Just got my Warbonnet Blackbird in. I have the 1.7 dl version. I’ll be making comparisons to my Hennessy Safari in my review. Please don’t take anything I say as a slam on either product, they are both excellent hammocks, the Safari being the only other hammock I have experience with gets to be the guinea pig.

Weight

The Safari (sans tarp) weighs on my scales at 2.8 lb.
The Blackbird, 2.6 (with two Metolius minicarabiners), though the Blackbird is far less bulky and takes up maybe 1/3 less room in a pack.

Setup

The Blackbird seems to have a steeper learning curve for me, but when mastered is much easier. The strap and carabiner setup beats the tree straps and rope hands down. I suspect in the long run the rope on the Safari will prove to be more durable, but also harder to replace. The Blackbird is also much easier to adjust once you set it up, just tug on the straps a bit, maybe raise the height on the tree and you’re done.

Entry/Exit

Again, the Blackbird wins, though the zipper mod from 2Q/ZQ could easily equalize this. I simply prefer the top entry, plus being able to access items outside the hammock is essential for me. I never fail to forget something I’m going to need in the night.

Comfort

Both are very comfortable, though I find the Blackbird allows me to lie flatter than the Safari. I have sleep apnea, so the Safari is actually better for me in this regard, the slope of the Safari actually allows me to breathe better. The Safari also has more room inside than the Blackbird. For a 6’3” 300lb guy, I need the room. I wish the Blackbird was a hair wider. The pad sleeve in the Blackbird is wonderful. I can’t stress this enough. My wrasslin’ matches with my Z-rest in the Safari are EPIC. Hulk Hogan wouldn’t go anywhere NEAR the thing. I do have a bit of trouble with the Z-rest, but my Thermarest slides in and stays put. The pad sleeve was the nail in the door for the Safari. I do most of my camping in the fall and winter; Alabama summers are just way too hot for me. I handle cold weather pretty well; all I need is a pad. In the Safari, I’m warm and toasty, until the pad slips then I freeze my arse off. So far I haven’t had that problem with the Blackbird due to the pad sleeve, though I admit I haven’t spent an entire night in it yet.


Customer Service

I can’t comment on Hennessy’s customer service, as I’ve never had a problem with my Safari. Warbonnet Outdoors, however, responded to every question I had. In fact, I’ve never gotten faster response from my emails over ANYTHING. Brandon (along with sever other helpful people) even responded to my post on Hammock Forums when I had questions regarding proper setup.



Overall Impressions

You can’t go wrong with either hammock in my opinion. With the zipper mod, the Safari would probably be very comparable to the Blackbird, and I may yet send mine off to have that done, but the pad sleeve seals the deal for me. My budget doesn’t allow for an expensive underquilt, and honestly, the coldest I’m likely to see is low 20s, maybe teens once in a blue moon, so my old Z-rest is good enough for me. I’ve still got to actually sleep overnight in the thing, but barring something unforeseen, it will probably be my hammock of choice.