Despite having seen plenty of impressive camping hammocks, I’ve been holding off on investing in one — mostly because they keep making them better and I don’t want buyer’s remorse.
But I might have to open the wallet for the Nubé Stratos, a lightweight rainfly that deftly turns a hammock into a ful-blown shelter, now live on Kickstarter. The Stratos is the next logical step for Sierra Madre, who have been making stellar, super packable hammocks for awhile. Assuming you own one of those models, the Stratos line is the quickest route possible to an — ahem — more elevated camping experience.
Their Kickstarter campaign page shows off all the tech, which you can tell was born out of trial and error. Take the bug netting. Usually, this feature drape around your body, but the Nubé has a design that pulls everything taut so you have a barrier that keeps the insects at bay while giving you plenty of space and letting the breeze in.
The fly is also built to be removed and reupholstered in seconds, and they’ve added cinch cords and sleeves to enclose the openings so no water drips in (that feature was likely born out of someone getting soaked). The gear stash — a second pouch that hangs below the hammock — is another new feature that’s pretty clever, as it keeps your stuff off the ground but separate from your person. Clearly they were thinking about space.
That economic approach to bulk is also evident in the simple fact that there are no poles: it’s easier to set up and super lightweight; all you have to carry are four stakes and two tent lines.
Given that camping hammocks are ideal for low-tech solo missions into the woods, don’t expect to be throwing in parties in a Stratos.
But if just need to get away from it all for a couple days, you probably can’t do much better.
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