Thursday, April 05, 2007

New accomodations for Solo Trip

On our first trip in together in 2005, Gerry and I brought every luxury item our aluminum Gruman could carry. We had had so much stuff that it was difficult to find space for it all. We had everything from camp chairs to coolers, but it wasn't until we ventured into the interior that I appreciated the degree of comfort we enjoyed when it came to sleeping. We used this over sized air mattress and man was it comfy.

For the back country we needed something that would provide comfort, but be light enough that it wouldn't feel like an anchor as we hauled from lake to lake. The 3/4 length Thermarest sleep pad seemed to be the perfect solution and for the most part it was. It provided a fairly cushy pad and it could be converted into a very chair....how cool is that right? But I am a big guy and I tend to sleep on my side. After a few hours my shoulders and hips started to get sore, so I would roll over. Well this continued throughout the night. By morning I woke feeling a bit sore and allot tired. Now I was having unrelated back pain at the time, so I am sure this experience was exacerbated by my discomfort. After a particularly bad night, I remember thinking "there has to be something better."

The solution is the Hennessy Hammock. It has all the best qualities of a tent and the comfort of a hammock!

From their site:

"At last, you will never need to find a level camp site. No more roots, rocks and puddles coming through the floor of your tent. No more aching muscles and stiff joints from sleeping on the hard ground. Experience a level of comfort on the trail almost as good as your bed at home and maybe even better."

Features:


Patented "Easy Enter, Easy Exit" Through The Bottom:Walk in to the middle of the hammock, turn around and sit down. Lay back and lift your feet inside

Patent-pending Asymmetrical Shape:Lying on the diagonal is the secret for maximum comfort in hammocks. We have designed the first hammock with a diagonal axis. We call it the "A-sym". We have moved the right side anchor point of the hammock down by your knee and the left side anchor point up by your shoulder. This makes the hammock feel longer with a wider 'sweet spot' of comfort. Then we did the same for the rainfly and added 30 percent more fabric for excellent coverage.

Patented "Snap Tight" Zipperless Closure:
Your weight tensions the entrance which automatically snaps closed behind you.
Patented "Perfect Set" Comfort Curve:Integral ridgeline maintains the same comfortable shape with each use to keep your back straight and level when resting on the diagonal.

Patented "Never-Tip" Center Balance Design:Eliminates instability by entering from the centre instead of flipping over the side. This is the first hammock that does not cause you to lose your balance while entering the hammock.

Bug-proof:Large area of No-See-Um netting to provide ventilation and keep insects outside the hammock. When properly sealed, the entrance design also makes sure no bugs get into your hammock at night while you are alseep and also during the day when you are away from camp.

Windproof:The No-See-Um mesh and hammocks fabric will deflect wind to provide a calm space inside.

Waterproof:The rain-fly is polyurethane coated polyester ripstop or silicone impregnated nylon and may be tilted to any angle, rolled up above, removed or used separately.

Gear Organizers:Triangular Mesh Gear Pocket, Glove Hooks, Caribinier Loops A nifty gear pocket slides on the ridgeline and stores out of sight behind your head - this can be used to store your keys, pocket knife, change and other small personal items . Two glove hooks are also threaded on the ridgeline and can be used for attaching LED lights and even attaching a drink can by the hole in the pull tab. All hammocks ridge lines are installed with a loop on each inside hammock end to which a small caribinier can be hooked to hold daypacks, water bottles, and other small items which are too heavy to hang over the ridge line.

Full Velcro Seal:Your body weight keeps the entrance sealed when you are inside the hammock but the Velcro seal keeps bugs out while you are away. The Velcro seal also prevents unintentional opening when flip/flopping around.

I ordered the Explorer Deluxe A-Sym and will do a full review of it once it arrives.

5 comments:

Suds said...

When we were at MEC last year you took a poop on the idea of a hammock... I'd be interested to hear how it goes on your solo trip to see if you like it. I think it's gonna be a good addition to the inventory of gear. I just don't know how we're gonna both fit in it at...

Anonymous said...

I would like to know how this goes, how well the tree huggers work, how convenient the set up is and how comfortable the sleep will be. Can you even sleep on your site without sucking air through the fabric? It seems like it wraps around you. Also, the site itself seems a little low budget so I wonder how smooth the process is as far as purchasing. If this worked well it could be ideal but it almost seems to good to be true.

Sean

Anonymous said...

Ooops, read the first "site" as "side".

Sean

Jim said...

The site is pretty crappy, but this is the premier hammock on the market and comes HIGHLY recommended by some of the most experienced canoe folks.

Everyone I spoke to said the same thing " once you sleep it, you will never want to sleep in a tent again".

I will do a full review and let you know what I think.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I've read nothing but good reviews about it. Best one here on MyCCR - http://www.myccr.com/press/articles/article.php?article_id=19

I'm going to pick one up for the summer as well.

Sean