Hennessy Ultralite Asym Zip Assessment

Bottom Line

Taking a stab at a design that’s lighter than their popular Expedition series, the Hennessy Ultralite Backpacker Asym Zip drops the weight a lot and raises the price a reasonable amount. It offers a decent value for someone who wants a lightweight kit and doesn’t mind the style. The standout feature is a unique asymmetrical design that makes it trickier to find a consistent flat lying position, but can still offer good comfort for most people up to about 5’9” by our testing. Added to the experience are quality materials and thoughtful features like a ridgeline organizer and side pulls that make the Ultralight Zip nice to use.

The biggest downside to this kit is that the small rain tarp and small hammock dimensions mean most people are better off looking at our top picks for single hammocks and kits for a more comfortable and storm worthy model. It’s possible to get good results with the Ultralight Zip, and we certainly enjoyed our time testing it between some of Minensota’s best trees. It’s not our first choice when making a general recommendation, however, especially at this price and weight.

However, Hennessy is one of the oldest players in the game and has a loyal following for a reason. For people who enjoy the style and are fully aware of the design tradeoffs, the Ultralight Zip is a quality product that should last a long time.

Comfort

We found the Ultralite Zip to be decently comfortable with a bit of work. Because the hammock has a patented, aggressive asymmetrical design and a shorter than usual ridgeline, the sweet spot for finding a comfortable lying position is a bit smaller than other hammocks. The asymmetrical shape is meant to better define the diagonal lying area, but we didn’t find that it made a big difference compared to symmetrical hammocks. Our 5’11” tester was still able to find a comfortable spot, but not as easily as other models, and moving outside of that area wasn’t as forgiving. 

Part of this is attributed to the shorter ridgeline. Most fixed ridgelines target a length of 83% of the hammock body length, but Hennessy uses a 72% length, so there’s more curve than on other models. It still is possible to get a comfortable night’s sleep, but we’d encourage anyone above 5’9” to look at the XL model with an 11 foot length. 

Thankfully the rest of the comfort experience is solid. The fabric isn’t the softest, but certainly comfortable enough. The included ridgeline organizer means there’s a place to put a phone or headlamp while sleeping, so they’re not rolling around the hammock body at night.

When testing this hammock in a local park alongside the other hammocks in our lineup, we weren’t drawn to it for lounging or relaxing like some of the more spacious hammocks. Considering how focused this model is on lightweight backpacking, we don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. It’s plenty comfortable while maintaining its ultralight status.

Features

Hennessy offers a few useful features that make the Ultralite Backpacker Asym Zip comfortable and enjoyable to use. The included ridgeline organizer provides good storage for smaller items. We liked stashing our headlamp and phone there when testing. The side pulls are also nice, although not our favorite design. They’re shock cords, but don’t have any adjustability in the form of a toggle or LineLoc, so getting the tension right is entirely up to stake placement. The bug netting is high quality noseeum mesh (which keeps even the smallest of bugs out), and the zippers have a nice feel with good pull cords.

Because this is a hammock kit, suspension and a tarp are included, but strangely not tent stakes. The tarp is a diamond shape, which provides minimal coverage and helps Hennessy keep the weight down. Diamond tarps aren’t our favorite shapes since they don’t offer the protection that hex or square tarps provide, but we’ve waited out rainstorms in Hennessy diamond tarps before, and they’re fine. 

The tarp attaches to the suspension with a prusik knot and a mitten hook, which is a bit different from conventional tarps. This system saves weight by not requiring additional connection lines to trees, but also means that movement in the hammock is translated to the tarp, and setting up the tarp independent of the hammock isn’t possible. These are minor issues,  but they’re still tradeoffs compared to traditional designs.

The suspension is another unique design that we have similar feelings about. Instead of straps, two fixed cords are attached at either end and attach to two short tree straps. The included instructions – helpfully printed on the storage bag – show how to tie the knot that secures the cord, but knot knowledge can be intimidating and not as intuitive as hardware. The included tree straps are also much shorter than we’d prefer to see, especially when camping in areas with large trees.

Weight

The Ultralite Backpacker Asym Zip has weight at the top of its priorities, and it mostly delivers on this. With a total weight of 33.6 ounces, it’s the lightest full kit we tested. Considering that some other singular hammocks weigh almost as much as this, that number is impressive. 

It’s important to note that the majority of the weight savings comes from the smaller tarp, unique suspension, and small hammock dimensions. When weighing the hammock body separately, it comes in at 22.4 ounces, which places it at one of the heavier hammocks in our lineup. So while the kit is impressively lightweight, it achieves that through certain design tradeoffs that may or may not be appealing. However we can’t deny it’s an impressively lightweight package at a reasonable price.

Ease of Use

Hennessy hammocks are set up a little differently than other hammocks, since it relies on knots rather than hardware. While some people prefer this system, we find it makes things a bit more tricky than conventional designs. Getting the side pull and tarp cords tensioned properly is challenging since neither offer easy adjustability. The suspension is also simple in theory, but relying on knots isn’t very beginner friendly. Even those of us experienced with knots don’t enjoy this implementation and would rather use hardware or  a different knot arrangement. Overall, it’s something that can be easy once you get the hang of it, but it will take a bit of time.

Should You Buy the Hennessy Ultralite Backpacker Asym Zip Hammock?

Hennessy makes hammocks unlike any other, and for fans of their style, the Ultralite Backpacker Asym Zip is a good investment that should yield many nights of great sleep. The issue is that some of the design choices made are tough to recommend when there are many other hammocks that do things a bit better, cheaper, or lighter. So for the price, you’re getting a decently light package that offers good value, but only if the tradeoffs aren’t a big deal. 

It’s straightforward enough to fix the design tradeoffs, although the additional cost in price and weight doesn’t make much sense. The small hammock dimensions can be remedied by upgrading to the XL model, but to upgrade to a better coverage hex tarp would bring the total kit weight to 41.2 ounces and the price up to $339. At that point, the value proposition is a much harder sell; for that money and weight, a lot of hammocks are far more appealing.

So we think the Ultralite Backpacker Asym Zip only makes sense for someone who understands the design tradeoffs and still loves the all-in-one kit that Hennessy has put together here. It is a quality kit, but it doesn’t earn a higher recommendation because most backpackers won’t appreciate the design tradeoffs.

What Other Hammocks Should You Consider?

Kammok Mantis UL Review: For an example of an all-in-one hammock kit that delivers on a ton of excellent design decisions at a reasonable weight and price, the Mantis UL is pretty special. The hammock is larger and more comfortable than the Ultralite Backpacker Asym Zip for less weight The rainfly is much larger, attaches to trees independently, and is one we’d feel confident riding out a heavy storm in. We loved our time testing the Mantis UL and think it’s a great investment for those looking for an all-in-one kit. 

Other Hennessy Kits: There are two Hennessy kits worth mentioning, the Ultralight XL and the Hyperlite. The XL we’ve mentioned in this review a few times as a longer model worth checking out, but it’s essentially the same as the regular length. 

The Hyperlite uses a different 30D ripstop nylon instead of the usual 70D nylon taffeta for the hammock body, and a 20D silnylon (siliconized nylon) for the rainfly. These are both more common ultralight materials and bring the weight down to an astonishing 28 ounces. Even if you assembled a kit of premium components, it would be tough to beat this weight without resorting to a Dyneema tarp. 

The same design tradeoffs exist in this design – it’s still a Hennessy after all. For an extra ounce or two, assembling a kit of premium options will provide a significantly larger tarp and a much more comfortable hammock. So the Hyperlite only makes sense for those who want a supremely light kit and don’t mind the design tradeoffs.