Hennessy Super Shelter Back Yard Test

**greggornation** · 04-18-2014, 17:04

Received my HH SS from DirtWheels yesterday so had to set it up and give it a run in the backyard.
2014-04-17 13.34.26.jpg
My son and I set up both our rigs (I have the HH Exp Deluxe and he has the HH Scout). It was quick and easy to connect the SS to my Exp.

I have to admit, I was skeptical as to if the SS would keep me warm, but willing to try it. Just seems to be so many options for an underquilt and they can be quite pricey, so when I saw Dirtwheels was selling his SS, I was excited to buy it from him. I got the overcover from him to, but decided to forego using that as I thought it would be overkill for last night's weather.

Bottom line is that it got down to 35 degrees last night. In the SS I had the OCF pad and for good measure, tossed a fleece blanket in as well. Slept with just at 40 degree bag covering me like a top quilt. Woke up in the middle of the night once and the only thing that was cold was my face.

Must say I am pleasantly surprised and ready to go to Yellowstone!

**dirtwheels** · 04-18-2014, 17:13

Yeah! Glad you stayed and happy to hear you are pleased with the SS. Did you use the blanket last night? If so did you place it under the OCF pad or below?

Originally Posted by greggornation

Received my HH SS from DirtWheels yesterday so had to set it up and give it a run in the backyard.
2014-04-17 13.34.26.jpg
My son and I set up both our rigs (I have the HH Exp Deluxe and he has the HH Scout). It was quick and easy to connect the SS to my Exp.

I have to admit, I was skeptical as to if the SS would keep me warm, but willing to try it. Just seems to be so many options for an underquilt and they can be quite pricey, so when I saw Dirtwheels was selling his SS, I was excited to buy it from him. I got the overcover from him to, but decided to forego using that as I thought it would be overkill for last night's weather.

Bottom line is that it got down to 35 degrees last night. In the SS I had the OCF pad and for good measure, tossed a fleece blanket in as well. Slept with just at 40 degree bag covering me like a top quilt. Woke up in the middle of the night once and the only thing that was cold was my face.

Must say I am pleasantly surprised and ready to go to Yellowstone!

**greggornation** · 04-18-2014, 17:24

Yep. Used the blanket over the OCF pad. Do you think it makes a difference?

**dirtwheels** · 04-18-2014, 17:42

I would think the SS alone would be good to 35*, you must have had the UC pulled really tight to hold up the weight of the fleece and the pad. Glad it worked out. Like with anything it just takes a little time to find the limits and quirks of new gear. The recommended method is to add beneath the pad from what I've learned from billybob and others that have posted on the subject. I think the main reason is to keep the OCF pad in the designed position and prevent damage to it. Don't discount the value of the $2 emergency blanket. It is also suggested that the system be packed in one stuff or compression sack or just in the bottom of your pack.

Hope to hear how it does on your upcoming trip.

**BillyBob58** · 04-19-2014, 08:52

Originally Posted by dirtwheels

I would think the SS alone would be good to 35*, you must have had the UC pulled really tight to hold up the weight of the fleece and the pad. Glad it worked out. Like with anything it just takes a little time to find the limits and quirks of new gear. The recommended method is to add beneath the pad from what I've learned from billybob and others that have posted on the subject. I think the main reason is to keep the OCF pad in the designed position and prevent damage to it. Don't discount the value of the $2 emergency blanket. It is also suggested that the system be packed in one stuff or compression sack or just in the bottom of your pack.

Hope to hear how it does on your upcoming trip.

+1 on that space blanket on top of the pad! Seems to add 10 or 20F, most importantly cuts way down on condensation issues in the HH pad and undercover. not bad for 2 oz/$2!

So you are taking this on a trip, to Yellowstone? What month? As you probably are well aware, it can get cold there most anytime of year! Are you car camping or backpacking? If backpacking, that space blanket will weigh a lot less than a fleece blanket, although no reason not to use both! Another old trick is: if your bag/TQ is warm enough that you don't need to sleep in your fleece jacket- or parka or insulated pants or whtever you have with you that you don't need for sleep- just stuff it all under the pad. This can make a huge difference.

That overcover can make an amazing dif for top warmth also, again at least 15F+, maybe 20, particularly if it is windy. Some folks, under some just right(wrong) conditions, have had condensation using it. However, another old Indian trick is to hang a small piece of fleece from the RL right in front of your face, or rig up a Shug style fleece bib if you really want to do it right. When I did the former last winter setting my all time PB ( southern boy here so not impressive) at 6F, with the OC, all was bone dry(except the fleece) top and bottom.(full disclosure: I was also wearing vapor barrier clothing, which may or may not have helped with tip side condensation, but breath moisture is the main villain)

If you are going to WY, that is where, back in 06, I slept my 1st night in any hammock, also 1st night in an HH and an HHSS, 1st week of sept in the Wind River mountains at about 10,000 ft. 22F 1st night, total noob froze my butt off, abandoned hammock for the ground about 0200. But don't worry, that was from noob errors/ignorance/no idea what I was doing. Got it all figured out the next day and slept warm and toasty the rest of the week including in high winds using the tiny HH tarp, has worked for me ever since then. Although, I also use Pea Pods on Claytors and JRB MW UQs on BM bridge hammocks so I have not really used it all that much over the years.(to me the 1st decision is which hammock do I want to use, then pick the perfect insulation) But when I have- at least occasionally every winter- it has always worked just great. I think the key is just understanding the principles of how it is designed to work. Good luck, I hope it all works good for you!

**BillyBob58** · 04-19-2014, 08:59

PS: during early experiments, I tried the HHSS with no space blanket, I think it might have been lower 40s or a smidgeon colder. I was fine except the backs of my legs were a little cold. But, one time sleeping by the Hoh river in the Olympic Mountain NP's rain forest, high 40s or maybe almost 50F, I did not bother with the SB. I slept plenty warm, but when I dropped out of the bottom entry the next morning, I found that the foot of my polarguard bag and the foot of the HH pad were both SOAKED with condensation. Still kept me warm at those temps and all was bone dry by the time I set up the next camp after a long days hike even though I packed up wet. Still, consider yourself warned! LOL!

**greggornation** · 04-19-2014, 12:07

Thanks for the tips. I really appreciate it!

I'm taking the students in my ministry on a mission trip to Yellowstone and the Cody Wy area in June. Will be in the back country for 3 days. I fully expect the night time temps to be down in the 30's similar to my SS test the other night. I have a SB for the pad, but opted not to use it in my test to see if it was necessary for 30* camping. My next test will be with it on. I'm not planning on bringing a fleece blanket, but will have the SB and OC with me. I am convinced that I made the right decision in purchasing the SS and have no worries as to if I will stay warm. Now all I need to find is a good top quilt. It feels so freeing just covering up and not having to squirm into a sleeping bag. I guess I could keep on using the sleeping bag as such, but would rather use a TQ with foot box that is horizontal versus a sleeping bag that is mostly unzipped to a "foot box" that is vertical.

**Rholford** · 04-19-2014, 23:32

My wife and I tested ours out in the backyard last night. It got down in the low 40's here. We have the HH explorer UL with the HHSS and UQ Flight Jacket 40Deg top quilts. I stayed pretty toasty myself (I am a warm sleeper anyway) but she complained this morning that she was a little cold. I think I will try a fleece blanket inside her under cover next time to see if that will help her out or thought possibly about stuffing a 40deg mummy bag I already have under her ocf pad to increase the insulation under her and see if that helps keep her warm. We both used the space blankets too. Any suggestions to help keep her warm and toasty would be greatly appreciated! I would love to get some under quilts but don't have the $$$ for it anytime soon.

**dirtwheels** · 04-20-2014, 09:02

When adding stuff to the UC it seems important to have the UC tight enough to snug the extras against the foam, if using something with loft like a down jacket use caution not to compress the down.

**BillyBob58** · 04-20-2014, 15:27

Originally Posted by Rholford

My wife and I tested ours out in the backyard last night. It got down in the low 40's here. We have the HH explorer UL with the HHSS and UQ Flight Jacket 40Deg top quilts. I stayed pretty toasty myself (I am a warm sleeper anyway) but she complained this morning that she was a little cold. I think I will try a fleece blanket inside her under cover next time to see if that will help her out or thought possibly about stuffing a 40deg mummy bag I already have under her ocf pad to increase the insulation under her and see if that helps keep her warm. We both used the space blankets too. Any suggestions to help keep her warm and toasty would be greatly appreciated! I would love to get some under quilts but don't have the $$$ for it anytime soon.

Was she able to tell:
1:cold back or butt
2: cold on top only
3:both, IOW just cold all over?

Seems like whenever I did not have enough insulation on the bottom with any of my insulation systems, I could always definitely feel a cold spot. Felt cold on my back or butt.

But if there is not enough insulation on top, or if there is a draft or not enough head insulation, that may feel more like just being overall cold. Just adding a fleece jacket ( leave it zipped closed for a double layer) under the butt and back can make a very noticeable difference.

Like DW said, the UC tension is important, but mostly you don't have to worry about it. If you put something too heavy down there, it might possibly cause the UC to sag enough that the loft will not touch your back, and this gap will make matters worse. The other side of that coin is: there is plenty enough tension in the UC elastics to compress down, and even some synthetics other than fleece, especially in a few spots of maximum tension. But I have used a down vest + heavy fleece jacket (fleece under my butt where compression is maxed out) to keep me toasty in the low teens.