hennessy overcover

[Take-a-knee]

i looked at the jrb hammock hut, does the stock hh tarp get the uq soaked or will it be ok if i pitch it low

The stock tarp will work okay until the wind starts blowing, so as long as you hike where the wind never blows when it rains you'll be good to go. Really, all these aftermarket tarps are on the market for a reason. If you can't afford a larger tarp and the Nest, just get the Supershelter. They turn up here used from time to time.

[BillyBob58]

i looked at the jrb hammock hut, does the stock hh tarp get the uq soaked or will it be ok if i pitch it low

The stock tarp will work okay until the wind starts blowing, so as long as you hike where the wind never blows when it rains you'll be good to go. Really, all these aftermarket tarps are on the market for a reason. If you can't afford a larger tarp and the Nest, just get the Supershelter. They turn up here used from time to time.

Like I said ( excuse me repeating myself) I have had rain- mostly seemed to me splashing up from the ground- get my UQ pretty wet on one end one time. That was with a large tarp. OK, it wasn't pitched as tight to the ground as it should have been- def could have been a tighter storm pitch or even closed on that end if I had known what was coming and from what direction. And it was a severe storm.

My point is: how would it have been possible for this not to have been even worse with the small stock HH tarp? Even with a tight storm pitch? I don't thik a tight pitch with the stock tarp would have prevented this ground spash. Many have reported being bone dry after big storms with the stock tarp. But I don't think my UQ, which is hanging down lower, would have been dry after this windy deluge, if using the HH tarp.

However I am confident that all would have been dry had I been using even the stock tarp and the SS. One caveat, I mean stock tarp attached to the hammock on at least one end, not both ends attached to the trees. Which is a real hassle then to have a tight tarp pitch. I always have to use various tricks, and still it won't be as tight as when attached to the trees. If the tarp is attached to the hammock prussicks, when you get in and the hammock sags, the tarp sags with it. That makes for a loose floppy tarp. BUT, the tarp stays tight to the hammock ridgeline, it won't be any further from your face than than the RL is. This makes for excellent rain coverage, even with the small diamond tarp. With the SS, it is the most weatherproof system I have tried. You can be dang near completely covered with sil-nylon, with the tarp edges actually touching the SS UC edges. It appears there will be no rain/snow/wind/fog getting past system unless a stake pulls up.( yes, I have had that happen also!)

Now you just need to deal with that loose, floppy, NOISY tarp!

Look around, search, there are ways to make it much improved. But it will never match, for a quiet tight pitch, a JRB or Mac Car tied to the trees. But the SS/stock tarp combo will keep you dry. ( Possibly even with the HH stock tarp tied to the trees)

[Take-a-knee]

Thanks Billy Bob for reminding me how the stock Hennessy tarp sounds like a snare drum in a 30mph wind. The stock tarp will get you by, but you'll be ready for something better. If you are trying to minimize weight, an OES Macat Standard in spinnaker is about as good as it gets.

[Cannibal]

im thinking of buying just the overcover not the whole ss. has anyone used just the oc, how much warmth does it add, condensation??

Never could understand why they would help that much, until I tried one. They do a very nice job of trapping some heat and when it's really cold out, that's a nice thing. I don't, personally, like using them until the temps are in the single digit range. But, when it does get good and cold, I only take hammocks that have overcover systems.

[stonefree]

ya the hh tarp is loud in the wind lol, im new to the whole tarp thing im use to just pitching my tent n not worring about the wind.
i kinda wanna get a bigger tarp for winter. my base weight is less then 17 pounds so a good tarp wont hurt to much.

[Trooper]

Trooper, that is an interesting report. It appears you are reporting on a snowy night with NO TARP, but only the SS UC and OC? ( If you were even using the UC and not JUST the OC?)

Did you even use the SS pad that night?

And how did you do that night?

No, just a poorly worded post. For Spring and Autumn I use the SS sans OCF pad, which worked well in Alabama. In the winter, I would use the pad with great success once it was adjusted properly. The snowy night followed the clear evening when I was comfortable down to 28 using the complete SS sans overcover.

It doesn't snow often in Alabama, and I didn't foresee any trouble with the clear sky. But, with the overcover, I didn't see the weather change so the tarp remained skinned all night long. When I did realize it was snowing, I figured it wouldn't last long and it would melt off in the morning, so I'd sleep late. The snow did melt, soaked the overcover until it stretched and sagged into the hammock.