To soothe the discomfort of a damp, rocky and generally pokey forest floor when camping, ground-bound tenters have to make sure they’ve come equipped. Loading up on padding may maximize a peaceful respite from what Mother Nature proffers, but the extra load is a real drag en route. The Blue Ridge Camping Hammock ($140+) combines the comforts of being high, dry and comfortably cradled during your next forest foray.
Regarded as one of the best elevated home bases in the business, Lawson’s tented hammock is the ideal solution for carry-all campers bent on treading lightly and going where no tent has been before. Packing down to a 6 x 22 inch, four-pound stuff sack (it even fits in a set of motorcycle saddlebags), it comes fully equipped with a rip-stop nylon rain fly and integrated no-see-um netting. Two interior storage pockets and a ceiling mounted O-ring make reading before bedtime a natural fit, while the optional Tree Huggers make tying off betwixt two trees an absolute breeze. If your adventure finds you in the open-air, or better yet on a beach, the Camping Hammock can easily double as a bivy tent with its shock-corded aluminum archpoles creating a right-sized canopy for an evening under the stars.
