Yea I'd agree with that. I've never tried colder than 45 degrees in it but it worked fine at that temperatureOriginally Posted by captaincoupal
Yea I'd agree with that. I've never tried colder than 45 degrees in it but it worked fine at that temperature
Dale Gribble: I'm thinking, "new hammock." For me, laying and swaying in a hammock is like a steady morphine drip without the risk of renal failure.
Randy : yea but just remember yer roots and where ya come from....you got Hennessy in yer blood son......
Thanks Captaincoupal and NewtonGT. I'll know to add something extra if I ever decide to go 30F or colder
Excellent! Hope it works well for you. I just happened to have my old (from 06) HH Explorer UL with HHSS out and playing around with it today. People vary widely just as they do with UQs. Just think how many threads are hear started by folks having trouble being as warm as expected with their new UQs, though I think most- but not all- finally get the expected performance out of them. Some do well right off the bat. Same with the HHSS. For me, with just the one pad and space blanket, low-mid 30s was about my limit back when I was testing that. I never really tried to push it lower than that( some people have, others can't get nearly that low) because I felt like while I was not cold, I was not warm. So probably couldn't go much lower. But I was also struggling with the TQ learning curve back then, so who knows how much of my being just barely warm enough was related to that. I think there were also times at those temps where I gave up and got inside my synthetic bag (instead of using as a TQ) and went from borderline to toasty warm, so I'm not sure what was actually limiting me. At the other extreme, last Jan by adding to the HH main pad the HH kidney/torso pads and nothing else, and wearing thin VB clothing and a fleece jacket, I was shocked when I managed to be toasty at 6F. ( I don't know how much the VB clothing contributed to this warmth) I did not even do my favorite HH trick: adding all clothing not actually worn for sleeping down between the HH pad/UC. Do NOT forget this trick if you find you are not warm enough. You will not believe how much a zipped up(so you get 2 layers of fleece under you) fleece jacket and/or down vest or a parka can add.
First thing just make sure you understand exactly how to install it. Go to the HH videos on line. The HHSS is really dirt simple, I think I could almost attach one blind folded, but until you understand exactly the principle of how it works and what you are trying to do, it is easy to go wrong. It is not hard to attach something backwards or inside out/upside down. It might be even easier to get confused now that they make HHSSs that don't have the bottom entry part, though I have not seen one of those. But that was always a guide in the past: 1st find the bottom opening in the UC and put that end towards the foot end of the hammock. Guess you can't do that anymore? I think the older UCs had a dark seam on the inside. The newer ones I've seen don't have this dark seam, but they do have a folded seam on the inside that you can grab hold of. Find this seam and make sure it is on the inside, and if you have a bottom entrance style opening, make sure that is towards the foot end, or however you identify the foot end on the new UCs for zip models. If you have the seam on the inside and foot end of UC and footend of UC lined up, you should be good to go.
So make sure you get it on right. Remember, it(the undercover- UC) is just a 2nd super light weight- can't hold but a few lbs of weight- hammock that hangs under your sleep in hammock. When the UC is attached right, it's elastics/shock cord (inside the UC- you can't see it or adjust it) will supply just enough tension to snug the formed, fragile, OCF pad and space blanket up against your back. But not enough to compress it. This same cover will be able to hold a fair amount of other insulation(like clothing or whatever) up against your pad which is against the space blanket and your back.
1st layer top down: you
2nd layer: hammock
3rd layer space blanket
4th HH OCF pad(egg crate up, smooth side down, wide end at shoulder end, hammock side pull outs, pad loops and UC side openings lined up)
5th layer(optional) all other insulation like a thick jacket if needed, between pad and UC. Very light insulation can go on top of pad, under SpBl.
6th: under cover
Have fun. good luck!
How (or maybe where) do the torso / kidney pads fit in the mix? I'm having trouble picturing how they fit & attach. I have a HHSS on my HH, but don't camp in really cold weather so it's unlikely I'd need the pads. Still, it never hurts to learn more!
You lay one or both( smaller one top most centered on kidneys/lower back/butt) on top of the original pad, with space blanket on top of all of them. Maybe at least doubles the thickness right where you need it most. Wearing a fleece jacket over VB clothing, I was toasty at 6F, another used I know of was warm at 12F(no VBs except probably the space blanket).
Thanks. I wonder if two of the original pads, or one that's twice as thick, would be easier. Or in inflatable pad eg something like a thermarest under the pad?
I've used the UQ attached to the HHSS shown here for several years. No pad needed. No condensation. No drafts. No gaps. No sag. Has been warm many trips down to well below freezing, including below zero too. 5" loft, 1 lb. weight. Incidentally, I ALWAYS tarp to the ground in cold weather, makes a world of difference, even with wind.
11-28-2014 BP TRIP 029.jpg UQ outside.jpg UQ view 3.jpg
Since I retired, some times I stay awake all day, some times all night.
Its possible to leave off the super shelter bits entirely and go with just an under quilt. My first UQ was a "kick @ss quilt" which I made following instructions that used to be on this forum somewhere. It is cut with the diagonals for the HH tie outs, and made with m50 and 6oz climashield. Ive taken it to 40 degrees and been fine. My second under quilt was a down UQ made by hammock gear. It fits the hennessy fine, and I got the 0* model, so anything above 20 feels like you're on an electric blanket. I've since changed my system: I use my hennessy hex tarp in the winter, and my hennessy tree straps, but use an ENO singlenest with my 0* UQ instead, if I know there's not going to be a bug issue. The ENO and 0* quilt are lighter and less bulky than the HH with the 40* quilt and bug net and all.
Ive never used the "super shelter" at all, and Ive spent a few cold nights out there, my coldest probably around 26. The nicer thing about using the ENO in the winter, you can throw a down jacket over the ridge line and make a little tent for your head to help keep out the wind and cold. on the HH with the bug net, you're stuck.
Last edited by Theosus; 05-20-2015 at 05:56.
I used my HHSS this past weekend when it went down to 4C. I did not use the silver emergency blanket & was good to go. I did use a Grizz beak door on 1 end so that might have made a bit of difference.
When the rain came in really hard all night & the next morning I had no problem.
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