I used to think carrying an air mattress was a good idea. They are heavy, and always seem to slowly leak out all of their air no matter how well you take care of them. I was on a high forested mountain shelf in July of 1997 spending the night on a granite boulder strewn patch of ground when I finally decided I would never sleep on the ground again. My air mattress had leaked to a point where it was useless. I couldn't believe I had carried all that weight for nothing. I was climbing the peak the next day, and only managed to get two hours sleep in when I woke up to find my left arm completely numb and without feeling. It felt dead, and I was exhausted and mad. This is not how camping is supposed to be. How was I going to climb with only 2 hours of sleep and enjoy the experience?
I remembered seeing a Readers Digest magazine article about camping in trees. There were pictures of cool suspended tents which had to be infinitely more comfortable than what I had just gone through. Even when camping above the tree line you can rig up something with the right equipment. Because I was going to school I didn't camp again for 3 years. When my brothers and I planned out next trip, the last one was still indelibly imprinted on my psyche and I was not going to go through the same thing again. I was determined to find a better way.
The better way I found was the Hennessey Hammock Expedition Asym. It was my first, and best, off the ground sleep system. The Hennessey Hammock is both tent and hammock. Sleeping in an ordinary hammock is ok for some people, but can restrict your breathing and put too much pressure where you don't want it. The Expedition Asym is asymetrical, meaning when you are lying down there is more material at the top left bottom right of the hammock, allowing you to lie diagonally across the centerline so you sleep nearly flat.
Using straps to go around and protect two trees, and a handly lashing, you can hang the 2 lb 12 oz. hammock in no time. I always hang it once, quite high, sit on it to stretch it out and put a loading on the trees, then tie it up again only tighter. If I get lazy and don't do this, there is a chance it will get too low during the night. One night on the Alaska Basin trail, I hung it up in the dark over a snowbank, which ended up partially supporting my weight during the night. Thanks to my z-rest thermal pad I didn't mind sitting on the snow so much during the night.
I now sleep through the night when camping. Even one good nights sleep is worth the retail price of $129 ($109 at Amazon today). It is easy to get into and out of. Getting into and out of your sleeping bag takes a little getting used to. I wouldn't consider not getting a left hand zip bag, or things get really tricky. Keeping an insulative pad underneath you can be a trick too. The insulative pad is a must in cool weather, meaning 45 to 50 degrees and below. My first test of the hammock was in my backyard tied up on the swingset on an early April night. There was still a little snow around. I lasted until 1:00AM. If the neighbors dog had been quieter, and my backside wasn't frozen I would have stuck it out.
I upgraded my sleeping bag, and used the z-rest pad for the next test. I dawned a sweater and a wool cap because the temperature was around 34° F. I had to ditch the extra clothes in the night because I was too hot. The system was comfortable, and warm enough for where I would be going. Sleeping bags with an integral insulative pad, such as the Big Bertha, might be a good idea for hammock sleeping. I may try that one day, but for now a separate sleeping pad is managable.
Getting into the hammock is done through the bottom. Simply pull the velcro opening apart, stand in the hole, sit down slide back and lift your feet in. The velcro never fails to seal because of the logitudinal tension. There is a zip line across the top with a little gear pouch which is handy for putting your light and miscellaneous items in. The included rain fly must be carefully staked out, and does a reasonable job of keeping the rain off if you tension it down to where is is just over the netting. This allows condensation to form however. Hennessey has started selling the Asym with a slightly larger rain fly than mine. If the older, smaller rain fly isn't perfectly centered then all bets are off when the rain comes. I had to pinch and hold the edge down through the hammock during one particularly windy and rainy night. I ended up buying a larger Hex fly rain fly from Hennessey that is more than adequate that I take when I know it is going to be stormy.
I purchased the snake skins, which are sleeves that can be pulled over the entire hammock making it look like a snake. Put up and take down times are much quicker with them. They protect the no-see-um netting, and make stuffing into the sack very easy and quick. Using the snake skins does wrinkle the rain fly pretty good, but they are definitely worth it.
The Hennessey can be very hard to see in wooded areas. This can be both a benefit and a hindrence. One morning a moose and its calf came galloping through our camp. Luckily they were running parrallel to the direction the hammock was tied. They may have seen it, and they may not have.
One morning a youngster who thought he was far enough away from camp nearly did his business on it, but he saw it just in time. It was a good thing because I hadn't quite woken up, and wouldn't have appreciated his mistake. If stealth camping is your thing, you don't really have to try too hard with one. Sleeping on a hillside over rough terrain is as easy as sleeping on flat land.
The netting is great, but would be better if soundproof :-). Still, there is a certain satisfaction that comes from hearing the mosquitos as they buzz around trying, but failing, to get in.
I still need to try one thing: using a gri-gri (belay device) and a pulley on one end to tighten the hammock. I think any tension problems would probably be eliminated with such a setup, and I might even be able to adjust it from within the hammock.
Specifications
Weight: 2 lbs. 12oz., 1175 grams .
Weight limit: 250 lbs.
Suspension system: 10' long 1600 lb. test polyester rope - 42" long x 2" wide nylon webbing straps called "tree huggers"
Hammock dimensions: 100" x 48"'
Hammock fabric: 210 D oxford nylon
Canopy dimensions:
- a parallelogram with - short side - 58" -
- long side - 87" -
- short diagonal - 85"
- long diagonal -130"
Canopy fabric: 1.9 ounce polyurethane coated nylon or polyester ripstop
Mesh: 1 ounce 20 D polyester No-See-Um netting
Stuff sack: Logo and set up instructions printed on ripstop nylon bag with drawstring
Set-up-time: 2.5 minutes
Packed size: 7" x 10"
Suggested retail price: $139.95 US
Colors Hunter green hammock with hunter green fly and black trim
Pros:
Sleep!
Light weight
Off the ground if it rains
Doesn't have to be set up on a flat spot
Minimal impact on vegetation.
Set up/ take down time
Completely missed by ground dwelling small animals
Cons:
I don't sleep in my hammock without the pad because the center line can sometimes dig into the underside of my left knee. It is still preferable to sleeping on the ground though.
Initially hard to keep an insulative pad beneath your sleeping bag.
Right hand zip bags are difficult to get into.
Might be run into by large animals if set up in the wrong spot.
Might not be missed by wandering scouts.
