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Reviews > Shelters > Hammocks > Hennessy Super Shelter > Jamie DeBenedetto > Field Report
Field Report - May 31st, 2005
I've pretty much been what my husband refers to as a "tree hugger" since birth but my backpacking life started in earnest about seventeen years ago. These days I spend about 15 days a month in the outdoors either with the Canine Hiking Club of AZ or with my family. My backpacking style is lightweight but not ultralight. I sleep in a hammock most of the time and I keep my pack base weight (less food or water) below 15 lbs (7 kg) for three season outings of two to three days. I tend to gravitate toward multifunctional gear.
According to Hennessy Hammock(HH), the SuperShelter is designed to be a complete four-season system and is currently made to complement the Expedition A-Sym and Ultralite Backpacker models. It is made up of four parts, the UnderCover, UnderPad, StuffSack and the OverCover, which is sold as an optional accessory. Also sold separately are two additional pads, a TorsoPad and a smaller KidneyPad. A detailed description of each item can be found in my Initial Report. In my opinion, the performance of a sleep system can make or break a trip.
It can either provide a peaceful, warm and cozy night of Zzzzz or it can be the
purveyor of a torturous, seemingly never ending abyss of discomfort and restlessness.
I have a tendency to spend way too many hours contemplating my sleep system before
each trip but I try to keep the end result of my retentiveness simple; shelter,
clothing and insulation. Because I take these components so seriously I have
tried to keep accurate and specific details about them as well as the weather
conditions and how the Hennessy Hammock SuperShelter was used during each test
for this report. Furthermore, for reasons of safety and since I did not know
what kind of results to expect from the SuperShelter, I decided to spend several
nights in the hammock in my yard before trying it in real conditions. I have
included a few of my "at-home" experiences along with my "in the
field" experiments below.
At-Home and Field Test Results Nights #1 and #2 - End of October 2004 Location and elevation - My backyard, 1500 ft (460 m)
Night number one was the first opportunity I had to actually lie in the hammock for more than a few minutes at a time. The first thing I noticed was the fit of the UnderCover. It covers about 3 in (8 cm) of the bug netting along the sides of the hammock. Although I may be happy with this extra coverage during an intense rain shower in the future, on this night it gave the hammock a bit more of an enclosed feeling, which I did not like. A few strange things about the UnderPad were also discovered during these at-home trials. First, the UnderPad doesn't hang under my head. Obviously the numbers do not add up for the pad to fit both under my head and my feet at the same time since the pad is only 65 in (165 cm) long and I am 71 in (180 cm) tall. I guess I was assuming the pad would rest higher on the head end of the hammock so if anything were not covered it would be my feet, so much for assumptions. Even after I examined the set up, took the pad off, reattached it and finally fiddled with the fly tensioner hooks it still fits the same way. The lack of coverage was not an issue during my at-home trials since I was using my little down camping pillow and it really wasn't that cold, but I'm concerned it will make a difference in more frigid temperatures. The other discovery came while checking the pad set up. I noticed it rides a little higher up on the right side, which exposes my left shoulder. I thought maybe this was some kind of optical illusion caused by the asymmetrical shape of the hammock or the sleep in my eyes and it would not be this way when I was actually in the hammock. Wrong again! Even after I was in the hammock and in the "sweet spot", or at least where I prefer to lie, I could tell the pad was still higher on the right side and not providing full coverage for my left shoulder. I tried to solve the problem by reaching through the entry slit and shifting the pad to the left. It moved a little and did add a bit more padding to the left side but the two sides were still not really even and I resolved to play around with it another time. On the first night, with the temperatures a couple of degrees above 50 F (10 C) I was warm and toasty with this set up. On the second night, which was right at 50 F (10 C) I started to feel a little coolness on my hiney and hips after only a few minutes in the hammock. Had I actually been in the wilderness I'm sure I would have been able to cope with this small amount of chill but since I was home I wimped-out after a few hours and retreated to the warmth of my bed. Night # 5 - Nov. 13th, 2004 - First Field Test Location and elevation - Sonoran Desert NE of Phoenix, 2000 ft (610
m)
This trip was a little overnight car camping trip with my dad. As the forecasted storm rolled toward us I was pretty disappointed to see my little thermometer stuck around the mid 50's (10's C). I had hoped for colder weather to go along with the predicted rain so I could really put the SuperShelter through its paces. Unfortunately, the rain only came in as light sprinkles and the temperature didn't get much lower. From the results I had with my first two tests at home I should have been snug as a bug in a rug on a 55 F (13 C) degree night but I guess that's why we go into the field to test. I was not snug; in fact I ended up retreating to my SUV in the middle of the night to escape the chill. With the clothing I had and the underside insulation as it was I was too cold to sleep for more than an hour or so at a time. I kept waking up shivering and wishing I had brought something extra to place under me in the hammock to ward off the ice weasels that kept nipping at my bottom every time the wind blew. I could actually feel my body heat warming the space below me, then a gust of wind would blow and poof, I would feel cold again. As I feared in my initial thoughts about the SuperShelter, the UnderCover did not resist the wind all that well. To be fair I should mention that I was hanging between two vehicles, so although I was not in a totally protected location I did have a slight windbreak from my SUV. Night # 7 - Dec 4th, 2004 Location and elevation - Lake Pleasant NW of Phoenix, 2300 ft (700 m)
This trip was a kayaking weekend at the lake, unfortunately it was a miserable weekend to be on the water, however, for a BGT tester who's playing with, uh, I mean seriously evaluating a shelter component, it was fantastic. While everyone else hunkered down under tarps and crowded around our bonfire, I sat in my chair grinning from ear to ear wishing the time would pass so I could go to bed, of all places. Finally the time arrived and I climbing into the hammock ready for the worst Ma Nature wanted to throw at me. I admit I was a little worried because of my hanging spot. I was with a group of paddlers who were either in tents or tent trailers and since they had chosen the camping site, I wasn't in the most ideal location for hanging. In fact, I think it was probably the worst spot they could have chosen, up on kind of a plateau over looking the lake with only desert shrubs for protection. I again used the one pole method to hang my hammock and tried to situate myself so my tarp and my SUV could help break the wind. With the weather forecast calling for potential hail or even snow and the less than stellar results I had experienced on the outing prior I brought along some extra insulation to use with the SuperShelter just in case. Other than the full length UnderPad, I used a lightweight fleece blanket wrapped up in a space blanket on top of the UnderPad this time. I was perfectly warm until the local coyote orchestra and my full bladder woke me up around 4 am. After a hasty trip to the land of urine and a glance at the thermometer, I climbed back into my cozy nest to find it a little nippy. For the most part the rest of me warmed up fairly quickly but once again my darn backside stayed icy and I wasn't really able to make my way back to dreamland as soundly as before. Still, I would say it was an acceptable night even with frosty buns. Night # 8 - Jan. 22nd, 2005 Location and elevation -Kachina Peaks Wilderness, Flagstaff, AZ. Right
around 8,500 ft (2,600 m)
This weekend trip was one of firsts, my first snowshoeing adventure and the coldest night I have attempted to sleep in my hammock. I knew the temps would be pretty chilly so I changed my shelter strategy just a bit for this outing. In addition to the SuperShelter I brought along a closed cell foam pad for inside the hammock. I also left my tarp at home and instead enclosed the hammock in a tube tent, which I duct taped closed at one end. I wasn't sure what the weather would bring and I wanted to create a more element resistant space around the hammock. I do not own a larger tarp so the tube tent was an inexpensive alternative. I was very comfortable and warm in this set up. The wind picked up at some point during the night but this time around I did not get chilled. I believe the added barrier of the tube tent allowed the UnderPad to more efficiently keep its insulation. I did make a few mental notes about the SuperShelter's set up procedure and packability on this trip. I left the UnderCover attached to my hammock this time around and that was very convenient during set up. Conversely, I found having to attach the UnderPad each time a little tedious. It would be nice to have the option of leaving the UnderPad attached along with the UnderCover. I think this could be done but I would need a much larger stuff sack for all the items and I'm not really sure if it would be good for the more delicate UnderPad. Nights #10 & #11 - March 12th, 2005 & May 14th, 2005 On both these outings I used the additional SuperShelter pads along with the UnderCover and the UnderPad. I dressed almost the same as on night #5 with the exception of the cotton sweats. On night #10 I wore Nylon hiking pants and on night #11 I had fleece pants on in addition to the Nylon pants. Temperatures were 45 F (7 C) and 55 F (13 C) respectively with very light wind on occasion throughout both nights. Although these two outings took place in different months and in different locations, my results were fairly similar; I was cold by early morning and I needed extra insulation underneath me. Luckily I had a ¾ length closed cell foam pad, which I used inside the hammock to augment the other SuperShelter pads. This did the trick. On both occasions I found the extra pads easy to pack. The open cell foam compresses really well so I just rolled the new pads up with the UnderPad and put them all in the stuffsack. It's a pretty snug fit but it does work and I like having all the pads together in one place. I have come to really appreciate the duel openings on the stuffsack as they make removing the pads quite easy. I just reach my hand in one side and hold on to the pads then with my other hand I pull the stuffsack away. The Silnylon material of the stuffsack is so slippery it comes off without too much work. Final Word on Testing Thus Far In several attempts to sleep using the HH SuperShelter I have had mixed experiences regarding temperature performance. Right now it looks like the lowest temperature the UnderCover and UnderPad alone can take me is about 55 F (13 C) without wind. Windy conditions seem to be a big hurdle for the system. Unfortunately, I really haven't had enough nights with the two new pads to say whether or not they will be able to move me below the 55 F (13 C) degree mark so I'll just have to wait and see in the months to come I guess. I also have not had a chance to use the OverCover but do anticipate a few opportunities in fall and early winter before my Long Term Report is due in mid December. As for the UnderCover, I truly enjoy the way it's designed to stay attached to the hammock. This feature adds so much to the overall convenience of the system and it does not detract from the packability of the hammock. It's comforting to know the hammock body is always protected. Humidity, mist and light rain have not had an effect on the cover as far as I can tell. To my knowledge I did not experience any condensation build up and it did appear to keep the bottom of the hammock protected from the elements, although I don't think the kind of rain I have experienced thus far was really a true test for this component. I haven't had any material failures or set up problems with any of the SuperShelter pieces other than the location of the UnderPad, which I would rather have more equally distributed under both my shoulders. This placement issue has not created any cold spots on my upper body to this point however. In fact I really have not paid attention to it other than the original night I discovered the predicament and unless I start getting the cold shoulder from the pad set up, I'm content to keep it as is and not monkey around with it. Thank you Hennessy Hammock and BGT for the opportunity to be part of this test series. Jamie DeBenedetto
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