Less is certainly more when it comes to the weight of a sleeping system for hiking adventures, and ever-improving materials along with good ol' fashioned human ingenuity keep opening up new ways to lighten the load. At just over two pounds, the Mantis UL all-in-one hammock tent is certainly at the more manageable end of this spectrum, and promising simple setup and supreme strength, should make for some peaceful slumber above the ground and under the stars.
Much like the other all-in-one hammocks we've looked at recently, such as the Swayy, the Crua Koala and even the Exped Ergo Combi back in 2012, the Mantis UL is made so campers can leave their tents at home by including everything needed to shield them from the elements. This includes a breathable hammock body, bug net and rainfly.
But those who place utmost importance on shaving off every milligram possible will be hard pressed to find a more lightweight solution. At just two pounds and three ounces (1 kg), outdoor company Kammok bills its Mantis UL as the lightest all-in-hammock tent available, and we can confirm it undercuts the aforementioned options with ounces to spare.
Kammok also claims it offers the highest strength-to-weight ratio, which it attributes to the use of Levitas 20D nylon ripstop fabric as the primary material, along with Python 10 ultralight straps made from polyethylene fiber that are said to be 15 times stronger than steel. All up, the hammock can support guests weighing up to 300 lb (136 kg).
The various elements come inside a neat stuff sack measuring around six inches (15 cm) both tall and wide, and can apparently be pieced together in as little as 60 seconds at camp. With no knots or poles to speak of, the Python straps can simply be wrapped around a pair of trees between 13 and 18 feet apart (4 and 5.5 m) and hooked up to the hammock's ends with carabiners.
From there, your shelter for the night can basically be customized to suit the conditions and the season. If needed, the rainfly attachment can be installed via a set of knotless guy cords, while the bug net zips neatly into the hammock lining to keep the critters at bay.
Through its Kickstarter campaign for the Mantis UL, Kammok is also offering a slightly heavier, but slightly cheaper variant, which uses Gravitas 40D ripstop nylon for the hammock material and tips the scales at two pounds and 12 ounces (1.2 kg). Pledges for this start at US$185, while the ultralight version starts at $215. A $495 version includes a pillow and down quilt that zips to the underside for the colder months.
If everything runs to plan, which is always a sizeable "if" when talking Kickstarter campaigns, the company plans to start shipping its first hammock tents in April 2019. You can check out the pitch video below.
Source: Kammok