Hey all... Just tried out a Hennessy hammock ultralight backpacker... Wondering if anyone else has one/used one. It felt fairly small and im wondering if that is just how it is or if I'm just crap at putting up hammocks!

Taylor and CM are your men.

I have a Hennessy. Bought one back in my bushcrafting days, it’s about 10 years old now. Definitely not small, I’m 6’3 and had plenty of room in it. Haven’t used it in a while though

I really like the Hannessy website. So much info on everything

The Ultralight Backpacker hammock is marketed as compact and: Designed for anyone up to 91 kg and 183 cm tall

They have an amazing range too: seriously something for everyone.

https://hennessyhammock.co.uk/collectio ... ead-custom

Hanging them right is pretty critical. Most people reckon getting the slings at 30 degrees is key, but that really is just a rule of thumb. If I pitch my Sea To Summit at that angle, the sides are baggy and the middle is like a ridge. 40 degrees and it's like sleeping on a cloud. I've DD Hammocks Superlight that is too short for me, but my daughter likes it hung at 20-25 degrees, which is kinda trampoline territory but she likes it.

And dont sleep end to end. Sleep diagonally. Always.

Pretty much what Tim says^^^^^
I had a Hennessey as my first hammock then got all Gucci and spent far too much.
It's all trial and error but when you find your sweet spot make a note of it and try the same again another night.
There's no right way for everybody just a right way for you.

Thanks all...yes I went out and twiddled with it yesterday. Managed to get a slightly better hang but even so my head is cramped up against the edge. I'll try it out a few more times but may well sell it and go bigger. I'm only 170cm tall so I either I'm super fussy or they need to revise their size guide down a bit...I reckon it's most likely the latter.

Have you got "The Ultimate Hang" book? There's a set of guidelines in there about length of hammock, angle of suspension and the angle of lay (ooerr missus!) on the diagonal. Generally the shorter the hammock then the suspension and diagonal lay angles reduce.

At 180cm in a 2.5m hammock I'm just a bit too big but my wife at 155cm is fine. I'm pushing into the gather part of the hammock, there's just 350mm space at either end so getting any sort of diagonal is awkward.

Hennessey being american I'd imagine their sizing is good and your feelings are to do with your pitching, in the nicest possible way. Asymmetric, gathered end hammocks take some knack to pitch and to get positioned within for a comfy lay.

The book Bob mentions is the hammocking bible and is well worth the read. The latest version is huge compared to the earlier one. The author's website is also a great source of easily absorbed advice, particularly the 101 articles.

I started with a Hennessey as well. They are good, solid hangs. But I also recall feeling all over the place and less than convinced several times when I first used it. Keep experimenting with angle of hang and your angle of lay across the hammock, plus try it hung a little higher at the foot end whuch can make a difference (stops sliding down and getting cramped up overnight, just like bivi-ing on a slight slope).

When you get it I personally believe the comfort of a hammock dispels all the less positive aspects (extra weight, bulk, faff etc) compared to the ground. It's guaranteed to make me smile.

Ground's fine and I think lighter, easier and simpler (tho not without faff sometimes) but it just isn't the joy of hanging

Cheeky Monkey wrote: ↑Mon May 11, 2020 12:42 am When you get it I personally believe the comfort of a hammock dispels all the less positive aspects (extra weight, bulk, faff etc) compared to the ground. It's guaranteed to make me smile.

Ground's fine and I think lighter, easier and simpler (tho not without faff sometimes) but it just isn't the joy of hanging

So true. I love my hammocking. To me it’s worth the extra faffage to get a good nights sleep. Also, with my (pretty standard) set up, I have somewhere to sit, somewhere to cook and somewhere to store all my stuff. And if I need a “comfort break” in the night I can swing my legs out, walk a few paces, do it and quickly get back into bed. Contrast this with wriggling into and out of a bicycle bag when, by the time you’re back in, you’re wide awake and have to try to get back to sleep.

For me, the biggest drawback is the chance of not finding the right trees to hang in. This means that if I’m going where I’m not sure of finding the right spot, I’ll take my Neoair so I can sleep on the ground if needs be.

frogatthefarriers wrote: ↑Mon May 11, 2020 8:10 pm if I need a “comfort break” in the night I can swing my legs out, walk a few paces, do it and quickly get back into bed. Contrast this with wriggling into and out of a bicycle bag when, by the time you’re back in, you’re wide awake and have to try to get back to sleep.

Tent ‘comfort break’ pull sleeping bag down, unzip door and let fly even at 50 a can still make it past the vestibule

I do think about getting another Hennessy, I had a bottom entry one, easy and very comfortable. The faff and insulation required put me off in the end.

In areas like the eastern USA where there's a lot of tree cover and the ground is sloping, rocky or both then hammocks make a lot of sense. Also it seems like a lot of the American hammockers turn up in their SUVs, walk or bike maybe a few hundred metres and then set up camp then head back the following morning so weight/bulk aren't really a problem.

Here in the UK, certainly the northern part, finding suitable locations is harder and you either have to have scoped them out first and know you'll get there in the day or be prepared to carry both hammock and ground gear. That's a bit more faff.

Having set up a hammock a grand total of twice I'm still very much in the learner stage but like anything it will get easier. There's just so many options.