I use the short shock cords to the Hennessy side pull-outs to attach the Hennessy SS foam pad rather than treading the side pullout lines through it. A mitten hook or ring on the undercover at the proper point on the sides can be clipped into the Hennessy pull-outs. You could do the same with a WBBB. Getting around the footbox on a WBBB may take some tweaking with side tension and attachment points. An undercover with good width would be the cure I think. Mine is 65" wide and 110" long.

An undercover really doesn't need much in the form of pull-outs if it has light shock cord in the side hems and it will conform to either asym or gathered-end hammocks. It will climb higher on a rig without tie-outs, but the functional difference is slight.

For an undercover, all you need is a rectangle of ripstop or silnylon with simple end channels and side channels, 3/32" shock cord and toggles. The end shock cords gather the fabric just like a hammock. I use a mitten hook on one end of the shock cord and a toggle on the other, so they can be clipped into my suspension and adjusted. The side cords have a mitten hook ring at the foot end, just to keep the cord from going through the side channel and toggle at the head end. I can reach up and adjust the side tension while laying in the hammock. I can adjust the gathering and tautness on the end channel (head end only) from the "driver's seat" too, allowing more or less ventilation and clearance for insulation.

Take the time to make and try some Garlington Insulators with the SS undercover. All you need is some low density trash bags and you can use crumpled newspaper for fill for the trial. If you like it, space blankets work better. You will be surprised how warm they are. Just adding a space blanket to the SS makes a noticeable difference.

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Thanks for the tips and info, Dale. And +1 on the Garlington insulator augmentation for the SS UC. These were some of my earliest SS add to experiments, and they worked extremely well. I have put space blankets inside sealed up plastic bags, and down vests and raw Climashield normally used in my WB UQ. They have all worked to add from significant warmth to a whole bunch. One advantage of this approach is the sealed plastic bag prevents the UC's elastic tension from compressing loft of whatever insulation you are adding. The downside is this some what uncompressible bag may not conform to your body shape as well as something like a down vest or fleece jacket just thrown down into the UC.

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Originally Posted by BillyBob58

.... The downside is this some what uncompressible bag may not conform to your body shape as well as something like a down vest or fleece jacket just thrown down into the UC.

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If you make flatter ones using a space blanket as an envelope, you end up with a wide insulator that will wrap around you and is held up by the undercover. I don't know how snug the SS cover is, but with my poncho arrangement, I can adjust the inner clearance to whatever I want and I dial it in to where the insulator is just below my backside, but not touching.

If you fold an AMK double Heet Sheet in half, you get an envelope that is 60"x48", which is enough to cover from shoulders to ankles or more, and plenty to wrap around the sides. I used double-stick tape to seal the open sides and left some open spots for vents so you can compress it for travel and still get it fluffed up. Crumpled and folded space blankets or polyester batting inside gives 1"-2" loft. I just lay it in the undercover and climb in. It may need a little tug to pull it up on the sides initially, but it tends to stay there. Add that under the Hennessy foam pad and a space blanket between you and the pad and you have a warm system. The space blanket envelope with a couple folded space blankets inside will roll up to Nalgene size or smaller. With a polyester batt, it will be a little fatter. Surprisingly, any condensation is very slight and gathers on the space blanket, below the hammock fabric.

Hey Dale,
Double stick tape on a folded space blanket with some insulation thrown in there- that really sounds like it has some potential, I may have to look into that.

Another thing I have used in the past ( there have been a bunch of experiments since 06 :rolleyes: ) is Climashield inside a great big ziplock storage bag. But your taped SB sounds like it might conform more to my back.

Now as this thread is more about using a HHSS on a WBBB, I will refer to a quote from my 1st post above:

Quote:

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It felt like normal SS warmth. A down vest added under the pad was hardly compressed at all, due to this larger SS being used on the BB. This resulted in scorched back sydrome with these temps in low 70s.

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IOW, as well as my Garlington experiments have worked, just adding down vests or fleece jackets down into the UC has always provided a big boost for me. I have done a very comfortable 15-15F with the fleece under my lower back and the vest under my upper.

I'm sure I could have gone lower. Of course, that means they were not available to wear to bed, so my top quilt or bag had to be warm enough. But this vest was compressed less than usual, because the UC was a little looser on the WBBB than it is on my HHs. I'm sure using a thicker down Parka would take me even lower with ease.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=13454

Check these threads for my adventures with Garlington Insulators made from space blankets:

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=36668

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=36337

man that is a nice setup you got there. looks like you will stay toasty warm in it.