Looks easy to set up.
Looks easy to set up.
I don't want to sound like an advocate of tensile and I don't think I would ever bother with one. But I think his case was, wrong or right , that he invented it as a hammock alternative for sleeping more than one person. I'm not sure why you couldn't custom make an under quilt for it like on a bridge (no fiddle).
Its not for me but lots of people on this forum talk about how they go to ground when camping with a family or significant other. This surely has to be better than that! {{shutter}}
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Our coldest Florida night was 55degrees. I had everyone in sleeping bags with a wool banker under that.Originally Posted by rais'n hammock
I think 80 is our low point without insulation. Any lower and we're sleeping on something. We use light cotton/fleece blend sheets for 70s and sleeping bags for 60s. Adding wool layer lower than 60. No complaints yet.
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Question for you since you have one. In my imagination laying on one of these would sort of feel like laying on a trampoline. Am I far off?
Their claim on the Troika weight with straps is "less than 4 pounds." So, if the tarp solution is a second one on top, that means "less than 8 pounds." But a second one is only a tarp solution all rain is 100% vertical. I can certainly see some people taking one backpacking because I know some people that still carry an ax and bow saw in their 70 pound packs. Not for me or anyone like me or anyone hiking with me cause I'm not hiking another 5 miles when I'm tired because you can't find 3 perfect trees.
EDIT.... also haven't seen a bug net solution for the Troika.
What do you use for bug protection? (edit: or do you have to close it up completely?)
Tentsile Connect owner here and have to admit, I really like it. Been camping in a hammock for close to 10 years and mainly do so from a vehicle (car, canoe, kayak).
After spending a dozen or so nights in mine, here are some thoughts on the Connect:
- Not a hammock: it's really a unique piece of kit....think tent with a floor that gives.
- Comparing the pros and cons between it and a hammock is almost silly as they are really two very different shelters with little overlap.
- Not for backpacking: way too heavy
- Comfortable: somewhere between a hammock and trampoline is close.
- We sleep very well in it.
- My young son and I absolutely love camping in it. We get to be together in the same tent and yet it somehow adds a bit of adventure....like sleeping in a treehouse. Definitely brings out the kid in me.
- Obviously the insulation situation is one area it is much like a hammock. Rigging insulation below it would be quite easy to do. That said, we have used self inflating pads with sleeping bags down to around 30 degrees and been perfectly comfortable.
- Been through rain, one rain storm and a moderate snow in mine and have stayed dry and comfy.
- We've set it up in our yard several times and so far no tree damage that we can see. Time will tell.
- Setting it up does include a bit of a learning curve but it's not all that bad. Once you get the hang of it, set up is straightforward. There is a bit of tweaking and it's certainly not as quick as a hammock but again, it's really not a hammock.
- Not what I would call a "toy". The Tentsile is a solid piece of equipment made from good solid materials. It's no more a toy than a very good quality tent would be.
- Probably not for everyone but neither is hammock camping (or camping at all for that matter)
- Most of all, the Tentsile does have some serious cool factor....it's just cool.
Hope that helps....questions? Ask away.
Hello Everyone, Alex here from Tentsile.
I thought I would let you all know that we are always open to hearing you views and are proactive about incorporating useful feedback we get! I have read the discussion with some interest and thought I would let you all know that we engaged and here to answer any questions you may have.
Did we yet com to a consensus on "what is a hammock?". Maybe I should start with qualifying why I state in the radio interview why I don't class Tentsile as one; it is too heavy. It is almost that simple. In my view, Tentsiles are not hammocks. If I may suggest a definition ( don't all shoot me down at once ) - a hammock is a fabric bed, slung between two posts which allows an occupant to hang in comfort for fun or camping purposes. A bit crass perhaps but a start.
So why is Tentsile not a hammock? 1) As I said, it is too heavy - we never pretend otherwise. It is fully suspended tent for multiple occupants which utilises tensile forces to create a flat, tensioned floor. It has ratchets to create this tension - and this also sets it apart from hammocks. Hammocks are not tensioned. They may become tensioned in the future - but as the market stands, they are not.
I was a hammock camper as someone already mentioned, and I would not go back - why? Personal preference. I am not writing on this forum to try and convince anyone to buy our products. I want to engage in debate as an outdoor enthusiast and inventor. For me, I like lying down and reading. I never found a hammock that i can lie in lengthways and have enough comfortable elbow room to read. Or lie next to some else with being crushed together. So we invented something that offer both of these things + more head room + front laying, side laying, a better view from lying position, floor space to put things, on and on.
I cannot comment of Troika's product as I have not seen one in reality - and I am biased. I do know that any flat surface acting as a rain fly will puddle, pool and collect water. I will also do my best to keep up with this discussion board. If anyone wants to discuss further, our email is [email protected]. Looking forward to it.
Alex
In response to the OP, and in light of the responses already given, here's the answer I've come up with...
"Are either of these a viable camping/backpacking hammock?"
That's entirely dependant on what you're looking for in a camping experience.
Not much help, huh? lol.
What I mean is this- if you have kids, and are car/canoe camping, then this piece of kit would really be a fun way for the family to camp together.
If you're backpacking and are more interested in making miles and going as far as you can every day, then maybe you should look at a lighter-weight option.
Again, HYOH solves the riddle here.
Personally I think the Tensile a really neat piece of gear, but at the same time it just doesn't match up to what I do out in the woods. That could change, but for now, I'll stick with my hammock.
However if I were a dad of young kids, and longer family backpacking trips were something that weren't possible until they were older, this would be a consideration, because as has been stated, they are really cool!
I also think that it's rather a suspended tent than a hammock. It looks like a floating tent, and it feels like one, too. I had the opportunity to try a Tentsile for an hour, and I would probably have loved it when I was a kid. But I simply love hammocks too much to really consider using a Tentsile now.
I talked a bit to the guy who owns the Tentsile, and he is using it for backpacking with his girlfriend. Apparently, his girlfriend is scared of wild pigs, and would only sleep in the woods if she felt safe from them. The Tentsile solved that problem, and it got the guy interested in hammocks. He said that the weight is offset when you share the Tentsile - same as with a 2-person-tent. Although he is now using a hammock when he hikes on his own (I think he wanted to build a bridge hammock), he still likes the Tentsile.
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