Best Single Person Camping Hammock

Looking for an Ultralight hiking or backpacking set-up? Look no further than a simple but effective single person camping hammock. This guide will help you find the best single person camping hammock for your needs.

• What is a camping hammock?: Camping hammocks are different than a traditional hammock, this section explains more.

• Considerations to make when purchasing a solo hammock: Usage, weight and camping locations are all important considerations when purchasing a solo hammock, find out more in this section.

• Best single person camping hammock: Discover the best solo camping hammocks from Tentsile

• Best two person camping hammock: Want extra space? A two person camping hammock can be a great choice.

What is a Camping Hammock?

Simply put, a camping hammock is like a traditional hammock in the sense that it is elevated from the ground via a suspension system, but it has been optimized towards use in the outdoors, often by making sure it is easy to use while in a sleeping bag, without a more casual hammock’s spreader bar, and with the option to add a mosquito net or rain tarp to combat the challenges found when camping.

With these additions in mind, a camping hammock set-up becomes an incredible modular camping solution that can be tweaked and altered to suit the adventure at hand.

Main aspects

• Camping hammocks will often be made out of parachute nylon or a mesh material, striking a balance to create a lightweight but strong build.
• While there are many different ways to suspend a Hammock, a rope or strap system combined with either a ratchet or carabiner tensioning method is the most common and widely used method.
• A camping hammock is most widely used when hiking and backpacking, where easily packed and Ultralight configurations are preferable, and often when each camper has their own single berth shelter for the night.

The comfort, ease of set up and simplicity of a Hammock make it a great option for single person camping, where the user wants a unique experience over that found in a tent and without the complicated set-up.

Considerations to make when purchasing a solo hammock

There are several considerations to make before purchasing a solo hammock, including:

• Usage
• Size & Weight
• Location / Season
• Available Accessories
• Can it be used with a sleeping mat?
• Suspension System
• Setup
• Cost

Usage

Your camping hammock set-up will ultimately be governed by what adventure lies ahead of you. Looking to go backpacking, bike packing or on a solo hiking adventure? You’re going to want to get the lightest set up possible, most likely a single person nylon or mesh hammock. Going to a campsite with your partner? Then a double camping hammock will offer you more space but with the addition of extra weight.

Size & Weight

How much of your pack you want to fill with your campsite is another important factor. If you’re a backpacker or a solo thru hiker, the chances are you’ll want a considerably smaller and lighter pack down than if you’re car camping or having a single night in the local woods. Remember if you’re going as a couple and are happy to share a hammock you can always go for a double hammock and split out the pack weight across your bags, with one person carrying the hammock body and the other carrying the suspension system and accessories.

Location / Season

After your actual usage, the location and time of year you plan to camp in will be an important factor in deciding what your camping hammock set-up needs to be. The availability of trees at your chosen location will be a deciding factor on the style of suspension system you use, for example a two strap/two tree fixing, or a three strap/three tree fixing. Along with the number of trees available to you, considerer what other environmental factors you’re likely to encounter, is it mosquito season or are you going to be near water? Remember to pack a bug net. Is the forecast looking like heavy rain? Remember to pack your rain fly to ensure a dry night’s sleep.

Available Accessories

Some hammocks are more modular than others, while some come with these accessories built in. If you live or camp in an area known to have a high population of mosquitos or other irritable insects than a hammock with sewn in mosquito netting will save you having to set up a separate bug net each time you go camping.

The same can be said about the hammocks rain tarp, if you live in colder climates, you’ll want to invest in a hammock compatible with a tarp designed to handle snow, or in a hotter climate one that can be easily removed to bask in the sun.

Can it be used with a sleeping mat?

All Tentsile products are designed to be able to easily use an inflatable or roll-out sleeping pad, such as the Tentsile Sky-Pad, to offer greater comfort and insulation.

Suspension System

The suspension system is another aspect of a hammock tent that you’d be wise not to overlook. If you have a preference towards one particular system than make sure your hammock tent is able to accommodate that system.

Setup

The overall ease and timing of the hammock tent’s set up should also be considered. If a faster set up is required then the hammock is a strong choice over your regular backpacking tent, and can usually be put up in 60 seconds when you know how it works. A larger two or three-person hammock might take longer to set up, but you only have to put up one, instead of one per camper.

Cost

As with any purchase in the ‘Amazon age’, cost is of course a factor. You’ll find most single or double berth hammock set-ups will usually be far more cost effective than their equivalent ultralight tent equivalent.

Best double camping hammock: Tentsile T-Mini

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