Which syn UL bag works well in a HH?

[crazypete]

Sorry to spam this forum with a ton of threads....but I'm excited right now =) Weeeee!

Well, after playing with it a little bit, I've come to the conclusion that the big agnes encampment 15 degree long with it's huge inflatable pad is not going to work in here. It's just too bulky. Now I've had too many bad experiences with down so I'm a synthetic man myself and I'm planning on sleeping in the cold with this thing (I'm a new englander so I'll be camping in the whites)....maybe picking up the supershelter attachment.

Which lightweight synthetic bag works well in the HH....with consideration of occasionally having to pitch it like a bivvy bag?

[Hooch]

Getting into a sleeping bag in a Henessy requires nothing short of significnt athletic and acrobatic finesse. You're much better off using a quilt like Jacks r Better, Speer, Ray-Way or Nunatak. If you use a sleeping bag, you'll crush the bottom of the bag between you and the hammock, leaving virtually useless and totally ineffective. You're a lot better off having a good quality bottom insulation and a quilt. Bottom insulation is going to be very important to you living and hiking in New England. Don't leave home without it.

Another shamless plug for Hammock Forums.

[wallace]

No matter what you get first, you will eventually want an underquilt for the hammock. Check out the Jacks R better nest for an underquilt and the no snivler for a top quilt. BTW, once you get these, you will also want a bigger tarp than the stock HH tarp.

[HikerRanky]

Being the owner of a HH hammock, a BA Insulated Air Core mattress, and several of the BA bags, I can say that it is a challenge getting in the hammock with all of that. But it can be done.

I don't fully inflate the pad, and I unzip the bag and use it more as a top quilt... Of course, I am what people call a "hot sleeper", meaning that I don't need a lot of cover... YMMV there.

The Jacks R Better underquilts are very nice, and come highly recommended.... I currently use the SuperShelter, and it's working fine for me....

Randy

[russb]

None, get a real hammock like a Speer, Claytor, or Clark.

[daibutsu]

Right russb!!! HH is like Land Rover: all fluff, no stuff. Plus undisclosed Chinese manufacture!!

[crazypete]

The Jacks R Better underquilts are very nice, and come highly recommended.... I currently use the SuperShelter, and it's working fine for me....

Randy

So how does the supershelter work? I heard that there are inserts and an undercover and an overcover. I can visualize the overcover (they have a youtube video of it) but how do you attach an undercover and still be able to climb inside? Does it not cover the lower flap?

It looks to me that the supershelter and underquilt are redundant, are they not?

Would a quilt be as versatile as a sleeping bag in those days when I go into a shelter rather than hammock out? When I "go to ground" above treeline? I dont really want to optimize for pure hammock use because you never know what the trail will throw at you and if you're stuck on the ground without a pad....

But I'm getting the impression that conventional sleeping bags are not the mainstay of the hammock community.

[HikerRanky]

So how does the supershelter work? I heard that there are inserts and an undercover and an overcover. I can visualize the overcover (they have a youtube video of it) but how do you attach an undercover and still be able to climb inside? Does it not cover the lower flap?

The undercover wraps around the bottom of the hammock, and the tieouts from the hammock thread thru the undercover, and the ends tie to the hammock support lines as well.... There is an underpad that slips in between the bottom of the hammock and the undercover.... there are videos on the Hennessey site that show all of this...

It looks to me that the supershelter and underquilt are redundant, are they not?

Yes they are

Would a quilt be as versatile as a sleeping bag in those days when I go into a shelter rather than hammock out? When I "go to ground" above treeline? I dont really want to optimize for pure hammock use because you never know what the trail will throw at you and if you're stuck on the ground without a pad....

I personally like to stick with a sleeping bag as a top quilt for this reason...

But I'm getting the impression that conventional sleeping bags are not the mainstay of the hammock community.

I can't speak for everyone else, but I think it is an individual choice....

Hope all of this helps...

Randy

[crazypete]

That jacks stuff is $300-800!!

Great googily moogily!

...plus it's all down.

[peter_pan]

That jacks stuff is $300-800!!

Great googily moogily!

...plus it's all down.

crazypete, et al,

Just for accuracy's sake....

JRB makes 18 models and sizes or quilts......12 of them are under $300. 3 are below $200..... The most expensive is the zero degree capable Mt Washington , with dual differential design, body contoured continuous height baffles with a 22 percent over stuff of 800 pf down...Arguable the world's best an warmest hammock under quilt.... at under $360.....You will not find that quality and capability anywhere else at that low price.

Now that is, "Great googily moogily!"

Pan

[crazypete]

Sorry about my googily moogily....I've been ebaying and gear swapping too long. My apologies.

So...could I slip my pack and clothes and gear inbetween the undercover and the hennesy body in place of a pad? Is there enough space and does it look sturdy enough?

I tok your advice on the sleeping bag and upgraded to a marmot pounder plus (2lbs 2 ozs, 25 degrees). Light, synthetic, full zipper so I can "quilt" it if need be. Yay! Hiltons Tent City is right next to my workplace so I can take care of such "issues" realtime

Now I just need to decide on what to carry for a pad. Supershelter undercover only or SS-UC plus CC-foam pad or inflatable?

[GeneralLee10]

Right russb!!! HH is like Land Rover: all fluff, no stuff. Plus undisclosed Chinese manufacture!!

Half the stuff you buy now days is from China LoL. The Clark Hammock is over priced and the Speers Hammock looks like a kid made it Sorry but must say HH has got them beat. Both Clark and Speer are like sleeping in a tube. In a HH you can move around and not confined to one sleeping position (Like a U). I use a Therm-A-Rest pad I think it works good don't move off it at all myself.

[KG4FAM]

Now I just need to decide on what to carry for a pad. Supershelter undercover only or SS-UC plus CC-foam pad or inflatable?

I use a Speer Segmented Pad Extender with a blue foam pad. It is worth a look.

[astrogirl]

I use a HH Asym Backpacker and I'm happy with it.

I use a z-rest under me and a cocoon silk liner if it's really cold. For a bag, I use the Nunatak back country blanket. I do not have an underquilt. I have used the stock tarp and a hexagonal MSR tarp.

When it's getting down towards freezing, I also use a space blanket under all of that.

All that said, I sleep pretty warm, so YMMV.

[tiptoe]

I use an EMS Mountain Lite sleeping bag with my HH Backpacker Asym, and it's not that big a deal to get in. I put the bag with the foot to the left of the opening and the head to the right. Then I align the zipper on the left side (as I face it), unzip the bag most of the way, and open the flap. Then I turn around, sit down, maybe move up toward the head of the hammock a bit, and that's it.

[crazypete]

I ordered the supershelter but I still want to carry something for shelter sleeping and going to ground so I will probably end up leaving it behind and dong my z-rest. It's the only thing light enough to justify such bulk.

The thing I didnt like about the supershelter pad is it's very single purpose nature.

So hopefully the 25 degree bag plus z-rest and the aforementioned space blanket get the job done down to zero degrees with me wearing under armor and maybe my winter coat. This definately needs a backyard test before I hit the trail with it.

[peter_pan]

I ordered the supershelter but I still want to carry something for shelter sleeping and going to ground so I will probably end up leaving it behind and dong my z-rest. It's the only thing light enough to justify such bulk.

The thing I didnt like about the supershelter pad is it's very single purpose nature.

So hopefully the 25 degree bag plus z-rest and the aforementioned space blanket get the job done down to zero degrees with me wearing under armor and maybe my winter coat. This definately needs a backyard test before I hit the trail with it.

I'll bet that your test fails for cold shoulders, upper arm and hips at all temps below 45 or 50.... pad is not wide enough.... but heh, YMMV....go forth and test, be sure to have a bail out.

Pan

[trouthunter]

Hey Crazypete,
If you want a real performance bag, take a look at the bags from Integral Designs with Primaloft. They are not cheap, but they are the lightest syn. bags on the market that can outperform goose down. Most people do not get a bag rated properly for a hammock to begin with, and then go to great lengths adding this and that trying to achieve comfort.
You need a bag rated 10 - 20 degrees below what you expect to encounter on the trail for use in a hammock.

[bobbyw]

I have a HH explorer (the bigger one, dispite me being bigger, adds room for all my gear comfortably...) and I use a blue walmart foam matt cut to size, and a ultralight REI bag (35 degree): http://www.rei.com/product/762027
I have yet to be cold in it, but I'm sure the day will come, so in spring when I leave I'm gonna bring a fleece bag liner, that way I can send it home when I don't need the extra heat.

If you don't want to lug a CC walmart pad:
Closed cell Crosslinked Copolymer Polyolefin foam @ 1/4" thick
http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/...thinlight.html

[crazypete]

Hmmm....

Looks like most of you guys are choosing/recommending 30'ish degree bags with your hammocks.

So with this 25 degree bag, I should be ahead of the game it seems.