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Tom's Story
- this is a World War II
surplus US army jungle hammock,
similar to the one Tom Hennessy
used as a teenager
-Tom's first prototype in
his mother's backyard in Sarasota,
Florida.
- Tom's prototyping studio
set up in an Everglades campground.
"...I would cut and sew
a new prototype every day and
test it that night."
-In the morning, I would
know what to do to make another
improvement.
-I would start again to
cut and sew for that night's
new model. This went on for
two weeks. More than fifty prototypes
were produced in six years to
complete this project.
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The
HENNESSY HAMMOCK was
invented by Tom Hennessy, an
industrial designer living on
Galiano Island off the west
coast of Canada.
HISTORY
At the age of 16, I would make
200 mile, weekend bicycle trips
out of Washington D.C. into
the Appalachian Mountains. I
carried a minimum of food &
water, a light sleeping bag
and a WWII surplus U.S. Army
jungle hammock. I loved this
old thing because it rolled
up so small and weighed so little
and had no poles or stakes,
perfect for moving light and
fast.
Later at university, I loaned
my hammock to a "friend"
who never returned it. As the
years passed, I continued to
miss that little piece of gear
and finally decided to duplicate
my old army hammock from memory
during my winter vacation.
I purchased all the materials
in Vancouver B.C. and flew to
Florida to visit my mother,
who had taught me to sew when
I was 10 and still had her original
1949 sewing machine.
THE PROJECT
The duplicate of the army hammock
took less than a day to finish.
As I was cutting and sewing,
I began to see ways to overcome
some of the army hammock's shortcomings.
The prototype needed to be more spacious inside to eliminate any sense of claustrophobia. It needed to be wider to allow resting or sleeping on the diagonal without curving your back. The netting had to be increased to improve air circulation and the weather fly needed to be adjustable and removable to create an open and airy feeling during good weather and yet close up for protection at night or during inclement weather.
Over the next five years I made over fifty different prototypes for my ventures into the Everglades, Costa Rica and Mexico.
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The rectangular army shape evolved into a sleek diamond shape; the cord assemblies at each end disappeared to create more interior space by attaching the hammock fabric directly to the suspending ropes. A ridge line was built into the hammock providing a support for the netting and weather-fly and, more importantly, ensuring that the hammock would set with exactly the same curve each time it was set up.
And the most amazing feature, the side zipper was eliminated and replaced with a zipper-less entrance through the bottom of the hammock which snapped closed automatically, activated by your own bodyweight, as you lift your feet up through the entrance. Finally, a special fold was added at the entrance to provide a tight, overlapping seal.
By the fall of 1998, it was finished. I could not add or subtract any features which would further simplify or improve the design. Camping without a tent was not only possible - it was amazingly comfortable!
 TO
MARKET, TO MARKET
First, I demonstrated the product to Canadian and American Co-ops and
they both enthusiastically decided to carry the Hennessy Hammock. Independent
outdoor retailers almost immediately saw the potential for this product.
It has been on the market since May of 1999, and keeping up with demand has been our biggest challenge. We will increase production to meet an anticipated surge of sales in 2002.
 It has been shown at the Outdoor Retailer
show in Salt Lake City with overwhelming interest from retailers, catalogues, and distributors. A week later, it was also shown at the outdoor show in Germany. The Europeans were more reserved, but did send me home with distributors for seven countries. We have Canadian and US Patents and we have filed for international patents.
Tom Hennessy
New Zealand Design Studio…
Winter, 2004
Hi everybody!
 I've finally found a quiet place to do
some more designing. Over the last couple of years, people have made
some valuable suggestions of ways we can improve Hennessy Hammocks. I must admit that the pressures of keeping everybody supplied with 8 models has dominated my time and made
it almost impossible to get more than
a few hours or days at a time to experiment
with new ideas. I also find it difficult
to focus on design in the Canadian
winter when the days are short, cold
and wet and the light is low.
And then I found the answer! The
sun was hiding on the other side of
the planet so I got on an airplane
and found another summer happening
in New Zealand. I decided that two
summers were better than one, bought
a little cabin in the mountains in
a town called Athol near Queenstown,
have set up a design studio and have
started prototyping as many ideas
as I can. Hopefully by the time I
leave at the end of February, I will
have at least a couple of new accessories
ready for testing. that will make
Hennessy Hammocks even more versatile
and comfortable
Cheers
Tom
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"Recommended
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