Hennesey Hammock Hyper Lite test.

Being new to Hammock packin, I made a overnighter to Mississippi Palasades State Park. Packed in to there limited primative sites. I used my Thermarest prolight with temps around a balmy 40 March degrees. The Prolight has to go! It is way to hard to stay on this pad in a Hammock . I am going to take a wider foam ridgrest on my next Smokies trip. My son used one in his Emo without trouble. My REI Sub Kilo was good but tight. Bag will do for now. Hammocks are much colder than ground sleeping. I have to say , my back never felt so good the next day sleeping on the ground. I will get it tweaked out. If I catch a real cold fluke I would be tempted to pitch as a tent on ground level! Untill next time, Thanks for Listenin

Hey Kent.

I've never found thermarests and the like good in a hammock.

In a hammock you want something like a *Wide* blue foam pad. I get a 27 inch wide one at wal-mart - you can also get a couple of standard width ones and glue toether, or add "wings" to the side. but really, a wide closed cell pad works well.

+1 on what Phat said. However, I have had luck using an older thermarest 3/4 length pad partially inflated.

I used a Thermorest Ultralite 3/4 in my hammock for many years, accepting the slip and slide as part of the deal.
Changed to a short Ridgerest foam pad and never looked back.
Foam is the way to go.

Yep Thanks I already went and bought a lighter , wider foam ridgrest pad. I am confident it will make the experience better. Glueing wings on the pad is something I hadnt thought of? Sounds like a good idea. Trouble is I dont think it would coil up inside my G4 then. Im sure it wouldbe a plus when it got real cold out.

For wings you can make a pad extender. Just a tube of cloth that fits your CCF pad from side to side with slots for the wing pads on either side.

For colder weather, I take my Exped 7 Down air mattress.
One of the best investments I've made. I caught it on sale at Moosejaw for about 50% off.

I've used the blue ccf but prefer the Exped.

My son uses the blue ccf and is fine with it.

We are both using Claytor's now so the double layer helps with being able to move a little easier.

I just looked at the exped 7 . Wow it has a R value of 5! That would work awsome with a Golite Quilt! I want to look at one at the store. I wnt to see if it looks like it would slide around in the hammock?

Hi, Kent-

How firmly inflated was your Prolite? I have moved on from using one inside my hammock, for the most part, but advised you on how mine worked for me. I may not have mentioned under-rather than over-inflating it. If a mattress is too stiff, it will tend to pop out from under you too easily. Another thing that helps is a piece of grippy shelf liner.

The crossed windshield reflectors with taped-on closed cell foam "wings" will work much as the sewn pad extender that was mentioned, and can work with any type of mattress. "Customize" the foam strip placement to fit your chosen pad.

Some people cut Z-rests into segments and join with Velcro strips or whatever, turning the segments so that the folds are parallel to the user's body. They conform a little better in that direction.

Your DAM can also work, but not so well with the stock fly. It is likely to stick out from under the fly.

If I remember correctly, you have the side-entry. The advantage there is that you can lay out your bottom insulation and sit on it, then respread whatever curls up as you get in.

The bottom-entry Hennessys have been around much longer, so that is where most of my experience lies. For the last 5 or so years, I’ve carried a Gossamer Gear Thinlight ¼” pad folded into my Gossamer Gear Mariposa pack’s back pad pocket. At night, I slip it between a suspended space blanket and the underside of my hammock, or maybe under a fleece blanket suspended under my hammock. It depends on how cold the night is going to be. I haven’t tried this set-up with a side-entry hammock, yet.
One of my friends says it takes a puppet-master to use my set-up, but I’ve been making it work for years. I am rather insistent that my gear have more than one function, so the fleece blanket has to have a zippered hole for my head so it can be worn as a tunic and the foam pad has to work as padding between my pack and back or a sit-pad by day.

CamperMom

By the time you are thinking about an exped for this, you should consider a hammock underquilt - the exped weighs quite a bit compared to an underquilt.

But see how you do with a good pad. I usually do fine with a ccf pad and my poncho rigged underneath as an airgap/windblock.

I agree with Phat about the Exped weighing more than an underquilt. The underquilt will not be useful if the user "goes to ground" for some reason. The Exped will work very nicely if the user needs to use it on the ground or in a shelter for any reason.

Also, I have the impression that the poster who suggested the Exped (Kent?) is using items that he already has.

CamperMom

Yes I am not going to jump on exped. Price is up there but if I sold Prolight on ebay? Not so bad maybe? I am considering all options? Campermom, yes perhaps I did have Prolight, inflated on the heavy side. I considered shelfliner etc,However I am not real patient and dont think backpacking should get that compicated! But it does,we are all gear heads! Tweak Tweak Tweak. I do like that Thermarest ridgerest will save about half a pound! Air matress isnt needed in hammock, Just insulation I Think? I may make slipon wings from blue wally world pad and a silnylon, elastic slip on pad cover etc! Of course that will add a couple ounces back? Oh, I do like the side entry. Makes a good chair and morelike swingin feet out of bed at home!

Two reasons I went with the Exped - price (a really great sale) and I occasionally have to go to ground and I am a very cold sleeper.

Using the Exped in the Claytor with its double layer there is not much sliding around. I inflate it about 75%.

I also use a windshield reflector screen folded in thirds, placed under my rear end to avoid CBS (cold butt syndrome).

I am definitely on the way to an underquilt. I just have to decided what material. Lots of options for different scenarios.

My son on the other hand, is a very warm sleeper and does fine with the ccf pad and a reflective tarp rigged underneath as an airblock.

Yeah, well, this is actually why I still (after 8 odd years in a hammock) do not own an underquilt

I keep coming back to using my closed cell blue foam pad in the hammock, I have nice wide ones, not the standard width, and then I rig my silponcho underneath it like the "garlington insulator" method - it's basically a windblock and airgap which I can stuff with things to give a bit of insulaiton, like wadded up space blankets, garbage bags, or in very cold weather, another sleeping bag. most of the time I only carry the space blankets and poncho. In colder weather I carry usually a hammock shaped wad of cheap polifill insulation from wal-mart sewing bin and stuff that in.

nice part is I can go to ground, poncho is lighter than an underquilt (by a lot) and multi-use.

But I do have lots of trips where I can not hammock for the whole trip - no trees in some places!:

I do own an underquilt, used it once, and went back to foam pads the same night. Down to the 20's and an underquilt simply isn't necessary for me and is colder than a foam pad.

If you want really wide foam pads, have a look at Gossamer Gear's Evasote pads. They have to be cut down to size. I've got a 1/4 incher version that works great and got three pads out of one sheet.

I was looking at there pads. I have been told they make Hennasey pad for 4 season sleepsystem? I like the duel purpose poncho Idea Phat! I will experment on my next trip in two weeks!
Phat I drool everytime you post hiking pictures in your post. That is some Awsome country !

Yes, the Gossamer Gear Thinlight that I wrote about IS their Evasote pad. I have the foldable 1/4" thick, wider pad, trimmed at the corners. It sits on my mylar space blanket, slung under my hammock. I may or may not need to use a fleece poncho underneath, as well. It depends on how cold it is.

Kent originally asked about making the Prolite that he already owns work.

Kent, if you are using a full bag, rather than a quilt, in your side-entry hammock, you might want to cut a large windshield reflector pad, taping on some extra width, if necssary, to use inside the hammock but under your sleeping bag. You could tape/glue anti-slip material to that. Get the bubble-wrap type of insulator, not the foam for this job. You will need that stiffness. If you loook at pictures of the Jungle Hammock on the Hennessy site, you will see what I mean. That reflecive pad is made of a material similar to the foiled bubble wrap windshield insulation and has shock-cork ties outs matched to the access slits between the layers of the double-bottomed hammock. I suspect that this material would slip around if not tethered. Unless you sew something to the hammock to hold the pad, you won't be able to tether the same way. Anyway, a good relector under your bag might do the job and be easy to use in the side-entry hammock.

The side-entry and bottom-entry hammocks both make good camp chairs. You may still want to fold the bottom in half and be very careful to keep weight/stress off of the zipper and bug netting as you sit.

CamperMom

Kent the poncho I use is an integral dynamics silponcho - it has a shockcord on the bottom, so when I rig it to the hammock that is "stretchy". if your poncho doesn't have that it might need something stretchy to rig it up with, and gather the end up.

Four pictures are probably worth a thousand words - this is on my old speer, you can just see the wadded up space blankets in the second picture inside the poncho - I have a CCF pad inside the hammock here as well.

All systems seam the same only different. Mom yes I am considing that idea and also some of my own. Has anyone ever tried glueing a space blanket with spray contact adhesive directly to bottom of foam pad? I consider this but would make bottom of pad slipery again much like the prolight. I am wondering if I could make elastic straps and fasten my homemade sill Pack cover under hammock with space blanket and foam pad? Thinking, of ways to work with what I have. All your sugestions are very much appreciated. Though, I may not follow them exactly, they are helpfull to a work in progress. I have learned allot about Hammock use this past month! Hopefully, I willcontinue to learn!

Hmm-

My pack cover is not big enough to cover the underside of my hammock. Any under-hammock system will need to be kept close to the hammock, either snug or at least the edges pulled tightly against the hammock to seal warm air in and drafts out. There is a small-diameter elastic cord sold in small packages at places like Walmart. I use this, doubled, to hold my space blanket against the hammock, along with connecting the side tie-outs to the blanket with small sections of the round elastic cord. The elastic and space blanket together cost under $4, usually. Make a casing (tunnel) on the two long ends by folding a couple of inches over and taping them down. I use flexible duct tape for this. (I found it at Lowe's.) It looks a lot like thicker mylar, but sticky on one side.

CamperMom

Yes I have elastic cord. No my pack cover wouldnt cover entire Hammock bottom. But it would cover the vitals area waist up? Just pondering as I currently do not use a poncho. I use Marmot precip pants and Jacket. I am fresh out of silnylon. I guess I could call Noah Lamport and order another ten yards. Have to weight the cost options.

If you can hang in your back yard, or somewhere easy, you could always try it out with a sheet of plastic before making something- see if that airgap trick keeps you warmer.

Yes I plan to try it Phat,it has been rainy the last few days! I was considering making a undercover from one of those heat shrink patio door pieces of plastic. I made velcro attached wings for my ccf pad yesterday. I am sure I will be fine. I also have a space blanket and bought a window reflector. I am debating bothering with the window reflector. I am just chomping at the bit to get back to the mountains! I have been looking at Ponchos but not sureI want to go that route. I almost bought a new WM Alpinligt on ebay a couple days ago. I bid 350.00 in last few seconds and it went for 356.00. Kinda glad I didnt as I may like to switch to a qwilt,If I continue to hang? I have been also looking at GG. quilt,etc.etc.
I kinda think maybe I should just order the Hennesy 4 season system for a hundred bucks. This includes Undercover. Overcover, Pad and all? By the time I get done spending money expermenting with ideas that may or may not work. I would at least have a proven system? The DIY. in me just will not allow it?

Can one put some sort of material on the bottom of a thermarest pad to increase friction?

Perhaps the non-poky side of velcro or some other material and tape it to the bottom in various sections. This cheap alternative plus under insulating the pad seems like a good solution to slippage. Anyone have experience in this?

Yes if you look back in this thread you will see dots of silicone and also shelf or toolbox liner recomended. I think the real issue is not only pad slipage but width as well. Air moves around you constantly in a Hammock. The ground creates dead air space in a tent situation. Tent floor or ground is a airlock so to speak. In a Hammock you seem to get a wind chill factor from the bottom ,unlike in a tent. Answer seems to be a sub floor or under quilt sub floor? The pros cant be all wrong? Trouble I am finding is like most ventures. I am moving on to Hammock comfort, and it is comfortable if you are warm! However, like many things new Hammock is the cheap part. I am trying to make this a warm versatile system utilizing what resources I already have. Murphy steps in and we realise we have to alter systems. Well guess what altering systems adds to cost, and if not carefull weight. Weight wise I am at break even ,as I had a two person two pound silnylon tent. However ,Hammock is 2 pounds and one person. Trade off is back felt so so in tent and excellent in Hammock. I stated a wider pad is needed,this is due to the wind chillfactor you feel it in your arms if off the pad. The air mattress isnt needed in the Hammock, just insulation. Happy Trails

Two things for you to google - Speer Pad Extender and double layer hammock.

Many models of hammock have the option for a double layer version - that's to slip a pad in between the layers. Works pretty well.

Speer doesn't make the pad extender (or anything else) any more, but you can replicate it cheaply enough. A couple blue ccf pads and some duck tape will do. Chop one up to make wings down the sides. The only trouble is packing it. I was working up a light polyester sleeve for my main pad and blue ccf wings to attach to it via either straps or smaller sleeves.

Yes Thanks,Lori. I think I posted earlier, I made wings for my ccf pad already. I used velcro strips to attach and remove for packing. Fairly confident this will be sufficent for most moderate conditions.