A question for those who made the HH to WBBBB switch

**Wogs** · 06-08-2011, 13:54

Originally Posted by NewtonGT

I can definently understand you on the double layer. i have the expedition and I dont do alot of summer camping but I have heard they can bite through. oh and I made a mistake. that fabric is 210D. but anyway. Im sure you will enjoy your BB. Hennessy just isnt for everyone. I was just trying to make sure that you didnt have a bad hammock. because it might have a warranty

Yea, Im going to take it out with me on my next trip to get a nights sleep in it and reevaluate my decision. I just have wide shoulders....I have problems finding jackets that fit, because it will be tight across the shoulders and loose in the stomach area. I need to find someone around here who has one for me to try haha

**Knotty** · 06-08-2011, 13:56

I have a few Hennessys and the materials and craftsmanship are very high. Surprised that yours aren't. Have borrowed and used a Blackbird and the quality is equally high and the design is more innovative.

The HH Explorer with zipper is more directly comparable to the Warbonnet Blackbird. The Expedition is smaller and thus less comfortable (for many). I find the Explorer and Blackbird to be about the same in terms of comfort. For those who plan to use a pad, the double layer option on the BB is an advantage. I've never been bitten by a mosquito through a single layer hammock but mine are treated with permethrin.

The BB shelf is a nice feature and I find it to be more useful than the ridgeline storage bags on the HH, however, the rigdeline bags are better protected from weather but that's not much of an issue.

Don't think you can go wrong with a Blackbird. Just a matter of whether or not hammocks really are for you and if you want to spend the money.

**Wogs** · 06-08-2011, 14:19

Originally Posted by Knotty

I have a few Hennessys and the materials and craftsmanship are very high. Surprised that yours aren't. Have borrowed and used a Blackbird and the quality is equally high and the design is more innovative.

The HH Explorer with zipper is more directly comparable to the Warbonnet Blackbird. The Expedition is smaller and thus less comfortable (for many). I find the Explorer and Blackbird to be about the same in terms of comfort. For those who plan to use a pad, the double layer option on the BB is an advantage. I've never been bitten by a mosquito through a single layer hammock but mine are treated with permethrin.

The BB shelf is a nice feature and I find it to be more useful than the ridgeline storage bags on the HH, however, the rigdeline bags are better protected from weather but that's not much of an issue.

Don't think you can go wrong with a Blackbird. Just a matter of whether or not hammocks really are for you and if you want to spend the money.

I've loved camping in my ENO and feel I will like the HH even better...Ill give it a few nights testing

**taylo** · 06-08-2011, 14:29

If you decide to get a blackbird, get a 1.7 single layer or 1.1 double if you want double. I bought the cheaper 1.0 import and didn't like it, the fabric was too thin and stretched and left stretch marks.
Also, I have since bought the warbonnet traveler with separate bugnet and like it much more than the blackbirds I've had. It's very roomy both ways, and if the bug net rips, you just get a new net. I will only own a warbonnet traveler now.
Just my two cents

**Dutch** · 06-08-2011, 14:54

BB has a more rookier feel and the bugnet is more off your face. If your HH looks warn you should contact them, they are great and have great customer service.

**Knotty** · 06-08-2011, 15:57

"rookier" is how they say roomier in Lancaster, PA.

**swampfox** · 06-08-2011, 17:33

I had the Hennessy Expedition Asym. The best thing about it was the price. $97 plus shipping and I had everything I needed to get started. I got used to the bottom entry but never "liked" it so I had ZQ modify it with the zipper mod.
I didn't like having to tie and untie the Hennessy knot to get it centered so I replaced it with straps and descending rings. I didn't like the tiny tarp in a thunderstorm so I bought a MacCat Deluxe and I was pretty well set up. The HH was a very comfortable hammock. Then I decided to buy a hammock for my wife, just in case I convinced her to go with me. Everyone was raving about the WB Blackbird so I got one. I took it for a spin just to make sure it was going to be OK for her... never slept in the HH again.
All of the mods I had done to the HH came standard on the Blackbird.
I really like the shelf, the footbox, and the double layer. (I like a pad and with a single layer, it moved all over.) The HH was a comfortable sleeper, but I believe the BB is at least as comfortable if not more.
I bought another Blackbird just so we could both have one and she's camped in it twice with rave reviews.
I sold the HH cheap to a Boy Scout on this site to get him started.
Buy one. You will not be disappointed.

**NewtonGT** · 06-08-2011, 17:37

Originally Posted by taylo166

If you decide to get a blackbird, get a 1.7 single layer or 1.1 double if you want double. I bought the cheaper 1.0 import and didn't like it, the fabric was too thin and stretched and left stretch marks.
Also, I have since bought the warbonnet traveler with separate bugnet and like it much more than the blackbirds I've had. It's very roomy both ways, and if the bug net rips, you just get a new net. I will only own a warbonnet traveler now.
Just my two cents

dang the cheap 1.0 import? if you dont mind me asking. how much do you weigh? I mean thats the only way I could see the stretching. the 1.0 is pretty popular

**Alamosa** · 06-08-2011, 21:24

I used a Hennessy Expedition bottom entry for all of last summer (approx. 30 nights) and found it to be a very comfortable hammock. It was a little small for me, so I think the Explorer would have been a better fit.

The bottom entry became an issue when winter set in and managing the larger quilts along with the pad became a real hassle. I never was convinced that using a UQ with the bottom entry would not have been a hassle.

I ended up using an open DIY hammock for the winter. As spring approached, I decided I wanted a larger top-entry hammock with an integrated bug net. Since I already had an HH, I decided to get a BB to compare. I have used it for 4 nights so far.

My general impressions:
- I like the additional size of the BB compared to the Expedition. I assume the Explorer would provide the same basic advantage.
- I like the shelf on the BB.
- I put whoopie slings on the HH and after trying the straps on the BB (again wanted to see the difference) will probably do the same with it.
- The BB is much lighter than the HH. Even with the 1.7 DL, I feel like the HH fabric is more substantial.
- I like the double stitching on the HH. It seems a little more solid.
- There is leg pressure with the BB that has not been reported with the HH. I had the same pressure with my DIY, so I think it is a function of the gathering technique, but have not experimented yet.
- I prefer the top entry to the bottom entry. Much easier to align everything.

I would have no qualms about recommending either hammock. Those are my impression anyway. YMMV

**keg** · 06-08-2011, 22:01

Originally Posted by NewtonGT

dang the cheap 1.0 import? if you dont mind me asking. how much do you weigh? I mean thats the only way I could see the stretching. the 1.0 is pretty popular

I'm 225 and sleep, nap, or read in the 1.0 dbl(i) pretty much every night and haven't noticed any problems (even went and took a good look after reading this).