When me and my friends go camping we tend to bring everything but the kitchen sink, but some people like to travel a little lighter. Whilst I choose to sleep on the large blow up bed with sheet, duvet and pillows this isn’t always an option when people are travelling for long periods of time and trekking deep into the wilderness. I shouldn’t have to say this, but you will obviously need trees to set it up, but if you can think outside the box anything that is appropriate distance apart and stable enough could work, the website shows them using a car (if you have a car though wouldn’t you sleep in the car? Or at least drive to a B&B? as you can tell I am not a natural adventurer). To save the rest of your pack for important things like cakes and the Xbox (or whatever these explorer types consider important), Sea To Summit have created the Ultralight Hammock Single XL with measures up at 3.0m x 1.5m (also available in regular 2.6 x1.2m).

Although XL sounds spacious it only equates to 6ft of body space (the regular is 5’10”) and it weighs an insanely light 205g (155g regular), constructed from 20D Nylon monofilament fabric, you can see through it, it is that fine, but don’t let the delicate look deceive you as this hammock can actually take up to 135kg in weight. One of the other joys of using a monofilament fabric is that it is highly compressible which means you can smash it down into a tiny pack size roughly the size of a can of fizz. You won’t get far without the compression straps, sold separately and these will add another 40mm when compressed (there is room in the hammock sack to accommodate the straps), they measure up at 15 mm x 3 m (2 pack) and will add an extra 170g to you pack. The buckles are made from high strength, lightweight aluminium 6061 to shave off those extra grams, and the webbing loop is triple bar tacked to the hammock to ensure long term durability.

Just like the hammock the suspension straps are one of the lightest and most compact suspension straps on the market, made from 3 meters of non-stretch webbing. It is easy to set up simply wrap the strap around a tree or anchor point and insert into the hammock buckle, the length of the strap can then be easily fine-tuned to achieve a 30degree hang. The Ultralight Hammock proved easy to set up and pack down, it is, as promised, very light although the straps will add some extra grams, it is also extremely breathable which makes it great in the summer time, however in the colder months you will need to make sure you have the appropriate insulated sleeping gear. RRP £74.95

4.9 out of 5

Current Cheapest Price

Pros

Super light

Compact

Breathable

Easy to use

Tree friendly

Cons

Straps and bug net sold separately

No storage pockets

Gets chilly in low temperatures