Ultra cool Thai hammock/tent query.

March 16, 2008 6:29 PM

Years ago I was backpacking in Thailand and came across a combination hammock/tent being sold in Bangkok. They are made of nylon and seemed incredibly light and compact. Has anyone here ever bought one of these hammocks? Was it a good buy? And more importantly, where can I get one?

The person selling these had a cart just off Khao San Road, but IIRC it was part of the shop across the way. I believe it was a trek tour office that used the tents in the jungle. I've been kicking myself for years for not buying one of those hammocks, and frequent searches in the U.S. and Japan turned out fruitless. BTW, I'm living in Japan now.

Any of this ring a bell?

posted by zardoz to travel & transportation (12 comments total)

Oh, yeah, the hammock district.

I'm not sure if I'm picturing the right thing, but maybe something like one of these?
posted by box at 6:32 PM on March 16, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Sounds like the Hennessy Hammock that Box linked to.
posted by medium format at 6:43 PM on March 16, 2008

box, thanks for the link, those are great. That's just the kind of thing I saw, though the Thai one was considerably cheaper.
posted by zardoz at 7:10 PM on March 16, 2008

The Hennessy is awesome. I hike fairly extensively in the White Mountains, and only use my ultra-light model in the summer and early fall. It's supremely comfortable, minimally difficult to setup, and with a few modifications, rather warm.
posted by ellF at 7:36 PM on March 16, 2008

I was just looking at those at my outdoors store of choice and asked if anyone actually used them. The clerk said that one of his coworkers used one to thru-hike the AT and loved it.
posted by andythebean at 7:42 PM on March 16, 2008

I saw one of those, but opted for a more tent-like Crib LEX from Crazy Creek. Worked well, but it was equivalent to carrying a one person tent. I did a radical weight/bulk reduction on my gear, and traded it in for a Byer Moskito Traveler. Packs small as a jacket, parachute nylon hammock with a built-in bug net. (So
ight you're scared you'll break it, but you won't -within reason.) For when it rains, I string a tube tent (giant trash bag open both ends) over the line that holds up the net. Not robust, but has kept me dry through overnight showers.
posted by bartleby at 7:52 PM on March 16, 2008

An ebay search for jungle hammock shows up one from Thailand for about $50 shipped.
posted by bystander at 7:53 PM on March 16, 2008

hammock forums and white blaze for more in depth information (way more)
posted by flummox at 7:56 PM on March 16, 2008

Another one.
posted by sharkfu at 5:17 AM on March 17, 2008

I don't know about Japan but here in the US you can find a wide variety of them at Campmor, of course.
posted by JJ86 at 8:15 AM on March 17, 2008

I believe Cabela's used to have them, but I couldn't find any on their web store. Here are a few options.
posted by whiskey point at 10:15 AM on March 17, 2008

Might not be exactly what you are looking for, but check out Eagles Nest Outfitters OneLink Sleep System. I am thinking about getting one of their regular hammocks for backpacking this summer.
posted by gravity at 10:27 AM on March 18, 2008