Which Blackbird is for me??

[DRobertson]

Hennessy just isn't very high quality compared to warbonnet. In my hennessy expediton, I was to tall at 5' 3", or exactly your height. WBBB is lighter, better made, and to me, much comfier. For an extra 85 bucks, you can get a superlight silnylon warbonnet edge tarp. The hennessy is to short for you.

[hutzelbein]

Yes, the Hennessy set-up is cheaper, but you get what you pay for. The tarp included in the set-up quoted by you is a PU coated tarp. PU coated tarps are heavier (not the kind of stuff you would want to carry on a long distance hike), and my experience with all kinds of PU coating is that it fails after some time. Depending on the quality of the coating and the amount of use this can be sooner or later. Up to now I have never had silnylon fail me.

The Warbonnet tarps are all silnylon - and I haven't found any lighter silnylon tarps with the same amount of coverage. They also have a special kind of ridge seam that doesn't require seam sealing (less work, less weight). I own all types of WB tarps and I haven't even sealed the panel pulls. Never had water coming through the tarp.

With your goal to do a thru-hike, I would pay a bit more now and save long-term. Get a decent tarp. If you buy both your hammock and your tarp from WB in one order, you get $10 off (see Promotions page). Personally, I would opt for the Mamajamba, which is a great allround tarp that provides a ton of coverage for little weight. But the Edge is a great little tarp, too. I used it a lot for summer hiking, and it still provides a lot of coverage for a 10' hammock.

[fernweh]

I use underquilt only, but i got the double layer because bugs will have a harder time biting me through the hammock. I got mine used and the previous owner tore a hole through one of the layers (i think because he had something in his pocket). So having a double layer acts as a fail safe to keep you from falling through in the event you rip one of the layers.

Very good point on the bugs. That's something I hadn't thought about but will definitely make a difference.

Hennessy just isn't very high quality compared to warbonnet. In my hennessy expediton, I was to tall at 5' 3", or exactly your height. WBBB is lighter, better made, and to me, much comfier. For an extra 85 bucks, you can get a superlight silnylon warbonnet edge tarp. The hennessy is to short for you.

Yes, the Hennessy set-up is cheaper, but you get what you pay for. The tarp included in the set-up quoted by you is a PU coated tarp. PU coated tarps are heavier (not the kind of stuff you would want to carry on a long distance hike), and my experience with all kinds of PU coating is that it fails after some time. Depending on the quality of the coating and the amount of use this can be sooner or later. Up to now I have never had silnylon fail me.

The Warbonnet tarps are all silnylon - and I haven't found any lighter silnylon tarps with the same amount of coverage. They also have a special kind of ridge seam that doesn't require seam sealing (less work, less weight). I own all types of WB tarps and I haven't even sealed the panel pulls. Never had water coming through the tarp.

With your goal to do a thru-hike, I would pay a bit more now and save long-term. Get a decent tarp. If you buy both your hammock and your tarp from WB in one order, you get $10 off (see Promotions page). Personally, I would opt for the Mamajamba, which is a great allround tarp that provides a ton of coverage for little weight. But the Edge is a great little tarp, too. I used it a lot for summer hiking, and it still provides a lot of coverage for a 10' hammock.

Ok ok, you both convinced me. I bit the bullet and bought the WBBB 1.1 double layer and the edge tarp. The mamajamba would have been nice but also would have put me over $300 which is out of my budget right now. Really, the $285 I spent was, but thanks to PayPal's bill-me-later feature (and the convenience of being able to pay with PayPal on this website, which was a HUGE plus for me when deciding to purchase from them), I was able to swing it.

Now, the wait for it to come in the mail! Then, the selling of my barely-used ENO. Since it's getting super warm here in the south, I think I'll get a cheap pad from walmart and a cheap sleeping bag for a TQ for the summer months while I save up to purchase better gear for my thru-hike later on. Hoping I can ask for those things for birthday/christmas presents and not have to spend so much money on them!

Thanks again to everyone who chimed in. Y'all made this decision an easy one to make!

[DRobertson]

Congradulations! Im sure you will love your gear. Warbonnet IS REALLY GREAT. Just expect a waiting time for the hammock and tarp to be made. These are hand made by warbonnetguy, ya know. But you wont be dissapointed!

[hutzelbein]

You will love the tarp and I doubt you will ever be sorry to have spent the extra money. Even if you upgrade to a larger tarp later on, the Edge will be a great 3-season tarp to have in your line-up Have fun with your new gear!

[Scubahhh]

Aw c'mon... It's only money! Get whichever y think is coolest. Better yet get both; play around with them; and when you decide you like the WB better, send the Hennessy back to REI.

[Storytellertn]

Thanks SO much for all of the responses. Based on the advice, what I'm currently leaning toward is the WBBB double layer 1.1 which will weigh 1lb 11oz. Now, the decision I'm trying to make is between this and the Hennessy Expedition, located here, which is 2lb 9oz but includes a tarp.

Honestly the only thing swaying me toward the hennessey is the tarp. Can I get a decent tarp/fly for the WBBB at a cost that's going to put my total at about the same? Even if I upgrade the Hennessey package to a hex tarp, the price still comes out to $200, which is really where I need to be before purchasing insulation. The WBBB is $175 and I'd still have to get a tarp.

In my opinion, I would go with the WBBB and try to swing a Cuban fiber tarp from HammockGear.com. 6 to 8 oz with everything.

[Storytellertn]

Added note: I do love my Mambajamba with door kit from WB.

[fernweh]

You will love the tarp and I doubt you will ever be sorry to have spent the extra money. Even if you upgrade to a larger tarp later on, the Edge will be a great 3-season tarp to have in your line-up Have fun with your new gear!

That's what I was thinking! I'll probably upgrade later, but for now I think the Edge will do just fine.

Aw c'mon... It's only money! Get whichever y think is coolest. Better yet get both; play around with them; and when you decide you like the WB better, send the Hennessy back to REI.

LOL believe me, that would be my attitude if I had the money to spend! But alas, I'm on a very very broke college student budget so paying bills takes priority. However, I did make the splurge and get the WBBB and Edge tarp. Based on all the input, I think this will be a decision I'm glad I made.

In my opinion, I would go with the WBBB and try to swing a Cuban fiber tarp from HammockGear.com. 6 to 8 oz with everything.

One of those would be really nice! I got the Edge, but will hopefully eventually upgrade.

[hutzelbein]

One of those would be really nice! I got the Edge, but will hopefully eventually upgrade.

I haven't yet made the jump to Cuben. I'm still hesitant to put down that much money for a fabric that seems to be quite fragile, compared to silnylon. I also don't like the see-through-ness (but others - guys? - like exactly that... As a girl, I like a bit more privacy under my tarp).

HG Standard Cuben Fiber Hex Tarp: 10'10" RL, 8.5' wide, weight: 5.2 oz / 148g, price: $ 235
WB Edge silnylon tarp: 11' RL, 7'10" wide, weight: 11.25 oz / 319g; price $ 85

So the coverage is comparable; the Cuben tarp is ~6 oz / 171g lighter, but also $ 150 more expensive. At the moment I cannot justify this purchase to me. I could lose 6 oz in body weight in one day with little effort - or save weight elsewhere

Keep your eyes open in the For Sale section and look out for a Warbonnet SPINN tarp. Due to quality issues with Spintex, nobody makes Spin tarps anymore. Few people remember, so your chances are good to get a little used Spin tarp for the same price as a new silnylon tarp (they used to be a lot more expensive when new). Spin is less sturdy than silnylon, but sturdier than Cuben from what I read. My WB Spin Mamajamba (11' x 9.75') is 11 oz. My WB Spin Edge (10.5' x 8') is 8.25oz. A nice compromise.