Amateur Going Wild

[wxguy23]

I thougth you would look in this, good cause I need some help.

I joined a scout troop as an assistant scout master. I am heading to camp this weekend with my brand new Hennessy Expedition. I just got in Saturday. I have not tried it due to time. I did open it up to look at it, with no idea how to tie it up. The videos are useless to me. I will figure it out. Not sure if I need certain knots or what. I didn't open the rain fly, so I assume the "tree huggers" are in there.

So, Here are my questions:

It might rain Friday night, not heavy, but any advise? Can I or do I need a little 5' by 5' blue tarp under me? I have a rainfly for my bag...but nothing under it. Trash Bag?

Looks like lows around 50, I have a 20 degree mummy, but do I need and how good do emergency blankets work? How hard is it to get into a sleeping bag?

How do you change clothes if no shelter around?

Other tips for my first time? NEVER done a hammock before, so clueless, but need to look "manly" in front of the boys.

Thanks

[wxguy23]

52 views and no tips?

[Jodster]

DON'T ASSUME! You will certainly lose the "manly" factor!

My first hang was in a HH and being afraid of confined spaces, it was a little un-nerving. Once I got the hang of it (pun intended), I have a hard time justifying going to the ground.

First - Hang it and, at the very least, get in it. If possible, have a nap in it. This will give you a feel for how long it will take to set up and check that everything is there.

Second - Try getting in the bag while standing in the opening then sitting down. It takes some wiggling after you are laying down but seems to be one of the easier ways to get in.

Third - Don't try to get changed inside.....WOW it is nearly impossible. Both my son and I have taken to finding a spot in the woods close by to do that. With a scout troup nearby, perhaps you could borrow a tent for a quick change.

Fourth - Don't forget to lay on an angle to the ridgeline ..... I woke up my first night with my feet on the ground.

I'm sure others will chime in with more tips ..... but whatever you do ..... enjoy the hang!

[Jodster]

Alas ..... I forgot one piece of advice ...... something you should remember from orientation ..... The Boy Scout motto .....

BE PREPARED

[Sailor]

Sling hammock in backyard a couple times till you get it right, then spend the night in it in the backyard, figure out where you are cold, put foam padding under there till you can lie in it and not be cold; mummy bag on top will be fine. If you think rain, have tarp pulled between trees over hammock and tied out, and do this in your back yard for practice. Two evenings, 2 nights in hammock before trip, you'll have it mostly wired. then hope CAVU on trip. Sailor

[Wendigo]

52 views and no tips?

did this guy see 52 views with no tips and just give up? oh well, at least it was the funnest thread I've been involved with. I hope he comes back with video.

[Mustardman]

I can't offer much hennessey specific advice, but I will say your mummy bag probably won't protect you completely. You need some insulation underneath you - whether that's a cheap foam sleeping pad from walmart or a thermarest or something fancier and hammock-specific.

You only need a tarp underneath you if you're putting gear on the ground. I personally hang my backpack from the end of my hammock, but I also use a much larger tarp than the hennessey rain fly, so the tarp is able to protect the pack pretty well. A trash bag to put over your bag might be a good idea regardless of what you do.


As far as changing, I do that inside my hammock - it requires a bit of gymnastics but isn't too bad once you're used to it.

[Shug]

wxguy23;154344]I thougth you would look in this, good cause I need some help.

I joined a scout troop as an assistant scout master. I am heading to camp this weekend with my brand new Hennessy Expedition. I just got in Saturday. I have not tried it due to time. I did open it up to look at it, with no idea how to tie it up. The videos are useless to me. I will figure it out. Not sure if I need certain knots or what. I didn't open the rain fly, so I assume the "tree huggers" are in there.

Hey!
I would make some time to set up that hammock and go over set up .... really... try and watch the vids ... they will help.
Remember that ALL those scouts will be watching you!

It might rain Friday night, not heavy, but any advise? Can I or do I need a little 5' by 5' blue tarp under me? I have a rainfly for my bag...but nothing under it. Trash Bag?

Some like a placemat or small piece of plastic to step out on ....never hurts to have a trash bag for your pack.

Looks like lows around 50, I have a 20 degree mummy, but do I need and how good do emergency blankets work? How hard is it to get into a sleeping bag? Use a camping pad in the hammock under you for warmth...

You should be fine in a 20º bag. Open the zipper and use it as a quilt .... much easier.

How do you change clothes if no shelter around?

Just have them ready and laid out on the hammock or whatever ... drop your tarp as low as you can on one side and just move swiftly. Or wait until dark....

Other tips for my first time? NEVER done a hammock before, so clueless, but need to look "manly" in front of the boys.

Grab a coffee and pour over this site .... there is tons of info but stay with the basics. Search all the sub-categories.
Have fun and enjoy the hammock quest but do practice, practice, practice setting it up!!!
Make full use of the SEARCH button.
Shug

[Ramblinrev]

My problem is where do I start trying to give suggestions. You haven't even unwrapped the whole package, nor it seems read the stuff sack. The videos are "useless" but it seems you want to be able to read all about it and get it down so you can make a good impression in front of the scouts.

I don't mean to sound nasty but where does that leave me? I can't get a handle on what you want or need. You'll figure it out. Yeah... you'll have to but in the meantime at least unwrap the tarp and read the stuff sack.

As far as the rest of the questions go, I'm sure you will get some anwsers if you give us a little more to go on and have a beter handle on what the setup is going to look like for you.

[beep]

I thougth you would look in this, good cause I need some help.

I joined a scout troop as an assistant scout master. I am heading to camp this weekend with my brand new Hennessy Expedition. I just got in Saturday. I have not tried it due to time. I did open it up to look at it, with no idea how to tie it up. The videos are useless to me. I will figure it out. Not sure if I need certain knots or what. I didn't open the rain fly, so I assume the "tree huggers" are in there.

My advice would be to NOT use it until you've had a chance to practice a bit.

So, Here are my questions:

It might rain Friday night, not heavy, but any advise? Can I or do I need a little 5' by 5' blue tarp under me? I have a rainfly for my bag...but nothing under it. Trash Bag?

If your hammock rain fly is pitched well, you probably won't need anything underneath the hammock for supplemental gear protection. I usually put my pack (with whatever isn't in the food bag or otherwise hung as part of the hammock setup) inside the pack rain cover and put that on a convenient tree limb or on the ground underneath the hammock tarp. My shoes and water live underneath me on the ground.

Looks like lows around 50, I have a 20 degree mummy, but do I need and how good do emergency blankets work? How hard is it to get into a sleeping bag?

Your biggest issue with insulation will be underneath you. Inside the hammock, your sleeping bag will be compressed and provide almost no insulation. Your best starting point would be to use whatever sleeping pad you now have. Use it inside the hammock, but underneath your sleeping bag. You can use a traditional Thermarest or CCF pad...whatever you have. It'll be a challenge to get that arranged with Hennessy's bottom entry. When you put the sleeping bag in the hammock, unzip it. Many folks just use the unzipped bag as a quilt (another reason for bottom insulation!)

How do you change clothes if no shelter around?

...and why would you need to change clothes for short trip?

Other tips for my first time? NEVER done a hammock before, so clueless, but need to look "manly" in front of the boys.

Thanks

I think you've sorta answered your concern. While successful "hanging" isn't overly complex, there is a HUGE benefit to some backyard practice. Figuring out what works for YOU is partly a matter of trial and error. That may be more comfortable for you without an audience.

Congrats on getting started and welcome to the forums!