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Nice work. I've got the Ultralight Explorer A-Sym.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barefoot Dave
My Exped Downmat arrived today. Very easy to pump up. Will be interesting to see how it goes in the hammock, but if no good, still useful for other situations.
Dave - that is a super buy. Can't go wrong.
I purchased the Hennessy Super Shelter to see how it compared to my under quilts. It is rigged up in the backyard ready for the test tonight. At first sight it seems pretty good. The undercover provides a bit of wind and rain protection and the foam pad even though thin provided noticeable warmth when I laid in it today but will see how it goes tonight.
I also made a hammock for my wife a few days ago. They are very simple to do if you have some patience. I have a few more planned.
Umm tonight might get a bit windy! 120kmh wind gusts on their way to Victoria anyway. Be a good test though :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Ploppy
Better make sure I attach to a secure tree then :p.Quote:
Originally Posted by gusthedog
So?
I am guessing that is for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesB71
The super shelter consists of a undercover and a full length foam pad. The cover is attached via shock cord to either end of the hammock and to the side asym lines. I will leave it permanently attached now. The foam pad slides in between the under cover and hammock bottom.
Last night was windy and wet, and apart from having to get out of my warm hammock to drop the tarp down I stayed high and dry.
The temp only got down to about 7*C (measured in the hammock), and I was warm. The under cover worked well to block the wind, it was howling at one stage and I could only feel the occasional gust through the mesh, and the hammock rocking :). The undercover also does a good job of protecting the hammock bottom from wind blown rain.
I was warm at these temps, it's just a shame it didn't get a bit cooler to really test it. Will see how the weather goes tonight. I felt warmest without the side tie outs of the hammock, as I think this allowed the pad to wrap around me a bit.
I have a bottom entry Hennessy and getting in you have move the pad to the side, which I found easy enough, and once in it was easy to guide the pad back in place. You have to be careful with the pad though as there are reports of people putting their fingers straight through it as it is soft and relatively thin.
Hennessy recommends augmenting the pad with an emergency blanket for really cold weather but I haven't tried this yet, even though I had it on hand last night.
Overall I think the super shelter worked well.
Last night got down to 4.5*C in the hammock, wet and windy again. This time I inserted the emergency blanket on top of the pad, as there was snow forecast nearby and didn't want to risk broken sleep through getting cold. The emergency blanket was a bit fiddly to setup, and noisy when you moved but the extra warmth was noticeable. I wore less clothes last night and was toasty.
The super shelter could be a good option for some people in cooler weather but there is a slight fiddle factor. Once set up though it is set and forget, and covers your whole body underneath. It would definitely be easier with a zip model rather than bottom entry, though I found it simple to move it to the side and back each time with my bottom entry. You could also slip other insulation in here if needed e.g. clothing, extra sleeping bag, extra foam pad etc.
Price wise I think the SS may be overpriced for what you get (silnylon undercover and foam pad), it's cheaper than a down underquilt but more expensive than a synthetic underquilt. The emergency blanket does not come with the super shelter.
I will most likely use it from now especially when it's wet and windy. Though I do have a different hammock on the way :)
The side entry is definitely easier to get in and out. Old blokes like me need to get up during the night to look at the stars and pump the bilges...
Hi all,
I wrote up a 'how to guide' to making a simple hammock on the Bushwalk Australia forum, and I thought some here might find it helpful.
DIY hammock