Decades ago, when I first started camping, I’d never heard of anyone who used a hammock; we all used tents. Things have changed a lot, with hammocks now competing for popularity. So, which should you buy? It depends on where you’re camping, when, and other factors, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. However, some basic guidelines should help you figure out the best answer for your situation: hammock camping versus tent camping.
Hammock Camping Coverage on AllOutdoor
Advantages – Hammock Camping
Hammocks don’t need Level Ground
This is a huge advantage for hammock camping. I’ve hung my hammock in boggy areas in the northeast where a tent would have slowly sunk into the marshy ground over a night’s rest. I’ve hung my hammock on the side of construction sites in Labrador, where level, rock-free ground was difficult to find. I’ve hung my hammock on a narrow opening in the woods along a rocky beach, allowing me to wake up to a free million-dollar-view over a lake. You get the idea. However, if you’re hammock camping, you need to learn how much space you need to hang your accommodations, because if you’re strung between two trees that are too far apart, or too close, you can have an uncomfortable sleep.
Hammocks Don’t Need a Mattress
Swaying gently in the breeze, with no mattress needed; hammocks can provide much more comfort than a thin pad between you and the ground. However, you’ll still need something to keep the breeze from cutting through the compressed loft at the bottom of your sleeping bag and freezing you all night long. On anything but the hottest summer nights, I still generally use a sleeping pad, an underquilt or some other warmth retaining layer, so the weight savings aren’t as great as you might think.
Hammocks Handle the Rain Better
In my experience, it’s much easier to pitch and take down a hammock in the rain and keep it dry, versus trying the same thing with a tent. If your hammock has a large rainfly, you can keep a lot of gear dry underneath without actually having to cuddle up to it in your sleeping quarters. And since your hammock isn’t sitting on the ground, it’s not soaking up water from underneath. I think that for experienced tent campers, this is less of an issue, but for someone who doesn’t camp as frequently, a hammock with a good rainfly can handle a downpour without needing a lot of trickery to stay dry. However—if you’re camping with other people and you expect a lot of rain, a tent can offer a place for a group of people to hang out, talk, play cards—unless you hang a tarp, you won’t do that in a hammock.
Hammocks are Easier to Pack
If your hammock doesn’t have any poles—and unless you have a bridge hammock, this should be the case—then it’s easier to jam it into a stuff sack without worrying about breaking anything. Most of my hammock camping has been in the Hennessy Explorer Deluxe Zip XL, and while time to hang the hammock depends on your location, it comes down in almost no time at all; stuff the hammock body into the “Snakeskins” that sit on the guy rope (basically, fabric tubes that contain the hammock body), unclip the hammock ends, and throw it into a stuff sack. Jam the rain fly on top. Easy-peasy. See it demonstrated below, with the rainfly attached in this case.
Advantages for Tent Camping
Tents don’t need Trees
This is obvious—if there are no strong trees or other high points to hang your hammock (fence posts? light poles? be creative), then you’re going to be wallowing around on the ground.
This has happened to me before, camping in an area with stunted saplings but no adult trees. If I’d had my tent, I could have enjoyed a much less claustrophobic night. If you’re in the desert or other tree-less terrain, a tent can be preferable.
Tents are Warmer
As noted above, the wind will cut right through your sleeping bag’s compressed loft when you’re hammock camping, unless you have a layer underneath. In a tent, your sleeping pad provides that insulation between you and the ground. Generally speaking, a tent keeps the wind out better than most hammocks, and if you can find heaters for cold-weather camping as well, from battery-powered solutions for small, single-man tents to wood stoves in larger tents.
Tents have more Space and Privacy
I see two-man hammocks advertised, but I think they’d be even less comfortable than a two-person air mattress—no thanks. Fly solo or leave the hammock at home. But a two-man tent has room for you and your sweetie, and you can bring the whole family if you go big enough. This is not to be discounted. And also, a tent does a lot better job of shielding you from outside viewers, in case you’re worried about pervs eyeballing you as you change your skivvies. A tent is much easier for getting dressed and undressed in general.
Tents are Cheaper
An expensive tent will cost you as much as an expensive hammock, or more, but you can find a serviceable tent for less than a decent hammock. Having said that, lower-priced hammocks like this one from Onewind are offering much better bang-for-buck than the camping hammocks on the market from a decade back. Still, it’s much easier to find a good deal on a high-quality tent than a high-quality hammock, in my experience.
Having said that: You can get a mid-priced hammock like the offerings from Warbonnet and support a made-in-the-USA product whereas it’s harder to do that with a tent.
What’s Best for You?
If I could only have one or the other, I’d carefully think about where I was spending the most time camping, and what weather I expected, and buy accordingly. On my part, I did almost all my camping in hammocks until I broke down and bought a new tent about five years back when I realized its advantages were quite helpful in some situations.
There is one other option: You can buy a hammock that doubles as a tent. There are a few hammocks that work like this, but the one I’ve used in the past is the Lawson Blue Ridge. While not as spacious as most tents, this bridge-style hammock did work well when I had to pitch it on the ground in treeless terrain in the American Midwest.
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