Believe it or not, we’ve spent our fair share of nights hammock camping. In the right situation, there’s something to be said for sleeping suspended in the air instead of grinding on whatever rock or root you failed to notice while pitching your tent after three beers. That said, there are some drawbacks to sleeping in your typical hammock – for example, most portable ones are pretty flimsy and non-supportive, and there’s no top on them, so if it starts to rain in the night you’re going to get wet. Oh, and if you can’t find something to hang it from – a tall order at most music festivals – your hammock isn’t going to do you much good unless you decide to wear it as a cape.
That’s why we liked the Lawson Blue Ridge Camping Hammock. This ruggedly constructed hammock tent (tent-mock?) weighs in at 4.5 pounds and $170, and offers all kinds of perks over your standard hammock. It offers the support you need via collapsible “spreader bars,” keeps the bugs away with a zippered screen, integrates an easy-to-attach rain fly, and can easily be pitched like a normal tent if you can’t find two perfectly-distanced trees / poles / good Samaritans.
It was insanely easy to set up in both aerial and ground formations, and there’s plenty of room for you and your gear inside. Plus, you might even be able to fit someone else in there if you really like each other. Recommended!
