Modified Hennessey Hammock

Its always fun to get new gear and to test it out I know that you will like your hammocks when they come in. Have fun and keep hanging!!!

Now I need a winter tarp! Looking at several but don't know if the cash will be there when I need it..

I have a Speer Winter Tarp. It seems pretty nice. I have only gotten to use it once so far, but with the semester being over with I plan on going camping a few times before school starts back up in January. I would like to modify it a little. I'd like to put velcro on the "doors" to keep them shut, and I would also like to put some pull outs on the sides. Problem with completely closing the ends up the sides tend to sag inward. Since I got in over my head and made a G4 backpack I am not too afraid to start sewing on something that was fine before I started messing with it now.

Van,

Have you thought about using Grip Clips ? I have read some positive things about them on Hammock Forums and
have thought about ordering some myself.

Tom

As far as hammock winter tarps go I have thought about the Speer and have looked at the
Winter Dream 11x10 v.2 (~22 oz) that is on sale for $100.00 thru Dec. Right now I just have
to see how the funds are by the end of the month.

As most of you know my wife, Amanda, makes all my tarps. We designed a 10X12 cat tarp that has 4 tie outs on each side. She makes it by using 2, 4 yard pieces on silnylon. Silnylon is very slippery stuff, soI leave her to sew it all, but I love mine. I am not to picky about having my ends closed completely off, but I have thought about using grip clips. I love my tarp, and I even have an 8X10 Cat Tarp that she made that has 3 tie outs on each side, but the weight difference is so small, that I usually carry my 10X12 withme all the time.

Ed Speer makes great stuff, and he is great to work with. I have never heard of the Winter Dream, but I am pretty sure that my 10X12 weighs less than 22oz. Have fun looking, and BTW, I have 20 yards of untouched black silnylon at my house right now

I really like those clips sure will be a lot better not having to do the excess sewing on the tarp. If I were using the tarp just with family and friends I wouldn't even worry about it, but with the scouts I feel it would be best having something I can completely close off all view of the inside 100%. ( At least while I am changing.)

I can second the quality and the speed of Ed Speer's service. One thing is for certain they sew straighter than I do! I ordered my tarp on a day his website said he was off on vacation, but the order still got processed. Great service, the wait to get the tarp almost killed me, and you get a nifty sticker of a tree running.

Preacha how much are you willing to sell some of that silnylon for?

Just got notice that my hammocks have been shipped. Can't wait to get them back, change
out the suspensions and start using them again!

Just be mindful, my Hennessy Zipper Queen mod had failed stitching, TWICE. I rarely have gear fail.

This is the first time I have heard of any failures with there work. Did they fix it?

This is a coinsidince. Maybe someone is ready to take the leap?

Ed,

Before you take the leap try it out first. I didn't have that option when I lived in S. AR. Also there lots of
other kinds of hammocks out there that I didn't know about at the time I bought my Hennessey. Now I do
like my hammock in fact quite a lot. Go to hammockforums.net and read. Lots of good info there. Also
preachaman is a valuable resource. I would talk to him about one of the hammocks he makes.

Hey preachaman do I get a discount now? you do know that I am just kidding.

I will say this the HH is a great hammock but by time I get thru making it like I like it will really
run up the price!

I am not planning on buying one anytime soon. I will probably buy from Preacha when and if I do. I just thought this might help out someone else. It's a pretty good price!

I like my HH but I just don't like the bottom entry. Of course that has been corrected for the cost of $50.00!

My hammocks are soooo easy to make. I started making them off the directions from JustJeff's site (tothewoods.net). Mine are 10.5'X5' wide fabric that has been roll hemmed all the way around and then whipped and secured with zipties. I then use 1" seatbelt webbing from strapworks.com for my suspension, and viola, you have a hammock. I use 1.9oz ripstop nylon for my hammock body. You use to find this stuff in the dollar bin at Wal-Mart fabric department, that is if your Wal-Mart still has a fabric department.

Sorry guys, none of my sil is for sale unless you beg, plead, bribe, etc. Amanda into making a tarp for you. That goes for you too OH, all discounts come from her She is the one that sews, so if you want anything made, it has to be okayed by her first.

The exception to that is the Hammocks themselves, I make those all the time. If you get lucky with Wal-Mart fabric, you can really experiment with what works best for you, because if you mess up, you are only out a few bucks and the time it took to sew it.

I love my Preacha hammock.. I know some like all the fancy smanchy ones that has the double layers and foot boxes and all the crazy stuff, but I like the KISS approach. I have seen the more you add the more that you have the chance for something to go wrong. The funnest one, and I know Tenn Trekker will blast me for telling you this, he bought a ENO bug net from a local outfitter and just grabbed it to go. Got to the woods with it and when setting it up found that the zipper was zipped up but they had neglected to install the zipper pull during the construction... Yeah this was in August at the Winding Stairs down on little mo. So just a FYI to everyone, Try it out before you get it in the woods. Open it up and examine it. Set it up and try it out.

Just to set it clear I love my HH, bbbuuuuttt I wish I knew then what I know now! But I got it and I am
going to make it the best I can! I want to use it more in the winter and the way it was set up was not
how I would have made it. It is set up more for hot weather as it comes from the factory. Any way
with the zipper mod and the bottom slit sewn shut it should work out great and I plan on sleeping out
it in as soon as I have the new suspension set up.

Well my hammocks are back home! I must say that the zipper mod is fantastic!
I was to tired last night to even open the box, spent the day doing trail work.
I opened it up this afternoon and changed the suspension system from rope to
webbing and rings. I like it! Took it outside and in a snap I had it hanging!
The experimenting will have to wait till after Christmas when I get back from
S.E. AR. Will experiment for a few days and then I will be of to Caney Creek
Wilderness for three to four days of roaming!

Ahhh.. tis the season to be experimenting... fa la fa la fa la la la hahahaha