Warbonnet or Hennessy

[hawghangar]

I have both... had the HH Explorer Deluxe for about 1-1/2 years - just got the WB XLC this month. My observations:

1) In my opinion, HH is an inferior hammock (to the XLC) unless you change the stock suspension and get the 2QZQ Mod #4 zipper modification; even after this modification, you cannot completely remove the bugnet - just stow it in the foot end of the hammock.

2) The WB XLC seems much roomier to me inside the hammock - especially the footbox. I like being able to leave behind the bugnet or over cover - depending on conditions.

3) The HH came with a ridgeline organizer... I had to buy an aftermarket one for the WB XLC. Not a major issue.

4) I like the WB XLC "shelf" inside the hammock; but it is only available when you have the bugnet/topcover attached.

Ease of setup, comfort, and other hammock feature comparisons are in the eye of the beholder - and appear about equal to me.

I'm a relative noob and could be wrong here as I've only hung in my XLC a few times, but I'm pretty sure the winter top cover has the shelf also. Either that or some weird and coincidental bend in the fabric was holding my kindle and phone last night

Yes... thanks for clarifying - will edit the original post to avoid confusion. My point was that you lose the shelf if you remove the net/cover - which is not obvious if you haven't seen one in person.

Really like both of these hammocks...

[hutzelbein]

I don't want to make your decision any more difficult than it already is, but do you know that there's a hammock maker in the UK? I only ordered a Woodsman X double and an Xpedition a couple of days ago, so cannot say anything yet. Derek did a review of the Woodsman hammock last year, and it made me curious. The hammock seems to have a couple of unique features. You would also save quite a bit of customs fees...

If I had to decide between Hennessy and Warbonnet, I would take the Warbonnet. I own several Blackbirds (not XLCs, though), and my 1.0 DL BB has always been my favorite hammock. For some reason I like the 10' length more than 11'. I LOVE the shelf. Hung right, the Blackbird has the most comfortable lay of all hammocks I own. And it is reasonably lightweight.

I own a Hennessy Safari, but haven't been able to give it a through testing due to a lack of hanging possibilities. I prefer double layer hammocks, though, and the Blackbird just seems to be built with more care, in my opinion.