Phalanx
10-08-2008, 10:34 PM
After spending some time outdoors here in New York and mingling with fellow campers, I have been turned on to hammock camping. There is a certain hammock in particular that everyone uses. The Hennessy hammock isn't like a regular hammock you would find in a Corona commercial, its more like a tent-cocoon thing... Its totally enclosed with an integrated mesh top/mosquito net a self closing drunk-proof velcro entrance and an asymmetrical shape to allow somebody to sleep totally flat (on their back side and stomach). It also has a pretty nice rain fly and anti-sway supports.
I ordered one from REI after a few camping trips where I wasn't able to find a decent spot for a tent. (For those of you who know how I usually camp, I didn't bring my roof-rack out here) Anyway, after the first night in this thing I fell in love! They aren't really popular on the west coast, or at least in Southern California due to the lack of trees. But they can be set up between two big rocks using tow straps, strung up between two trucks, or set up with bivy poles. Out here it works great, since wherever I go its like a trip to Big Bear.
Alot of people out here have tricked out their hammocks with extra space for storage, water collection do-hickies, larger rain flys, and most importantly, insulation. Since your back is pressed up against the fabric of the hammock and against the elements, most of the insulation is lost since sleeping bags, jackets etc are compressed. Some solutions are a wide closed-cell foam pad on the inside or a double outer layer with a quilt in between or some other type of lofted insulation. It is seriously the best night's sleep you can get while camping.
Here are a few shots of my setup.
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v364/34/52/651018059/n651018059_1521438_6615.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v364/34/52/651018059/n651018059_1521439_6986.jpg
http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v364/34/52/651018059/n651018059_1521425_7385.jpg
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v322/34/52/651018059/n651018059_1426062_4476.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v339/34/52/651018059/n651018059_1425866_8074.jpg
A tricked out setup...
http://megaview.com.tw/~caralin/hiking/Shueshan2008/080903-380TseuiPond-Camp2.JPG
And here's their website.
http://hennessyhammock.com/
I ordered one from REI after a few camping trips where I wasn't able to find a decent spot for a tent. (For those of you who know how I usually camp, I didn't bring my roof-rack out here) Anyway, after the first night in this thing I fell in love! They aren't really popular on the west coast, or at least in Southern California due to the lack of trees. But they can be set up between two big rocks using tow straps, strung up between two trucks, or set up with bivy poles. Out here it works great, since wherever I go its like a trip to Big Bear.
Alot of people out here have tricked out their hammocks with extra space for storage, water collection do-hickies, larger rain flys, and most importantly, insulation. Since your back is pressed up against the fabric of the hammock and against the elements, most of the insulation is lost since sleeping bags, jackets etc are compressed. Some solutions are a wide closed-cell foam pad on the inside or a double outer layer with a quilt in between or some other type of lofted insulation. It is seriously the best night's sleep you can get while camping.
Here are a few shots of my setup.
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v364/34/52/651018059/n651018059_1521438_6615.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v364/34/52/651018059/n651018059_1521439_6986.jpg
http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v364/34/52/651018059/n651018059_1521425_7385.jpg
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v322/34/52/651018059/n651018059_1426062_4476.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v339/34/52/651018059/n651018059_1425866_8074.jpg
A tricked out setup...
http://megaview.com.tw/~caralin/hiking/Shueshan2008/080903-380TseuiPond-Camp2.JPG
And here's their website.
http://hennessyhammock.com/