Hennessy hammock as lightweight survival shelter

I'm looking to carry one in my BOB (which I always have close). I Like the fact that its lightweight and can go pretty much anywhere. The insulation issue has me concerned though. I have a combat casualty blanket that I would use to keep the wind out, reflect heat etc.

http://www.uscav.com/Productinfo.aspx?productID=7953&TabID=548

Any advice/opinions are appreciated.

Thanks
Blitz

i can't speak for the thermal blanket, but if i were going to shelter in a hammock in temperatures that would require insulation, i would go with a mummy type sleeping bag. bulky yes, fairly lightweight, and seems ideally shaped for a hammock. i own a 30F mummy bag from coleman that i rather like. i've had it for years and it shows no signs of damage, though i haven't exactly abused it either. i haven't tried any other bags, but i'm sure others will give their own recommendations.

I have a Snugpak +5 degree bag in my BOB.

http://www.snugpak.com/30_codegreen/elite4.htm

But "they" say the hammock compresses the sleeping bag insulation and makes it less effective. Not sure if it is a marketing ploy or not, there are a lot of aftermarket assessories people are selling for big $ to insulate the bottom of the hammock.

as an avid hammocker and owner of a hennesey and other hammocks, I can respond.

First regardless of your prefered sleeping method, you should always use a pad of some sort.

on the ground you'll lose heat to conduction and in a hammock you'll lose it to convection.

Bags insulative quality come from the loft. once compressed, be it in a hammock or on the ground, that portion of the bag doesn't do what it was intended to do.

Second, I sleep exclusivly in a hammock when out. depending on the temperature, I'll use a vehicle windshield reflector for night temperatures down to 50f. For temps down to around 20f a thermarest pad.

Others have gone lower with both type of insulations, so your mileage may vary.

I suggest, before you depend on it, to practice and find out what is comfortable with you.

that being said, The best sleep I have ever had comes from a hammock

In my article
The Brooks Brothers Brigade Office Cashe

About the last third I discuss using a Hennessy as a sleeping system. It address the use of the system in cold conditions and how I overcame the problem.

I second the use of a ThermaRest self inflating pad in a HH when temp are going down...

Raspy, I can only speak from experience. And, after having been in a hammock for a decade, I can tell you, hanging a hammock low to the ground, doesn't really work to stop convection heat loss.

I know where you are coming from, you can pitch the tarp lower, to the ground if need be and prevent the wind from blowing you. But, while the wind may be blocked, you are still "radiating" body heat away from you, And a hammock is simply not designed with any type of insulation. In warmer climates, sure you can sleep without a pad... I've done that! In colder climates, Not a chance.

Are they feasable for bugout gear? Depends on how big a kit you're willing to travel with. For bugging out, I rather not use a hammock. I prefer to use the space taken up by the hammock for other things.

Will I go camping without one? absolutely not. I prefer not go if I have to sleep on the ground.

Raspy, your mileage may vary, but the majority of folks will need a pad. Even here in Sunny Southern California, in the middle of summer, I need a pad for night time use. Of course, I'm sleeping outside.

for even colder weather, you might consider a peapod. basically, a sleeping bag that goes on the outside of you hammock, but since it is not compressed it doesn't lose its insulative properties

my recommendation, go check out the various hammock forums

halcon

I have one for camping, you need a pad to stay warm in all but the warmest weather. This is generally true, whether you have a tent or hammock as was mentioned earlier. To really be warm and to cut weight, there are down quilts that you can get, one for underneath the hammock and one on top of you, but they're not cheap.
The only other thing to think about is where you are and if there are lots of strong vertical things to tie to, trees or whatever. If you're in the desert with no trees, a tent might be better. I suppose you could rig the hammock on the ground with trekking poles, but it would basically be a tarp and you wouldn't be suspended off the ground. I haven't tried this yet.

hammock hq Large amount of info here. I also have been considering hammocks with the Clark Jungle Hammock and Hennessey being the two I would choose from. The CJH has an interesting take on insulation and storage I find appealing.

The Hennessey, in my opinion and experience is inferior in user adaptability. Bottom loading hammocks are more troublesome than they are worth. Add to that "non removable bug net" and, in my opinion, are not up to par. Many people like them, and that is okay, but I don't like them... yes I own one.

for my taste, I have found my homemade one far superior to a Hennessey, and it only cost me 15 dollars.

Double layer hammocks are the way to go. You can insert your pad between the layers and not worry about having to shift the pad underneath you.

would I ever own a Hennessey again? absolutely not... At least not in the current configuration.

Alan

I own a couple of Hennessy hammocks and like them - but am not sure I'd use them as a survival shelter. One issue is lack of flexibility - without suitably-sized trees, they're challenging to set up. Most notably, a bottom-entry hammock doesn't make a good ground shelter (I've done it with the Hennessy and some hiking poles - definitely not ideal).

I think a lightweight tent or a bivy sack/poncho tarp combo are probably a better survival solution, unless you live in an area where you're sure to always find yourself around suitable trees and in suitable temperatures for the hammock.

Halcon As I said I have tested the system in below 0 Temps. It does work. The low pitch is to cut the wind. To block heat radiation is the job of the modified and attached heavy duty space blanket. Essentially the casualty blanket first mentioned. It is on the outside and even if it were not it doesn't compress. Adding in the in essence reflector oven setup warms the sleeping space quite a bit.

Aloha Alan,

Can you tell me more about your homemade hammock and maybe include some pictures? I always wanted to try hammock camping but didn't know where to start. I don't know of too many places that sell hammocks here that I can physically check out before buying.

Homemade for 15 bucks sounds great to me!

Mahalo,
your fellow hoodlum, hanzo

Raspy, Either I didn't read that part, or I didn't understand it; but, now I can picture the setup... Sorry if I misunderstood.

I can see how it works. In fact, I know it works, because I have used similar setups

again, sorry!

hey hanzo, good to see you here.

the hammock is 15 dollars, because I use three yards of 1.9oz ripstop material.

it really is very easy to make, and here is a site with directions on various setups.

[url=hammockforums.net]hammockforums.net[/url]

thanks Alan

I prefer the hammock for my BOB. I think it's much more versatile and comfortable than other shelters. In cold weather, when bug protection is not an issue, a Hennessey can be hung inside a lean-to and used as a regular hammock rather than bottom entry.

I haven't tried it yet but intend to this winter. Laying on top of the netting should allow me to feed the fire in front of the lean-to periodically without getting out of my sleeping bag. I'll try to post a report and pictures after.

Like some posters above I too have bought many hammocks--4 Hennesseys so far, some given to the kids as gifts. There is NO more comfortable way for me to sleep, even compared to a 2K memory foam mattress. But for BOBs the hammock does have sever limitations--I admit this even after over 100 nights in a Hennessey or Speer in the backcountry. Here's the rub...if you are truly bugging out you may have to sleep in a ditch, in a tunnel, storm drain, bombed out building, out in flat open ground, etc. It would be nice to think you'll be bugging out to heavily wooded areas all the time but Murphy doesnt work that way.
Now the positive. My Hennessey Lite Racer is one pound 4 ounces....at that weight penalty I can carry two shelters. The other shelter for my BOB is one of the older Slumberjack Bivy Tents-the one that is very low to the ground...and with that I carry a 3/4 length Thermarest....
OK so not all hammocks are equal in cold wether performance. If you live in COLD climates and think a hammock is for you look at the Speer and speer type hammocks and then buy the Speer Pea Pod...I've used all the underquilts available and they rule for spring/summer/fall, but for hard on winter temps the Pea Pod cannot be beat.

.....Bottom loading hammocks are more troublesome......

could you go into detail please?

well, For one, the only reason they're bottom loading is the "NON" removable bug net. That being the case it is more difficult to maneuver the pad underneath you. Is it that big a deal? depends on who you ask. Personally, I rather not have to do that.

Second, as bmisf pointed out, they don't make good ground shelters. Of course, the argument could be made One could sleep on the netting to feed the fire, as spiritwalker pointed out. Again, personal taste, but I rather have a removable bug net.

Do these personal experiences prove they're troublesome? Maybe not to others, but to me they are reason enough not to own one again.

thanks!

Do know the bottom shelters have an advantage---that non-removeable but netting has no zippers to fail and the bottom entry hammocks are usually lighter.
The bug netting will matter for someone in the deep south and obviously maybe not so much in the north....that's why in the mid lattitudes i alternate between Hennessey and Speer depending on anticipated temps.

There is something else the newbi needs to know about hammocks and that is cold-shoulder-wrap. The hammock (either type) will compress against your shoulders if you are wide enough (most men, and maybe not with some small women/kids)...some big people even get cold-hip-wrap too. So if you are only using a sleeping bag it will get compressed at the shoulders and you will get cold spots.
OK, so you want to use a thermarest pad....most people will find them 1. not wide enough to prevent shoulder wrap and 2. too easy to slide off of in the night....enter the underquilt.
Underquilts have obvious advantages. 1. they compress to small parcels and can go into the pack 2. they can offer more insulation than a thermarest but they have a downside (no pun here) too: 1. costly 2. hard to go to ground with 3. assembly time (though for me the underquilt is essentially permanently attached to the hammock, it stays on when i take it down, so on multiday hikes each night its already attached and dialed in.

Now for the survival minded you can use a taco...a piece of breathable ripstop will do, that acts like an underquilt but it has no insulation--you provide the insulation with expedient material e.g. leaves/pine needles/your clothes/ etc.

OK so you go with an underquilt-doesnt that make the sleeping bag moot? well yes it can, that is why i use top quilts, the ones i use are made by Nunatak Gear but Jacks-R-Better has them too....or you can take an old sleeping bag and make it into both bottom and top quilts--just a bit of cutting and sewing required.

Then there is the Pea Pod which as mentioned in previous post rules for winter use.

Hammocks do have other uses besides shelter....that same bug netting makes a great seign (sp?) for fishing, the hammock also makes a great stretcher.

There are many more options in hammocking...for example the pad extender by Speer, which makes the typical thermarest wider and is a cheap option but does add bulk to your backpack.

I've used a Hennessy extensively for the last 5 or 6 years, and have used it in all weather down to just under freezing. I've slept more soundly and comfortably in the hammock than in any tent, but there are some downsides.

The major one, for me in our Oregon weather, is the lack of space. If it's wet and cold, there just isn't any room to dry boots out or store a wet rainsuit overnight. This means that a separate tarp shelter needs to be carried.

A number of people have complained about the bottom entry, and not being able to adjust sleeping pads and/or rolling off same in the middle of the night. I solved that problem long ago by using a Big Agnes sleeping bag, which has no insulation on the bottom - but a full length sleeve into which a pad is inserted. Using that combination solves all sleeping pad problems.

I use that sleeping bag with a homemade sleeping pad/reflector (a mylar windshield reflector covered with fleece) on top of a RidgeRest or ThermaRest pad, and am comfortable to at least freezing. Keep in mind that I am an EXTREMELY cold sleeper, and find it is at least as tolerable as any tent I've ever slept in.

In the final analysis, hammocks aren't for everyone. If you like bivy shelters, you'll probably like a hammock. If you find them claustrophobic, a hammock probably isn't for you. What I can tell you is that I love mine!

-=[ Grant ]=-

I've lived in Georgia (Atlanta area) and currently live in SE Minnesota. The mosquitoes are much much worse here in the summer than I ever experienced in Georgia. And that's not even considering the bugs (mosquitoes, black flys, deer flys, mutant clydsdale horse flys...) up in the north woods.

Though we don't have Palmetto bugs...

I have a Hennessy hammock that I have used the past several years. It's great in the summer, and I have comfortably slept in it down to about 25 F.

In the cold, I first tried a thermarest pad in the hammock under my sleeping bag -- ended up with condensation issues because the thermarest is impervious to water.

I've had good luck with a folded wool army blanket under the sleeping bag... lets the moisture out, but counters the compression of the sleeping bag.

Any colder than 25F and I either use a tent with signifigant padding under my bag (thermarest + 2 wool blankets) or build a snow shelter.

- Peter

Fellows, I appreciate the first-hand information on Hennessy Hammocks, I am on the edge about buying one for general camping/BOB use.

I found a good deal on an original Expedition HH, the only difference I can see between it and a new ASYM is the shape of the tarp.

So my question to people who have used them is; how big a tarp do you need over a Hennessy Hammock to handle bad weather?

Is the new HH Hex-Tarp worth the money to upgrade the tarp (you also gain a better ground shelter if needed)?

Thanks,

Mike

medicine man, no zippers? true enough but neither does a speer hammock (velcro), and my home made one doesn't have velcro or a zipper. and seals fine when a body is in the hammock.

cold shoulder wrap is a problem, and this is why many folks use a wider pad; my wife uses a yoga mat. I gotta tell you, talk about non slip super insulation.

while I still use my single layer hammock, I am getting ready to make a double layer and be rid of all the pad issues.

And those yoga mats are super heavy too compared to closed cell foam or even an inflatable huh?

J, thank you for pointing that out... yes they are, but I never said they weren't. She doesn't care because it's what makes her comfortable.

Heh, heh... "mutant clydsdale horse flys...", I hate those things. Not to mention all the wood ticks and deer ticks. I read a tip about tying small, repellent-soaked, strips of cloth to each of the support ropes to keep the creepy-crawlies off the hammock. Seems to work good.

in regards the north and bugs, the mosquito is often called the Alaska State Bird-they are thick everywhere! Going over Niagra Falls in a barrel with a couple of porcupines would be less painful. Noseemums rank next. Except for Urban settings IMHO a bug net is a necessity.

I guess we were lucky. Last year we were all over Alaska, boondocking in our RV about 70% of the time, and we only had to use our headnets (which we carried everywhere) one time...

It was in '99 around Fairbanks with a trip around Anchorage and back again towards Fairbanks. Could be they are spraying more now but every time we got out of the truck mosquitoes were all over us. In the video we have they are in front of the screen and flying around everybody. I hope they are spraying, I always wanted a flamethrower to blast them with.

We have friends who went to Alaska a year ahead of us, they almost got carried away by the 'skeeters. They reported that it was so bad they even had to wear gloves when outside. I guess we were just lucky. On the other hand, we still have about a dozen cans of bug spray that we took along and did not need...