Reviews > Shelters > Hammocks > Eagles Nest SingleNest Hammock > Owner Review by arron robinson

Owner Review - Eagles Nest Outfitters SingleNest Hammock

Backpacking Background:  Camping and hiking since 11, I've been in a constant search for the perfect balance between usability, durability and weight. These days my camping is generally a mix of Boy Scout style crew camping, kayak or canoe camping or light to mid weight hiking. I generally carry 20-25 lb (9-11.3 kg) and sleep in a hammock system.

Product information:
Manufacturer:   Eagles Nest Outfitters, Inc.
Year of manufacture:  2002
URL: http://www.eaglesnestoutfit.com/
Listed weight: 16 oz (454 g)
Listed Dimensions: 4ft 7in x 9ft 10in (1.7m x 3m)
Weight as delivered:  15.8 oz (448 g)
Material: Microfiber Nylon (parachute  material)
Capacity Rating: 400 lb (181 kg)
MSRP: $49.99

Product description:
The SingleNest hammock is a multi-colored hammock made of Nylon parachute material. It includes an integrated stuff sack and carabiner clips to allow for fast setup. The material is lightweight and packs down into the stuff sack to about the size of a softball. The unit I own is older than shown on the website, and while its logos are different, the construction seems to be the same as sold today.

Field information:
When the SingleNest was originally brought home as a gift from my wife, her thought was that it would be a backyard hammock for leisure use. I quickly dispelled that misconception and squirreled it away in my gear bag on the next trip out. In the last 2 years I have put this hammock through its paces in a variety of situations varying from casual backyard use to relying on it for a primary (read: only available) sleep system in swampy and buggy situations.

Setup of the hammock is extremely easy, consisting of tying ropes to host trees, tying loops into the ropes and clipping the hammock's carabiners to the loops. It's also possible to use the companies strap system (SlapStraps) which makes measuring the distance and adjusting tension very easy. Generally, setting up the hammock itself takes me under one minute.

The SingleNest itself is a simple hammock, meaning that it does not come standard with any add-ons such as bug netting or tarp. In most instances, I will simply set up the hammock, lay a Therm-a-Rest or closed foam pad along with my sleeping bag into the hammock and call it good. I have slept in this setup quite a few times in temperatures varying between 45 F and 100 F (7 C and 38 C) and wind speeds between 2-20 mph (3-32 kph) with the higher winds causing a swinging that was very noticeable.

I have always been somewhat curious as to how the hammock would handle a load and was given the opportunity to find out the first fall I had the hammock. I was out with my son's Boy Scout troop and as usual, I had set my hammock up right at the edge of the kitchen area. This in itself is not unusual, as I typically like to keep an eye on the food and gear. What was interesting is that halfway through cooking supper Saturday night, I noticed quite a commotion around my hammock. I went over to investigate and the boys were stacking up in the hammock and when I got over to them they had 5 boys swinging full speed in my sleeping quarters at the same time! After chasing them away and thinking about it, those 5 boys average around 100 lb (45 kg) each, which was definitely more that the hammock's rating, and the hammock took it in stride.

In the morning as we were tearing down camp I inspected the SingleNest, expecting to find rips that I would need to repair when I got home. I found one small abrasion in the center of the hammock, but no other damage.

My next question was that although I'd been very fortunate in my first few months of camping with the SingleNest, in that the weather was cooler and clear, I'd often wondered how to deal with the two banes of a campers existence: Bugs and rain. Needless to say, the universe took it upon itself to provide me the opportunity to figure it out.

The camping trip in question was in the Okefenokee Swamp in the late spring. The 'skeeters were ravenous and the sky was looking rather nasty as we hiked into our campsite. When I reached into my gear to start setting up camp, I noticed that I had forgotten to switch out the hammock for a tent and I was without protection from the bloodsucking critters. I shrugged and set about setting up my hammock, thinking to myself "how bad could it be?" I should have known that thoughts like that are most often seen as challenges, and as usual, I was going to find out just how bad...

Just as I was getting my hammock and gear situated, the sky decided to open up. Amidst the steadily increasing rainfall, I started looking at ways to rig a tarp. Fortunately, the design of the hammock, with its carabiners, allowed me to tie a ridge line directly between them and clip in an extra poncho. The picture below shows this configuration.

Of course just after nightfall, the rain cleared and the mosquitoes came out again in force. Unfortunately, I did not have any additional material with me, so I was left with digging deep into my mummy bag and squishing the occasional critter that found it's way into the top of the bag. After a rough night, I vowed to add netting to my kit.

Summary:
As purchased, this hammock has been great as a general purpose hammock and in a more limited capacity as a camping hammock. With a few additions to my pack, it has served as well as many dedicated camping kits. I have no hesitation with using this as a primary sleep system. Here are my pros and cons:

This hammock being strong, light and durable, coupled with lower MSRP compared to other camping hammock systems I have compared it to, make the SingleNest a great option, and I would recommend that campers thinking of trying out a hammock give this one a try. The coupling of the hammock with additional optional components made it ideal for me when I decided that I didn't want to sleep on the ground anymore and wished to have a complete solution.

Thanks for the opportunity to share my experiences!

Arron Robinson

Reviews > Shelters > Hammocks > Eagles Nest SingleNest Hammock > Owner Review by arron robinson