Sleeping either in a tent or a hammock are pretty standard camping methods. Using a packing cube, a travel hammock can be carted more easily than a tent. A tent offers a bit more shelter, but the hammock is becoming more popular. So which one is best?
What Is Hammock Camping?
Hammock camping is exactly what it sounds like: instead of bunking down in a tent, you string your travel hammock between two stationary points (usually trees). This gives you more options than searching for a clear, level place to pitch a tent. A lot of backcountry campers prefer a hammock because it’s much easier to pack than a whole tent. It also eliminates the hassle of looking for a spot where the ground isn’t muddy or damp. It also gives you more room to accommodate your cooking set-up and the rest of your stuff.
A travel hammock is extremely comfortable for sleeping, but it can also be used as a chair to gaze on the scenery (eliminating the need for a separate camp chair). Because you’re suspended above the ground, it’s harder for critters and snakes to bother you (or you to bother them). A mosquito head net will keep bugs at bay. Suspend a tarp over your hammock to protect you from the rain or snow; and because you’re above the cold, wet ground, you’ll stay warmer.
What Is Tent Camping?
Tent camping lets you enjoy the outdoors by providing you with a shelter for the night or during inclement weather. To stay comfortable, you’ll need to spread a tarp on the ground to keep moisture and cold from penetrating. You can opt for a sleeping bag, cot, or an inflatable mattress to sleep on. A tent provides protection from most nosy critters as well as insects.
Tent camping requires a space big enough to erect your structure (and these days, there are some truly impressive ones, including inflatable tents as large as a room – even two!). These ultra-modern tents can be tricked out with fans, cooktops, and portable heaters or stoves for comfort like the kind you’d find at home.
For tent camping, there are sites in both the front and back country; some allow you to drive right in and set up your gear, others may be a short walk from a parking area. Very often, there will be a fee for setting up camp.
Benefits of Hammock Over Tent:
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Hammock camping is becoming increasingly popular over tent camping. The hammock, such as COCOON’s travel hammock, is extremely portable and adapts to more flexible terrain conditions. It can be set up in off-the-grid areas that are not suited to pitching a tent. You can head to less-crowded areas and really get away from it all. You don’t have to worry about cold or wet ground conditions, which in turn keeps you warmer. In fact, for that reason alone, a hammock is preferable for cold-weather camping.
Compared to sleeping at ground level, sleeping in a hammock is exceptionally comfortable. You’re elevated above any animals, especially snakes. A mosquito head net keeps the bugs away. Plus, you can better enjoy the trees and stars above you versus being enclosed inside a tent.
Hammocks are much easier to set up and take down versus a tent; you can easily bring them along in one of COCOON’s packing cubes. Those are just a few of the reasons that sales of hammocks have more than doubled in recent years.
1. Wild camping with a hammock is not forbidden
The cardinal rules of “wild camping” is to leave the area the way you found it and to respect the privacy of others. A hammock is an ideal way to do that. You can set up in areas that won’t accommodate a tent. You can pick locations in the back country, away from the crowd. Plus, because your travel hammock is suspended above the ground, it will leave a much lighter footprint (literally) on the planet.
Also, hammock camping is typically free of charge versus tent camping.
2. Weight and volume lower with hammock
The average weight of a heavy-duty tent is about five pounds. That doesn’t include the gear required to anchor it, the weight of the cot or inflatable mattress, tarp and more.
A hammock and its requisite gear (tarp for cover, tree-safe straps for suspension, bug net) are much, much lighter in total weight than what’s required for basic tent camping. Plus, hammocks are so much easier and quicker to pack, unpack, and set up when you come upon your perfect outdoor spot..
3. No condensation under the tarp
Condensation occurs inside a tarp where its warmer, such as in a tent.
For hammock camping, it’s recommended to suspend a tarp over the hammock to combat the elements, including the morning dew. Because of the open airflow around the hammock, you won’t experience the uncomfortable effects of condensation as you would inside your tent.
Sleeping comfort is higher in hammocks
A hammock, like COCOON’s travel hammock, offers decidedly more sleeping comfort. In fact, fans of the hammock claim they get much deeper sleep than they would inside a tent. Inside a tent, you typically use a sleeping bag, air mattress, or cot; all of these can limit your favored sleeping position. That doesn’t even factor in the dampness or hard, uneven terrain you deal with sleeping in a tent.
A hammock allows for more sleeping positions than on the ground (including sleeping on your side or stretching out on your back). Plus, who doesn’t love being gently rocked to sleep under the stars?
5. In a hammock you are part of nature and protect it at the same time
A hammock leaves a much lighter footprint on the earth, also known as “wild camping.” You’re not smashing down sensitive groundcover or plant life as you might with a tent. You’re not interfering with the nocturnal byways of the local fauna. You’re gently suspended above ground, enjoying the gentle rhythms of the trees and the wind. Plus, a hammock can also double as a chair, so that’s one less piece of furniture to impact the site.
In a COCOON travel hammock, you literally become one with nature – and isn’t that the whole point of camping?
6. Hammocks offer protection from animals, thanks to the mosquito net and the distance from the ground
There are plenty of campers who are all too aware of the curious animals who may come for a visit, especially at night. Snakes and bugs are another concern, especially when you’re at ground level. Sleeping in a hammock puts you above all that – literally. Our mosquito head net keeps you protected from irritating (and unhealthy) mosquito bites, so you can sleep soundly in nature’s embrace.
7. Hammocks are better on damp and uneven ground
One of the frustrations of tent camping is finding the perfect piece of ground to set up. Too often, campers struggle with uneven terrain, pooling water, and general cold and dampness that seeps through and makes sleeping uncomfortable. Those things aren’t a concern with a hammock. No matter where you decide to settle for the night, you’re suspended comfortably above the ground, fully enjoying the beauty of the natural world – uneven terrain and all.
Conclusion
Hammock and tents are wonderful tools for enjoying the outdoors. For years, tents have been the go-to for camping, but hammocks are rapidly overtaking them. They’re much lighter, more portable, and easier to set up and take down. And a hammock isn’t just for sleeping: they double as a chair, saving you another piece of camping equipment you’d have to haul.
Hammocks allow you access to more out-of-the-way spots, including “wild camping” which requires leaving a very light footprint. And unlike most tent camping sites which charge you to set up camp, using a hammock gives you more (free) options.
Hammock camping makes for better sleep outdoors, comfortably suspended above cold, damp, or uneven ground. You’re away from animals, snakes, and bugs (especially with a mosquito head net.
You can easily stash a travel hammock and mosquito head net in one of COCOON’s packing cubes and be ready for any last minute adventure!