When it comes to hammocks, the parachute hammock has always been popular. With a lightweight body, quick setup and durable materials, its easy to see why the parachute hammock has become the hammock of choice for many people. But out of the numerous hammocks available, how do you know which one is right for you? We carefully researched our four favorite hammocks so you can take the guesswork out of picking the perfect hammock! If you want to see our other hammock reviews, you can find them here.

Bear Butt Double Parachute Camping Hammock

Bear Butt is a new brand of nylon hammocks that has made a big splash in the social media world recently. With a reputation for great customer service and plenty of online reviews to back them up, Bear Butt promises a lot to each customer.

The hammock that arrived was fairly standard as far as parachute hammocks go: a gathered end hammock made of nylon with a set of carabiners and polyester webbing straps to wrap around the tree. Comfort was excellent and I loved the fact that it had the capacity to carry two adults. The nylon was strong and easy to clean. Like other parachute hammocks, it folds into itself and packs neatly into a small carry sack attached to the side.

The downside is that the Bear Butt didn’t come with any tree straps, but instead had ropes. Ropes will damage trees and can cause girdling, but Bear Butt does sell their Kodiak hammock straps to make set up easier and better for the trees. When equipped with a set of tree straps, the Bear Butt competes well with the best of them.

Pros:

• High quality nylon provides excellent comfort
• Lightweight and easily portable for whatever adventure you are planning
• Great customer service and a fun Snapchat follow (@BearButtTeam)

Cons:

• No straps included, included ropes should not be used to avoid damaging trees

Read my full Bear Butt Double Parachute Camping Hammock Review here

Serac Camping Hammocks

One of our favorites when it comes to the best performance for the value. Serac features two types of parachute hammocks in various colors. The Serac Classic Camping Hammock is a single person hammock with all you need to start hanging immediately. The triple stitched seams kept the hammock feeling secure and I liked how attractive the color of my mine looked (golden yellow and deep blue). Along with the hammock, the classic is packaged with a set of carabiners and a pair of daisy chain style tree straps all neatly tucked into the hammock’s stuff sack. The daisy chain style is one of the most effective and easiest styles to use when it comes to quickly setting up and adjusting the hammock on the fly. The straps are difficult to pack back into the stuff bag, but rolling the straps into one big spiral made it much easier to pack everything into the pouch.

While I was perfectly comfortable camping and sleeping in the hammock (I’m 5’10’’), my taller friends felt a little cramped and opted for the Serac Sequoia XL Camping Hammock instead. The Sequoia is Serac’s double hammock, but size isn’t the only part that’s been upgraded. The aluminum carabiners are some of the best available without buying specialized climbing carabiners, a definite upgrade over the heavy steel carabiners of many other hammocks. The Sequoia is made with very high quality 210D ripstop nylon which helps prevent tears and rips. Both the Classic and the Sequoia were very comfortable and had almost no stretching even after camping in them for 3 consecutive nights.

Pros:

• Great value for the money and the most comfortable hammock we tested
• Included daisy chain tree strap with stitching that matches the hammock color makes set up much easier without needing to purchase a separate set of straps
• Serac Sequoia double hammock features upgraded aluminum carabiners and higher quality nylon than most hammocks on the market
• Lightweight and the two different hammock sizes gives you more versatility in getting one that is the right fit
• Great customer service for extra peace of mind

Cons:

• Included straps a little difficult to neatly pack back into the stuff sack together with the hammock and carabiners inside

Read my full Serac Classic Camping Hammock Review here

Read my full Serac Sequoia Camping Hammock Review here

OuterEQ Portable Parachute Camping Hammock

The OuterEQ Portable Parachute Camping Hammock is a comfortable hammock and on the cheaper end of the hammocks we tested. OuterEQ stood out with the number of color combinations available. The comfort was comparable to the Bear Butt, but not as soft as the Serac Sequoia’s ripstop nylon. The OuterEQ only comes with a set of ropes instead of tree straps – a definite downside when compared to its competitors. There was a bit of fraying on the stitching and the ropes, but it wasn’t a huge problem in terms of comfort and use. The nylon was a bit stretchier and after a night of camping, there was a noticeable increase in the sag. However, for the cheaper price, the OuterEQ is still a good value.

Versatile and comfortable, the OuterEQ is a great option for those on a budget looking for a cheaper hammock that will still perform. However purchasing a set of tree straps to replace the ropes will increase the total cost in the end.

Pros:

• Low cost hammock for budget adventurers
• Comfortable and easy to carry around
• Large selection of colors available

Cons:

• Stretchier nylon than other competitors, may stretch and sag after repeated use
• Lack of tree straps, two low quality ropes are included instead

Read my full OuterEQ Portable Parachute Camping Hammock Review here

Live Infinitely Double Camping Hammock

Sturdy nylon and great color options make for a hammock that is great for any occasion. The nylon is resistant to bleeding the colors and is easy to wash. What makes the Live Infinitely Double Camping Hammock stand out is its high quality nylon that is resistant to stretching and tears. It also comes complete with a set of daisy chain tree straps making set up easy (and environmentally friendly). When subjecting the hammock to some extra abuse for the purpose of testing, we found that the nylon was more prone to puncturing than the other hammocks. The ripstop material looked and felt great and was effective at preventing tears, but sharp objects were able to puncture parts of the hammock relatively easily. Fortunately, most people won’t be stabbing their hammocks with pointy objects so this isn’t a huge issue.

The carabiners were the silver steel variety that often come with cheaper hammocks. Unfortunately this is the weakest part of the Live Infinitely Double Camping Hammock. These steel carabiners are sharp and can accidentally fray your hammock or your tree straps if you aren’t careful. We swapped them out for a pair of climbing carabiners and are much happier for the change.

Live Infinitely also boats excellent customer service with their 100% satisfaction guarantee. Comfortable, easy to set up and affordable combine for a great product.

Pros:

• Excellent tree straps with color matched stitching
• Spacious and very comfortable nylon material makes gave us a great night’s sleep
• Lightweight and easy to bring anywhere
• Great customer service with 100% satisfaction guarantee for each purchase

Cons:

• Steel carabiners can damage and fray the hammock, rope or tree straps
• Nylon material was more prone to punctures than other hammocks

Read my full Live Infinitely Double Camping Hammock Review here

Conclusion

All of these hammocks are an excellent choice and you can’t go wrong with any of them. Our favorite is the Serac Classic Camping Hammock – it just punches much higher than its weight class and you simply can’t beat the quality to price ratio. However, all of these hammocks perform well and you’ll be very happy no matter which one you purchase!