I’m a hammock guy. We added an ENO hammock to our gear collection long ago, and it comes out whenever we get the chance. We read in them, work in them, and even snuggle the kids in them. The ENO DoubleNest hammock we’ve been using have been good, but we have not been happy with the Atlas straps we bought. We’ve experienced some stitching failure on the straps, despite staying below the stated capacity of the straps. A few of the strap loops have failed completely, providing an unsettling experience.
I began the search for a new set of straps, but all the straps I found were either very bulky, or were constructed in similar ways to our current failing straps. I was testing a Chrome Extension that I’ve been building, and was notified of a new Kickstarter Project from Ultimate Hammocks that claimed to be building the “Ultimate Strap” for hammock lovers. After reviewing their project, I was one of the first few backers.
Side Note: If you like Kickstarter projects, you should really use my LaunchScan extension to get notified of new projects and catch all the early-bird deals before they are gone! It’s free and easy to use.
After backing the project, I noticed that the creators were based out of the Salt Lake City area, where we are staying this week. We reached out to them, and they were kind enough to meet up and let us get a first hand look at the straps themselves as well as one of their hammocks (an extra hammock is never a bad thing!).
I should explain that I wasn’t looking for a way to hang my hammock with ropes. Thin ropes place all the weight of the hammock along a thin strip on the tree, and this can be damaging to the tree bark. Hammock straps are wider, and distribute the weight so well that the tree remains unharmed by my hammock time.
The really unique thing about the Ultimate Hammock Strap is that the multiple attachment loops are woven into the strap itself. This provides a connection much stronger than stitching and keeps the weight and bulk of the straps pretty low. The stitching is the weak point of our current hammock straps, and I’m glad to see somebody coming up with another solution.
The straps are also wider where it sits around the tree, providing more surface area which protects the bark but then slims down to keep the size and weight down on the rest of the strap.
Long term durability tests have not been performed on the straps with this new unique weaving, but I can’t see how it would be any worse than the methods already in place. Strength testing has been performed on the straps, and they have an ample rating for hammock use.
These straps are not the only product of Ultimate Hammocks. They also sell hammocks directly, and they were nice enough to provide one for testing. We’ll have a deeper review later, but the hammock was well built and comfortable. It is worth noting that their hammocks can be bought through their KickStarter project for a pretty steep discount. $55 buys a single hammock AND straps, and $65 buys a double hammock AND straps. As this is less than the cost of most hammocks, this is a deal. Straps themselves are $25, and the price gets better adding extra straps and hammocks. Their Kickstarter project ends on
An additional feature of these hammocks (as opposed to the ENO hammocks) is that the attached stuff sack for the hammock as enough room for the hammock AND the straps inside. We currently have one bag for the ENO hammock and one for the Atlas Straps and its annoying when they get separated.
Here is the difference in size between our old straps and the new Ultimate Hammock straps:
We are pretty excited about this upgrade to our hammock. Our hammock comes with us backpacking so the lighter and less bulky, the better. We think that every traveler (and well, pretty much everyone in general) needs a hammock in their life and this is definitely a great one!