Recommended Hammock
ENO – Eagles Nest Outfitters JungleNest Hammock
When it comes to hammock camping, the most important piece of gear you will need is well…obviously…a hammock. I spent many hours researching all of the features and types of hammocks before I made my purchase. I read reviews, watched videos, looked at manufacturer websites, camping blogs, anything that would help me make a confident decision. Ultimately, my research lead me to the ENO JungleNest Hammock.
I love this hammock. No buyer’s remorse here. In fact, after I camped in my JungleNest a few times, I bought 3 more. That’s right. I bought each member of my family a JungleNest too. This hammock has been great for both of my boys and it’s the only way we camp now. Even on cub scout campouts, we hang.
I’m going to give you my honest opinion about the ENO JungleNest Hammock. Even though my family and I love this hammock, there are a few things about it that I’m not a huge fan of. Let’s get into it.
Product Specifications:
Capacity: 400lbs / 181kg
Material: 70D Ripstop Nylon / SkyWeave™ Mesh
Packed Dimensions: 6” x 7” / 15cm x 17cm
Unpacked Dimensions: 9’4” x 4’9” / 2.8m x 1.4m
Weight: 27oz / 765g
Why I Chose the JungleNest?
When I first started researching camping hammocks and was trying to figure out which would be the best for mine and my family’s needs, there were several features that drew me to the JungleNest. I was looking for a hammock that was beginner friendly since my young boys would be using it. I was also looking for quality and durability. I needed something that was going to last and not fall apart after a few uses. The all-in-one hammock with bug net was also very appealing to me. Not having to mess with a separate bug net (especially when we have 4 to set up) was worth the investment to me.
Bug nets are great and I highly recommend all hammock campers have one. Over the years, I have had the separate bug nets that require their own set-up. Don’t get me wrong, those nets were great and worked as intended, but I was just looking to make it a tad bit easier on myself and my family by getting an all-in-one hammock with an attached bug net. To me, not having to carry a separate sack in my pack for the bug net is worth it. The all-in-one is more condensed and it’s just…well…less hassle.
Trust me, I’m a budget conscious person and I try the least expensive route first, but at some point I get tired of “making it work” and eventually just fork over the cash and invest in the best gear. In my honest opinion, the ENO JungleNest is the best hammock on the market and certainly worth the investment I made in it. Anyone who is just getting into hammock camping and has done minimal research has definitely come across the ENO brand. Eagle Nest Outfitters is known for their quality products. Some of their hammocks might be a little more on the pricey side, but it’s the quality that had me sold. So now, I’m going to break down all the reasons why I ultimately landed on the ENO JungleNest as my go-to hammock.
What are the Features & Benefits?
If you head over to Amazon and search the ENO JungleNest, you will encounter over a hundred 4 and 5 star reviews. Feel free to read over the specs while you are there. I really enjoy this hammock so I will give you my personal pros and cons list of the features and benefits of this hammock.
Great for Beginners
Pro: This hammock is great for beginners because it requires little to no previous experience with hammocks and is easy to set-up. The set-up is super simple for beginners because there is no worry about how to properly wrap and hang a bug net in addition to setting up the hammock. When someone just getting into hammock camping asks me for my recommendation for their first hammock, and it’s in their price-range, I always point them to the ENO JungleNest.
Integrated/Attached Bug Net
Pro: The attached bug net is a pretty obvious pro of the JungleNest. As mentioned before, it’s the main reason I chose this hammock. I wanted to have a bug net that is integrated with the hammock itself. I love the fact that I just have to connect it to my straps, clip the bug net hooks to my ridgeline, and boom…I’m done. I have camped in some pretty bug dense areas where I can hear the creeps trying to get into my hammock, but they are met with failure. Yeah, that’s right, insects…you can’t come in my hammock.
Pro: Durability. I was actually shocked on how durable and tough this hammock really is. I have some rough boys and I’ll be honest, I’m not easy on my gear either – they get it honestly. I have dropped stuff on top of my hammock and have watched it slide off or snag on something and it still doesn’t have a hole in it. Much to my chagrin, I have caught my boys dragging their hammocks across the ground, getting the hammock caught on sticks, and then pulling on it in an attempt to break it free. Our JungleNests have been through a lot and not one of our bug nets have a hole in it. Now, I’m not saying the bug net won’t tear or get punctured – I’m just saying that I personally have done some not-so-great things to my hammocks and they have survived with no damage.
Con: I love looking up at the stars from my hammock. It’s one of the greatest benefits and experiences as a hammock camper. The bug net on the JungleNest does it’s job well – no arguments there. The one con is that you sacrifice your star-gazing ability due to the material of this bug net – it’s dense and like you are looking through tinted windows. The net has to be dense to keep out smaller insects like noseeums, but you can’t really see the stars because of it. It’s a trade-off that I felt was worth all the other benefits of the JungleNest. I would rather not be eaten alive during the night instead of having several minutes of star-gazing before I fall asleep. Nope. I made the right choice.
Durability
Pro: This Going back to my rough and tumble kids – this hammock holds up well to them. Like I said, I’m rough on my gear and my boys are rough on their gear as well. Let’s just say things don’t typically last long around us. My wife always jokes when something gets ruined, “This is why we can’t have nice things, guys!” Our family has had our JungleNests since the fall of 2016 and they are still holding up great. I’ve lost count of how many times we have actually used them, but it’s a lot. Just for comparison, we have gone through two tents in that time. The crazy thing is, we barely use the tents – maybe like 2-3 times in places where we couldn’t use hammocks. They fell apart on us. Or maybe we made them fall apart faster than normal? *shrugs* So to say that the ENO JungleNest is durable means a lot to our family. Not a lot stands the test of time with us. We are always impressed to find something that does – and this hammock has been a pleasant surprise and is worth its weight in gold in this category.
Pockets and Hangers
Pro: Although it’s a fairly standard feature of most hammocks, I still feel like it needs to be mentioned – the pocket on the outside of the hammock. I get a lot of use out of this pocket since it’s a great place to throw all your sharp items into before you get in your hammock and protects it from getting punctured. Like I said, it’s pretty standard. Still, I consider it a pro for sure.
Pro: There is a nice zippered inside pocket by your head. Of course, presuming you sleep with your head at that end. If not, there is a nice zippered inside pocket by your feet. I like to use this pocket mostly for my phone, watch, and other valuable things that I don’t want on my person while I sleep, but that I still have easy access to.
Pro: There are two fabric loops near the elastic band that connects the bug net to the ridgeline. These two loops are nice to just hang stuff on. I keep two small carabiners attached to each one of those loops in my hammock at all times. This way, when I get in I can just clip my headlamp to it or any other thing I want to hang up.
Full-Length Zipper
Pro: The zipper that goes the full-length of the hammock is a no-brainer. Some bug nets have a zipper in the middle of the hammock that is vertical to the hammock. These are okay, but sometimes can be troublesome to get in and out of in the middle of the night. It’s only really an issue in the darkness and isn’t much of a problem in the daylight. However, it’s just really convenient to be able to unzip the entire hammock and jump out whenever you’d like without getting your foot caught in the netting. Trust me. Getting caught in the net in the middle of the night usually happens when someone has to pee real bad.
Light-Weight
Pro: The combination of both hammock and bug net really cuts the weight down and is one of the reasons I chose it. The total weight is just over a pound and a half which makes it an ideal hammock for backpacking and hiking trips. You also don’t have to add the weight of a separate bug net since the JungleNest is an all-in-one. For comparison, most backpacking tents are around four pounds and some bug nets are typically around a pound. The integrated bug net lightens your pack significantly.
No Knots
Pro: You don’t need to know how to tie 10 different types of knots. ENO tries to make hammock camping as easy as possible for people – especially beginners. They have carabiner clips at each end of the hammock for quick connecting hammock straps. The hammock also comes with a ridgeline that can be connected using zero knots. They’ve made this hammock dead easy to use for just about anyone.
Great Hammock for Kids
I mentioned previously that we have 4 of the ENO JungleNest because they are really great for beginners – not to mention great for kids. My kids love these hammocks. Just to give you an idea about how much they love them, I asked them why. These answers are straight from my seven-year-old and nine-year-old boys. I’m just listing out what they said and their explanations.
What my kids have to say about the ENO JungleNest hammock:
“ I like it because I can set it up without any help. I like that I set up my own campsite.”
“ I love that the zippers glow in the dark so at night if I have to get up or if I’m going to bed I can see the zippers glow green. I also like if I shine my flashlight on the zippers they get super bright green.”
“ The bug net is really great ‘cause I don’t like getting bugs in my face and when I’m inside the hammock I’m safe and no bugs can bite me.”
“It’s super comfy it’s like I’m sleeping on a cloud. Like a hard cloud ‘cause if it was a real cloud I would fall through it. You know what I mean right?”
“ I like to fall asleep swinging back and forth like a swing.”
Anyway, these are just some of the benefits for my boys. I didn’t say they were game-changing benefits just a viewpoint from some kids that have slept in the ENO JungleNest a lot.
Conclusion:
I can’t tell you how many nights I have slept in this hammock. I truly have put it through its paces – if you know what I mean. It’s the one piece of camping gear that I know I can depend on. When it comes to hammocks, the JungleNest is number one on my list. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of good hammocks out there and a lot of great brands. However, when it comes to me and my family, we love the ENO JungleNest hammock. You won’t regret your decision if you go with this one.
