Easily my favorite thing about the Grand Trunk Double Hammock is it’s size. It fits easily in a day pack on top of notebooks and a laptop — I think there was a water bottle and some snacks in there, too — and is almost unnoticeable in a larger pack. The hammock is made from ultralight parachute nylon, so it’s both strong and infinitely packable. Spending the day on campus? Stick the hammock in your pack and string it up between classes: instant study/napping/lunching basecamp.
Grand Trunk’s Double Hammock unpacks and sets up really easily with the included hanging kit. Once you find an appropriate spot, the hammock unfolds from its attached stuff sack — which remains attached and can be used to hold a water bottle, a phone or a pair of glasses — in a matter of seconds. I’d be surprised if you get through more than one song on your favorite playlist from the time you begin unpacking to you swinging into the hammock.
The Grand Trunk Double Hammock sets up quickly.
The Double Hammock is pretty big, so if you’re swinging solo, it’s going to wrap around you like a cocoon, which is actually okay. The material is flexible and pliable enough that it doesn’t feel like you’re trapped or in a claustrophobic environment.
That being said, once you add another person, the quarters are pretty close because the flexible nylon tends to curl up and roll you both toward the center of the hammock. So it’s built for really good friends — or very small people.
I set it up in a post-Polar Vortex, Upper Midwest environment. The temperature was almost 40 deg. Fahrenheit, but the snow was still knee-deep and really wet. During set up, of course, one end of the hammock lay on the ground and got pretty wet. What was cool though is how quickly the moisture wicked off. Once the Grand Trunk Double Hammock was hung, it was dry within minutes.
The Grand Trunk Double Hammock is a great place to hang out.
Among the gear that I’ve had the opportunity to test out and write about, the Grand Trunk Double Hammock is so far my favorite. It’s size and weight, it’s simplicity of design and it’s ease of set up make it a welcome — and unburdensome — addition to anything ranging from a day on campus to a multiday backpacking trip.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the Double Hammock for free from Grand Trunk, as coordinated by Deep Creek Public Relations in consideration for review publication.