Thinking about trying one of these. Admittedly they’re £100+ so it’s more “buying” than “trying” I guess :-S Wondered if anyone had some real world experience, advice of the best model, best deals etc?

Been thinking about one since seeing a thread and posts by (IIRC) Flatfish about a year ago.

And yes, I know it’s a bit useless without trees 😉

Ta in advance.

you can use them without trees as a tent if you have something to tie one end to.
i quite like mine for something different and if i know there will be trees. you do still need a mattress of some sort. Can’t remember what the model is, but it’s the larger one, i’m 6’2″.

Please elaborate on the mattress requirement. Also interested in these but thought they might mean you wouldn’t need on if off the ground.

You get very cold in a hammock if you don’t have something underneath you. A mat will work (DD hammocks have a sleeve you can put a mat in) but it’s not as good as an under blanket.DD sell an under blanket made for them by Snugpak.

I know flatfish has moved onto/is about to move onto a Blackbird Warbonnet (yes, very silly name but very nice hammock)

HH make great claims about how comfortable the asymetric cut makes their hammocks. Are the DD’s the same or are they more “traditional” cut?

Having had a go in both, I can’t really see much difference with regard to comfort, although I’ve not slept in a Henessey – only tried one out. I found the old style (believe they’ve now changed) henessey’s where you entered from underneath a PITA.

To be honest, if you’re thinking of dipping a toe in the water, then a DD is pretty hard to fault.

Hennessey are good for buggy areas due to the bugnet but the camping hammock from DD is really good value if you don’t need the bugnetting.
Hennessey now make all versions in side entry or the original bottom.
If your getting a hennessey make sure you get everything all in one go as they want $60 shipping on every order.
DD’s snugpak UQ works with the hennessey fine and is better than the hennessey UQ although heavier.

Warbonnet hasn’t yet been purchased yet but will be at some point this summer.

Knew you’d be along 😀

Some of the DD’s have bug netting too http://www.ddhammocks.com/product/frontline-hammock?

‘Tis like what I’ve got 😉

if you are spending that much on a hammock you would be better off buying a warbonnet blackbird. I do have a Hennessy to try out a zipper mod rather than use the velco entry in the bottom.

Its also quite easy to make your own. My pertex hammock – http://www.bikeandbivi.co.uk/php/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8

A bug net will be added to my newest one at some point. Cost of making minus my time, approx £40-£50 for a single layer with all the suspension gubbins. It very much depends on the fabric used.

Lots of plans and ideas on the hammock forum site – http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/?

The snugpak UQS are still very bulky, the size of a 3 season synthetic sleeping bag and quite heavy. I have made several down vesrions of the same size etc but using down and pertex. Check out – http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/forum.php in the makers market.

Hammock socks can add a few degrees of warmth as well and super easy to make. The material needs to be pretty light and breathable. Essentially its a tube with draw cord ends. Cost £10 max and an hours worth of faffing. http://www.bikeandbivi.co.uk/php/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15

Cheers guys, all really useful info.

Was wondering about the HH and regular vs side entry so that feedback is great, plus the idea of using it as a seat seems good and (if I understand correctly) is easier with the zip one.

Cheapest place I’ve seen them so far seems to be Funky Leisure (in the UK) at c.£120 for an Expedition Asym, w.zip and snakeskin. Seems a lot less hassle than ordering from the States.

Will have a better look at the DD ones as well. I’ve always found the woods around the places I have in mind for trips to be fairly bug ridden so was going for one with a net anyhow.

Hmm, having looked at the DD onesthey don’t come with a tarp (assume it’s just a case of buying one (although the HH seems to have a built in ridgeline. So a DD with tarp and sleeve is c.£100.

Given I fancy being out in various weathers and aren’t shy of a bit of rain etc the HH seems to fit the bill better, although for a £20 premium.

Or have I got my tree huggers in a twist?

I think (yet could be very wrong) that the HH don’t come with a tarp and it’s an extra.

Cheeky Monkey – I have a feeling that HH post from the UK. It’s worth emailing them to ask. I looked into a full 4-season setup and it came out pretty reasonably priced direct from them.
You get all sorts of options then (swapping tarps for larger ones, is the best thing I can think of – large enough to cook under and store the bike).

Au contraire mon ami:

Specification
Hammock Weight: 1.2kg
User Weight Limit: 113kg (17st 12lb)
Hammock fabric: 210 D oxford nylon
Canopy fabric: Polyurethane coated Ripstop Polyester
Stuff sack: Logo and set up instructions printed on Ripstop nylon bag with drawstring
Ridgeline Length: 254cm
Hammock dimensions: 54cm x 122cm
Canopy dimensions: Parallelogram 147cm (short side) x 221cm (long side) x 216cm (short diagonal) x 330cm (long diagonal)
Packed size: 18cm x 26cm
Set-up-time: 3 minutes
Colours: Hunter green hammock and fly and black trim

I have a HH Explorer Deluxe, very comfy but gets cold at night if you dont have a camp mat (thermarest is fine) under you. The problem with that is the mat tends to shift around easilly, so if you move, the mat slips out of position, and when you all wrapped up in a sleeping bag putting it back is a PITA. I have an underquilt (simple as it sounds, quilt you hang under you, to keep your arse/back warm) but not had time to try it out yet.

The tarp seems quite small but does provide good coverage, and if you dont expect heavy or driving rain you can set it up high to get a nice view out. Ive actually taken to setting mine up on a separate line to the hammock supports, means i can put it up first or independant of the hammock so if it raining i can get shelter without having to pull the whole hammock out of the bag.

Some pics of my last trip here…

Stealth camp by dickyelsdon, on Flickr

Generally i do like it tho, comfy to lie in, dead easy to put up, keeps midge out and rain too. Another thing to consider is while it is smaller than a tent its still pretty bulky compared to a bivvy bag, so not always my first choice.

HH do come with a asym tarp as standard but HH will swap for the bigger hex tarp and adjust the price accordingly.

HH do indeed post from the UK(near Heathrow iirc) but you have to order from their main website and they said it would be $60 shipping even if I lived 5 miles away, so I told them to go swivel.

Love my HH,find it warm enough with a 3/4 thermarest underneath.
excuse pic as camera was full of water,

IMG_4564 by coastkid71, on Flickr

Snakeskin covers make it real easy to stash away

hennessy hammock 009 by coastkid71, on Flickr

hennessy hammock 001 by coastkid71, on Flickr

hennessy hammock 005 by coastkid71, on Flickr

May I butt in here, while the regular hammock users are in one place?

I’ve been thinking about using a hammock for a while rather than my little tent but I’ve been a bit worried about how kind they are to your back? As a fan of a firm mattresses, I imagine them to be like a really soft bed, ie causes a bit of an ache the next morning?

Are they a one night only thing, do you get used to it or am I whittling about nothing?

I sleep better in the hamock than in a tent, you can lie on your side too,which i find comfy being broad shoulderd,often get a sore neck using a thermarest in a tent, you dont need a pillow with a hammock
and the HH dont sway like a garden type hammock does as you would expect it too,

I hate soft mattresses but dont find a hammock uncomfortable for my back (and I get back ache quite often). What does get me is my knees tho. Due to the elevation of your head and feet, even with thediagonal lay of the HH, i find my knees can ache a little due to my legs being mostly supported at the feet. Its not a constant problem and dont have any issues the next day but it does mean i move about a bit while getting to sleep to aleviate it.

I’ve had a play with putting something soft under my knees to help with that problem. It’s fine, but it does wake you up occasionally when you move about.

BTW, I’m the same re comfort. Hammock is dead comfy. Much prefer firm mattresses.

I’m not saying I have the best night’s sleep ever, but that’s down to a lot of reasons – light/noise/excitement/fear! etc.

Fear!

I get that!

See … told you I could be wrong regarding the tarp 😉

I too am in the hard mattress brigade, I find a hammock very comfy and easy to sleep in.

stop posting this type of stuff cos im getting more and more Tempted to try it myself 🙂

Don’t let us stop you … try it, you’ll more than likely enjoy it.

It can add a whole new dimension to your riding and empty your pockets faster than a crack habit 😀

…… and the credit card gets hammered 😉

Cheers for all the helpful suggestions, comments, tips and stuff. More still welcome but I’ll find out for myself now too.

Used Funky Leisure (stuff for festivals so I feel a right middle aged fraud ordering off there) but it was about £10 cheaper than the Henessey UK site, oddly. And free next day delivery (wait and see ….)

Got to say this thread has been much more use than the usual bitch-fest. Thanks all 😎

Good luck with it!
It’s a really great fun way to spend time outdoors. That for me is the crux.

Well, http://www.funkyleisure.co.uk/ might read like it’s for students and rich pretend-hippies going to Gasto’ in places but ordered c.14:30 yesterday, my cock up and changed the delivery addy, delivered at about 11:00 today. Credit where it’s due for service and cheapest place I’d found the HH combo I fancied.

Little surprised by the weight of it (seems more than I imagined) but proof will be in use, as it’s not just about weight in a bag.

Now, when can I desert the family and scare myself silly overnight in the deep, dark woods 🙂

Dont forget to check the trees are still alive and there is no deadfall above. You dont need as big a tree as youd think either, sometime i can wrap the strap around the tree twice and its still more than strong enough to support my weight.

anyone tried a bridge hammock ? have thought about getting one of these as they lie flatter here’s a review

In idle surfing I also saw these: http://www.junglehammock.com/index.php, which seemed to be pretty full-on hammocks for UK, all weather (or should that just be “british-summer”?) style camping.

Maybe a bit expensive and bulky compared to the Hennesey and DD ones. However, assuming there’s less need to take a pad / underblanket possibly this balances out the weight issues? Something like the NX150 looks interesting.

Anyone used them or even managed to get one in / to the UK?