I'm a total newbie when it comes to hammock camping. My previous hammock experience has been with a cheapo mesh hammock (the kind you'd find on ebay for $10) and a nice backyard hammock with wooden spacers (still not designed for hammock camping -- but oh so comfortable!). As a fan of relaxing in hammocks, sleeping in them when camping seems the next logical step I've been doing a bit of research, trying to decide which model is best for me.
So far, the most promising reviews seem to come from the Hennessy asyms. Everyone seems to love them, they seem to be stable, their Explorer and Safari models seem quite roomy (more important to me than weight), the snakeskins reportedly really speed up setup and takedown, and so on. They also have the option for an insulation system and a large hex fly (so that I could keep my gear under my hammock). There's just one issue that I'm not sure about with them: can they be used as a camp chair like a basic hammock? I.e., could you set it up so that the fly is off and the netting untensioned (laying flat), and then sit on top of it? If not, can you recommend any other models that are generally nice and that you can do that?
My gear philosophy is this: weight isn't very important. I'll take the "more money for reduced weight" tradeoff, but never the "reduced comfort for reduced weight" tradeoff. I like gear that serves multiple purposes, is roomy, durable, sets up and takes down lightning fast, and in general, quality stuff -- even if it weighs more. I've hiked fine with a 60 pound pack; what I like is to be able to really kick back when I get to camp.
Thanks for any input you might have
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