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Outdoors

Inflatable hammock uses an insulated air gap to keep users warm

By Ben Coxworth
June 24, 2024
Inflatable hammock uses an insulated air gap to keep users warm
The Atmos Inflatable Hammock is presently on Kickstarter
The Atmos Inflatable Hammock is presently on Kickstarter
View 3 Images
The Atmos Inflatable Hammock is presently on Kickstarter
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The Atmos Inflatable Hammock is presently on Kickstarter
The Atmos and its pump sack (right/center), with a backpack for scale
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The Atmos and its pump sack (right/center), with a backpack for scale
The Atmos can support a maximum user weight of 300 lb (136 kg)
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The Atmos can support a maximum user weight of 300 lb (136 kg)
View gallery - 3 images

There are already inflatable-frame tents, so why not inflatable hammocks? That's exactly what the Atmos is, and it's claimed to keep users warm at night without adding to the bulk and weight they have to carry.

When someone is sleeping in an unadorned conventional hammock, a thin layer of fabric is all that separates the underside of their sleeping bag from the chilly night air.

This problem can be addressed by placing an insulated sleeping pad beneath the sleeping bag, or by attaching an insulated "underquilt" to the underside of the hammock. Both the pad and the quilt, however, are extra items that the user has to carry in what is likely already a cramped backpack.

That's where the Atmos comes in.

The Atmos can support a maximum user weight of 300 lb (136 kg)
The Atmos can support a maximum user weight of 300 lb (136 kg)

Currently on Kickstarter, the device was invented by Canadian entrepreneur Jackson Busch after he spent a chilly night hammock-camping on the French island of Corsica. It is now being commercialized via his British Columbia-based startup, Madison River.

When deflated and rolled up, the Atmos forms a cylinder measuring 7.75 inches long by 4.5 inches wide (197 by 114 mm). The whole package is claimed to tip the scales at 3.2 lb (1.5 kg).

The Atmos and its pump sack (right/center), with a backpack for scale
The Atmos and its pump sack (right/center), with a backpack for scale

Setting it up is a matter of looping its two included webbing straps around two trees, attaching those straps to either end of the hammock via two included carabiners, cinching everything tight, then inflating the hammock via an included pump sack. It measures 11 ft long by 5 ft wide by 2.75 inches thick (3,353 by 1,524 by 70 mm) once deployed.

Described as being similar to a sleeping pad in construction, the Atmos is made of aluminized PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film covered in a protective layer of 20-denier ripstop nylon. It can support a maximum user weight of 300 lb (136 kg), even if it springs a leak and has to be used in its deflated state. That said, a puncture repair kit is included.

Assuming the Atmos reaches production, a pledge of CA$260 (about US$190) will get you a complete setup of your own. You can see the hammock in use, in the following video.

Atmos Inflatable Hammock by Madison River

Sources: Kickstarter, Madison River

View gallery - 3 images

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OutdoorsHammocksInflatableCampingKickstarter
2 comments
Ben Coxworth
Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.

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2 comments
vince
That's cool. I used the same kind of ballooning to make a hail proof protector for my cars which kept getting destroyed annually via Denver's notorious hail alley. It can stop a baseball thrown at 95 mph which is about the same as protecting against golf fall sized hail travelling at over 120 mph from downbursts. In fact it works so well, that I almost got killed when the ball bounced straight back at me and almost clobbered me and put an early death to the idea. Yuu can sew up sheets of air proof polythylene with patterns like old fashioned pool mattresses and attached to back bumper and pull to front bumper and then quickly blow it up using standard Bounce House air blowers. Of course I didn't commercialize it as needed an automatic system that detected hail and automatically rolled out the protective sheet and pumped it up and I'm not experienced in doing that. But it sure works good to protect a car! It's also heavy and has to rolled up into a tube that mounts to back bumper and most people won't want that but it would be possible to mount it under the car too. It's also not easy to drag over the car if it's windy out (makes a huge sail).
Trylon
Many years ago, I wondered why nobody made a down-insulated hammock. As long as the person's weight is supported by the top layer of fabric and the bottom later is allowed to expand, the down would achieve full loft and insulation, something impossible with a sleeping pad because that compresses between the sleeper and the ground.