Clark Hammock

[a Bald Cypress]

Well,I did it. Dropped the $$$$$$$$$$ and ordered a Clark N X 250.

After reading all the good things that have been said about hammocks and looking at the pics of Piper and his skeeter bites. I went with the one that said skeeters could not bite through it.

It will probably take a couple of weeks to get it but, I will update with my thoughts after a trial period.

We have a two night trip down the Sabine the first part of Sept so that will give me a bit of experience with it.

 

[oldsparkey]

From the time I called and placed the order with them I had it 6 days later when Mr Brown (ups) was knocking on the front door.

I would suggest setting it up in the back yard , or someplace so you get a feel for the process before going camping. Besides it is a good way to check it out. The craftsmanship is really well done and it is well thought out. The other part I like is it is made in the U.S.A. not china or one of those places.

If you check there web site there is a way to set it up ( with the drip rings ) so everything is adjustable and no lines have to retied to loosen or tighten them after it is up. They call it the Easy and Adjustable Way.

Then a Taut-line-hitch lets the lines for the rain fly be adjustable. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6361

Chuck.

 

[oldsparkey]

a Bald Cypress ....

Just checking in and seeing what is happening.......

Had some free time and sitting out on the back porch , enjoying life , thinking about up coming camping trips , my memory reminded me about your Clark N X 250 hammock and was wondering if it arrived.
The waiting is killing me to see what your thoughts are on it. Especially since I have the Tropical one and you have kicked yours up several notches higher in the camping benefits with hammocks.

Mine will be used , for some real camping , in 37 days , not that I am counting the days or time but all of the stuff is packed and ready to go , excluding perishables.

Might be a week later depending on the wife's recuperative capabilities from the surgery next week. Either way , it is not long from now , not like the time from the latter part of May to September when we hibernate in the AC down hear. :lol: If that happens it's extended a week , Great .... Oct 4th , that whole week is a full moon , a perfect camping time. Who could ask for anything more.

Chuck.......
Besides i have a lot of new stuff to try and report back on , the tripod grill , the hammock for some real river side camping ( Not Backyard) and the uptown camping crapper I got , before going with a group. Just a good buddy and me on this one and if we can't break the gear , no one can. :lol:

 

[a Bald Cypress]

Hasn't arived yet. It has been sent.Will take many pics of my fumbling attempts to set it up.

My trip will be a two nighter the 5th & 6th of Sep. I hope there are trees big enough to hang from on the river. If not, then I will see how well it does as a tent.

I have atarp and pad going with just in case.

That is one nice thing about " canoe camping " there is generally enough space for more gear than you will ever use.

I do have two more things to get.

1. a large 5 or 6 gallon water tank

2, A new machetti. I believe my old one was left at a campsite.

 

[oldsparkey]

The 1st night you will be adjusting it and getting use to it , the 2nd night you should be sleeping like a baby. A good way to speed up the process is to try in the back yard before going , just like you would do with a tent.

Just make sure , in the back yard someone wakes you up for supper. :lol: Not sure about your weight but any tree 3 or 4 inches think will do the trick , smaller ones then use a couple of them as one. It just takes some extermination and imagination when setting up a hammock.
Anything upright and not mobile usually does the trick , just not your paddling and camping partner as he naps. :roll:

Chuck.

 

[oldsparkey]

What has my curiosity is the Weather Shield. It is optional on the one I got and I did not get it.

Just kicking an idea around ....... :wink:
With the weather shield , you can hit the sack on a nice night and have it put away to enjoy the stars without the rain fly over you. Just lay there enjoying the reason for being out there in the 1st place , enjoying everything Mother Nature has to offer , even the moon light.
A rain comes in , then pull the weather shield up and go back to sleep without using the rain fly.

The down side is , if that rain is in the early morning hours and you are getting ready to get up , you will get wet. OK ... Before you say it , Yes I have a weather radio with me ( sometimes ) on the trips and yes I have gotten wet , no matter what I was using or doing.
If the trip is an easy going one , just turn over and enjoy the sound of the rain till it is over with , then get up. It has to stop , sometime.

Or use the rain fly and the weather shield ..... Interesting thought and something to think about but does offer a lot of options.

Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences with those combination's for or while camping.

Chuck.
While washing the supper dishes , the thought hit me that my rain fly can be hung and not tied off but draped off to one side. If a rain hits then flip one half of it over and let the Velcro that is on the ends of it hook up and have an envelope over me for rain and storm protection. Dam these things have to many options. :lol: I still like the idea of the Weather Shield it offers a better night view when laying there.

 

[rhutchinson]

How does the Clark compare to the Hennessy? It looks like the Hennessy is a little more basic and simple.

R Hutchinson

 

[a Bald Cypress]

How does the Clark compare to the Hennessy? It looks like the Hennessy is a little more basic and simple.

R Hutchinson

I am unable to answer that since I 1. dnn't have my hammock as yet & 2. have never used a Hennessey.

The reasons I went with the Clark
1. I looked at the pics of Pipers arm after his camping trip.
2. I needed a hammock that could[ if needed] be set up as a tent [abet a small one ] more like a single man cave. But usable.
3. With the entry on the HH that is not an option.
4. The Clark is top entry from either side.

The Clark costs about twice as much as the HH. Not a major selling point but after reading everything I could find , that was my choice.
The Clark CLAIMS to be a 4 season hammock. It obvisouly is NOT. Without an underquilt you will get cold. That is one of the problems with ALL hammocks as far as I can see.

You will just have to read reports and [flip a coin]

There is a WORLD of information on about every hammock on the market on the

Hammock Forum site.

That is an excellent place for information.

 

[oldsparkey]

I have both and might be able to shead some light on your question..... A Bald Cypress covered the basics between the two.

They both are suspended between uprights of some sort. :roll:

The HH has two lines which are anchored to the ground to spread the center part of the hammock apart offering more room , the Clark does not have that feature , it is a traditional hammock.

The HH is an end entry that self seals when you get in it , The Clark is a side entry with zippers to close the bug netting.

The bug netting on the HH is attached , The bug netting on the Clark can be unzipped and moved to the foot of the hammock to create an open hammock.

The rain fly on the Clark can be dropped over the hammock and secured with Velcro to form an envelope around the hammock in case of bad weather ( the Tropical model , not sure about the other models). It also has a drop down hood at the head of it for more ventilation. It also has what they call a storm shield ( optional on the Tropical) which seals off the bug netting in case of bad weather.

The HH 's rain fly is attached to the supporting items for the hammock and then tied off to trees or the ground , normally the ground. The Clark's rain fly is attached the same way and designed to be attached to trees but can be anchored to the ground.

The HH does not have storage pockets , only a couple of net bags on the center support ( ridge) line. The Clark has outside storage pockets and two inside at the head of it.

You can't hang the HH to tight because of the center supporting line , The Clark can be hung to tight because it does not have that ridge line. Unless you want to call the line for the netting a ridge line which I guess it is. :roll:

The body of the Clark is advertised as 100% mosquito proof ( I don't know that for a fact but will find out in a while when camping) so you don't get bit when sleeping in it , the HH is not as Piper proved that. ( I have not been bit when sleeping in my HH but I always have something between the hammock and myself)

Both hammocks need some sort of insulation under the camper to stop the loss of body heat while sleeping , After all there is nothing but air under you. :wink:

Both advertise that they can be set up as tents in an emergence when there is nothing to support them.

I have not camped in the Clark , just set it up in the back yard to try it, I can sleep on my side in it without any problems but not semi Diagonally like I can in the Hennessey since the Clark does not have that extra room in it like the Hennessey when those two ground lines are used to spread it apart. When you do that you have to sleep in a modified diagonal line because the self sealing entrance is higher then the rest of the hammock at the foot end. It creates a pocket for your legs on either side of it.

Only down side to a HH is what happen to Swampy on one trip he ended up sitting on the self sealing entrance ( Don't ask I haven't figured that out ), ... PLOP ... he was on the ground , evicted from his own hammock.

It just depends on what you like and what you want , both are top quality hammocks and offer there own advantages. The Clark has one impressive advantage , it is made in America , a rare thing today.

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

THAT was a darned good comparison of the two hammocks.

I've never had a problem with end entry in a Hennessy. Others have, and I can't figure out how they managed to do that. They must be more creative and better at gymnastics than I.

Also, I've never been bitten through a Hennessy Hammock. Mosquitoes have buzzed around outside, but never penetrated. Danged good thing a bear never came around; I would have been a pinnata for him.

 

[oldsparkey]

Jack...

Like you I have had the skeeters buzzing around looking for a meal , to me that is just as bad as them dinning on you. :lol: Fortunately there dinning had to be elsewhere at that time.

I forgot to mention the cost .......

In my humble way of looking at it and I did when I saw the price tag on the Clark.
If the two hammocks were hung next to each other the normal person would just see two hammocks with a lot of difference in price. That is quite obvious.

Evaluating the cost of the Clark...
The Clark has the bug proof body and that fabric has to cost a lot more , then there are all the outside pockets which can be sealed against the weather , the pockets at the end of the canape to stuff the netting in if you want the hammock open. Even the two pockets inside the hammock for night time stuff. The heavy duty zippers on both sides and ends for removing the bug netting or entry and exit from the hammock. Not forgetting the storm shield if yours comes with it.
It definitely costs more to manufacture it. Now add in that it is made here in America , that alone has to kick the cost per unit higher.
Plus don't forget the profit margin for the manufacture , they are not making them for the fun of it.

 

[islandpiper]

Will somebody tell me how in the heck the HH sets up as a tent? thanks, Piper

 

[oldsparkey]

Will somebody tell me how in the heck the HH sets up as a tent? thanks, Piper

One way.........

Another way.....

For all of the information
http://hennessyhammock.com/use-as-a-tent.html

Can't say it looks real comfortable but it sure beats nothing.

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

I've also thought that a Hennessy could still be erected as a hammock when trees are f--a--r apart. A pair of shear poles could support one - or both - ends, erected under the main line that fastens to a tree. The shear poles should be as close to the hammock as practicable. That way, the rope wouldn't sag.

Oh, and I sent and got a pair of 72" tree huggers. Once I received them, I gave myself two sharp uppercuts (Hairy Mick style). I could have bought nylon tape and made the same thing with a needle and dental floss. D'OH!

 

[a Bald Cypress]

I have been wondering about just buying a couple of those [nurse] ratchit straps at a big box store [they have some that are rated for a ton or more] then just having a loup at the end of the hammock to hook into.

The straps are more than long enough to go around most any tree a couple of times.

Tightening the tension on the hammock would be simple. I could understand why a backpacker might not want the weight but, for those of us who go by boat, the weight is not a factor.

After my hammock gets here [TOMOROW] I hope. I may just go for it and see if it will work.

At the worst, I just have a couple of straps for tying stuff up or down.

 

[rhutchinson]

Thanks for the great comparison Chuck. It pretty much hit all my questions.

R Hutchinson

P.S. Ya recon the guy with the bike has his ground cloth inside with him? :lol: :lol:

 

[BEARS BUDDY]

Before you buy the ratchet straps check http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?c=577&i=13792 You may need to get stronger ratchets than you expect.
They have a diagram showing the stress on the supports and ropes at various angles. The numbers for a taut line are extreme for us fluffy fellows.

 

[a Bald Cypress]

Well, the Clark was dropped off yesterday. First some initial impressions. This is a well-made hammock. For the price it ought to be. I went over it and could find NO, NO bad sewing areas at all.

The initial setup took 20 min but that included lots of looking, reading and pic taking to make sure I didn’t mess it up. I only had to re-adjust it one time. The set-up is rather straightforward. The poles slip in with no problem and from what I can see, that is the major difference between this hammock and the rest.

I like the fact that the tarp is not connected to the hammock. I put it up last just to see how it covered the hammock. It looks as if it will be just right. Clark has put some thought into this one.

When in the hammock, the poles keep the fabric well clear. You feel as if you are “not confined”. I had no trouble moving around and it never felt “tippy”

After the initial flop down and wiggle to check the stability I sat up and scooted to the foot. Pulling out the bug net, I zipped it up as I was moving back into position and had no trouble at all. With the net up, you still have full vision. It seams as if you have a light pair of sunglasses on, no darker.

I then un-zipped the net and repeated with the storm cover. Again no problem however, with the temp at 94, I didn’t leave the storm cover up long enough to see how hot the oven would get.

Take down and returning the hammock to the stuff sac took two min with no problems. It is a tight fit tho.

Will set it up as a tent tomorrow just to see how it will work and take a few pics.

 

[oldsparkey]

I cheat with the stuff sack idea.
What I like to use , both for the HH and the Clark is a larger dry bag as a stuff sack for them. not so much pushing and packing with them. Plus I always pack it from the foot so the head area is the 1st to come out. I like to sleep on my left side and this way I know how to hang the hammock to be able to see the direction ( the view ) I want while laying there. Just another plus about a hammock , you can have a view while camping and not looking at the same 4 walls all the time.

There are a lot of tricks to hammocks and it just takes some camping in them to learn what ones will work for you.

Chuck...
Remember ... When you try the tent idea . Clark Hammocks suggests to have a ground cloth of some type under the hammock when set up on the ground to protect it from the moisture. Especially since the body of the hammock is made from a breathable material. Plus ..Don't pack it up if it is wet for more then a day. That advise goes with just about any outdoor shelter.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Sir Cypress Sans Hair, Nice. I'd suggest that you eyeball that porch pillar to see if the side load has started to unseat it. Could a bit expensive if that sips a bit - or, worse, if it slips a whole lot!

Hammocks are a pretty versatile shelter. In some areas, though, they are nearly useless. It takes vertical supports - trees - for them. Some sites are devoid of trees......and there aren't many of'em there, either.