Shelter is critical when camping out of doors. You need protection from the elements, as well as the local creatures and insects. Your shelter needs to be portable, lightweight, and if you are mindful of environmental impacts, leave little to no trace of your stay. An ideal choice for you is a hammock tent. Hammock tents are becoming a preferred portable shelter for campers and backpackers who want maximum comfort while enjoying nature's beauty.

What's a Hammock Tent?

Traditionally campers are sheltered from the outdoor elements by pitching a tent and rolling out a sleeping bag inside it on the ground. A hammock tent is just a conventional hammock suspended in air with the addition of a protective covering or tarp that is used for sleeping and shelter. You could use a regular hammock (without the spreader bars) and suspend a tarp over it using cords and stakes; or buy one of the many fine hammock tents on the market.

These hammock tents are manufactured so that the protective covers are attached to the hammock. You can buy them with mosquito netting as well as rain protection. Hammock tents have an entry system similar to that of a regular tent. The entry can be closed using a zipper, Velcro or other closure system.

Hammock Tent Benefits

There are many benefits in using a hammock tent. Hammock camping fans enthuse that hammocks don't damage the environment like a traditional campsite. Hammock tents are generally secured between two trees. Correctly fastened, there is little or no marking on the trees' bark. In contrast, when conventional tents are pitched and bags are rolled out their negative impacts and impressions are seen on the area.

The camper benefits as well from the hammock tent. Because you're suspended in the air, there are no problems with crawling insects, small animals or pests as when sleeping on the ground. Sleeping in a hammock tent lessens the risk of sleeping uncomfortably on a hard or otherwise rocky surface. In fact hammocks enable you to "pitch" your "tent" where many conventional camping tents could never be set up. Then there's the near-legendary comfort of a hammock.

There are reports that it's harder to stay warm in a hammock tent because the materials are so lightweight and thin. You may wish to use the hammock tent for warm weather camping only; or try some of the solutions devised by campers such as using a closed cell foam pad inside the hammock for insulation. You might even use your old sleeping bag as a quilt top.

Once you try a hammock tent, you may decide to give up your conventional tent and sleeping bag altogether.

About the Author

Writer and author Zenzele Adwin enjoys outdoor living. Visit her blog at http://hammocks.backyardutopia.com for more information about hammock tents.