Is it worth the money or would other bottom quilts be better?
Most of my camping is in Louisiana even in the winter temps in the 40's is about as low as it gets. Just wondering if you have it is good for down in the 40's.
Is it worth the money or would other bottom quilts be better?
Most of my camping is in Louisiana even in the winter temps in the 40's is about as low as it gets. Just wondering if you have it is good for down in the 40's.
I have a Hennessy hammock and I have the same question. Eager to hear the replies.
I like how simple it looks to keep together. Thinking my 13 yo son will end up with my HH or another of his own soon. He should be able to handle getting it hung and ready to sleep by himself with not much trouble.
There is a little tiny learning curve, a 7 year old should be able to figure it out rather quickly.
There is a fiddle factor which some members like and some do not. I have on I like it, I also have a down under quilt. I live in a Sub Arctic region of Canada and in Oregon State. One place is very dry and cold, the other is temperate and wet or damp almost all the time. I just decide with addition I want to use. I also decide with hammock to use.
There are lots of prior posts about the Hennessy Super Shelter, it is just a matter or taste. I am drifting away form my Hennessy gear, my daughter was going to take over my Super Shelter, but she is selling her BE Hennessy, because it makes her feel too enclosed. She does not like the bug net attached to the hammock. Yet she is too lazy to install a zipper or pay someone to do it for her.
You're warmer than we are here in Alabama, and the SS works well for me, considering the weight and bulk.Originally Posted by Nodust
Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.
- John Muir
If you are going to stick with a Hennessy hammock, it is a very well designed and reasonably priced system. Tom Hennessy solved many of the common problems that we experience with cooler weather with the SS system.
"Speak only if it improves upon the silence"
-Mahatma Ghandi
Listen today to our latest episode to interesting conversations about hammock camping: Hang Your Own Hang Podcast
Nodust,
I have been using the HHSS and occasionally the OC for about 2 years now. I find it has a bit of a learning curve but seems to work well. My son ThreeD and I use them on an explorer deluxe and on an expedition. One is top entry and the other is bottom entry. It seems to work well ether way though my son seems to have a bit less fiddling to do once in with his zipper entry expedition. I am not saying I have a lot of fiddling with my bottom entry deluxe just a bit more then he does.
BillyBob did a poll thread a while back that had a lot of peoples impressions of the system (both good and bad) Here is that thread. Hope it helps out a bit.
Almost forgot, the Over Cover (OC) works really well when it is windy out or the temps drop even lower. I have even used it with an under quilt with good success.
Huauqui
Last edited by huauqui; 07-03-2013 at 17:26. Reason: addition and all thumbs typing style!
Under quilts keep warmth from going out from under you.
Thx for the reminder, Huauqui! I had sort of forgot about that poll, and just went to that link to review results now that a year has gone by. It occurs to me that having a multiple choice poll maybe complicates matters, because you have to go and break it down for people who vote in more than one category.
But I see 48 people have voted in about 1 year. And I am surprised by the way the votes go, both pro and con.
I see that 5(10%) folks did not like it at all and were not warm even at 40-50 and say it is not a good system. 5 also voted it was no go due to condensation problems, but 3 of those 5 were in the previous group that said it is not a good system, so how due I count that? So either 10 folks (20%) say the system is a no go period, or if I adjust for the 3 that voted no go in both categories, then 7 out of 48(14.5%) say it is a no go for whatever reason, either not warm, or too much condensation or both. Frankly, that is a surprise, I would have thought more like 25 or even more % who simply had no use for it at all.
Another surprise to me is how many folks were able to take the basic system to lower temps than me. Considering that the system only weighs about 20 oz ( depending on size), is full length, and includes an UQP( the UC), plus fairly low cost and packs down smaller than some alternatives, I always felt if I got a solid 40F out of this system I really could not complain. Particularly as I felt I could get away with a smaller tarp than with some other systems. And I mostly felt I was OK to about 30F, even with a lot of wind, so I was good.
But if I combine ( trying to account for those repeats in say 40 and 30 etc) the folks who say they are good to 40F(11) with 30(8) with 20F(7) and even amazingly below 20F(4), that is 30( 62%!) who are fine at or well below 40 with little condensation. In fact, 40% are good to 30 or below! I think that is most impressive.
Other surprises: though 62% were at least OK to 40 or well below, only 40% said:"I find it to be more than adequate for the money and weight/volume. I like it!"! Again, seems to me that if you get to 40 or below with a 20 oz highly wind and water resistant system you might think it is more than adequate for the money/weight/volume, but maybe that's just me.
Another big surprise? That only 27% said: "The UC provides significant extra wind/rain/snow/fog protection, which is a big plus!" To me, that wind and sideways rain/snow protection is the biggest selling point of this system. I guess it's that way for me because during the 1st week I used this system ( also 1st time in any hammock) I escaped what every one thought was going to be a freeze your butt off night for me, with the wind howling in off the lake just a few feet away. Blowing hard right in the foot end of that small, diamond, flapping(deafening) tarp. The wind was literally bouncing me around. Once I got past the noise and fell asleep, I had one of the most comfortable, and totally warm, sleeps of my life. It probably was not all that cold, maybe only about 40F,I don't know. 22F was the low for that week. But I think even with my much warmer UQs the wind would have made me cold that night. Wind can easily knock 20F or a lot more off of a quilt's rating. With the only 2 trees available to me that night, there was no way to protect my backside from the wind with that little HH tarp.
I'm going to post this summary over in that HHSS pole thread.
To me, yes it's worth the $ if you are intending to stay with your Hennessy. If you plan on experimenting with different hammocks then it would be questionable - one of the few downsides that I can think of simply because it would be difficult to adapt it to other (longer,shorter,wider) hammocks. Underpad durability could be another, but with minimal attention to the UP it hasn't been an issue for me.
As part of a system, it has many positives. I find it easy to set up, extremely weatheproof, light and functional. The lowest temp I have used it at has been ~28 degrees with a 12 mph wind with snow (woke to 5" that morning). I was also using the stock tarp and OC and I did have condensation on the OC but none noticable in the space blanket on top of the UP or in the UC. For me (a cold sleeper) that seems to be about it's limit - I felt slightly cool but not cold. Another positive is that it would be easy to augment the UP with other insulation that I'm carrying already (like my down coat) and I could probably get down to 20 (but haven't been there yet). I'll have to visit that thread and add my results.
Experience is the worst teacher - it presents the exam first and the lesson later. - Unknown
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