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Hammocks reviewed: eno hammock budget alternatives. Best, portable, backpacking, two person, outdoor, tree, hammock comparisons. Amazon hammocks listed.

8/13/2018

2 Comments

 

Can you be just as happy with a portable outdoor hammock under $40 as you would be with an eno? We think so.
*Serenity bus Project is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com 

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Being lovers of the outdoors, as we are... the enjoyment factor of our outdoor adventures dramatically improved the day my family discovered the awesomeness of the HAMMOCK! Post hammock introduction, our outdoor options and comfort reached all new heights. We have hiked into the woods with our light packs and napped over a waterfall. We have packed them in our large packs and slept in comfort after a 20 mile all day hike.  We have also simply relaxed in the back yard on a lazy summer afternoon. To some extent, hammocks are mostly the same. They all set up and function in similar fashions and for the most part share the same strengths and weaknesses. We wondered though... "do you really have to pony up for an ENO to enjoy the hammock experience, or are their less expensive quality options?" So my family and I intentionally bought 5 inexpensive different hammocks by 5 different companies with the intent of finding out if you truly get what you pay for or if overpriced just means overpriced. All five of these hammocks have been well used and this is what we have determined. 

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EDGE OUTFITTERS Double Hammock: Initially, we were very pleased with this $35 portable double hammock. When we opened the bag we discovered that unlike most hammocks in even the much higher price brackets, this hammock had very decent tree straps and D-rings included. Additionally, what the connectors at the end of the hammock lacked in a braided setup (not braided), the paracord makes up for in thickness, which equates to weight capacity. The smaller size and the lighter weight of this portable tree hammock makes it easy to carry in on a hike or to fit it in a pack with other gear. This is where the positives stop, however. The $35 price tag not only puts it at the top of our range for these 5 ENO alternatives, our particular red hammock dyed our boys bodies and clothes red! The staining issue has remained constant and annoying to say the least.. rendering this particular hammock almost unusable. I can't speak to other color variants, only the red one we purchased. Amazon has carried this item in the past and that is where we purchased it, but at the time this article was written, this item was only available on a handful of online camping gear sites.

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TuTu OUTDOORS Double Hammock: This hammock in purple and pink was a huge hit with my 6 yr old daughter. The TuTu two person hammock has a much bigger surface area than any other portable hammock I have ever seen... It's humongous! Needless to say, this hammock in the bag is far and away the heaviest and the largest of all of the ones we have tested. The paracord on this hammock is decently thick and the entire hammock feels sturdy. Best of all, it comes with very solid tree straps included. At $25 dollars, it is a better value than the EDGE OUTFITTERS as long as you don't mind the size and weight. Thankfully, it doesn't stain my children. The biggest disappointment here is that it shipped missing one of its purple D-rings. This is unfortunate because the one that did come in the bag was decent quality and of course for my daughter, it was purple... try finding a purple weight baring D-ring online... not easy. At the time this article was written, this hammock was only available on a few backpacking online stores, not on Amazon, even though that is where we initially purchased it.

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BLISS HAMMOCKS To Go Hammock In A Bag: To be fair here, this is a single hammock, not a double... but it's $10!!!!! You heard that right. It's waterproof. My family liked the thick heavy waterproof material the best of all the hammocks on this list. The attaching ends are braided beautifully and the whole thing feels very durable and heavy duty. The bag with hammock inside is a little below average in size and weight and we have been so impressed. $10!!!! Now let's be fair.. it's a single hammock so it is narrow to lay in. Also, it did not come with D-rings so we had to use a pair we already had. It also just has rope to hang the hammock from a tree with, but $10!!!! This product is on Amazon. Check it out.  *

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MALLO ME Double Hammock: This hammock has worked out very well. We have been very pleased. It comes with quality D-rings an average size and weight. Like the TO GO hammock, this one bags up more flat than the others (they take a cylinder shape). Bagging up flat can be a benefit when trying to pack it into a backpack. The end connectors, unlike the others, were made from the same material as the TuTu hammock's tree straps... it's flat and very well done, very heavy duty. The let down here is that the tree hangers are just medium capacity rope. If they had included tree straps in this kit, this would be a perfect hammock. At $26, you could buy tree straps from Amazon for roughly $12 and still be at the same approximate price point as the EDGE OUTFITTERS and the WISE OWL OUTFITTERS hammocks. Check out this Amazon link for the Mallo Me hammock. ​ *

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WISE OWL OUTFITTERS Double Hammock: This is the hammock we have had the longest. We have liked it so much and it cost so much less than an ENO, that this hammock spawned this gear review blog. Can you buy an ENO alternative hammock for less money and be just as happy with it? The Wise Owl, like most of the others, comes with good quality D-rings. We have loved what a small profile the bag takes up and have been pleased by how little it weighs (comparatively) while not sacrificing quality and durability. At $35, it is at the top of our price point and sadly, the included tree hanging solution is a very average thickness rope and not tree straps. The connecter ends seem sturdy, but are just paracord rope as well. Here is the Amazon link for this hammock.​ *

The verdict


the Mallo me DOUBLE HAMMOCK

The Mallo Me double hammock is the best ENO alternative from our comparison. It wasn't an easy choice. They all have there pluses and minuses, however, the Mallo Me does the best job of providing a quality hammock of ENO quality and functionality but at a much more reasonable price tag. The only element we felt that was missing from this hammock was the tree straps. However, if you add $12 Amazon Preferred tree straps to this hammock: $26 + $12= $38 (give or take applicable tax and/or shipping), you are still under the $40 goal. Because of this savings, we would argue that you'll be enjoying a lounge on your favorite beach or trail much more in this quality hammock having saved a tidy sum from the more expensive other brands. 

Here are links to the hammock and the tree straps on Amazon. Happy Hammocking! 

~The Serenity Bus Project Crew
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Hammock-  *

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2 Comments
Andrei
5/22/2020 09:32:20 am

I think Everest Active Gear double hammock with mosquito net should’ve made it to your list. A very good hammock at an affordable price. Convince yourself: https://amzn.to/2TrDYbR

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Serenity Bus Crew
7/6/2020 05:25:37 pm

Good to know. We will have to check it out. Thanks.

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