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  1. #1
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    HH Super Shelter still a 32F(low limit) system for me 12+ years later

    Well that so rare cold weather is blowing into the deep south, and I have a few days to do some testing at temps that are cold enough to be even a challenge for my gear. Before it gets a lot colder, I decided to start with old faithful, the HH Super Shelter, the one I started with in 2006. It appears that, for me, my rating of a limit low 30s is about right. But with the slightest modification, I can go lower.

    First, I have often said that there is not much to be done as far as adjusting this system, you just clip it on per instructions, and you are either warm enough or not. Unless of course I start adding insulation like parkas, or vests and such, down below, that might require some trickery. But normally I say little or no adjustment.

    But, there is a little bit of adjustment that can be done, resulting in a somewhat noticeable difference. There is a tendency - like more than 1 full length UQ I have used - for the pad to fall away from the left leg when my feet are to the right. If I place some clothing under that area, it will help lift that area up closer to the hammock and my left leg. But, I can also tighten the foot end of the UC a 2 or 3 inches closer to the tree/past the rope cover, and it also solves that problem. And since warmth only seems to increase, it must not be so tight as to compress the pad too much.

    At about 31F("feels like" 19F), I was adequately warm under my back(wearing a cotton T shirt with my thinnest polyester pull over, very thin, more like a light LJ top), just barely warm enough at my butt, and a bit marginal in the legs with cotton PJs. (but feet, barefoot, totally warm) When I tightened it up a bit, the legs improved a bit, still a bit marginal.

    But in these pictures, I have added my lightest fleece jacket, zipped up and sleeves pulled into the jacket, between the under pad and under quilt. I have also wrapped my 12 oz Polarguard jacket around the foot end Shug style. This also serves to pull that pad up snugly on the left side. Temps are about the same, 30F with a "feels like" of 19F. A surprisingly "biting" cold. I am absolutely toast head to toe, top and bottom.

    A word on the SMR 30F TQ with built in hood. With the hammock zipper closed, ad using the hood(no hats), I was if anything beginning to over heat on top, in the torso! My legs, however, at first were much less warm, though still adequate(feet toasty). This may have been due to the barely adequate warmth of the HHSS in the legs, with the left part of the pad falling away lightly? In the pictures, where I have added the fleece jacket under back and butt and the PG jacket zipped around the foot and lifting up on the UC/pad, even with the hood down and no hat, I am very toast top and bottom, even in the legs. This TQ weighs almost nothing, ans is excellent. The way the neck opening with hood up or down works, I never have any raft issues with this TQ. My heavier JRB I think is a bit warmer/thicker, and works just as well when used with the separate hood. But for the weight, this TQ is hard to beat, and easily makes it's temp rating of 30F for me. My wife snapped these pics, and has declared me officially insane. But, I am warm as can be.



  2. #2
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    So, I have always meant to try this out, even though it is well beyond what is needed for the current temps. My form of stacking. I removed my fleece jacket from the HHSS. I added my AHE Jarbidge 25F rated Climashield UQ ( 19 or 20 oz) to replace the fleece jacket. Placed it between the under cover and pad, with everything under the space blanket which is right under the hammock. It also helped to hold the left side foot end of the HHSS up snug against the hammock. Probably because I have noticed that, for some reason which I don't know, this UQ seems less prone to gap away from the hammock on the left side when my feet are to the right. So, this helped with that, but I left my jacket zipped around the foot end anyway.

    Though I was plenty warm with just the fleece jacket added to the under cover, this set up- not surprisingly- boosted me to luxurious warmth head to toe, noticeably warmer than the already warm HHSS + fleece jacket. The longer I lay there, the warmer it got, most noticeably in the small of my back. Since I was only getting warmer by the minute, I did not stay all that long, as these temps are obviously no challenge for this set up. Still about 31F with a 21F "feels like", and I was exposed to some of the wind, I could tell by the wind chimes. But I could not feel it what with the wind proof under cover.

    I was starring to wonder if I might actually begin to sweat on my back. This makes me wonder how low I could take this set up. I'm thinking a bit below zero F? The weight is not all that outrageous, total about 40 oz or so. But that includes an UQP, so not quite as much extra weight if compared to a full length 0F UQ plus UQP. Still, probably a few oz heavier and a good bit bulkier. So, depends on if you are counting oz and using a smaller pack. It will certainly be a contender for car camping or shorter trips using a larger pack.

  3. #3
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    I like the idea of the jacket around the foot end. I may need to try that sometime.

    Are you using the closed cell foam pad or the reflectix pad? I recently got my HH Survivorman down to 21 with the closed cell pad and the double layer gemini UQ.

    I have a zero degree Superior Gear UQ that is supposed to arrive any day now and I'm thinking of getting the HH out to try it out while the temps here are in the negatives. It's not often we get below 0 and my family think I'm crazy for wanting to get out in it!

  4. #4
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    From 80 right down to freezing, you really can't beat the Supershelter. A fleece blanket under me takes it to a warm and toasty 20 or so.

  5. #5
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by doowahderek View Post
    I like the idea of the jacket around the foot end. I may need to try that sometime.

    Are you using the closed cell foam pad or the reflectix pad? I recently got my HH Survivorman down to 21 with the closed cell pad and the double layer gemini UQ.

    I have a zero degree Superior Gear UQ that is supposed to arrive any day now and I'm thinking of getting the HH out to try it out while the temps here are in the negatives. It's not often we get below 0 and my family think I'm crazy for wanting to get out in it!
    I am using the OPEN cell foam(OCF) pad that is standard with the Hennessy Super Shelter.

    I went off to my Grandson's birthday party the other night, just as our oh so rare winter storm blew in. I did not have my stand as far under my patio roof as I should have(no tarp),and I left the net partly open. Just major screw up. When I next took a look at it, snow and sleet had blown into it, covering my SMR 30F TQ, and down in he under cover. There must have been some retained body heat inside the HHSS, because the OCF pad felt quite damp. So, I forced myself to give it a try, since sometimes in he wilderness stuff happens. I have seen stuff happen, like a branch falling in a snow storm and penetrating a tarp, and dumping a load of snow onto the sleeping person. Etc.

    So, I did my best to get all of the snow/sleet out of the hammock and UC and off of my TQ, and got in. It was 23F with a feel like of about 11F. Already a good bit below what I consider the lower limit of this set up for me. It was quite uncomfy at first, but after about 15 minutes I was marginally OK on bottom and toasty on top(I have been amazed at the performance of this 18 oz SMR TQ) I did have on a fleece jacket, but other than that just cotton shirt and jeans(I would never use that in the back country). My back and butt wer doing better than my legs, which were more marginal. But, the longer I lay there the warmer I got. Warm enough that I suspect I could have made it thru the night, even though I would have been on the coolish side. Maybe just a bit uncomfortable on the bottom, but I think I would have made it OK. One thing is for sure: even damp, that HHSS would have been a whole lot better than nothing. Way better. But, at this temp (well below what I consider the lower limit pus now damp) I probaly would not have been quite comfy enough by morning, even though I think I would be a long wy from hypothermia. Not bad IMO considering the weight and the damp.

    Next morning, at 13F with a feels like 11F, the pad still felt damp, but this time I could feel and see ice crystals in the pad. I hopped back in, this time after I added my HH OCF kidney and torso pads( 3 to 5 oz, can't remember, I'll weigh later). I also took my WM cut down torso sized blue sit pad under my legs. It took me about 15 minutes, then I was toasty warm top and bottom. I did have that fleece jacket on plus warm pants(8 oz), instead of just my cotton shirt and blue jeans like with the earlier tests in the 20-30s. I think that is excellent performance. The wind was mostly blocked by my house, but some was getting too me, the wind chimes by my head were quite noisy. And I could see the empty HH RL storage sack moving in the breeze. But I never felt it. Very good IMO.
    Last edited by BillyBob58; 02-16-2021 at 19:52.

  6. #6
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JPCPAT View Post
    From 80 right down to freezing, you really can't beat the Supershelter. A fleece blanket under me takes it to a warm and toasty 20 or so.

    I think you are right. It has it's pros and cons and potential issues just like any UQ I have used has. But all things considered, it has remained a solid competitor IMO since 2006.
    Last edited by BillyBob58; 02-17-2021 at 09:31.

  7. #7
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by doowahderek View Post
    I have a zero degree Superior Gear UQ that is supposed to arrive any day now and I'm thinking of getting the HH out to try it out while the temps here are in the negatives. It's not often we get below 0 and my family think I'm crazy for wanting to get out in it!
    DO IT! If 30F or below, stuff whatever you are not sleeping in(fleece jackets, down jackets, what ever you have) down below the pad and space blanket, and see what you can get away with. If you have an UL 40 or 50ºF quilt, stuff that down there. All you have to make sure about is that whatever you put down there, it is not heavy enough to pull the UC down and cause a gap. if that happens, just sew on a bit of shock cord and run it over the ridgeline to supply a bit more strength to hold the UC and insulation up against the hammock. You will be amazed at how far you can go.
    Last edited by BillyBob58; 02-16-2021 at 20:08.

  8. #8
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    BB...your heart belongs to that SuperShelter.
    Glad it still serves you so well.
    Shug
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  9. #9
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shug View Post
    BB...your heart belongs to that SuperShelter.
    Glad it still serves you so well.
    Shug
    HA! It really does, I think as much due to nostalgia as anything else. And maybe an ornery desire o be different? But despite my other great gear, including downy goodness, I seem to have this desire to make the one I started with work or rather keep on woking. But I've put it up for now, I have lots of other gear in dire need of testing. A an unprecedented SECOND winter storm(in days) moves in on us. We poor southern folks are a bit ice bound already. I have a 2 foot pile of ice next to my porch hammock test spot, where all of the sleet avalanched off of my roof.

    But I still remember when you blew every one here away with your first report on a backpack at minus 26F. And who was with you and what he used. Kwpapke and his souped up HHSS! Evey one was warm and toasty if memory serves! That was a few years ago!

  10. #10
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BillyBob58 View Post
    HA! It really does, I think as much due to nostalgia as anything else. And maybe an ornery desire o be different? But despite my other great gear, including downy goodness, I seem to have this desire to make the one I started with work or rather keep on woking. But I've put it up for now, I have lots of other gear in dire need of testing. A an unprecedented SECOND winter storm(in days) moves in on us. We poor southern folks are a bit ice bound already. I have a 2 foot pile of ice next to my porch hammock test spot, where all of the sleet avalanched off of my roof.

    But I still remember when you blew every one here away with your first report on a backpack at minus 26F. And who was with you and what he used. Kwpapke and his souped up HHSS! Evey one was warm and toasty if memory serves! That was a few years ago!
    We did have to do some jumping jacks in the morn to warm up a bit!
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

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