Initial Report
Hennessy Supershelter
Date: May 4, 2005
Reviewer Information
Name: Jim Sabiston
Age: 50
Height: 6' 3" (1.9 m)
Weight: 207 lb (94 kg)
Width at shoulders: 21” (53 cm)
Email address: JimSabis(at)aol(dot)com
State: New York
Country: USA
Backpacking Background:
I've been camping since my teens. My outdoor activities include
backpacking, canoeing, sea kayaking, snowshoeing, mountaineering and cross
country skiing. I have expanded my backpacking to include winter
mountaineering, back country skiing and ski backpacking. I have received winter
mountaineering training with Chauvin International Climbing Guides. I actively
study ways to backpack lighter and more efficiently. During the summer months,
my style tends toward very light, but not quite ultralight. I use a hammock or
tarp for warm weather, and a small four season tent for winter trips. Most of
my other gear is very changeable, as I am constantly experimenting with gear
and techniques.
Product Information:
Manufacturer: Hennessy Hammock
Year of Manufacture: 2004
URL: www.hennessyhammock.com
MSRP: $129.95 US
Manufacturers Specifications:
Undercover : 7.5 oz (213 g)
Stuffsack : 1 oz (28 g)
Underpad : 5.5 oz (156 g) Dimensions 30 in X 66 in (76 cm X 168 cm)
Overcover* : 3 oz (85 g)
Torso Pad* : N/A
Hip Pad* : N/A
Specifications as measured:
Undercover : 7.6 oz (216 g)
Stuffsack : .9 oz (22 g)
Underpad : 5.6 oz (158 g) Dimensions 30 in X 66 in (76 cm X 168 cm)
Overcover *: 3.2 oz (91 g)
Torso Pad* : 2.5 oz (71 g) 24 in X 31 in (61 cm X 79 cm)
Hip Pad* : 1.1 oz (31 g) 16 in X 18.5 in (41 m X 47 cm)
* The Torso
Pad, Hip Pad and the Overcover were shipped well after the original Test Period
had started. As these items are an integral part of the function of the Supershelter,
they have been added to the original report.
Initial Impressions and Installation of the Undercover:
The Hennessey Hammock Supershelter arrived in a Tyvec envelope. Inside was
the Supershelter and insulating pad, stuffed into a brown silnylon stuff sack.
Curiously, the stuff sack opens at both ends, each end having a drawcord and
cinch.
One drawstring had a hangtag attached to it which gives general information
about the Supershelter and the optional Overcover and the Hennessy guarantee.
In addition, this hangtag had another piece of literature stapled to it. The
latter addition is an update which explains that the Underpad now has a bridle
attached to the head end as well as the foot to help it stay in the proper position
when installed. Removing both items from the stuff sack revealed the Undercover
and the Insulating foam layer. I proceeded to bring everything out to my
backyard where my Hennessy Ultralight A-Sym was already waiting.
The instructions for installing the Undercover are printed right on the stuff
sack, along with instructions for the Underpad and Overcover. The instructions
seemed rather involved at first, but proved to be fairly intuitive in practice.
The Undercover is essentially a layering envelope that completely wraps around
the nylon body of the Hennessey Ultralight A-Sym hammock, but leaves the upper
screen panels open.
The Undercover is constructed of dark brown silnylon, similar to the hammock's
tarp . The Undercover is designed so that the head and foot ends slip over the
respective ends of the hammock's ridgeline. It is held in position by short
shockcord loops which slip into the existing tarp tensioning hooks located on
the ridgeline (see Fig. 1). Installation requires that the head and foot
ridgelines be threaded through the ends of the Undercover. The Undercover will
fit only one way, as it is cut to fit the asymmetrical body of the hammock and
the Undercover has an opening that must line up with the entrance slit of the
hammock body.
Fig. 1: Undercover detail at head end. Note how it wraps around the hammock
body and the supporting shockcords.
Note: The Underpad shockcords are also visible in this photo.
The asymmetrical side 'points' of the hammock body line up with matching points
on the Undercover. The side guy lines are threaded through openings provided in
the Undercover and then tensioned and staked out in the normal fashion. The
original silnylon tarp can now be attached normally. The initial installation
took about ten or fifteen minutes, but I was taking my time.
The fit is natural and completely covers the hammocks nylon body. The opening
has a light shockcord sewn into the perimeter, which causes some puckering when
the hammock is unloaded. The act of getting into the hammock was unchanged,
aside from having to push the extra layer of fabric out of the way to locate
the hammock entrance. Once my weight was applied to the hammock, the shock cord
edging of the Undercover stretched out and held the opening closed. When lying
in the hammock, comfort is unaffected. The presence of the Undercover is
essentially transparent from the inside of the hammock. The only clue is that
the Undercover rides a bit higher than the sides of the A-Sym body and the
upper edges can be seen from inside. The upper edges of the Undercover have a
light shockcord sewn in to give the completed assembly some tension. The result
is that the Undercover fits trimly around the A-Sym hammock, effectively
forming a sort of pocket around the hammock body.
Fig. 2: The Undercover installed. Note how it completely surrounds the
hammock body.
The instructions state that the Undercover can be left in place on the hammock.
Accordingly, I lowered the complete hammock and Undercover assembly and stuffed
it into the original A-Sym stuff sack. It just barely fits!
Initial Impressions and installation of the Overcover:
The Overcover is an asymmetrical diamond shape intended to fit over the netting
of the Hennessy Hammock to reduce air circulation, and thereby heat loss,
through the bug netting. Installation is essentially the same as the
Undercover, except that the Overcover lies across the top of the hammock. It
uses the same style shock cord loops to hold position and the side guy lines
are also threaded through the corner loops. Construction is of a very light,
uncoated or sealed nylon with a black nylon edging tape. The Overcover is made
to wrap around the hammock body, just like the Undercover, but to ride inside
the ‘pocket’ formed by the Undercover. As the material is not waterproof, it is
not intended to be used in the rain. The Hennessy web site explains that the Overcover
is intended to be used in dry, subfreezing conditions. Accordingly, as
condensation becomes a greater concern in these conditions, the breathability
of the cover fabric takes precedence.
Fig. 3 &4: The Overcover installed. Note the air vent and how the
Overcover fits inside the Undercover.
As can be seen in the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the entire assembly fits neatly
together and resembles a sort of cocoon. There is a small air vent located
approximately where my head lies when I’m in the hammock. It is actually
located over my upper chest, but I am at the outside limits of fitting in the
Ultralight A-Sym hammock.
Initial Impressions and Installation of the Underpad, Torso and Hip Pads:
The Underpad is a carefully shaped (kind of a tapered elongated oval),
thin, open celled foam pad that is designed to fit underneath the hammock body,
but above (or inside) the Undercover. The foam is thinner than I expected,
approximately .25 in (6 mm). The edges of the pad are finished with black nylon
piping. There is a diagonal nylon band as well. The reason for the latter
becomes apparent when the Underpad is on a flat surface. The diagonal band is
actually a 'shaping' seam, causing the pad to take on a cupped shape. This
should cause it to better hug a reclining body when installed in the hammock.
Fig. 5: The Underpad. Note the bridles and the 'cupped' shape.
Installation of the Underpad is similar to that of the Undercover. There
are long, shockcord bridles attached to the head and foot ends of the pad.
These are threaded through the 'cones' formed by the Undercover where it wraps
around the head and foot of the A-Sym hammock. Once through, the protruding
loop of the bridle is then pulled and hooked onto the same tensioning hook as
the Undercover.
The side attachments are slightly different from each other. Both sides have a
small nylon loop, formed by a small twist in the Underpad's edge trimming. One
side, which is installed at the foot position, has an additional shock cord
loop. The A-Sym's side guy lines are inserted through these loops, back through
the openings in the Undercover and, finally, back to the ground stakes.
The concept is rather clever. The foam pad is essentially held in place with a
floating suspension. This arrangement should allow the pad to move with the
hammock without the stresses that fixed mounting points or non-stretchy lines
might impose. Once again, I entered the hammock. It is necessary to push the
Underpad aside as I located the entrance slit of the A-Sym, but this proved to
be simple enough. Like the Undercover, the presence of the pad was
undetectable....at first.
As I relaxed comfortably in the hammock, I noticed that a warm sensation was
developing around my back. The Underpad was working already! The temperature
was about 50 F (10 C), all I was wearing was a pair of hiking shorts, tee
shirt, and a light windshirt (Arc'Teryx Katabatic). I was actually warm enough
that I started to doze off. This was very promising.
As the day was bright and sunny, I was able to 'see' the position of the
Underpad, where the sunshine penetrated the layers of nylon and silnylon, as I
lay in the hammock. The suspension components cause the Underpad to lie right
in line with the A-Sym 'sweet spot'. The anchor point is near the left
shoulder, as all other attachments are floating, as they use the elastic
shockcord loops and bridles. This allows the pad to move freely but retain its
proper orientation. The length of the pad is such that it reaches from the top
of my shoulders to about mid-calf. The width seemed adequate.
Removal of the Underpad is simply the reverse of the installation. The pad
folds up easily enough, but puts up a surprising amount of resistance to being
compressed. That being said, I manage to come pretty close to the projected
stuff size. The foam seems tougher than similar open cell foams I've seen in
the past.
Fig. 6: The Hip (left) and Torso (right) pads.
The Hip and Torso pads are intended to augment the insulation offered by the
Underpad. Once the Underpad is installed, the Hip and Torso pads cam be placed
directly on top of the Underpad and below the body of the hammock. The
‘foam-on-foam’ contact provides a great deal of friction, so it seems like the
pads will tend to stay where placed. There are no attachments as with the
Underpad. The names of the two pads imply the preferred locations, but they can
be placed to suit personal preferences.
Initial Comments:
Likes:
1 - All the advantages of a hammock for cooler weather? What's not to like.
2 - The combination still weighs less than most tents, and packs smaller too.
Dislikes:
1 - The set up with the extra components, while well thought out and apparently
effective, does not appeal to my strong preference for simple efficiency.
The construction and detailing of the components are of the usual high standard
that I have come to expect from Hennessy. The assembly instructions are clear
and easily understood. The installation of the Undercover, Overcover and the
Underpad was very straightforward.
The overall appearance and comfort of the hammock are generally unaffected by
the presence of the additional components. Locating the entrance of the hammock
is complicated very slightly by the Undercover and Underpad components, but
this is minimal. The obvious sensation of warmth felt when lying in the hammock
on a cool day is a new experience and very encouraging.
My only concern at present is the rather 'busy' process of installing all these
components at the end of a long hiking day. The Undercover and Overcover can be
left in place, so this is no issue, but having to install and remove the
Underpad could become tiresome on a daily basis.
Test Plan:
The most obvious question, of course, is how low can this thing go? The
primary focus in this respect will be the stock configuration. The instructions
say that a reflective sheet can be added under the Underpad and inside the
Undercover, as well as forest duff. I will try to use these concepts in
marginal conditions and see if I notice a difference in comfort. In winter
conditions, it will be interesting to see what the practical thermal limits
are. Of particular interest is how well the Overcover breathes and, hopefully,
minimizes condensation buildup.
As we are in the Spring season here in the Northeast, night time temperatures
will not likely exceed 50 F (10 C) for the near future, so the Undercover is
likely to remain installed for the beginning of the test period. The
temperatures are cool enough to likely warrant the use of the Underpad on a
regular basis, as well. It is clear that the standard A-Sym stuff sack is not
large enough to accommodate the hammock with both these components installed. I
will want to experiment with leaving the Underpad installed and using a larger
stuff sack. This would really be preferable to me, as it would retain the 'hang
and go' simplicity of the hammock that I find so appealing.
