Hennessy Hammock Expedition Asym Hammock Gear Review

Sleeping in a hammock? I've taken naps in a hammock, during the hot, lazy days of summer. Perhaps an iced tea is handy for sipping as you lay in the hammock, relax, and catch a few winks. But sleeping in a hammock? Seems plausible to me as they are quite comfortable during those summertime siestas.

During a hiking trip in June of 2005, a friend of mine had brought along a hammock. He set it up for relaxing after a long day of hiking, using it as I suspected anyone would use a hammock. This was when I was informed that the hammock could also be used for sleeping. The hammock weighed less than a single person tent, and during warm summer evenings it made sense that you could just as easily sleep in the hammock as opposed to sleeping in a fly less tent.

I mentioned to my girlfriend that our friend had a hammock on our latest hike and said that it could have been used instead of a tent. I also told her that I was intrigued by the idea, being the hammock weighed less than most tents, and that I wouldn't mind giving it a try sometime.

Fast forward to Christmas 2005. Lo and behold, under the Christmas tree was a Hennessy Hammock from my girlfriend. I had never heard of a Hennessy Hammock before, but this hammock looked to be high tech compared to the hammock my friend brought on our hike that previous June. My girlfriend took it upon herself to research hammocks before committing to buying one for me and I must say she was very versed in hammocks.

The Hennessy Hammock is asymmetrical in its design. This allows for more room at the shoulders and at the legs with out the need of making a wider hammock. The Hennessy also has integrated netting for keeping out mosquitoes, black flies, and no-see-um. Also included is a rain fly as well as web strapping for protecting trees when hanging the hammock.

Fast forward once again to July 2006. This was my first opportunity to try out the hammock. I had the hammock setup once in the back yard so that I knew how and to give it a test run. It was quite comfortable and I could see myself sleeping in it during an overnight hike.

In July 2006 we did an overnight hike on the Old Logger's Path in Lycoming County. We got a late start, and after 8 miles of hiking we made it to the campsite as the sun was setting. When we got to the campsite, we discovered that it was already occupied. We continued on a few hundred feet and discovered a second, albeit smaller campsite and decided to call this home for the evening.

The area was large enough to setup a tent but we would have been hard pressed to fit two tents into the area. I looked around and found two trees that were about 12 feet apart and decided to set up my Hennessy Hammock here. The ground under the hammock was not level and wouldn't have worked for setting up a tent.

After unpacking the hammock from its storage bag I placed the webbing around one of the trees and tied one end of the hammock loosely to the webbing. I then placed the other webbing strap around the other tree and secured the other end of the hammock. I went back to the first tree and pulled the hammock tight so that ridge line was taunt. After making sure both ends were secure I sat in the hammock to test it out.

The Hennessy Hammock has a velcro entrance in the bottom of the hammock. The opening extends from one end of the hammock to about two thirds of the way to the mid section. Climbing into the hammock is as simple as sticking your head into the opening and sitting down. Laying back in the hammock and placing your feet into the hammock causes the opening to close and seal itself with the velcro.

The last part of the setup that I needed to do was to place the rain fly over the hammock and tie off the guy lines. The rain fly attaches to a clip at each end of the hammock. The rain fly has two guy lines that are tied off so that there is a slight angle to the rain fly. There are also two guy lines on the hammock itself that can be used to keep the hammock spread slightly apart to facilitate entry as well as making it easier to move around inside.

The manufacturer suggests securing the guy lines to rocks, roots, limbs, or other items. I had purchased a six pack of titanium tent pegs and used these instead. I prefer to use tent pegs as they give you more versatility as opposed to securing the lines to trees or rocks. Also I feel that the tent pegs are more secure then a rock or downed branch that could move during the night or when its windy.

Even though this was the first time that I set the hammock up in the field, I had it in place in about 5 minutes. Set up time wasn't any different than if I were setting up my two-person tent. I am sure that with more use and practice I will probably be setting the hammock in even less time.

If the thought of camping out in a hammock has ever crossed your mind, I strongly suggest you try it out. You'll sleep soundly and not have to worry about rocks or roots getting you in the back. If you do decide to try sleeping in a hammock then I would also recommend that you try the Hennessy Hammock. It is designed well and made of rugged materials. I hope to get many, many years of service out of my hammock. Chances are I'll wear out before it does.