v1nce

Some good point were raised, but most of what i have written as well as subsequent replies is debatable of course.

For example:

1. The Hennessey can be pitched very low to the ground or even on the ground if the wind factor is an issue.

2. Even IF it could be proven beyond a doubt that a Tent could be warmer in the most frigid condition, the OP stated he will be in the warmer southern areas in winter where serious cold is really a non issue.

3. The Car reflector thing that Hiker/military guy speaks of works well according to him and is easy to use, very light and extremely cheap.

4. The Opposite sex thing is a bummer ha ha, though they have an extra large Hammock that is more suitable but possibly! still not as comfy as a tent for two.

5. Cost & weight is still an important issue for me. Being able to dispense with the additional considerable cost of a tent of similair quality and possibly even the Thermarest are important factors to me.

But more importantly, I think the OP has enough info to make up his own mind and will have to consider his own needs and preferences above any comments (valid or not) that we might make. I don't think there is a best or worst choice as such, just a best or worst for each individual camper. But it is an interesting discussion.

axolotl

Or the same sex.

stokell

Nothing lights up this forum like a posting on hammocks. I'm going to put in my 'two cents worth'.

I hammock stealth camp using a Hennessy. I also do Leave No Trace. You never disturb the forest floor when you use a hammock. In the hundreds of times I have slung one in a forest I have not damaged the tree bark, but by all means bring some extra padding if that is a concern.

As far as the temperature concerns; it does require you to have some special equipment if you are camping above 05C. (Madrid had an over night low of -02C last night)I used to use those foil emergency blankets and just tie them around the tent. (You can find additional info on that in my tour diaries). If it is windy the noise keeps me awake. Everything sounds like a bear.


I recently purchased an emergency bivi bag from Mountain Equipment Coop. It is made of a similar material only is thicker and not at all noisey. It holds together with Velcro. That combined with wearing polyester fleece against my skin top and bottom, a reflective sleeping pad and a good down sleeping bag has kept me warm down to -05C. I haven't tried it any colder yet, but winter is just starting here.

Hennessy have their own add-on system; check out their web site

Hennessy's are asymmetrical, so it is not like sleeping in an ordinary hammock. You can sleep slightly across the suspension line and sleep much flatter. You get in from the bottom so nothing could be easier.

About the tree thing: Trees are only one of the things you can fasten to. The Hennessy I understand does make into a decent tent but I've never had to try it. I suggest you think about the staff trick, https://www.junglehammock.com/ease3.php
that is, suspending from at least one pole. When I was planning my last trip some members told me that southern England had been deforest years before and was so heavily crowded with people that there would be no place to stealth camp. What a load of poop! It turns out that once again the nay-sayers were wrong. The trees were so big around I had to make extensions for my tree huggers!

Go with what you think is right lad! I find stealth camping cyclists to be incredibly self reliant, so you'll make out fine.

dbuzi123

I'm not sure you can completely argue the price here. A REI Half dome 2 tent only costs 169, which is just a bit more than a hammock and can easily accomodate 2 people if the need should arise.....

v1nce

Well, sure that isn't soo much more but still 50 Dollars more and it requires you to buy a sleeping matt (even if you only intend to camp in fair wheather) and for it to be a fair comparison/even near the comfort of the Hennessey i'd say a Thermarest is in order.

So you end up spending about double for the same or lesser sleeping comfort and more comfort in terms of space. For me it's a no brainer. But i will echo stokell:

"Go with what you think is right".

Erick L

How do you sleep face down in a hammock?

becnal

Lay on the diagonal.

People who say one can't lay staright in a hammock have obviously never seen a dolphin air-lifted out of a pool at Seaworld or the like.

coconut in IA

How about do what I do.... Since the Hammock packs so small.. I bring my tent and my Hammock.... it's a win win situation.... so If I want to do some humping I can put my tent down... if I want to be in the trees, I can set up my hammock.


Cheers,

Coconut.

v1nce

Yeh good point, that is what i'll be doing. I will take my hammock, my friend a tent, that way we can swap when needed or wanted.

turtle77

I just bought a tent but wished I would have seen these first.

https://kifaru.net/TIPI.HTM

Holy cow. The best of both worlds. Ultralight and the "true outdoorsy feeling" of a hammock, but with the full coverage of a tent (minus the floor, which after having checked out the site for a while seems less and less important. )

The only problem is the price... but may be worth it. And the whole idea of having a totally portable and light wood burning stove in your tipi. So tight. Get the 4-man and put yer frickin' bike in there too! Alright, what am I gonna have to sell to get one of these? First of all, the tent I just bought...

turtle77

BTW, I am not affiliated with this company. I just saw them mentioned in the Surly Blog and checked out their site.

v1nce

I have read about those tents and the other Company that makes them: Tentipi. They most def. kick ass, but yeh the price is just not worth it to me. But if i camped lots or in very cold conditions it surely would be. I like the idea that in a pinch you could even use it as a semi permanent (emergency) shelter, they are suppossed to be That good. In such a scenario i might use them or a Yurt. Cool stuff. I am really curious how efficient their fold down wood stoves are, i imagine they can not be super efficient (a Bekkasinen Wood Stove is about 80% and the benchmark for high efficiency, much bettere than a Jotul and way lighter to boot) but if they are i might just even buy one for at home! I reckon they can't be super efficient because they were designed to be light and collapsible. Collapsible expecially usually means that there will be air leaking into the stove during use, this can reduce efficiency dramatically. Anybody happen to know this for sure or own one of these stoves?

supcom

The smallest tipi (4 man) still weighs over 5 lbs yet has no bug netting. I do like the way the sides roll up for ventillation though.

I'd rather use a simple silnylon tarp and inner bug net for half the weight.

Mr_Super_Socks

I am dying over here. dying.

no questions a tent is better for humping - hammocks are solely solo.

I just wanted to reiterate that I used my (non-Hennesy) hammock setup for a tour down the entire pacific coast, which included a start in vancouver in March and snow at times, including two freak storms in the pac northwest which had me overnighting in well-below freezing conditions. always toasty. my kelty parabolic tarp nearly reaches the ground so wind is not really an issue.

my brother-in-law joined me for a section of the trip in oregon where it rained constantly. I was able to wipe off my tarp and pack it dry and he packed a wet tent every morning and opened a wet tent every night. in rain and cold, the hammock is better. (I dont' think this would include arctic-type conditions for the theoretical reasons posted early re: wind and being near the ground, etc.)

there are a lot of posts here from people who've never tried a hammock or seen one in use, saying they don't "seem" like they'd be good for x, y or z reason. People who have actually tried it are qualified to tell you whether it's dry enough, bug proof enough, warm enough, light enough, comfortable enough, etc. Others are just speculating or regurgitating.

sorry for the quasi-rant, but the addage is true "don't knock it 'til you try it."

v1nce

@ Mr Socks, Yes yes, that's all very fine and dandy but did you sleep WITH your brother-in-law inside of the hammock?

No seriously i fully agree, +10 to everything you wrote.

becnal

Amen Mr Socks.

MikeR

No offense but: Your first line may be true but you second line is not rational. When a dolphin is air lifted the sling is not lifted by the 2 far ends but is attached to the hoist all along the middle.

becnal

No offense taken...

Laying on the diagonal is almost the same as the dolphin example because neither situation has the user lying along the rigid tension line. which is created between the two attachment points of the hammock.

I think I'm not making myself very clear. It would be easier if we had a hammock to lie in right now, then I could show it better. =)

MikeR

You're welcome to bring yours over here - I have the trees.
Seriously, I wish I could try one out. If it feels as good (to me) as all of you say, I would get one right away. I'm just concerned that it would not be comfortable _for me_. I think that if some local camping store would set one up it would sell faster.

NoReg

It's mostly a case of don't nock it till you have bought it. Which is a bigger issue. Someone wants to lend me one that is another mater. Sleeping is a very personal thing, and over the years I have got on well with certain approches and not so well with others. The fact someone tells you their space foam matress is devine, or they like to sleep on a board, doesn't really carry that much weight with me.

The one thing I don't get is why one doesn't get bitten by bugs from the underside. Ok, if one is lying on a sleeping bag, but that creates problems of it's own. Like in most hot weather I want a little on the top too, so here I am with it all around me sweltering. In the tent I'm protected by the ground. DOes it have a double layer. i mean it is designed for the tropics, it must work. I;m going to get one, but I intend to carry my minimal tent also. That is pretty much my only luxury, bivy alternatives.

Floors are very necesarry in my opinion, both to keep bugs out, and when you get caught at some camp ground with the usual mudhole tent sites. In the end one has a ground sheet, and it doesn't work as well.

I'd love to try a Kifaru in the winter, but I wouldn't try it in bug or Bushmaster land. Thos bad boys can get in an up and over anything.