5 Best Portable Hammocks Camping stores are flooded with hammocks, and it can be pretty difficult to make the right choice. If you are overwhelmed by the available options, then have a look at what we think are the 5 best portable hammocks out there. To give you an idea of what to expect from each of the picked hammocks, we’ll have an in-depth look at their features. Not only that, but after the hammock overview, we’ll give you a couple of tips on choosing the right portable hammock for your needs. With that, let’s jump into our reviews with no further ado! 5 Best Portable Hammocks 1. Legit Camping Double Hammock The Legit Camping double hammock overall seems like a great deal for the money. It certainly isn’t a cheap hammock, but it offers good value. What interests us in this hammock, first of all, is durability. Well, with a weight capacity of 400 pounds, military-grade 210T nylon fabric, and steel carabiners, this thing should be able to serve you for a long time. Judging by over two thousand positive buyer reviews, Legit Camping’s portable hammock seems to live up to its claims of exceptional durability. Aside from that, Legit Camping backs this hammock up by a lifetime warranty, so you’ll be able to request a replacement at any time or return the hammock if you dislike it. What may also interest you in this hammock is that it has room for two. While we can’t claim that this hammock will fit everyone, it should have sufficient room for most pairs. Its weight capacity of 400 pounds should be enough for two people as well. Even if you aren’t intending to hang out in your hammock with someone, the extra space might make this hammock a little more comfortable for you. What we wish the Legit Camping hammock also had is adjustable straps with loops. The stock straps should be durable enough and work just fine, but they’ll be a hassle to set up since you may need to make knots in them to adjust their length. Pros: Withstands up to 400 pounds. Enough room for two. Steel carabiners. Military-grade nylon fabric. Backed by a lifetime warranty. Cons: The stock straps don’t have adjustable length. 2. ONSON Camping Double Hammock ONSON offers a somewhat different take on double hammocks. The first difference from the Legit Camping’s product in this hammock is the fabric – it also uses 210T nylon fabric, but it’s claimed to be quick-drying here. Legit Camping’s hammock probably is just as quick-drying, but the manufacturer doesn’t indicate this feature. The second difference to catch the eye in this hammock is the straps – they have 19 loops in them, allowing you to adjust their length and easily hang the hammock no matter how far apart the desired trees are. In terms of weight capacity, the two hammocks are identical – this one also supports up to 400 pounds. Likewise, it has enough room for two people, and its weight capacity should be sufficient for this. What may make the ONSON hammock a little bit weaker than the Legit Camping hammock is the carabiner material. In this hammock, they are made of aluminum. Though aluminum doesn’t rust unlike steel, it’s not as strong. This may imply reduced longevity, but only time will show. Pros: 400 pounds of weight capacity. Has room for two. Straps with adjustable length. Non-rusting aluminum carabiners. Breathable & quick-drying fabric. Cons: The aluminum carabiners may have a short lifetime. 3. HONEST OUTFITTERS Camping Hammock HONEST OUTFITTER’s single camping hammock is a well-priced option of a single hammock. There also is a double version of this hammock available, but we’ve picked the single-person hammock for variety. Notably, this hammock is no less durable than the two previous hammocks – though it’s intended for one person, it can again withstand up to 400 pounds. And unlike the ONSON hammock, the carabiners here are made from steel, which should allow this hammock to serve you for a long time. HONEST OUTFITTERS also boasts about triple stitching, so the seams of this thing shouldn’t come apart easily. The one downside of this portable hammock is that it comes with non-adjustable basic straps. The double-person variant of this hammock does come with adjustable straps, but for some reason, the single hammock does not. You should be able to make the stock straps work, but we suggest that you get adjustable straps for the hammock if you can. Pros: Relatively inexpensive. Supports up to 400 pounds. Durable steel carabiners. Cons: Doesn’t come with adjustable straps. 4. Pure Garden Portable Hammock Stand This portable hammock by Pure Garden is one of the so-called hammock stands. And as you can clearly see, it’s not like other hammocks on our list. More specifically, it’s not intended to be hung from a tree – rather, it rests on a frame that can be placed in any spot with sufficiently level ground. With this in mind, this portable hammock is much more versatile than traditional hammocks when it comes to placement. Although this hammock has relatively low weight capacity – 250 pounds – it should live for a long time. The hammock fabric is a durable canvas, while the frame is made from aluminum. A bonus perk with aluminum is that it doesn’t rust. With that said, there have been quite a few complaints about the durability of this hammock’s seams. The vast majority of people seem not to have had any issues, but a noticeable number of buyers did. Since the quality control with this hammock may be lacking, if you do buy this portable hammock, check its seams. Aside from that, try to use the hammock a few times during the return window – this way, if something is wrong, you should be able to replace the item or get your money back. This thing is also relatively pricey, and it requires initial assembly after receiving as well. But if your hammock turns out to be free of any seam issues, it may be worth the money for you. Pros: May be used anywhere. Non-rusting aluminum frame. Weight capacity of 250 pounds. Cons: Pricey. Requires assembly. Delicate seams. 5. Kootek Camping Double Hammock And the final portable hammock on our list is yet another double hammock! Although this double hammock by Kootek is very similar to the previous ones, it has a few notable features. First of all, this hammock is claimed to withstand up to 500 pounds, which makes it look like a much better option for two people (though this will depend on their weight). If 400 pounds won’t be enough for you, then Kootek’s hammock may be an ideal choice. For even more durability, this hammock has triple stitching, as well as steel carabiners. In terms of convenience, the Kootek hammock is also great. It comes with adjustable straps with 19 loops, allowing for easier length adjustment and hanging. And besides, this hammock is also claimed to be quick-drying. But there’s one thing to keep in mind with the straps – they seem to be pretty delicate. A few people have complained about their straps ripping, but this doesn’t seem to be a major issue. Hundreds of people have been fully satisfied with this hammock, and maybe a few people just got unlucky with their straps. Pros: Withstands up to 500 pounds. Enough room for two people. Adjustable strap length. Steel carabiners. Dries quickly. Cons: The included straps seem to be delicate. How To Choose The Best Portable Hammock To help you pick the best portable hammock from the options reviewed, let’s now talk about the things that you should be paying attention to when shopping for a portable hammock. Stand vs hanging hammocks Strictly speaking, any hammock is portable since you can hang them anywhere as long as there are trees nearby. But there is another type of portable hammock that might interest you more – this is the stand hammock. We’ve had one such hammock on our list (the Pure Garden portable hammock stand). We can’t say that one type is clearly better than the other. Which one to go for will depend on your needs and where you are intending to use your hammock. A stand hammock doesn’t need trees and can be placed anywhere, but only as long as the ground is level. Nothing prevents you from placing your hammock stand on rough or sloped terrain, but such placement wouldn’t be safe. Regular tree hammocks are the other way around – they need to be hung from trees, and how rough or flat the terrain in the area is doesn’t really matter. Another thing to consider is that hammock stands are bulkier and heavier due to their frames. This makes them not very suitable for camping, unless you have plenty of free room in your backpack. With this in mind, hammock stands would probably be a good option for backyard hangout. For camping, unless you have plenty of free space in your backpack or car, pick a traditional tree hammock. Single vs double hammocks Hammocks can also be single or double – that is, they can be intended for one or two people. Typically, single hammocks are 4-5 feet wide, while double hammocks are 5-6 feet wide. And obviously, double hammocks tend to be more durable – they are usually designed to withstand 400-500 pounds, while single hammocks typically don’t go over 300-400 pounds. People generally prefer double hammocks, and not because they are intending to hang out with someone – double hammocks are just a little comfier than single ones thanks to the added room. So whether you will be hanging out alone or not, a double hammock will be preferable. On the other hand, for camping, if you alone will be using a hammock, you would want to go for a single hammock since it would occupy less space and weigh less. Weight and space are critical for camping since you can’t put too much stuff in your backpack. Length Unless you are very tall, you shouldn’t worry about the length of your hammock. Otherwise, you should look for an extra-long hammock. As a rule of thumb, get a hammock that’s at least 2 feet longer than your height. Fabric Hammocks are typically made from 210T nylon (also called nylon taffeta), which will probably be durable enough for most people. This fabric also usually is breathable and quick-drying, so if you see a hammock made of 210T nylon, it probably has these benefits even if the seller doesn’t indicate them. If you have very specific needs, then you should pay more attention to the kind of fabric used in your hammock. Fabrics have a number of specs that allow you to get an idea of how durable they are. These can be pretty confusing, especially because manufacturers may use different units of measurement or may not give any information. But we’ll nonetheless try to give you an idea of what some key fabric terms & specs mean. Below, let’s briefly overview the key specs that you may want to be looking for in hammock fabric: Denier. Also designated D, denier measures the thickness and weight of individual threads in the fabric. Fabric with a higher denier rating will be stronger and thicker – e.g. 50D is stronger than 40D. Although most hammocks will have adequate denier for most uses, if you are shopping for something special, look for a higher denier. Thread count. Designated T, the thread count is the number of threads (horizontally and vertically) per square inch of fabric. The higher the thread count, the denser the fabric is. Fabrics with low denier have a higher thread count because you can stuff a higher number of thinner threads per square inch. Generally, the higher the thread count, the softer the fabric is, and the more likely it will over-soften over time. 210T generally works well in hammocks, so there probably is no reason for you to look for something else. Ripstop. Ripstop fabrics have a higher resistance to ripping and tearing. These fabrics usually have stronger threads arranged in a crosshatch layout. If you are shopping for a very durable hammock, then look for one with ripstop fabric. Unfortunately, not every manufacturer will tell you exactly what fabric they have used. If you are provided with information on the hammock fabric, then carefully review it and try to understand whether all those numbers mean anything to you. Weight capacity Hammocks are generally durable enough to withstand anyone, but this depends on how heavy you are, what hammock you have, and whether you are intending to hang out with someone else. 400 pounds will probably be enough for most people, whether for hanging out alone or not. However, if you are looking for more durability, then look for double hammocks that can support up to 500 pounds. If you don’t need your hammock to support this much weight, then you may get a less durable hammock. With that said, given how cheap hammocks that support 400-500 pounds can be, there is no reason to get a weaker hammock, unless a weaker hammock has more interesting features for your needs. Suspension system If your hammock isn’t a stand hammock, then you may also need to buy a suspension system for it. A suspension system is comprised of a few carabiners and elastic straps. With the portable hammocks on our list, you don’t need to buy a suspension system separately – they already come with the necessary parts. However, not all suspension systems are equal, and there are a few things that you may want to consider: Carabiner material. Carabiners are typically made from metal, usually steel. Some carabiners may be made from aluminum, and while this is a strong material, aluminum carabiners won’t live as long as steel ones. Steel carabiners are thus preferable, though they are not rust-resistant, unlike aluminum ones. Strap width. The strap width perhaps isn’t that important, but narrower straps dig into the tree bark, damaging it. To protect the trees that you are hanging your hammock from, get a hammock with at least 0.75 inches wide straps, or buy such straps separately. Wider straps may also be more durable, which definitely is a plus. Strap length adjustment. Some hammock straps may allow for length adjustment. Such straps have loops along their length – based on the distance between the trees, you just need to hook the carabiner into the proper loop. Available accessories Finally, consider what kind of accessories are included with the hammock or are available for purchase separately. This may not be important for everybody, but some people may want to get additional items like: An underquilt for better insulation. A rain tarp for rain protection. A bug net for insect protection. Final Words Do make an effort to buy a good portable hammock – otherwise, your enjoyment may turn into a disaster. Aside from comfort, your portable hammock should have durable carabiners, straps, fabric, as well as have good stitching. If necessary, buy better accessories than the ones supplied by the seller of your hammock.
