Warbonnet or Hennessy

[George Keetley]

Hello Hammock Forum, I am looking to upgrade my hammock and have narrowed it down to the Warbonnet blackbird and the Hennessy Explorer. I was wondering if someone could explain to me the pros and cons of both, their opinions and their recommendation.
Thank you
George

[Cali]

I've had both, still have a WBBB 1.1 DL. Like the WBBB shelf and footbox, and double layer, just seems more comfortable than the Hennessey. I did like the Hennessey Explorer, but I had the Ultra lite, much lighter. I like that hammock, but I also have a Hennessey Deep Jungle XL, and decided to keep that one and sell the Explorer. If you get the Hennessey, upgrade to the Hex tarp, the tarp that comes with it is okay, but the Hex will serve you better. Good luck to you. If you can, go to a local hang, and I'm sure you will be able to try both of these hammocks. Then you will know what suits you best. Everyone is different, so what I like you may hate.

[Gary_R]

I prefer my UL Explorer.. there both great hammocks. The WB footbox didn't work for me and I don't like have tons of stuff in my hammock. Its really going to be different person to person.. if you can find someone in your area that has them, I would suggest laying in one and make up your own mind.

THat being said I did convert my HH to WB suspension

[hawghangar]

I have both... had the HH Explorer Deluxe for about 1-1/2 years - just got the WB XLC this month. My observations:

1) In my opinion, HH is an inferior hammock (to the XLC) unless you change the stock suspension and get the 2QZQ Mod #4 zipper modification; even after this modification, you cannot completely remove the bugnet - just stow it in the foot end of the hammock.

2) The WB XLC seems much roomier to me inside the hammock - especially the footbox. I like being able to leave behind the bugnet or over cover - depending on conditions.

3) The HH came with a ridgeline organizer... I had to buy an aftermarket one for the WB XLC. Not a major issue.

4) I like the WB XLC "shelf" inside the hammock; but it is only available when you have the bugnet/topcover attached.

Ease of setup, comfort, and other hammock feature comparisons are in the eye of the beholder - and appear about equal to me.

[MississipVol]

I just made the same decision after narrowing down to a Hennessy Zip and WBBB. I went with the WBBB because of the double layer feature and I liked the suspension better. The double layer for me is useful because there are a lot of biting insects in this area and so it is another level of protection. Plus - I will be using a pad most of the time so it is useful for that as well.

The Hennessy was a little cheaper considering it includes a tarp but I wanted a little bigger tarp than what comes with the HH so I was willing to pay more. Plus, the footbox and shelf were just bonuses for me. So it became an easy decision to go with the WBBB.

Having said all that, you may want to also check out Dream Hammocks for ultimate customization options. I hear really good things about them as well.

[dakotaross]

IMO, having owned both which I don't now... the only reason to go with the HH is the bottom entry, which if you get, you'll want to do the 2QZQ zipper mod. I'd personally rather have another tarp option than the HH hex. BB and superfly is a better package I believe.

[ShellHammock]

After you hash out all the differences between WB and HH, shift your attention to Dream Hammocks and totally rock your brain!

[Cst]

After you hash out all the differences between WB and HH, shift your attention to Dream Hammocks and totally rock your brain!

Agreed, I have a HH, a blackbird and a blackbird XLC. Then I got a dream hammock Darien. If it only had the blackbirds shelf, every thing else would be for sale.

[loghangin]

I have both... had the HH Explorer Deluxe for about 1-1/2 years - just got the WB XLC this month. My observations:

1) In my opinion, HH is an inferior hammock (to the XLC) unless you change the stock suspension and get the 2QZQ Mod #4 zipper modification; even after this modification, you cannot completely remove the bugnet - just stow it in the foot end of the hammock.

2) The WB XLC seems much roomier to me inside the hammock - especially the footbox. I like being able to leave behind the bugnet or over cover - depending on conditions.

3) The HH came with a ridgeline organizer... I had to buy an aftermarket one for the WB XLC. Not a major issue.

4) I like the WB XLC "shelf" inside the hammock; but it is only available when you have the bugnet attached.

Ease of setup, comfort, and other hammock feature comparisons are in the eye of the beholder - and appear about equal to me.

I'm a relative noob and could be wrong here as I've only hung in my XLC a few times, but I'm pretty sure the winter top cover has the shelf also. Either that or some weird and coincidental bend in the fabric was holding my kindle and phone last night

ETA: To answer OP's question, I doubt you can go wrong with either. The best idea is to try them out, which can be tough for a lot of us, so just weigh the features you like for each and take your pic I was making this decision a month or so ago and went with the XLC for the double layer pad utilization, foot box, removable netting/top cover option, and because I like supporting small business. Again, I think the Hennessy would have been a great hammock for me also, but I'm incredibly pleased with my XLC!

[ntxkayakr]

If cost is not a major concern ( i spend far more on petrol getting to campsites) then i personally believe WB uses better quality fabric. This provides protection from accidental tears from thorns, insect bites, ur own apparel/side knife etc from ripping the fabric. Also look at dream hammocks. What are YOUR top priorities in a hammock? Comfort, low pack weight, fabric color, extra features like shelf or ridgeline bag? That should tell you.