The Best Hammocks of 2024: Tested

The do-it-all-hammock—that's what you get with the venerable ENO DoubleNest, the most versatile sling in test and an REI Editors' Choice Award Winner. Take it to the park or the campground. Set it up in your backyard if you'd like or toss it in your pack. The DoubleNest does it all.

It starts with an easy-breezy setup. Attach the straps (not included) to a couple of healthy tree trunks with a slip knot, then clip the DoubleNest to each with the affixed carabiners. Zhuzh the tension to your liking, then you're good to go in a matter of minutes. Not bad for a hammock that stuffs down to the size of a grapefruit.

Of course, the only thing better than hammocking is hammocking with a friend, and the DoubleNest has the most generous dimensions in our test. At 76 inches wide, this palatial sling fits a pair comfortably—and those XL dimensions also make the DoubleNest a bit more luxurious if you're hanging solo. If so, lie down diagonally across the thing to minimize the taco effect from the taller walls (it's 16 inches wider than the SingleNest) or try our testers' favorite position: perpendicular across the middle with your feet dangling off the side, like a captain's seat. "The taller wall gives you a perfect headrest," says one tester.

Other than that, the DoubleNest boasts all the hallmarks folks have come to associate with ENO hammocks: sturdy aluminum carabiners, easy storage and, new this year, ultrabreathable, 70-denier nylon taffeta called FreeWave™. FreeWave™ fabric is even softer and more breathable (read: crinkle-free) than its predecessor. And it's bluesign®-approved. "The only problem you'll have with the DoubleNest is deciding what color combination to choose," another tester says. "I've seen this product work as faux studio apartment couch, city park siesta swing and backpacking tent alternative." Buy here.

Sleep in the air with the Hennessy Hammock Expedition Asym Zip. Like a one-person shelter that hangs off the ground, this portable treehouse includes a hammock, integrated mesh canopy and separate rainfly. Combine all that protection with the Expedition's superior comfort, and our testers deemed it the best option for campers looking to get off the ground.

The Expedition owes its plus sleepability to a unique asymmetrical shape that allows the sleeper to lie flat when diagonal across the sling. ("No taco'ing," declares our tester.) A structural ridgeline in the hammock helps it maintain its flat bottom, no matter the distance between the trees, while tie-down points on each side of the hammock function like guylines, keeping it taut. "It's wide enough to relax in and have a margarita or read a book without feeling like you're in a cocoon," our tester says. Still, the mesh isn't removable, so this hammock isn't the best option on our list for more social lounging.

The whole system (with the fly and included straps and rigging system) packs into a stuff sack the size of a bag of flour (considerably lighter, though). That means ambitious backpackers could certainly consider toting it on remote adventures, but practice rigging it before you venture out (setup requires tying knots). Also, though the fly protects against light precip, it's too small to create a fully enclosed, tentlike fortress. Sideways rain is a problem. Buy here.

This hammock weighs less than an apple. Pair it with Kammok's featherlight Python 10 Ultralight straps, and the whole system is just a hair over half a pound. That's good news backpackers, ultralight hammock campers and anyone trying to shave grams.

The Roo Single Ultralight tallies most of its weight savings from its barely there, 20-denier nylon ripstop fabric, which feels paper thin. (Although it's less durable than the burlier nylon used in other hammocks here, our staffer says she's never had an issue with snagging, tearing or pilling. "I treat it the way I want to be treated," she adds.) The Roo Single Ultralight also slices ounces with its toggle-and-loop connection points, which are lighter and smaller than the standard carabiners used in other hammocks. This all makes the Roo Single Ultralight more compact than other hammocks here as well—the thing can fit inside a pack's hipbelt pocket.

If you do plan to overnight in the Roo Single Ultralight, pack a tarp to deploy in case of rain, and consider Kammok's other accessories like a gear sling to get your stuff off the ground. At this weight, features are sparse. The stuff sack hangs from the hammock and doubles as a small storage pouch, and tie-down points let you hang some of your gear. Buy here.

The Toyota of hammocks—that's what you get with the SingleNest. This one-person sling first popped into the scene more than a decade ago, and it remains one of the most beloved options at REI for its reliability, durability and price point.

The ENO SingleNest, which stuffs into an included softball-size sack, is made with the same new bluesign®-approved FreeWave™ fabric as the DoubleNest. It's soft next to skin and breathes well, but is durable enough for trail time and regular use. One editor on our team has had the same SingleNest for seven years, using it everywhere from her apartment to far-flung alpine lakes. (Another writer on our team keeps the SingleNest in her handbag for "emergency use" whenever the mood to hang strikes.) Deploying the hammock is intuitive with the Atlas straps from ENO, which tension the hammock in place via multi-adjustment daisy chains. Buy here.

The ENO SkyLite is the hammock that feels most like your bed. Rather than the standard "bundled end" hammock design, it has flat ends held apart by spreader bars, which creates a flatter, more even surface without necessitating diagonal sleeping. That all makes it the hammock of choice for folks who have a hard time sleeping in a standard hammock (like side sleepers). Note that the downside of spreader bars is egress—the SkyLite feels tippy.

An integrated bug net with a tentlike door means you can snooze away from bugs, but the SkyLite is not compact. It takes up more space than a single-person tent when bundled with straps and a tarp or fly (both sold separately), so limit it to car-accessed hangouts. Buy here.

For the solo tent camper that wants just about everything, except for the constraint of gravity, we present to you the Kammok Mantis. The system includes a hammock, mesh canopy, rainfly and straps, plus a bevvy of features targeted to overnighters like internal pockets, guy-out points and tent stakes. It even has a tie-back design that lets you fold back the rainfly for stargazing. While backpacking outside Buena Vista, Colorado, our tester called the hammock's setup easy enough with its pre-rigged straps. She also noted that the "silky-smooth nylon" was surprisingly breathable in 90°F weather.

It weighs next to nothing as far as tents go—just 2 pounds, 3 ounces—but there are some downsides. For one, the Mantis is pricey—the most expensive portable sling in our roundup. Secondly, confines are tight. Our tester says sleeping diagonally is tough, and when she tried to read, her book kept scraping the bug netting. Buy here.