Down Underquilt for Hennessy Hammocks

“Down Underquilt for Hennessy Hammocks
Almost enough to make me buy a hammock.”

“Well it's about time. Tree boats have had this for a decade now.

I hope the creator of this doesn't think it's an original idea.”

“Sweet idea! I'm planning on getting a Hennessey very soon, and have heard from everyone that has one how comfortable they are. Jeez, that down underquilt will make it feel like a waterbed. :-)”

“I have only seen one person camp in a hammock during the Winter (below freezing).

He was on the ground the second night.”

“Jeez, that down underquilt will make it feel like a waterbed

If you're feeling the underquilt, then it's poorly designed. The whole point is to have uncompressed insulation underneath your body.”

“Hey Mutt, while you're runnin' your mouth, why don't you tell those of us who are interested in using our hammocks in subfreezing temps what products work and where to find them.”

“can i get one made from father goose down?”

“OUCH!!!”

“Gross...”

“I think someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!”

“HEY!!!”

“FG - that was directed to mutt but if you feel it applies to you also...... ;)”

“No, mine was in response to bit... lol.”

“Yeah, i think that's a nice little item. should work well.”

“Well, as our friend Mutt opined, if it compresses it ain't worth $h!t...”

“:-P

Make your own, FG. Make your own.”

“Come on mutt.....
Give us some links to the treeboat insulation products.”

“What's the insulation rating of Father Goose down?”

“Stove Stomper, why? It won't fit the hennessey.



Treeboat Insulation”

“"In temperatures below 70, the reflective warmth of the Cozy turns Treeboat into a soothing cradle..."

Temperatures below 70??? Are they freakin' kidding? How about something for temps below 20?”

“Maybe they meant 70K...”

“Great googley-moogley!!! If I figured that correctly, that would be close to absolute zero! -333 degrees farenheit!”

“Ok, mutt was talking out of his butt about "Tree boats have had this for a decade now". ;)
Different application.

This was a very impressive homemade project. I think he said the completed quilt weighed 10 oz or so. That's lighter than just about any pad. Don't know if I would want to sew a project like this. Looks like several mandays of labor.”

“A Treeboat tent with "cozy" will be about the warmest hammock tent out there, unless there's a design I don't know about.

Below 20 degrees? Try a full length mattress inside and a 0 degree sleeping bag, in addition to the cozy.”

“Hey, it was worth a shot...”

“Ok, mutt was talking out of his butt about "Tree boats have had this for a decade now". ;)
Different application.

Eh? I may be off a few years, but they've been selling their snap-on insulation for some time now.”

“this isnt the first under-quilt. I just wish they would put up a pattern for it. Getting it right is a royal pain in the arse. Of course if I get really annoyed I might end up getting a DAM which is a proven proformer and be done with it.

re: mutt.... hes always bugged out about the henny's. Jealousy I suspect :P”

“I agree with you DOM.. All these Hennessy haters.”

“A hammock will always be colder than a tent.”

“i love my hennessey, ...but i have to agree with bacpac.........when it is very cold......this old back wants to be on the ground wrapped in down”

“My old back doesn't like lying on the ground whether it's warm or cold; I SHALL find a lightweight solution...

I hear Tom Hennessy is working on one and will put it on the market soon. In the meantime...”

“re: mutt.... hes always bugged out about the henny's. Jealousy I suspect :P

You ankle-biter, I have a hennessey and I like it! :-P I think it's basically a good design for less-demanding applications. But it is very much a lightweight (which is what backpackers value, I know), in relative terms. It's comparatively flimsy, not very versatile, and there seems to be a snob appeal surrounding it which I just can't fathom because it just isn't earned. It's the Walmart version of a hammock tent - cheap, flimsy, and designed for people who don't know the first thing about hammock tents. But, like I said, I still like it, and I still use it.”

“Mutt I luv pulling your chain almost as much as my henny...

8} LMAO!”

“Hennessey hammocks brought all the riff-raff into the hammocking world.”

“Damn, Mutt, you're not only a conceited, arrogant @ss, you're a snob, too! :P”

“Hennessey owners have the market cornered on cenceit, arrogance, and snobbery. I'm just acting as a counter balance! ;-)”

“Sooooooo, it is a month later. How about everyone updating us on their hennessy hammock or other brand hammock experiences. Still like them, hate them, like them for certain trips only?”

“Also, are they hot in the summer, or what? Have you tried camping in one propped up with hiking poles? Does that work or is it too clumsy?”

“I've used a sleeping pad under my bag in my "Blue-Ridge Bivy" in cooler weather. This one also lets in water in a horizontal rain storm.”

“LyndyS-I have used mine in all conditions. I love my Hennessy Hammock!!! I had to use my tent at trail days and i hated it. I use my hammock whenever I can. No complaints in the summer. Actually you get a little bit of a breeze because you are off the ground. Haven't had to set it up as a bivy/tent yet.”

“I did one night as a bivy up in Hog Pen Gap hoping to see the meteors - it was OK but I still much prefer hanging it - it gives you more room - when using treking poles the bug net is less than a foot off of your face - it felt a bit close to me but then I'm no bivy user. Generally speaking I hate sleeping on a hard surface anymore. Hammocks are great in summer but as the weather turns cold one needs to be a bit creative to keep warm. The Garlington Taco approach looks to be the best (lightest) choice at this point. I'll have to think about getting someone to make me one. In cold weather currently I use a Thermarest LE plus stuffing some fleece around my sholders.”

“I really still want one of these but since I haven't been backpacking in 7 months, it can't possibly be justified. The Appalacian Mountain Club's magazine just had a good article on how to get your teens to want to join you hiking and backpacking and it had some good tips. Most of it has been discussed on this board before, but I'm going to keep trying to get my kids to become seasoned hikers.”

“Who has the undercover/underpad setup? MataHariHiker, didn't you mention that you have it?

How effective is it?”

“yep, I've used it a few times now..I must confess that I've never tried it without the reflective sheet I have nor without a therm-a-rest pad..I've gotten used to the pad as a spreader..I will say that the 3/4 thermarest I used in NW Wisconsin deflated (due to one of the unsealed, un-discovered holes created when my ferret dragged it around the living room) so it didn't give much insulation but, I don't think it was needed..it's amazing how well that open-cell foam works..I always quickly knew when my legs moved off of it..the undercover is very effective at blocking wind..I put the reflective sheet under the open-cell pad..I know one night it got down to 35F cuz Prosecutor told me so..I really like the set-up..you could stuff just about anything between the hammock itself and the undercover..I only had my quilt with me and, for the first time since I owned a Hennessy, was not plagued by cold from below..it's a very cool rig..”

“it hangs below the hammock? or is it more like an envelope? any chance you could post a pic showing your set-up?”

“Envelope??? I'm not sure what you mean there. The undercover is a separate piece of fabric that hangs snugly beneath the hammock bottom. The underpad is an open cell foam pad that you slide between the undercover and hammock bottom.

MHH, so it sounds like the underpad doesn’t necessarily wrap all the way around enough to always insulate your shoulders, correct? What if you used two of the underpads. If I get this thing, I would like to leave the windshield reflector at home. And I definitely don’t want to be taking a closed cell or thermarest.

BTW, I see that Hennessy appreciates your feedback. ;-)”

“It hangs under the hammock using shock cords on the same hooks that you attach your fly with and has an elastisized slit that matches the bottom hammock entrance..here's what the Hennessy website says..
4-SEASON INSULATION SYSTEM

The UnderCover
We decided to go to a full outside cover for several reasons. The addition of a single layer of fabric, sealed at the perimeter, would create a double wall over the full area of the hammock bottom, which means that a layer of warmer air is trapped between the hammock and the cover fabric. A full outside cover with silnylon coating would greatly improve windproofness and waterproofness. We designed in extra cutting and sewing to produce a contoured tailored cover because it is less weight than a folded rectangular piece of fabric. Then we suspended the UnderCover under the hammock with elastic tensioners to hold it close to the hammock

To install the UnderCover onto the hammock, simply thread the suspending ropes through the holes in the end of the UnderCover and thread the side elastics through the holes in each side of the UnderCover, of course keeping the entrance of the cover at the same end as the entrance as the hammock.

The UnderCover is intended to remain on the hammock if there is a chance of a chill at night. The UnderCover can be moved to one side of the hammock by removing a hammock side elastic from the hole in the UnderCover and lifting the hammock out of the UnderCover. With the UnderPad removed, the UnderCover will still fit inside the SnakeSkins if one size larger SnakeSkins are used.
WEIGHT: 7 1/2 oz., double ended StuffSack weight - 1 oz.

The UnderPad
First experiments used down and lofted synthetic insulation, but lofted insulation needed a quilted covering, which only added to the production time, cost, weight and bulk. We chose the open cell foam because lofted down or synthetic insulation would compress to half its loft when compressed by the tension of the UnderCover. However, the tension of the UnderCover is not strong enough to compress the loft of the open cell foam pad.

We also developed a process to build a contoured open cell foam pad which did a very nice job of matching the shape of the anatomy of the occupant. Open cell foam has the ability of being able to stretch and mold to shape and it will also compress laterally.

Using open cell foam allowed us to manufacture a pad which was up to 36" wide at the shoulders if necessary. This solved the narrow pad problem so common with closed cell foam pads.

The compressibility of the open cell pad is another advantage which will be appreciated by any backpacker. The UnderPad is an ample 66” long by 30” wide, yet can compress down to 5” diameter by 8”” long!

What we liked most about this UnderCover concept was the ability to place varying amounts of insulation between thehammock and the UnderCover. The biggest advantage of this system is the ability to add extra insulation such as a second layer of foam, your jacket, spare clothing,towel, etc. above the UnderPad. When even more insulation is needed layers of dry ground litter such as leaves or grass or moss can be spread under the underpaid.

The UnderPad should be removed from the hammock when packing up the hammock and stored in the provided stuff sack.
WEIGHT: 5 1/2 oz.

I don't have a picture of it and, to tell you the truth, you wouldn't see much if I did..when attached you can't tell it's there..I will add one thing, the undercover goes up the net sides about 6 inches beyond the original hammock so you get more protection than just at the bottom..

And Hubcap, the underpad hangs asymetrically and is much wider at the shoulders than at the feet..I think it's 30 inches at the shoulder..much wider than a therm-a-rest! it is contoured ie, sewn..not a flat piece of open cell foam..yes, they emailed me that they appreciated my feedback

Ann Hennessy recommended I use the reflective sheet when I told her I was going to try the hammock when the temps were to drop in the 20's..my foam backed sleepsheet weighs about 1 or 2 oz..I wish I remembered where I bought it! it never got that cold but I still use it..I've never had the courage to try and sleep without it in a hammock..
last edited: 10/19/04 3:22:30 PM”

“i wonder how this set-up compares to the down one (i think it's called pea pod?). i'd like to try to make my own, if i can figure the pattern out.”