Lawson Hammock Blue Ridge Camping Hammock and Tent (Rainfly and Bug Net Included)

This is my first time using a hammock for sleep and at a campsite. Have to summarize and say it was absolutely epic to be off the ground and to see the stars and fireflies as you're falling asleep. Took a few hours to fall asleep and get over the excitement. My friends slept on the ground and definitely wanted one after a wet and hard sleep on the ground. I did not need level ground and there was a tree stump right below me.This is not really an ultra light hammock as it comes with a bug net, rain fly, shock cord poles, spreader bars and heavy gauge rope, but no tree straps. I swapped the heavy rope out with Dynaglide and that saves nearly half a pound but still around 4.25 lbs after that conversion. Each spreader bar is nearly a pound so I'm contemplating upgrading to some carbon fiber bars. Regardless, that weight may be heavy for a hammock but is very light for a tent and compared to all the other junk we carry. I used Kammock straps in the photos but may try lighter tree straps and whoopie slings which are pretty cheap on ebay. I also leave the sleeping bag in the hammock and roll the whole thing up into a larger stuff sack for pretty fast setup.I will admit I did fall out of the hammock while slightly tipsy and reaching for my water bottle several feet away on the ground as seen in photos. But I had no issues with stability while sleeping or getting in and out several times in the night. There are corner holes for tying it up for more stability, you could easily just have one stake with four taut line hitch lines going to the corners and still have a fast setup. But then you sort of lose the ability to use it like a chair and swing. From the videos of this product I've seen, it only looks unstable when they have the hammock stretched too tight and that may be what others are experiencing.The big inside pockets made a great drink holder and the spreader bars make it very wide and roomy.For the tarp I leave it attached and throw it back halfway where I can reach out and pull it back when the sun comes up or if it starts to rain. When the tarp is over you there is more air insulation but the end mesh is still open for air to pass through.You can use it as a mini tent on the ground if there are no trees though there will be much less interior space.For the next model upgrade I would suggest it have lighter materials and loops inside the corners to hold the sleeping bag in place so there is less shifting around to get comfortable when you get in and out.Pretty solid little package, and cheap compared to some of the high end hammocks.

I had been looking for a camping hammock for a long time and researched Clark, Hennessy, Jacks-R-Better, Warbonnet, etc., but settled on the Lawson. I have friends with expensive Clark and Hennessy hammocks, and I can say that the quality of the Lawson is not as high as theirs, but for a total delivered cost of $107, the Lawson is a good value. The Lawson is so spacious and comfortable, and I think it will serve me well on kayak and backpacking trips. I did make some modifications to the hammock bottom to secure my Big Agnes sleeping bag and pad to prevent them from sliding around. The weather shield survived a thunderstorm without any rain entering the hammock. It takes a little practice entering the hammock to prevent tipping, but once mastered, it's a breeze getting in and out.

I bought one of these about 10 years ago and used it frequently but the grommets are pulling loose so I just bought another.Compared to the older one, the new one's hammock fabric seems about half the thickness and is now very slippery-(annoying); the steel end rings where all the lines join are replaced by loops of rope; the rain fly zipper is gone and you have to slip under the fly to unzip the mesh and enter and then try to reattach the velcro from inside-(annoying) and the mesh zipper is flimsier so I needed to use both hands to close it instead of just one in the older tent; the three piece fiberglass tent poles are replaced by shock corded aluminum ones and the sleeves are almost continuous instead of a bunch of separate loops-(great improvements); the rainflys brass hooks are now plastic, there's an extra storage pocket and a light-loop above your head; new camo pattern, a few strap tabs along one side to clip a foam mat to-(leak source);The slipperiness was very annoying and I thinned some seam sealer and painted stripes across it to help.I was in it through some heavy thunderstorms and like the old one the seam joining the top and bottom curves up to form a little gutter which somehow collects water even under the fly and I saw water drops forming on the short nylon strap pieces inside and rolling across the bottom, wetting my sleeping bag in the butt area. I had a similar problem with the old one but since I'm almost never in rain that intense, I never tried seam sealing the area. Lighter rain was never a problem.Using it as a bivy; I side sleep and my shoulder presses against the roof, so I only use it as a hammock tent and sometimes just a hammock by leaving the poles out and flipping it upside-down if there's no bugs or dew to worry about.I'm sticking with this hammock tent because of its simplicity, even though it's a bit heavy/bulky. I just wrap 1"x18' cam-straps around trees and through the end loops and tension them and insert the poles and sometimes put on the rainfly. Hennesys require a complicated mess of straps, lines and stakes and took one guy I was camping with a long time to get right and then one of the kids blundered into a guy line and tore a loop loose from his tarp.