WHO WE ARE

Hennessy Hammock is dedicated to making sure you are sleeping in comfort wherever your imagination takes you in the outdoors. Our Industrial Designer founder, Tom Hennessy, combines a life-long love of hammocks with a passion for innovation. In the more than 60 years Tom has been sleeping in hammocks, he has been picked up by a tornado in his hammock and another time hit by a shock wave of wind and water after a very close lightning strike at sea while sleeping in his hammock. He never knows when the light bulb will go on, the lid will come off the box and another breakthrough idea will pop out to amaze the hammock-loving public.

WHY WE MAKE THE PRODUCTS WE MAKE

Our first design was a six-year personal design challenge for Tom which came to market in 1999. It was a bottom entry Expedition sized model, a one-size fits all sturdy hammock system with the patented entrance through the bottom that made the Hennessy Hammock unique. Then our customers started asking for more. Next came the super comfortable Asymmetrical shape. Adventure racers and long distance backpackers immediately started asking for an ultralight hammock which resulted in the Ultralight Backpacker and the Hyperlite; then a longer hammock for taller people was requested resulting in the Explorer Deluxe, the Explorer Ultralight and the Survivor. The Safari quickly followed for super-sized comfort, completing what we now think of as the “Classic” bottom entry series.

Cool accessories such as the patented “Snakeskins” and the SuperShelters, OverCovers and Water Collectors all came to life as Tom was lying in his Hennessy Hammock wondering what more he could do to improve the hammock experience.

Customer requests then led to the creation of “Zip” versions of each model. The new “Jungle” series of hammocks combines the zipper entry with a double bottom for extra insulation and protection in a variety of weights and sizes. All told, more than 20 Hennessy Hammock models are now available online and through select retailers.

A few products that Tom particularly admires, such as Evernew Pots and Hyperlight Mountain Gear packs, are also available on the Hennessy Hammock website.

WHERE WE ARE LOCATED

Hennessy Hammock headquarters is wherever in the world Tom happens to be – mostly Galiano Island in Canada, Stewart Island in New Zealand and Kauai, Hawaii. Our staff works from Galiano and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Athol, New Zealand. From warehouses in the US, Canada, the UK and New Zealand, our hammocks find their way to adventurers on every continent from the Arctic to the deepest jungles in the world.

FOUNDED IN 1999

Hennessy Hammock started at a very exciting time in the world of commerce, when the internet was just becoming the way people found out about new products. This meant that a tiny company on a remote island with a big idea and hardly any money could get the word out through viral marketing. Almost immediately, the online store became the main way that outdoors people found out about and purchased Hennessy designs. Articles, forums, reviews and awards spread the word online.

Long before the advent of the “Cloud”, Hennessy Hammock was developing a real-time system for sharing information that made it possible to exist without a central office. Our website contained over one hundred pages of information, pictures, "how to" videos, FAQs, letters and even a page of poetry. This brings us to the most important part of Hennessy Hammock...

OUR TEAM

Tom Hennessy, CEO, designer and marketer, started designing things when he was 6 years old (and we won’t tell you how long ago that was). He lives to make things work faster, lighter, better and smarter. “Form follows function” and "Perfection is a direction" are his guiding principles. Travelling around promoting hammocks and seeking inspiration for new designs is his usual activity. He sometimes comes down to earth for events such as Trail Days in Damascus, Virginia.

Ann Hennessy, CFO, coordinates the less glamorous, but most important aspects of the Hennessy Hammock business such as ordering from factories, shipping, import-export, inventory, accounting, payroll and  taxes.  That's all the stuff that hammock designers haven't a clue about.

James Hennessy, COO, keeps all the balls in the air, coordinating people working in different places and time zones so that the hammocks can be where they need to be at the right time. He is the primary contact for retailers and distributors.

Steve Norris, CIO, handles logistics as well as the technical complexities of the unique Hennessy Hammock dispersed office model and anything involving technology. Steve frequently attends the Outdoor Retailers shows in Salt Lake City.

David “Zeuss” Cochrane, CQC, personally inspects all hammocks at the factories to ensure that they meet the high Hennessy Hammock standard. Tom jokes that "Zeuss" can pick up a hammock at the factory, throw it into the air and see that it meets all quality standards before it hits the floor.  Zeuss works with Tom and the factories to create new prototypes and to find and test new materials. Zeuss also does most of the repairs to hammocks returned for warranty issues or damage caused by accidents or normal wear and tear.  Zeuss is also a regular at the Outdoor Retailer where we exhibit the Hennessy Hammock to new prospective stores and outdoor industry professionals .

Keltie Miles is the cheerful voice customers expect to hear when they call the toll free number for customer service. Keltie has been with Hennessy Hammock since the very beginning.