I am really new to hammock camping and I really wished I had shopped around here first before buying my Hennessey full price.
Anyway, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
They seem really similar other than the shelf and footbox.
Talk amongst yourselves.
The folks who own a Hennessy will like a Hennessy. The folks who own a Warbonnet will like a Warbonnet.
It's a Chevy / Ford or Coke / Pepsi or chunky peanutbutter / creamy peanutbutter type of thing.
What about it do you regret vs the XLC?
How many nights have you spent in the Hennessey? Did you sleep well?
HH tends to run a bit short and narrow on many models. The Explorer seems to be the most comfortable for many in that order.
They are solid units, albeit a bit heavy and once you actually compare price points, costly as well. As with many mass marketed hammocks, you can expect to and have to figure in the cost of upgrading suspensions, and in HH case tarp as well. The stock diamond allows for minimal coverage, the upgraded HH Hex is better but Poly coated and heavier than need be.
IMHO you cannot fairly compare handmade cottage goods with anything mass produces these days. The WBBB is longer, wider, more comfortable, and while not the lightest, it stacks up pretty well against the HH. They come with proper suspensions, and ANY tarp from them will be better made and much lighter than most similar HH offerings.
Signature suspended
I own a HH and BB among lots of other hammocks. I am 6ft2 and 275 lbs and find my HH too small for someone my size and I don't like the feel of the fabric. I know some folks love them and if they like the HH and it works for them then thats all that counts. Personally I prefer my BB 1.1; 1.7 dl's or my EnvyS as I find them very comfortable. My wife use to use a BB 1.0 DL ( no longer made ) but now uses a Ridge Runner.
I really like the footbox and the self in my BB's.
Get a BB and if you like it better, sell the HH. If not then sell the BB ( I might even buy if the price is right)
I am still 18 but with 52 years of experience !
I like my Blackbird's shelf and footbox and strap/biner suspension. The HH ropes are a pain to get adjusted, IMO.
I can't speak to the Hennesy, BUT, my WB XLC is the single best piece of camping equipment I've ever had.
Here is a bit more detail on the Warbonnet XLC.......
Shug
Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven
I'll offer a noob perspective. I now own both hammocks. I've only been hanging about 3 years. I didn't know anything about hammocks or this forum. A friend recommended the Hennessy. I bought the Explorer Deluxe. I'm only 5'9 so the hammock has plenty of room. I have only experienced calf ridge in this hammock when I hang it too tight and too straight. If I hang it at approximately the 30 degree angles and have a fairly loose ridgeline, it's comfortable. I have maintained the factory suspension. I did order some longer 1" tree straps as the trees here in the SouthEast tend to run larger than the stock 4' straps will accommodate.
I recently acquired an XLC and have used it on one 6 night outing. Why did I buy it: The Explorer is single layer. I volunteer at Summer camp and I got tired of the mosquito bites through the bottom (yes, I could have used permetherin but I don't even like to take aspirins). So, I ordered a DL 1.1 XLC. I really like the shelf. Also, the footbox offered another pleasant surprise. About 10 years ago, I broke my right foot and they put a long screw in it to repair. After about 3 hours of sleep in the Hennessy, my right foot would cramp. I didn't have a lot of pressure on it, but it was enough that I would wake up, reposition and then go back to sleep. I didn't experience this in the XLC and I'm attributing it to the extra netting of the footbox. Netting tended to lay on top of my foot rather than against it. I got the cinch buckles and it is faster to adjust. No doubt about that. It did take me about 2 nights to learn to adjust the XLC. I hang the foot on my Explorer about 8 inches higher than the head end. On the XLC, I found the most comfortable to be almost 12-15 inches higher. I have Whoopie slings on my Lite Owl and I'll probably conver the XLC. The cinch buckles are okay (I might put them on my Lite Owl for the Winter) but I"ll probably convert the XLC to Whoopies or maybe the Hammock Anchors.
I love my WBBB and wouldn't give it up for the world, however I more than likely would be just as happy with an Eno or one of Dutch's offerings or a homemade tablecloth hammock. There are weeks that I spend 3-4 nights in my hammock. I will probably purchase or make one for the purpose of home sleeping sooner or later.
If you never slept in a hammock then try something cheap to see if it works for you. You'll get a better idea what everyone is talking about when referencing angle of hang and sleeping across the hammock. It seems that not everyone adapts easily to a hammock.
Every one of the "cottage" systems have unique attributes, some are gimmicks and some are useful, but probably in the end you'll figure out how to use whatever you buy and get a good nights sleep if you take the time to research and apply the information.
I hang out here silently for the most part because like you I'm fairly new to this. When I read about something that makes sense, I try it. Even with my lack of experience, I can tell you that I took to the hammock right away and realize that its not the brand that makes the difference, its my willingness to experiment.
Once you have a feel for it, Roche said it best about it being a Ford/Chevy thing. Figure out what features would be useful to you.
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