Got sum Hennessy Explorer questions..??

[saharrison67]

Hey all,

I was out for my first back woods hang in my Hennessy Explorer Deluxe Zip and had a minor problem. I seemed to be continually sliding down with my feet reaching towards the end of the hammock and uncomfortably too high above my head. I thought I had my ridge line level when I set it up but it was on uneven ground with trees on a hill. I froze my butt and climbed out at 0430 to raise the foot end about 12" and it seemed to get a bit better but not totally. My Hammock Gear 3/4 UQ worked beautifully along with my Kelty down bag, no problems there. My questions are;

1. How tight do I tension the Hennessy ? Should the built-in ridge line be tight ?

2. Should the foot end be higher than the head end ? If so by how much ?

3. How can I connect my HG UQ so it does not slide around underneath the hammock. Its a problem with the Hennessy as the screen only zips on one side and you can't get your arm around to pull up on the UQ to reposition it on that one side.

Cheers.



Heres a YT vid I made with some pics and video I took that trip.

http://youtu.be/bhnlceshybc

Sean

[ggreaves]

By watching your video (4:41), I see your head is at the left side of the picture you posted. From the picture, it looks like the left side is way higher than the right side (although it doesn't look that way in the video - did you take the video in the morning, after you made the adjustments?). You should always pitch your feet a little higher (3"-6") and you'll lay nicely in the hammock. As soon as you feel your feet constrained, you know you've got 'em too low. Also, if you're using a pad (I have the double layer Deep Jungle) your feet will slide off the pad and they'll get cold. I've tried pitching mine tight and a little looser. In the Hennessey, it feels the same to me either way, but it's putting less stress on the suspension and trees to give it a bit of an angle. The ridgeline will be pretty taut either way. Another thing you can do is to pitch your tarp on a separate ridgeline slightly below the hammock suspension. This way, once you're in it, you'll be positioned perfectly under the tarp and the tarp will stay tight.

Nice video and it looks like a really beautiful place to hang.

[Cali]

It sure is beautiful, and looks like an awesome place to hang. I agree with ggreaves above, hang the hammock higher at the foot end, and it should keep you from sliding down. Work with the height until you find the best height for you. Good luck to you.

[saharrison67]

I think what I may do is bring along one of those small line levels in my pack, the type that attaches right to the ridgeline. That way I can level myself even in the dark and then just raise the appropriate end.

Yes, that spot is pretty amazing. 270 degrees around us there is a 100 foot sheer drop off to a rocky beach below. The spruce trees in the picture are mosty growing right on the edge.

It sure is beautiful, and looks like an awesome place to hang. I agree with ggreaves above, hang the hammock higher at the foot end, and it should keep you from sliding down. Work with the height until you find the best height for you. Good luck to you.

[saharrison67]

Yes, I believe your right about the head end being too high. My early morning adjustments were not enough to fully correct my problem. Something to look for next time. Maybe one of the those compact line levels will be added to my tech bag for situations like this.

By watching your video (4:41), I see your head is at the left side of the picture you posted. From the picture, it looks like the left side is way higher than the right side (although it doesn't look that way in the video - did you take the video in the morning, after you made the adjustments?). You should always pitch your feet a little higher (3"-6") and you'll lay nicely in the hammock. As soon as you feel your feet constrained, you know you've got 'em too low. Also, if you're using a pad (I have the double layer Deep Jungle) your feet will slide off the pad and they'll get cold. I've tried pitching mine tight and a little looser. In the Hennessey, it feels the same to me either way, but it's putting less stress on the suspension and trees to give it a bit of an angle. The ridgeline will be pretty taut either way. Another thing you can do is to pitch your tarp on a separate ridgeline slightly below the hammock suspension. This way, once you're in it, you'll be positioned perfectly under the tarp and the tarp will stay tight.

Nice video and it looks like a really beautiful place to hang.

[Dead Man]

Ditto to all the items above. I hang my HH Exp with just a little sag. I get close to the 30* angle that is said to be optimal but I don't worry to much. Close is good enough for me YMMV.

I do obsess about the foot higher than the head. I make certain I'm hanging the foot end a minimum of 6 inches higher than the head (sometime a little more). I'm a bigger guy (6'3" 225lbs) so depending on the span I may have to go a little higher to get the effect I want.

Wish I could help you on the HG Incubator. I will be doing an inagural hang with my HG this weekend so I'll let you know what I discover.

Awesome video too. That is a beautiful place. Need to add that to the list (gotta win that darn lottery first).

[crocodome]

I love this simple advice: "As soon as you feel your feet constrained, you know you've got 'em too low." Nicely stated, GGreaves!

[saharrison67]

I not sure what to do about the UQ issue. I notice there is a plastic ring on both sides of the HG 3/4 UQ which I assume are there to fasten it to the side of the hammock. The Hennessy Explorer has the guy outs but they don't line up with the rings on the UQ, not even close. What I am thinking of doing is to run a piece of paracord over the ridgeline and connect it to the rings on either side the UQ. Then I can just reach out of the zipper and lift or pull the paracord to adjust the UQ side to side. Anybody try this ?



[QUOTE=DaddyDaddy;1013755]
Wish I could help you on the HG Incubator. I will be doing an inagural hang with my HG this weekend so I'll let you know what I discover.

QUOTE]