The Hennesy Hammock A-Sym is a great choice for bike packing. It’s lightweight, you don’t need a sleeping pad and it sets up in minutes. THe only drawback could be trying to set it up in a desert environment, or any area with a lack of trees…you might have to get creative. But it packs up tiny, and you will sleep well!

i tested these in the philippenes… Whatever anyone tells u, whatever u read, they are NOT waterproof. Not not not not waterproof. Not in severely watery conditions.

when buying the hennessey please don’t skimp, buy the undercover too as you’ll freeze without it.
otherwise i love it.

I thought 30 D silicone nylon was supposed to be waterproof.

I have used one of these for several trips and it is indeed waterproof as I have had no problem and have been very satisfied.

Maybe what the gentleman was speaking on was condensation? Maybe he got a faulty one?

Myself, and two of my friends went and stayed at Davison river near Pisgah forest, for 3 days it rained, and no one got wet, so… I D K…

no rain on me, in mine, in t-storms for 2-3 days of weekend trips.
dry, comfy. and with the right gear at the right time of year, warm too.

I think I’m returning mine. I like to change positions, sleep on my side, etc and this is very difficult to do in this hammock. If you are comfortable in one position all night then this might work for you. I also found it extremely difficult to get into my liner then my bag while in this hammock. It’s nice for relaxing in, napping or reading a book away from the bugs but I couldn’t sleep comfortably all night. Seems like a great idea and I love how light and compact the whole setup is, it just didn’t work for me.

Mine has stayed dry in Scotland!, love it but i use a 3/4 Thermarest to stop getting a chill in my back,love having the side views while still being out of the weather and Midges

For people interested in hammocking, take a look here: http://www.hammockforums.net/
This site has great info on hammocks, DIY hammocks, and a for sale section too.

looks cool but what do you do when you wake up at 3 or 4 am and have to take a real bad leak and struggle gettin out haha seriously that is a concern of mine if i were to get one whatever I use it has to have easy entry and exit

It was just a thought which nobody ever seems to consider

kruz – if you don’t put your shoes right at the foot of the entry, and you violate normal etiquette about pissing where you sleep – you stand up, piss, and lie back down. your top half never leaves the hammock.

I have 2 of their hammocks. It is different and you have to camp differently. Some people quickly adjust and some don’t. So if you are one who can adapt and try it several times before making up your mind, then go ahead with this hammock camping system. Yes, its a camping system. Different equipment is needed or adjusting items to use. Please just don’t climb in and think you don’t need to change your gear.

If you don’t want to sleep on rocks or find the pads aren’t good enough try hammocking.

I have/had the Hennessy Explorer Deluxe Asym: for the life of me, I just cannot get used to sleeping in the thing, my knees end up hyper extending when laying on my back which causes great PAIN( I tried rolling up my jacket and extra pants placing them under my knee joint and thigh but the weight of my leg just keeps pushing the floor down farther then the knee hyper extends the same way again, every 10 minutes I have to shift positions…this hammock is not for me.

I LOVE USING THE HAMMOCK AS A AN EASY CHAIR THAT ROCKS GENTLY BACK AND FORTH! this is extremely comfortable…so I made one out of an old heavy duty tent floor and sent the Hennessy hammock back to the Manufacturer.

I now use a tent Bivy with Air pad and feel very comfortable.

I have never seen the Ultralight version but did use the standard Expedition Asym model for just about every night over the course of a couple years – basically from Mexico until the Peruvian highlands. After a few nights in the hammock it was instantly one of my favorite pieces of gear – way more comfortable than I ever expected – so much so that I considered ground dwelling to be subpar.

My biggest worry was that I wouldn’t be able to find a place to string up the hammock. Only a couple nights were we (a group of 3-5) not able to string up the hammocks – one time on some island off panama without enough trees and land too far away and another time high up in the mountains of Ecuador without any trees or substitutes – another time at the pass on the Cordilleras Blanacas. You can sort of set it up on the ground, but is not so effective.

If set up correctly, these are definitely waterproof even under some of the heaviest tropical downpours – though heavy wind will undermine the effectiveness of the rainfly – I noticed that Hennessey now offers a special rainfly tarp for those circumstances. I can only remember a few nights where wind, storm etc. was problematic – I can certainly remember a few more when i was lazy and set up the hammock so poorly it didn’t block out the rain.

Airflow under the hammock can help cool you in hot conditions but also get quite cold even with fairly moderate temperatures. For the cold: I just used a thermarest sleeping pad and was comfortable down to about 30 degrees F. While not as comfortable with the pad in the hammock, it is still rather nice. When it is hot – the last thing you want to put underneath you is another layer, but because the fabric is unable to keep mosquitos from getting to you, a tarp or sheet or something needs to be added, which unfortunately blocks the benefits of the extra airflow. I wonder if maybe some of the lighter weight uninsulated air mattresses (like Klymits Inertia pads?) might be a better balance between the two weather extremes.

For rigging up, I preferred using the eagles nest outfitters slap straps that had multiple loops that allowed me to set up the hammock within a minute or so using carabiners. Though the straps would get somewhat saturated with rain and may not be best choice for ultralight conditions.

The new zippered models might be great for using the hammock as a chair, but I found that folding the hammock in half would not offer a comfortable chair position as the guy line holding the mosquito netting would force me to cock my head forward.

After a couple years of daily use, the hammock is still in excellent condition – really a remarkable product.

I plan to try out the ultralight on some upcoming adventures.

2 tips
when you have to “go” in the night you just roll over and use the opening as a “fly” to pee straight down-hopefully not into your shoes that you left there.
I froze in mine until I bought a foil windshield sun blocker for a truck windshield. It keps me super warm and adds some structure to the hammock. I don’t even use a sleeping bag under me. I lie right on the sun shield and use the bag as a quilt. I have considered sewing polar fleece to the sun shield but haven’t tried it yet.

I’ve been hanging in hammocks for a couple of decades now and love it. With the Hennessy Hammocks, one doesn’t lie “inline” with the hammock’s center line, but rather slightly perpendicular to the center line. You will lie much flatter and be able to sleep on your side, back, probably even your stomach.

Just spent my first night bikepacking with a Hennessy. Loved it, except the cold underneath. You will need some form of insulation under you. This ranges from a $5 foil sunshade to $250 underquilts. I’m going to start with the cheap car sunshade option and move on from there.

In regards to overall comfort there’s no going back for me!

Own and use more than 20 hammocks for light weight backpacking. The two Hennessys I own are my favorites. To answer a couple questions above, the hammock itself is not made to be waterproof. If it was, it would not breathe and would be very uncomfortable. Remember, the fabric needs to breathe for comfort. The rain fly is the waterproof part and a person needs practice to hang it properly. Drip strings are recommended to keep water from running down down the lines. One is not going to the outdoors in the blowing rain without getting some sort of moisture some where. If you want to stay completely dry go stay in a hotel somewhere. Hammock camping takes some practice and patience. Once you discover how to stay warm and dry it will be some of the best sleeping experiences in your life. I highly recommend it.

Im surprised about the waterproofing comment. Sure given enough pressure nothing is waterproof. But basically, 30D nylon will not let pourring rain in. You could build a boat with it.

Could it be that water followed your line and dripped under the fly? This would make it appear as non-waterproof, but its a setup issue