Flying Tent - Looks cool! hammock/tent/poncho combo

[CampinCarl]

I saw this yesterday on Kickstarter and thought I'd share:

flying tent - 7 seconds to the stars

https://ksr-video.imgix.net/projects/23 ... 4_high.mp4

Would be a cool piece of gear for solo backpacking... what do you all think?

Price is not bad right now- you can get 1 for $170, with discounts on multiples

[retired jerry]

Sometimes when you design something for mulitple uses, it does none optimally.

Like you need a lot of strength to be a hammock that you don't need for a bivy so it's too heavy.

[CampinCarl]

I suppose so... it is 2.6 lbs, so a little heavier than the lightest stuff out there for one person. But, if you leave your rain jacket home you'd gain some of the weight back. For the flexibility to either hang it up or camp on the ground it might be worth it.

[5th]

There are a lot of better hammock options that do all that for less money and less weight.

In addition, the Flying Tent is a gathered-end hammock, which requires you to sleep a bit off of the hammock's axis to avoid back pain ("banana back"), but the Flying Tent is structured to prevent you from doing so. This style hammock should be a bridge hammock instead.

You could do as I did and buy a Warbonnet Blackbird SL 1.1 and Edge hex fly. That comes in at $265 (vs. $319) and 1.95 lb (vs. 2.64 lb) and does everything this Flying Tent does but better.

My entire setup to replace a traditional tent, pad, and sleeping bag comes in at 5 lb, 5 oz. That's for the hammock, the fly, suspension, tree straps, stakes, 20 deg underquilt and 30 deg top quilt. In the summer I can use less tree strap and lighter quilts and shave nearly a lb off that. I never have punctured pads. I never sleep on an uneven surface. I can choose to keep my feet elevated all night (good after a 20 mile day). No bugs, no critters, no water leaking thru the tent floor, no need for a flat surface (just two decent trees 12-18 feet apart - easy peasy in Oregon). When I'm not sleeping it can be bundled together up under the fly and I have a rain fly to cook and eat under.

I'm a big fan of hammocks, as is my back (I sleep in one full-time at home). The Flying Tent looks cool, but it's not a great option IMO.

[CampinCarl]

Thanks for the feedback, that is exactly the type of info that I was looking for. So maybe this setup looks better in theory than reality.

[5th]

Happy to help.

hammockforums.net is a good forum to learn more if you are interested.