Back in 2011 I unpacked the very first Hennessy Hammock ever sold in Sweden. I was the one who imported it. Since then I’ve hung in it, cursed at it, slept beautifully in it, and tied roughly four thousand knots in it. So when I now line it up against our own Momo Jord Hammock, this isn’t a rival I’m trashing from the bleachers — it’s an old friend I know inside out.
And just so it’s said: we’re on good terms with people right across the hammock world. This won’t be a mud-slinging contest. Hennessy is a classic for a reason. But there are a couple of things worth knowing before you spend the better part of three hundred euros.
What Hennessy does really well
A lot, honestly. This is no hatchet job.
- All-in-one. Sewn-in bug net, tarp, ridgeline, lines and tree huggers — all in a single ~1.6 kg package. You can buy it in the morning and sleep out the same evening without buying a single extra piece of kit.
- The bug net is fixed = zero gaps. A total insect cage. A relief in July.
- The asymmetric lay. You lie on the diagonal, flatter and comfier than in a straight banana.
- Built like a tank. They’ve refined this exact model since the ’90s. Thick, tightly woven nylon (140D), lines rated to 818 kg and a beefy #10 YKK zipper. It basically never breaks.
- Holds 136 kg and up to 213 cm. The XL is built for tall sleepers.
And where it chafes
- The weight. About 1.6 kg complete. Our Momo Jord weighs 970 g with everything. So you’re carrying an extra half-litre of milk in pure Hennessy.
- The knots. Oh, the knots. Hennessy hangs on tree straps and lines you tie with a figure-eight — the famous Hennessy knot. No buckles. No quick-clips. The first time, you stand in the woods for twenty minutes feeling like a sea scout who forgot everything. It does become muscle memory eventually, but the can’t-be-bothered factor is real.
- The tarp is small and asymmetric. In fair weather: brilliant. In sideways rain: wet at one end.
- A bit tight. The fixed ridgeline plus the asym cut mean you can’t move around much. Side sleepers often find it a little coffin-like.
- No insulation — cold back without an underquilt. (More on that below, because it’s genuinely the most-Googled thing about it.)
Where Momo Jord comes in: daisy chains beat knots
Our hammock hangs on two daisy-chain straps (2.8 m, ten loops each) and carabiners. You clip the carabiner into whichever loop gives the right height. Done. Zero knots. Up in under a minute — even the first time, even in the dark, even with gloves on.
Add 350 cm of length, 140 cm of width and an asymmetric cut — yes, you lie flat on the diagonal in ours too — plus a 200 kg max load and a built-in bug net you can tuck away into a pocket when the sun’s out. Hennessy’s is fixed on always: great against mosquitoes, a bit dull on a nice day. 970 g for the whole kit, made in Sweden, shipped within the EU. No customs, no transatlantic freight, no “where’s my parcel” anxiety.
The numbers, side by side
| Hennessy Explorer Deluxe Zip XL | Momo Jord Hammock | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight, complete | ~1.6 kg | 970 g |
| Dimensions (length × width) | 330 × 150 cm | 350 × 140 cm |
| Max load | 136 kg | 200 kg |
| Fabric | 140D nylon taffeta | 70D ripstop |
| Bug net | Sewn in (always on) | Built in, stowable |
| Suspension | Lines + knots | Daisy chain + carabiners, no knots |
| Tarp | Included (small, asym) | Optional (Asym Tarp, €69) |
| Insulation | None – needs an underquilt | None – needs an underquilt |
| Price | from ~€209 (RRP ~€279) | €139 |
| Buying in the EU | Resellers | Direct, no customs |
“But the tarp is included with the Hennessy?”
True, and it’s a fair point. Buy the Momo Jord hammock on its own and you don’t get a tarp in the base price. But do the maths: a Hennessy with tarp lands at €209–279. The Momo Jord hammock plus our Asym Tarp (€69, 510 g, pitched on two lines with a clear view to one side) comes to about €209 — roughly the same money. The difference is that you’re then hanging on a daisy chain instead of knots, and you can swap the tarp whenever you like.
Already own a Hennessy? This part’s for you.
The most-Googled thing about the Hennessy actually isn’t the hammock — it’s “underquilt for Hennessy Hammock”. Because people get a cold back. A hammock doesn’t insulate from below; your body weight flattens everything you lie on top of, so you need an underquilt on the outside of the hammock.
Our Momo Jord Underquilt is down (850FP, RDS-certified) and hangs just as nicely under a Hennessy as under our own. And one more thing, for free: our warmest winter underquilt (UQ800, down to −10°C) weighs 1,100 g — less than a synthetic underblanket that only just reaches freezing. Down is magic. More on that in our underquilt comparison.
The verdict
Hennessy is the rugged veteran for anyone who wants the whole cage in one bag, loves (or tolerates) knots, and is happy to take the tarp into the bargain. Buy it from a local reseller and you skip the customs hassle.
Momo Jord is roomier, over half a kilo lighter, knot-free, almost half the price of the hammock itself — and shipped within the EU. For most people hanging out in the woods of Northern Europe, it’s simply the easier choice.
Hennessy taught me how to hang. Then we built one you don’t have to tie.
