Customer Reviews

Hennessy Hammock Expedition A-sym

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Great product. Lightweight, compact and guaranteed to give you a great night's sleep. I have used a Hennessey Hammock (ultralight asym) for several years
on backpacking and caving trips. It is a great, durable and tough product! Contrary to what many people might think, sleeping in a hammock, especially a Hennessey Hammock, is a great experience. You will never wake up with a sore back again. This hammock is roomy (due to an asymmetric geometry), won't leak and you can set it up in about two minutes, any place where there are two anchor points (I've used my jeep's roll bars and a tree). You will be able to pitch your hammock where no tent would ever fit (on slopes, in caves, over uneven ground, etc) and it allows you to escape crowded camping grounds. In case there are no anchors, you can pitch it as a bivy using two trekking poles although, in this case, a ground cloth would be preferable, since the hammock fabric is not waterproof.
The tarp can be set up in different ways depending on weather conditions and I have never had a drop of rain inside my hammock in many rainy nights.
One thing has to be considered when sleeping in a hammock in cold conditions: your back gets cold, so don't forget your sleeping pad or a lightweight dashboard sunshield for warmer nights.
The hammock is enclosed with noseeum netting and is entered from the bottom, as you transfer your weight to the hammock, a velcro closure seals the entrance from all kinds of critters.
Another great thing is that the hammock has a small pocket hanging from an internal "clothesline'' that also serves as a tension line for the netting. You will not damage the trees you hang from, since the hammock comes with 1 inch polypro webbings attached to the lines.
There are two features I would like this hammock to have: a removable netting for hot, critterless nights and a larger tarp for cooking in rainy conditions.

My hammock has displaced my tents, especially on backpacking trips.
You will not regret having bought this hammock... I Love it!

If most of your camp sites will have trees or if you want to "stealth" camp off the trail and away from camp sites, this is the way to go. I've tried various mattresses and such trying to get comfortable on the ground. However, since I'm not a spring chicken and I carry a little more avoirdupois than some, those pressure points are miserable. Also, I generally don't sleep well on my back.

This shelter solved both issues. First, I can sleep on my side if I want to and there are no pressure points. However, depending on my angle in the hammock, it is just as easy to sleep on my back. It is like sleeping in a very soft recliner leaned most of the way back.

The bottom fabric and rain fly are both somewhat translucent (like a green shower door), and of course you can see clearly out of the sides with the no-see-um netting on top of the hammock. In a pitch black forest with lightning bugs all around, it was simply magical. Not wanting to miss a moment of that display was the only thing that kept me awake, then I slept like a baby.

The notes about cold are spot on. On a 50 degree night with a 40 degree sleeping bag, I was just on the verge of being uncomfortably cold underneath. There are various work-arounds, including using a mattress (which seems to defeat some of the ultralight advantages). The company even sells a kit that is supposed to turn this into a true four-season shelter. I'll try the inexpensive and lightweight workarounds first.

I've seen competing products for less money. However, some were nothing more than a camouflage-colored regular hammock made out of cheap nylon with no netting or rain fly. For overall quality, comfort, flexibility, and ease of use, you'll have a hard time going wrong with this product. If it doesn't work out for your style of backpacking or camping, you could set it up in the yard and have an outstanding bug-free hammock there.

I Purchased this product and it shipped on time, the only thing that I didn't like about it was the instructions printed on the carrying bag were not very good. I went to a wilderness trip with with friends who were carrying tents. For a wooded area, this is item is ideal. Easy and fast setup and it was very comfortable sleep because the weight of my body (200lbs) was evenly distributed. The velcro entrance was a concern in the beginning but it was very convenient hopping in and after I laid down the velcro sinched really well. My friends had a hard time finding flat ground to setup and they said their backs did not feel good afterwards. This hammock is ideal for a forest but if you're going to a prarie/grassland or a place with out a lot of trees you would be better off with a tent. The mosquito net works great.

I was looking for something light and small to take on over night camping and kayak trips. I can not stand to be in a one person tent due to mild claustrophobia, i don't run screaming and can spend the night, but i don't like it. The mesh makes it feel open enough and the asymmetrical shape makes it comfortable to lay in even on my side. I haven't been able to set it up in the woods yet, but i've put it up a few times in the basement between two support posts just to practice putting it up. I couldn't resist climbing inside to try it out. I didn't level out the sleep angle, just because i was only trying it briefly, but i was ready to fall asleep almost immediately. Only problem i really had was the shortish tree straps. Average tre in my area seems to be about 50" around. I knew about this ahead of time through research and ordered Eagles Nest SlapStrap to go with it.

If you're anything like me, you will be concerned about putting your full weight on the hammock. Be confident. It'll hold you up, as long as you're in the weight limit.

TL;DR?

Pro: Easy setup, comfortable, spacious even for the claustrophobic, easy take down.

Con: Tree straps are small.

I traveled around the world for one year and took this hammock because it was so light-- a must when backpacking! It allowed me to stay in some of the most remote places because I could use it as a hammock (sleeping over the water on a beach in Fiji) and also as a tent (camping in one of the most beautiful, remote dunes in Brazil). Things I couldn't have done or experienced without it! Loved it! The only downside was the cold underneath from being suspended.

This hammock was a gift to me for Christmas two years ago. I have used it on every camping trip i have been on since. We go camping just about every other weekend. This hammock has never failed me even the time we were camping on an island with torrential rain and epic wind. I would recommend this hammock for anyone looking to transition from tent camping to hammock camping. I had owned several other brands of camping hammocks before this and this outshines them all by far. When you purchase this hammock, i definitely recommend getting the snake skins. They keep you hammock off the ground when packing and unpacking and extra safe in a storm before you are ready to get into it. When you get this hammock i would recommend going to Hennessey Hammock.com to look at some of their videos on how to use your hammock to the best of its capability. this hammock is great for everything! In a pinch you only need to attach it to one elevated object and it will still work like a charm. I would recommend this hammock to anyone who is looking for a camping hammock Five stars!

I don't think I'll want to sleep on the ground again. Great night's sleep and not a single bug bite! I'm 6'2" and there was plenty of room! Love it!

I absolutely love this hammock!!I had all but given up on camping as I genuinely hate sleeping on the ground! I will definitely be going camping again!! This hammock is extremely comfortable and easy to put up, once you get the hang of it!!! It is extremely light and compact, two excellent features if you are a backpacker. I am 5'2" and have more than plenty of room for my gear. My husband had to buy the Hennessy Explorer in order to have adequate room. This would be a little snug for someone over 5'10". I would recommend bringing extra line just in case your trees are too far apart or too large!!

Update: I absolutely love this hammock! I just used it for a three day kayaking excursion and it was so comfortable after a thirty mile trek and extremely sore muscles!! I would highly recommend spraying down your bug net with mosquito/bug repellent though!!! I fell asleep with the left side of my body on the net and awoke covered in no-see-um bites!! Looked like I had measles on the left side of my body!!!! I would also recommend a light weight addition to your hammock gear. Auto stores sell the old sun-blockers you stick into the windshield. (most grandmas still use them They are silver to reflect sun from the car, and slightly padded. If you place this under your sleeping bag on a cold night it will truly take care of the cold issues that occur in hammock use in the winter!!! They are light weight and easy to slide into your backpack!!!

Durable, reliable, light weight, all around best backpacking hammock you can find. Recommend buying two additional tent stakes, preferably stainless steel, to support the stability ropes because these are not included with the hammock but will make things a lot easy during setup.

Small light and super easy to set up. It seems like it should be complicated to get it set up, but those guys are pretty smart that designed it.