I have no Supershelter experience personally, but it appears to be a well thought out system, unaffected by the tiny stock tarp. You are better off with a JRB Nest and a Macat DLX, but we are talking lots more $$$ (but worth it, IMO). For a thru hiker headed north, who wanted swap to hammock once the nights warmed to the 40's, this is a fairly low-cost option.Originally Posted by Trooper
The thru-hiker who wanted a hammock for 40°F weather would certainly benefit from the SS.
My testing was conducted at the edge of an open field, and every time the wind would gust the warmer air in the hammock would be sucked out. The warms returns quickly, but it is noticeable. The same thing that happens to litter in the bed of a pickup truck-it get sucked out. The larger tarp solved this problem for me, but I bet that a different location would have yielded similar benefits.
I like the undercover and think I will always keep it with me. But, I'm experimenting with the Ridgerest and Trailpro pads instead of the OCF pad. Even though the Hennessy OCF pad is concave, I haven't noticed a greatly improved fit once shock cord is added to the Thermarest pads. I'll post my long-term and more objective results when I have them.
Using the undercover as a platform to experiment is why I like the SS. For my money though, I'd rather just buy the undercover/overcover together and Hennessy can keep the OCF pad.
A number of folks over the years have felt that way about the pad, or really, the SS in general. (Except for the overcover, I don't remember any one disliking that item)
But for me, the pad has a few positive points and is not all bad. How much does that pad weigh? 5 or 8 oz, depending on length/width? That would not make for a very thick CCF or self inflating full length extra wide pad. Used with a 2 oz space blanket, I have always found the pad to be surprisingly warm, though it will never match 3" loft down that is just snug enough against your back, no doubt.
I can do the 40s with ease with the basic set up, and have done into the 30s and been warm enough. Though wind and other factors can make it tough to go to those temps. A few hardy souls have beat those temps. I have also but only by adding kidney and torso oads and/or various items of clothing down below.
If I don't use the pad, and just the UC, I can't get anywhere near those temps and be happy.
If I use a long, wide CCF pad thick enough to be as warm, I think it is going to weigh as much or probably a good bit more. For ex, a Ridgerest deluxe weighs (Edit error) 25 oz, a LOT heavier than the HH pad, though it might be a bit warmer. It will not compress nearly as small, and used in the hammock will not be nearly as comfortable. For me, the SS pad is just as comfortable as any quilt I have tried. If the Ridgerest DLX was half as thick and half the weight, it would still be heavier and I don't think it would be as warm, and certainly not as comfortable if used in the hammock.
And of course, there is cost compared to down UQs. And for very wet but maybe not all that cold weather, it may have advantages over down. Being synthetic, it dries really fast in my experiments.
The SS and pad/SB is definitely not as warm as a dry Pea Pod or especially a MW4. But for me, it does have it's uses, especially considering the cost.
Last edited by BillyBob58; 01-07-2010 at 20:46.
thank you all for the respose .. very interesting advice ,opinions . and exp's
i did order the ss .and am awaiting delivery. i really dont know what to add as all the post have covered my questions . i very much value the advice ,as i am pretty new to hammocks ..
thank you
I think you'll be happy with the SS. I've been experimenting with mine for about a month, and when it is adjusted properly it works wonders. Getting it adjusted properly seems to be tricky, so experiment at home.
That may have been my problem not getting it adjusted correctly,,,,, way past my attention span......
Hey all
well imy SS just arived . and something very cool that Henessey did was ..
when i placed my order online in the questions tab i requested any freebies .ie stickers or whatever .. they sent me a free tee shirt .. how nice is that? i havent opened the ss yet but will be installing it shortly and trying it out tonight .with a heatsheet.. hope it works for me ..i just think its the dogs pants that they sent me a tee shirt
Good luck! Use that Heatsheet to cover the entire pad. Do you have a zip mod, allowing you to reach out of the hammock? It is hugely helpful to be able to do so. If you find the pad is not far enough to the left and can't reach out to adjust, you can pull it over some once you are in by reaching out the entry slit. Just be careful and try to grab it through the heat sheet, that pad is fragile! But, easily repaired.
Is it going to be pretty cold where you are at? Especially if you did not order the kidney and torso pad, don't hesitate to add stuff like socks or balaclavas on top of the pad, or down jackets under the pad. Everything under the heat sheet.
19 degrees
"Proud Pound Hawg"
Republic of Texas H.O.G. (Hennessy Owners Group)
thanks for the advice billybob ..i do not have the zipper mod .i set it up today.well right after it was delivered .and messed with set up i wasnt very impressed at first .the outer cover wasnt wanting to fit properly .and i felt there was too much slack on the shock cords for the pad.so i went back and looked at a few videos from the hh site . today i the high was mid 40's .i layed in the hammock after getting things where i think they should be .with the heatsheet and pad ect. ect. and after about an hour of relaxing my back was considerably warmer than my top but i wasnt cold at all.im in kansas and i havent looked but i guessing mid 20's tonight ..
ill be just trying out the SS with heatsheet and 0deg SB , my first impression of the ss is .that it def has potential for cooler weather .but not so much cold weather.might be wrong . after i did get thing set up correctly .i was impressed with the warmth i got on my back with just the clothes i wore today and a fleece jacket ..the pad is a nice size for me and seems to be a good shape to fit . the outercover on the other hand was kind of a pain .ill give it a go tonight..
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