Staying warm in a Hennessy

[BillyBob58]

HI BillyBob58
Thats a great reply thanks. I have downloaded a couple of the setup movies and I found they did not explain that much to me, but your reply is good, not a ramble at all

Gunn

Glad I could help. Unless they have changed the videos, there is a very good video tutorial at the HH site that is mostly about setting up the HH with SuperShelter and Snake Skins. If you haven't already, you can go to just about the last video in the sequence where they show how to break camp. Watch how that cute girl removes only the SuperShelter pad/insulation, and then roles the entire hammock/superS/tarp up into the snake skins in the blink of an eye. That video was real helpful for me, and that is pretty much how I do it. If you are careful not to let go of the left and right tarp asym ends, and you fold them up to the hammock ridge line like she does, you can keep pretty good control even in high winds.

http://www.hennessyhammock.com/breakcamp.html

One problem I can see is those situations where the inside of the tarp is wet with condensation. If you are going to wrap up inside the tarp, you might want a pack towel available to dry off the tarp, or your hammock might get a little wet( or a lot). But I don't see this as a huge problem any way. The hammock is only nylon, it is not going to soak up a lot of moisture and will dry pretty quick from body heat. I slept out one night after a bunch of water had run down into my Speer ( no drip strings) and a little bit into my PeaPod. I had a little lake inside my hammock. I just dumped it out, hopped in, and all was dry pretty quick. But, I had on synthetic clothing, not down, only my PeaPod was down. It might have been more of a problem if I had a down over quilt or clothing.



I should add that Tom Hennessy himself has told me that when he uses the Super Shelter, he does not use Snake Skins. He ties to the trees ( I believe using his much larger tarp ) and stuffs the entire SuperShelter, pad and all plus his sleeping bag ( left inside the hammock) into a stuff sack while still sheltered under the tarp. That way, when he sets up again, all he has to do is attach to the trees, and every thing is good to go, hammock/SS/bag.


Food:

I carry my Hennessy in snake skins in an exterior mesh pocket. I can lay my fly over the hammock while still in the snake skins then pull one end of the snake skins and attach the fly then do the same on the other end. The snake skins above the fly attachemtn prevent saturation of the hammock lines. Might not work in a typhoon, but when the weather is bad I try to find very sheltered sites.

That is yet another good idea. It sounds like it would work.

[Hector]

> So if I attach some cord to each end of the tarp and using my figure 9 tie
> straight to the tree as I do now?

I attach my tiny figure 9s to the tarp with a loop of cord forming a larkshead, take a length of cord with a bowline loop in the end around the tree, run the unlooped free end of the cord through the loop, take that free end to the figure 9, bam you're done. Remember to attach the tarp lines to the tree lower than the tree huggers that support the hammock will set. On a Hennessey when you expect rain, you want the tarp against the ridge line.

[billslade]

Tree huggers for both the tarp and the Hammock.
Tarp goes up first, comes down last.

Is it really necessary to use tree huggers for the tarp? Just received my MacCat std tarp today and looking forward to using it.

[angrysparrow]

Is it really necessary to use tree huggers for the tarp?

Not at all. I've never used huggers for any of my tarps. Unlike the hammock suspension, the tarp doesn't have enough force on it to cause tree damage.

[greenflyfarmer]

but I've been practicing with my very first and brand new HH in the back yard. I got the rain fly sag too and just ran a line from tree to tree under the fly but left it attached to the hammock conventionally. I thoughtit worked great and I couldn't see any down side. I bought a bigger tarp, 8x10 at the local serious camping store for a storm shelter. I figured that if I had to, the HH fly could be rigged tight to the hammock for warmth,leaving a breathing hole, maybe using the stock shock cords, but haven't tried yet. Slept all night Sat. night in a good rain, 10 to 20 mph wind and mid/low 40s and stayed warm and dry. Under, I rigged a nylon/fleece ($9 WallyW) blanket with shock cord ($10 marine supply)like the guy here with poncho liner. I put a kids sleeping bag in it, and cinched it up. Inside the hammock an air foam Coleman ($29WW) pad over the blue ($6WW)CCF pad. Now I'm motorcycling not hiking and can carry more weight, nor am I out biking in low temps like some here. However, on the cheep? ($55), I think I have a cold weather rig that would be warm above freezing and in the rain ($29). I'm ready to try it out this month in WVa.

[kayak karl]

Not at all. I've never used huggers for any of my tarps. Unlike the hammock suspension, the tarp doesn't have enough force on it to cause tree damage.

in state parks i've been told to use webbing NOT ROPE on trees. other people get the wrong idea (i don't argue with rangers, their job is hard enough). i use a double ring w/half hitch with light weight webbing for my tarp since then. same setup for hammock with heavier webbing.