Hammock Camping: What You Need To Know
Are you one of those campers who grew up with tent camping? You enjoy nature throughout the day but sleeping inside a closed tent at night? When I first had my camping trip together with my friends, it was a joined trip with other backpackers- that’s when I discovered hammock camping.
Hammock Camping is a fun alternative to tent camping. If you want to switch to hammock camping or new to this- you don’t have to be intimidated with the idea because sleeping with a hammock with surprisingly comfortable and indeed, fun.
For starters, you probably wondering how it works. Well, I’ll show you how to make it work and might convince you to ditch sleeping on a tent on your next camping trip.
How to start Hammock Camping?
Hammock camping has been a popular trend for the past years and many backpackers are switching to hammock rather than a tent. This is because, hammocks tend to be lighter, compact, cozy and easy to use compared to the traditional tent that most backpackers use. Many prefer this because all you need is a couple of trees and the right gear to hold your hammock securely, you don’t need to find cleared ground as you do with the tent.
Sleeping above the ground is way better than sleeping inside the tent with hard ground.
To start hammock camping, you need proper gear and mindset for you to enjoy the experience. Here are the benefits you can enjoy with hammock camping:
Benefits of Hammock Camping
Hammock camping is more beneficial because:
- For camping with hammock, it can cut down and extra weight in your pack and save more space for other gears.
- The hammock is lightweight and small.
- It’s easy to set-up and easy to take down.
- No sleeping on rocks, branches, or even uneven ground.
- You are more open to nature and enjoy the night breeze.
- It’s long-lasting, sturdy and great value for money as it’s high quality.
It’s fun! Sleeping outside with nature, enjoying the fresh air and sleep under the night stars is amazing.
Even though the positive of camping with hammock outweigh its negatives, there are still few that we should consider with hammock camping.
Downside of Hammock Camping
Now, you’re starting to love your hammock, and planning to switch right away. However, there is a couple of downsides that you must take note before switching with hammocks.
- If the weather is not cooperating during your camping trip, sleeping on hammock is not a good option.
- Hammocks offer a little room to do other stuff other than sleep, read and relax. But, you can use this as a camping chair so you don’t have to worry about where to sit to.
- Storing gear for your hammock can also be a problem.
These are a few of the disadvantages you can encounter when you choose a hammock over a tent. I’m not saying to completely ditch the tent, if you can, you can bring both the tent and hammock so when there is a sudden change of weather, you can always be prepared.
What to consider when buying a hammock?
There are some things to consider before buying a hammock that you have to keep in mind.
A camping hammock is not similar to the beach hammock you see or your backyard hammock. The quality of the material is made for outdoor adventure and made with extremely durable material.
When choosing a hammock, consider the following factors:
Size
There are two different hammock sizes you can choose from; the single and the double hammock. Literally, it means a single hammock is for one person and the other is for two. Most backpackers choose the double hammock even though they are only one to use it as it can provide more comfort and space.
Durability and Usage
It is important to buy a durable hammock as you’ll be using it for outdoor activities. You also have to consider the weight- the hammock is supposed to be lightweight so it’s easy to bring and use.
Gears and Accessories
The hammock should have a strap to set it up. Bug Net is also important as you don’t want to sleep outdoors with all the bugs bugging on your ear and biting you. If you’re fine with sleeping under the rain, a rain tarp is a good investment. Also, it is important to have an insulator like a sleeping bag or insulated blanket in which you can use when sleeping in cold weather.
Our Recommendation
We highly recommend the camping hammock by Lazy Monk as it offers all the factors mentioned. The Double Camping Hammock offers Rainproof Nylon double hammock, strong Carbines, tree-friendly Straps, Nautical Grade Ropes for setting up tricks, a WATERPROOF tree sack, Yellow Hammock pins, the Hammock Tips&Trick & Installing Hard Copies + Digital Guidebook for the ULTIMATE adventure & the Multifunctional bandana! Which will all come in handy for your first hammock camping trip.
