Hennessey Hammock in a hurricane!

“Hey Mutt, dig this.

I just got out of the field here at Fort Polk, LA. Spent the last couple of weeks doing field training and gunnery, and as always I took the Hennessey Ultralite to sleep in. Well, about the 2nd or 3rd Day we just started getting buckets of rain, lightning, high winds, etc. It was so bad at times we had to stop training. This lasted about 5 days straight. About the 3rd or 4th day of the storm someone told me we were getting dumped on by some hurricane.

Anyway, people in tents were sleeping in water, had water coming in every possible hole and crack of vehicles they tried to sleep in, and the mood was pretty wet and miserable...

Except for me in my Hennessey Hammock! I had set it up and left it up about a day before the rain started and because I anticipated rain I set it up in my "storm pitch" in case we got some bad rain. It stayed up for the entire 5 days of bad weather without getting anything inside wet or blowing down - except for the one time I kicked a stake out in the middle of the night when nature called. What really impressed me is I didn't get a chance to find the optimal pitching spot, but it still did well.

I've been skeptical of the Hennessey's ability to perform in really bad weather, but now I won't doubt it one bit.

For how to pitch a Hennessey for bad weather:
1. forget the tree hugger straps, the give too much stretch, I'm thinking about a better way to replace them, maybe a sleeve for the rope to go thru. Tie the hammock so that there is 9"-12" between the bottom of the hammock and the ground and the support ropes are as tight as possible.

2. Put the fly as loose between the support ropes as possible. Then pull the side guys down as far as possible until you cant get them down any further. The fly should be pulling the centerline down in the middle with a good deal of tension. Stake the hammock and the fly with the same stake, ensuring they are both centered up on each other. Then after that is all done, pull tension into the ends that are along the support rope. Once your done, there will probably still be some fly folded over on itself in the center, but everything will be under tension.

3. If possible, put something over the top of the stakes, under heavy saturation they may try to pull out.

4. The best location is on the back side of a hill, preferably in a draw with some vegetation in the direction of the wind to help wind block, get the wind to hit at an angle to the side, with the foot downwind. Even though this is the preferable place, I was almost directly on a hill top with very little wind block vegetation, foot into the wind.

I admit I wasn't on the main receiving end of the hurricane, but I doubt any shelter would stand under that.”

“Sgt. Rock, I'm impressed! When I got wet in a storm, I didn't have my hammock set up like you had yours. Mine was higher off the ground, and I had the tarp stretched out tight along the support rope (before staking down the sides), so it didn't have the best "coverage".

Sounds like your method is the correct technique, especially since it kept you dry. Next storm we get, I'll have to set it up using your method, and see for myself. I haven't had a chance to modify it yet, and now I'm glad I haven't (I've started working a new job, and things are a bit crazy for me now). I'll let you know if I keep dry, too. And, if I decide to go ahead and modify it, I'll post the results (and hopefully some pics, too.)

I won't be checking in here again for probaby another week or two. Thanks for sharing your technique...I appreciate it!

Mutt”

“Why did it work better to have it closer to the ground?”

“less sh!t blowing in, man.”

“My logic was to avoid getting too much area where a wind gust could come under the fly during the highest of winds. Also, when you have it close to the ground in a slope like a draw, the ground helps shelter you while you sit under the fly.”

“like i said, yo!”

“SGT rock.....thank you for the reassuring news....

what are your thoughts about hanging between two trees during severe lightning storms......recommendations?

i really like the thunderstorm experience in a tent....so, i am not "terrified" about the probablilities .........as Virgil put it..."fortune favors the daring"....but
i guess my thought is...as my hennessey hammock guru.. WWSRD ( what would sgt rock do) in a severe electrical storm?”

“get a 50' roll of copper wire.

bite one end and get ready for the ride of your life!”

“I take more percautions to avoiding big trees with a lot of weight that are more likely to topple, and dead branches that are likely to fall.

I've thought a little about the lightning and I've come to the conclusion that most likely I shouldn't need to worry about it.

I figure this based on this:
1. I camp in large groups of trees, so the odds of the tree I'm in getting hit is very low.

2. If lightning were to hit the tree I'm in, the electricity will follow to ground in the path of lest resistance. My hammock is attached by a piece of spectra cord that may be wet, but will offer more resistance, and this path is to another tree. Main path of electricity shouldn't hit me.

3. If I do get some electricity i'll be knocked out in a nice safe position to sleep it off.

I'm probably completly wrong on this, but it works so far...”

“Sgt Rock, thanks for the info here and on your great website. I've been thinking about going with a hammock and appreciate all your comments and suggestions.”

“Before you go blow a bunch on a hammock, try getting a cheap one and sleeping in it first. Hammock camping doesn't seem to be for everyone.”

“Thanks for the tip, I've already done that. I love the slight motion, and the "den" feeling, just hate the bugs in a regular hammock. I just am having trouble deciding between the Hennessey and the Clark Jungle hammocks.”

“bpbaby, I've had a junglehammock for 5 or more years now, and I've loved it. It still hasn't shown many signs of wear, even though I've put it through some significant abuse over the years. I like the pockets under the hammock. I like the two-point suspension. I like its durability. I did, though, have to make some modifications to it. The rainfly is inadequate, and I bring along a tarp to rig over the hammock. I've also attached ascenders to either end to make it simple to set up and adjust (I've detailed this modification in another thread), and this also solved the problem of water wicking down the ropes. I've sewed on a daisy chain of loops under the floor to clip gear into. Made other modifications, too. BAsically, it'll get you through pretty much anything with the proper modifications. Keep in mind, though that I have the previous "generation" of junglehammock, and I beleive the new models are better. Also keep in mind, that unlike the hennessy, you can't sleep flat in it - there'll always be a curve to it (I don't find this to be a deficiency - I find it exceedingly comfortable). The junglehammock is more expensive, though, but it is made of high quality, thick, durable stuff. So I guess it's heavier, too. I';m kinda exhausted right now, or I'd be able to give you more detail about what I think of both the junglehammock and hennessy. If you like sleeping in a hammock, I don't see that you'd go wrong with either model.”

“i picked up a clark jungle hammock works great and makes a great chair too i alsoe take a tarp in case of a big down pour.
it works really good for bike trips and holds my 6ft 215 of solid muscle with ease.”