Product Review: Hennessy Hammock

Product Review:  Hennessy Hammock
http://hennessyhammock.com/

If you've ever gone on a camping trip and ended up unwittingly setting your tent up atop cold, uneven land or a rock that's jabbing you in the rib when you lay down, you'll likely be a fan of this product. Gently swaying, suspended a few feet off the ground, the Hennessy Hammock is a brilliant, lightweight, comfortable sleep solution. The mesh gives you a beautiful view up at the night sky, or if it's rainy or drafty, the rainfly cover will provide plenty of protection from the wind or the rain.

I purchased the Expedition Asym Classic, retails for $169.95, and it has been a joy to go camping with this tent/hammock. Fits easily in my backpack, small and compact, lightweight, 2 lbs, 12 oz. Very convenient. They've added several new products to their line in the last year, and knowing the quality of this product, one can only imagine that they are worth every penny. As they note on their website, "The Hennessy Hammock is the most innovative solution to lightweight, comfortable camping on the planet." I agree.



The hammock is easy to set up and take down. Stretch it between two trees or equally solid objects and tie it down. The guide lines on each side of the tent can be staked or even wrapped around a large stone to prevent the hammock from swaying, but they're made of an elastic material so you can still have some give to the movement.

I must say that I recommend getting some sort of foam mat, maybe a yoga mat, some kind of roll-up sleeping mat to place underneath your sleeping bag inside this hammock because the draft can really chill your backside in the colder months. In the summer, this will feel wonderful and surely keep you cool. I also recommend being careful not to let your face or arm press against the mesh as you sleep because the mosquitoes will stick right through the mesh and nibble on you while you sleep. All in all, I highly recommend getting one of these if you plan to do a lot of backpacking and camping.




Last fall, I made a journey from Georgia to Wisconsin for a wedding, drove up North, stopped at about the 7 hour mark at Wayne Fitzgerald Park, camped out in my Hennessy Hammock for an excellent evening, awoke with a beautiful view of several deer and a whole brood of turkeys scattered about, then drove the remaining 7 hours onward to Wisconsin.Was a long but excellent trip.

Two Hennessy Hammocks

Another thing I think is cool is that Hennessy Hammock is a corporate sponsor of Leave No Trace.  The Hennessy Hammock is certainly nearly zero impact and an excellent example of a "Leave No Trace" shelter.  The environmentally-friendly design requires no ground leveling, trenching or staking.  When you walk away from your campsite, there will be no tent footprint and basically no evidence that you were ever there. The line of products has received multiple awards, endorsements, and mentions in everything from the NY Times to Backpacker Magazine, and I'd say it's all well deserved praise.

Everything in the bag

Tie straps, bag, hammock, small rainfly, large rainfly