Hennessy Hammock Scout Series

This hammock has features like you would expect from a kelty or marmot tent. If you know you will have the opportunity to have trees from hammocking, you need this tent. There are better ones from Hennessy, but that doesn’t mean this one could use improvement- I’d say it’s almost perfect! The back support is also amazing, something you can’t really tell from videos. There is much more linear support than a standard lounging hammock. This, I feel, is due in part to the under-entrance system that has strengthened velcro along an inlaid seam halfway through the hammock. The velcro strips stop at the top of your legs, usually below actually (if you set it up right and aren’t leaning one way or the other) so they don’t bother you while sleeping. The inventor shows his different ways of using the hammock on his website on the front page, and I must say the chair/lounge part is superb. It also has great support and ease for cooking under your rain fly. Guy lines the flay out the hammock also give it that roomy feel when you’re inside. This hammock basically re-creates a one person tent that is much more comfortable than lying on the hard ground, and lighter than carrying a tent and bag with a pad. The need for sleeping pads (that some say are almost essential in backpacking) is eliminated, as you will be lying on a greatly supported and well designed air mattress. These sleeping pads (that weren’t even mine but my brother ran out of room in his pack) that I’ve had to carry on 2 and 3 day backpacking trips are bothersome as they take up MUCH room, albeit they are light. Hammock sleeping tends to be a little (marginal) colder than tents, so you may want to invest in some of hennessy’s sleeping heat pads that reflect a lot of your body heat back. either that or a decent sleeping bag. This hammock is one of my favorite purchases, ever!

I was initially concerned because I ordered this 2 days before leaving for the Keys with the boy scouts. A previous review had stated there were three different weight ratings for this, the one on the tag when he got it was the lowest at 180lbs. I weigh about 175 so I knew I was pushing my luck. When mine came in it was rated 5’10” and 150lbs… I had no choice but to use it. I am happy to report that I slept in this hammock through wind and rain storms the whole week and I never slept so well on a camping trip. This hammock would comfortably sleep someone 6′. Buy this without reservation if you are in the market for one. Do allow time to watch the video on setup on their website though.

I purchased this hammock after a lot of research (from both online and friends) ended up purchasing this mostly because you get a lot more hammock for a lot less money. I wanted a versatile hammock that I could use camping and in my yard so I went with the “Zip” style instead of the “Velcro” or “Classic” style so I could unzip the net and just rest in the hammock (you cannot do this with the Velcro style). Compared to the ENO Hammocks this hammock seems less versatile but it was also 1/3 of the price. This pared with my friends saying that this hammock is the “Most amazing hammock ever” I purchased this hammock with very high expectations.
I have used this hammock once in my yard and I plan on taking it camping in about a month. So far, this hammock has lived up to its reputation. I was able to get in and out of it easily (I’m an average height of 5’ 4”) and I could put it up myself without any extra straps (although it took a while… more on this later). My husband and I both laid in it in various positions and it is very comfortable.
Set up was the only downside to this hammock. I am not very good at tying complex knots and the instructions on the stuff sack were incredibly confusing to me. After a YouTube search, my husband had it down but I was still having trouble. On top of that we have thick trees so I had to tie the rope about one foot from either side of the tree strap. To be fair, this is not the hammocks fault but it is a nascence. We ended up purchasing longer tree straps and a carabiner with ring system so we can camp on thicker trees and I would not have to tie such complicated knots. We tested it again in the yard and it is working out fantastic). This so far is an excellent hammock and I would recommend it for campers more than recreational backyard user.

I bought this for my son, who wanted his own camping hammock for our trips. He’s in the 6th grade, and this is the perfect size for him. For those who have never dealt with a hammock tent, there is a learning curve, but by and large, it’s not really complicated. The hardest part is getting it tied to the tree with the cords on each end (the hard part being getting the height correct or making adjustments to the height if you realize you got it wrong the first time), but that challenge exists with any hammock tent. It’s also a challenge that can be corrected with some additional hardware down the line.

The integrated mosquito net is the best part, given that we camp in the north woods of Michigan where mosquitoes can be so thick they’ll carry you off in the night. You might get bitten through the bottom of the hammock, but you can take care of that by spraying some permethryn on the underside before you head out.

Here’s the problem: the tarp that comes with the tent is tiny. It barely covers the tent. It did rain while we were out, and the tarp did keep my son dry, but when it’s raining, you have to keep the tarp very low to the tent and then it’s like you’re in a burrito slung between two pines. A little confining. I have a tarp that is much, much larger, so that when it’s raining, you can still ‘hang out’ under it in a way similar to a regular tent. And if the wind starts to blow, there will be some rain that comes into contact with the hammock at the very edges. Long story short, you’ll probably want to buy a separate, bigger tarp to go along with your Hennessy.