Hammock for NH white mountains direttissima 2013 HH Hyperlight vs WBBB???

I started as a beginner to hammocks and camping in general in my Hennessey Hammock Ultralight. I used it on a 30-day trip last august and every little weekend outing since. I've used it when it's been -10ºF and 90ºF. I've used it in pouring rain and howling wind. I've never honestly slept better.

I highly recommend. The Velcro entrance is so intuitive, I don't know why you'd want a zipper either. Stick with the velcro.

The knots took one hour to learn and have been useful hundreds of times outside of hammocking, too.

I've settled on the Hennessy Deep Jungle Asym Zip, because it comes with a side zip entry, rather than their bottom entry versions, and it has a double bottom where you can store your pad between the two bottoms. This minimizes your pad shifting beneath you when you get in or move around, and gives you a little extra warmth. The bottom entry was fine until I used it in colder temperatures with a pad, and getting in became difficult without real contortions.

I've tried the Warbonnet, and it's good, but the internal shelf takes up room inside the hammock and reduces the ventilation a bit.

Personally, I find hammocks about the only way to camp in the Whites. You never have to search for the mythical "flat spot." :-)

curious what you mean by a Directissima attempt… not sure i've heard of that

Had a Hennessy and used it for a year. Bought a warbonnet and gave the Hennessy away. The WBBB is FAR superior, try one for one night and you'll be sold.

Bottom entry seems to be a love/hate thing. I took the bugnet off my Hennessey this past fall b/c I couldn't stand another winter trying to wriggle in and out. I also didn't like have to load my quilt and stuff in from the bottom and have no way to reach out and grab stuff like my shoes without wiggling out of it and shoving it behind me to open the bottom entry.

In the summer it wasn't bad, but overall I find side entry far superior. More flexible and much less hassle.

"Had a Hennessy and used it for a year. Bought a warbonnet and gave the Hennessy away. The WBBB is FAR superior, try one for one night and you'll be sold."

Which model did you have?

I started with a Hennessey and now my go to hammock is the WBBB 1.1 single layer. With whoopies and a cuben bishop bag mine weighs less than 15 oz.

Thanks for all the feedback!!!

"I'm currently planning a direttissima attempt for the whites this summer."

anyone know what this is?

Most direct route.

I understand that. (it is used in rock climbing all the time) but it doesn't make sense for an entire forest area. it would be like the most direct route of Yosemite..

Shortest route straight up. Off trail and brutal. Don't you guys bag those one at a time? Not like doing a series of Munros?

I don't think so, you are shooting in the dark now Ken, i'm looking for specifically what he means.

white mountains 800,000 square miles. 1400mi of trails

It's bagging all 48 4000 footers in the WMNF in a single unsupported continuous trip via the most direct route possible…

i see..

by the way, there is a lot more to the white mountains than 4k's

Learned something new. Cool.

Never been to the Whites. So it is like doing a series of Munros

i guess. There are 48 4000ft or higher peaks in NH with 200' prominence over any neighbor. There are many variations to the list.. normal 48, winter, single season, GRID (each peak in each month. which i find silly to repeat some of them 12 times but people need something to do i guess), etc

I was spelling it wrong in my searches :P

trip report starts on page 4. this guy Mats did it in 10.5 days unsupported record
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?18251-The-48-Direttissima-in-progress-update/page4

With a side zip it is possible to cook and eat while still in bed. With the bottom entry you get less bugs and can pee without getting out.
I've been a happy HH user since 2000. It is a system that works.

The HH is a great all-in-one product to start with, and a superb value over the WBBB (WBBB is a great product too, but just too expensive for the few advantages it offers). Eventually, replace the HH suspension following this video's instruction: http://youtu.be/2ITAC-bH21o. Both side and bottom-entry have different strengths, but side-entry is more flexible with regards to bottom insulation options.

Read Derek Hensen's hammocking book. It's a good quick read and will tell you all you could ever need to know. Also check out tothewoods.net. Rolling your own setup can be fun, but there are a million great options and products out there that don't provide a massive advantage over the AIO solutions from Hennessy. I've been through most of them at this point, and if I were you I'd skip it all, get the HH, and start hanging.

Philip (earlylite on BPL) was planning this, hiking all 48 NH 4000' mountains in one continuous hike. I'm not sure if he finished this or not. You could contact him and ask.
http://sectionhiker.com/hiking-a-white-mountain-direttissima/

I use a double layer 1.1 Blackbird, after updating from a Hennessy. I wish it was a little lighter, but I'm a little heavy. I greatly prefer it to a Hennessy.

I didn't look up all the prices and weights, but another hammock to consider would be the lightest netted hammock on the market, the Dream Hammock Darien UL. You'll get a much better suspension system, and the total package weighs 14 oz stuffed. I think the Hyperlite is 20 oz w/o the undersized tarp that comes with it. There would be a wait, of course.

I have a modified Hennessy with both the bottom entry and side zipper. After the zipper failed, probably due to my own abuse, I was able to "get out" of the hammock through the bottom entry, but it made me realize how much I prefer a side zip.

You could always get a regular netless hammock and netting, like the Warbonnet Traveler. Not sure the weights or prices, but Dream Hammock and Butt in a Sling make good hammocks and nets custom to order too, although I understand how it can get complicated to order hammocks, nets, and suspensions as separate pieces.

If you decided to go over your budget and get a dedicated underquilt, I think the Hammock Gear Phoenix 3/4 down Underquilts and Enlightened Equipment Prodigy X climashield UQs (synthetic is still light in summer weight) are pretty good buys. Jacks R Better has some good prices on fractional size underquilts too.

IF I were to get a HH again (I wouldn't), I'd recommend a side zip rather than the original velcro under entrance. The positioning of the velcro entrance, IMO, made under insulation a PITA. I found the WBBB much more usable, though I have since moved on to the WBRR DL, which, though somewhat heavier if you account for the spreader bars (unless you use hiking poles for dual use), is (again, IMO) far more comfortable, and affords a much better view. My run of hammocks: ENO DN, Clark NA, HH UL Backpacker "classic" (though at the time they did not have the zip option), DIY GE (WB Traveller clone), WBBB DL, TTTM King, DIY Netless Bridge #s 1-4, WBRR. The only ones I still have are DIY bridge #4 and the WBRR. I have heard very good stuff about Dream Hammocks but have never used them, having found myself squarely in the bridge camp.

If you haven't already been there, hammockforums.net is a good resource for all things hammock.

I was going to also suggest a Darien UL from Dream-Hammocks. Integrated bug net, supremely light suspension setup (pretty much the lightest available on the market).

On a side note, I just ordered 3 yards of M50 from Thru-Hiker and had it shipped to Te-Wa for an UQ which he quoted me for $99 including shipping. That's the same price as the Hammock Gear 40* UQ for what will most likely be 4 oz. lighter.