Hammock camping is far from a new phenomenon, but it's one that's gained some attention from the industry in recent years. Established brands and startups have been flooding the market with a variety of new designs, including flatter, more adjustable hanging beds like the Amok, more structured hammock-tent hybrids like those from Tentsile, bivy-hammock combos like the Alpine Hammock, and add-on shelter systems like the Nube. Hammock outfit Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO) adds a bit of comfort and convenience to its 2016 line of hammocks with new products like an LED hammock and purpose-built inflatable mattress.
Campers need shelter and they need light, so it's not too much a surprise that tent manufacturers have been integrating lights right into the tents themselves. We've seen tent-integrated lighting in product lines like Big Agnes' expanding mtnGLO series.
On the hammock side, ENO already offers Twilights, a string of add-on LED lights. Now it puts the lights right into the hammock fabric, with the DoubleNest LED. Built atop ENO's two-person, 400 lb/181 kg-capacity DoubleNest, the LED version has a wraparound string of lights in its lip. The lights have two brightness settings and a strobe function and are powered by three AAA batteries.
For those looking for extra light that travels out of the hammock, ENO is also launching the versatile Moonbeam headlamp. The light chassis of the Moonbeam includes an integrated magnetic base that sticks to the headband, hammock hanger, and clothes or tent fabric via the magnetic clasp. The headlamp includes low, high and color-changing lighting modes.
Hammock designs like the aforementioned Amok and Exped Ergo Combi have been built to accommodate sleeping pads to increase insulation and comfort. Usually you'd just use a standard sleeping pad, but ENO has designed what it calls the first-ever hammock-specific mattress, the AirLoft. The company adds a set of side wings to the basic inflatable rectangular pad, cushioning every contact point between you and hammock fabric to improve insulation and increase comfort level. The wings are detachable so the AirLoft can double as a regular ground mat.
ENO plans to start launching its new product lineup in July. The 1.8-oz (51-g) Moonbeam headlamp will price in at US$34.95 and the 2.8-lb (1.3 kg) self-inflating AirLoft mat at $94.95. The DoubleNest LED, which is a standard open hammock without a rain fly or insect netting, will launch in September for $99.95.
Source: ENO