Hikers-Leave Your Tent Home
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When shopping for a hammock, you can be easily confused by terms like ‘Portable Hammocks.’ In truth, many would consider just about any type of hammock to be a portable hammock since they are usually very easy to move from one place to another. After all, any standard hammock only needs two stationary supports for hanging or a hammock stand. In any case, it can be detached and easily moved from one place to another.
Real portable hammocks are ideal for camp sites and offer additional benefits to the user. If you are kayaking, canoeing or hiking, you have to give consideration to the weight of your food and equipment. In my opinion the best feature of a true portable hammock is that is can replace your tent. True camping hammocks come equipped with insect and rain protection. The netting is fine enough to even keep the smallest gnats and mosquitoes at bay while giving the user the comfort of sleeping in a hammock. The more expensive camping hammocks selected by serious campers will include a rain fly and good quality sealing to protect from the weather but if budget minded, just carry a small tarp to tie up over you and you’ve managed to do away with the need of carrying a tent.
Generally speaking, a camping hammock is constructed of single piece of light weight yet strong material that can be stretched between two supports such as trees. Some types of camping hammocks also come with portable stands to permit hanging in areas where trees might not be suitable. This type is especially nice if you have a tarp to hang above for weather protection. But the serious camper will probably desire that perfect location hanging between two trees on a side of a stream for atmosphere. If you do decide to go with a portable hammock which includes stands, do your homework. Be sure to read the online reviews which might reveal any flaws in the construction.
Another detail to be aware of is the weight and height capacity of various hammocks. While the less expensive camping hammocks might have a rating of 200 to 225 pounds, there are heavy duty hammocks capable of weights up to 300 pounds and more. This is something to consider if you are going to do away with your tent. Certain times of the year you might add a sleeping bag or mattress and stow away food or other supplies in your hammock. I personally like the Skeeter Beeter travel hammock by Grand Trunk. This hammock is exceptionally well made and does a great job of protecting you from the insects you might encounter. They also have various accessories available as hammock tree slings and waterproof shelters that you use to keep off any rain. There are other camping hammocks for those over 6 feet tall and up to a total weight of 300 pounds. These hammocks have special areas for holding additional equipment.
All in all, when you consider these hammocks enable you to leave the tent home, and provides off the ground sleeping and protection of your food, back pack and such, they are a great deal.
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