Hammock vs. Tent: Which Is Better for Camping?

This is the debate that never ends around the campfire. The honest answer: it depends on where you camp.

Where hammocks win

• Comfort. No roots, rocks or slopes under you. Many people with back pain sleep better hanging.
• Site choice. Any two trees work. Steep, rocky or wet ground stops mattering.
• Lounging. A hammock is also your camp chair.
• Lower impact. Done right with wide straps, you leave no flattened tent pad behind.

Where tents win

• Treeless places. Deserts, alpine zones above treeline and most beaches.
• Cold weather. Staying warm in a hammock takes an underquilt. A tent and pad are simpler below freezing.
• Space. Room to change clothes, store gear and play cards with a partner.
• Sleeping together. Two people, one tent, easy. Two people, one hammock, not really.
• Restricted parks. Some places limit what you can attach to trees.

Weight and cost

A full hammock system (hammock, straps, bug net, tarp, underquilt) usually weighs about the same as a one-person backpacking tent and pad. It often costs more because the underquilt is the pricey piece.

Our take

If you camp in forests (most of the eastern US, the Pacific Northwest, the Ozarks) a hammock is hard to beat. If you camp in the desert or above treeline, bring a tent. Plenty of people own both and pick by trip.