Best Hammock Picks: Skip the Bulky Tent and Take One of These Camping

Are you heading to the great outdoors? Everyone deserves a getaway now and then. If you want to embrace the spirit of ruggedness genuinely, why not ditch the tent altogether? After all, if the weather grows too nasty, you have a vehicle parked somewhere. 

Camping hammocks empower you to live the primitive lifestyle and shuffle off the technology shackle from your ankles. Imagine gazing up at a starlit sky unblemished by power lines and flashing neons. Drift into dreamland by the light of the silvery moon. These are our best hammock picks: heavenly beds that you can stretch between two trees. 

Considerations With Camping Hammocks

Hammock camping shares much in common with its terrestrial-bound cousin. However, you do need to take some additional considerations. To ensure a safe and pleasant excursion, you should follow specific safety rules, such as:

• Know your gear’s weight capacity: You’ll probably sleep with your backpack in your hammock, so you need to calculate your combined weight — lest you risk crashing or sliding to the ground in the night. Hop on the scale with your gear before you select your hammock model to ensure it can hold you comfortably. 
• Stay warm: A hammock alone allows the air to circulate, chilling you when the sun sets. Use a sleeping pad and a quilt for insulation, or dress in warm layers and sleep in your clothes. 
• Remember, bears can climb: Elevating yourself off the ground does inhibit some creepy crawlies — you’re less likely to encounter a snake in your bed. However, bears climb trees like spider monkeys, so don’t sleep with your snacks in your hammock. Store them a safe distance away. 

Five Different Camping Hammocks for Various Types of Outdoorsy Folk 

Are you ready to hit the trails? If so, consider some of the best camping hammocks to bring along.

1. For Simplicity — The Nano-7 Hammock

Are you looking for the ultimate in lightweight and rugged adventures? If so, the Nano-7 hammock is for you. This basic model doesn’t come with tie straps, but it does have two carabiners to attach it to trees. It weighs in at only 7.3 ounces, so you won’t have to add much heft to your backpack. This feature makes it an ideal model for when you want to go deep in-country and not emerge. The fabric dries quickly, so unanticipated showers won’t leave you sleeping soggy. 

2. For Rainy Days — Hennessy Ultralite Backpacker Classic 

Do you live in an area like the Pacific Northwest that sees copious rainfall? If so, you might think any suggestion to skip the tent entirely represents madness. Yet listen — if the ground turns to quagmire, would you rather lie down in it or rest peacefully above? Feel like you’re sleeping on a warm, dry cloud with the Hennessy Ultralite Backpacker Classic. This innovative hammock comes complete with a broad tent cover that keeps the raindrops from falling on your head. 

3. For Large Capacity — Hummingbird Double Hammock

Perhaps you take up a lot of space and value comfort. If so, you need a hammock that can support those powerful quads. Maybe you’re heading out with your SO, and you want to snuggle up under the stars. This heavy-duty hammock can support up to 400 lbs., so it’s ideal if you run with the mastiffs and malamutes. Plus, this model features a button link attachment system that makes setting it up a snap. The design came from a parachute rigger, so you can sleep feeling secure. 

4. For the Sprawl-Out Set — Amok Draumr Hammock 

If you have sleep apnea, hammock sleeping can leave fellow trekkers wondering if a bear wandered into camp. Traditional hammock designs have you lie flat on your back in a narrow tube, a position that exacerbates symptoms of some health conditions. This model enables you to sleep on your side or your back and sprawl — it attaches from the sides, not the top and bottom. Additionally, you can turn this model upright like a chair with the adjustment straps. 

5. For Those Who Need Versatility — Blue Ridge Camping Hammock 

Sometimes, you don’t want to — or can’t — find two suitable trunks to spread out your gear. That situation won’t pose a problem with this hammock, as it segues effortlessly from the ground to the trees, depending on the terrain. This model features a built-in noseeums bug net and comes with an attached cover for rainy days. The poles add rigidity and support even when you’re elevated, giving you a wide bed surface to curl up on your side comfortably. 

Take One of These Best Hammock Picks on Your Next Adventure 

The next time you head to the great outdoors for some well-deserved R&R, skip the tent. If you take one of these hammocks, you’ll enjoy comfortable and dry sleeping conditions far from the beaten path.