It’s hard to imagine a better summer afternoon than swinging it away in a hammock pitched between two trees down by the neighborhood pond! I’ve spent a fair bit of time in a hammock over the years from afternoons reading by the pond in the rope hammock to “extreme” overnights in the jungle hammock. This summer has been a mellow one for me and I’ve come to appreciate one of my trusty hammocks all the more: the Byer Barbados Single Hammock.
The Byer Barbados Single Hammock is a Brazilian-style hammock made of basket-woven, heavy-weight cotton. The hammock measures approximately 58 inches (5ft) by 89 inches (8.5ft) and has a weight limit of 330lbs. It comes in an assortment of colors (Rainbow, BlueSky, Sunset, Mocha & Cappichino) and includes a matching, cotton storage bag. Packed, this hammock is roughly the size of a shoe box and weighs about 2-3 pounds. It can be found online and at many retailors for a reasonable price of about $85.00.
My favorite place to use this hammock is down by my neighborhood pond. I like to find a pair of trees about 12 feet apart such that I can set up the hammock to gently swing in the afternoon breeze. At 5’6” tall and 125lbs, I find that the size of this hammock offers plenty of room to spread out when swinging solo. It remains cozy when sharing the space with my girlfriend (although I must admit that we’re both small people and our combined weight is only ~250lbs)! The 100% cotton material is very soft and comfortable with just the right amount of stretch and airiness. It’s easy to snooze the afternoon away in this great hammock!
One of the few downsides is that the hammock is packaged without hanging hardware. Byer offers an assortment of accessories for this purpose but I’ve found that two, twelve-foot-long pieces of 1” tubular webbing and a pair of carabineers does the job quite nicely! Certainly, it’s not the lightest hammock on the market and I would baulk at the idea of backpacking with it or relying on it for an overnight in anything but pristine conditions (no bugs, no rain, ect). However, it does make for a great backyard and car-camping hammock. Also, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to stow in a kayak hatch (in a dry bag, of course) for use on those island rest stops!
-Kayak Dave
Pros: Comfortable material. Spacious for one, cozy for two. Perfect for backyard, car camping, and island rest stops!
Cons: Hanging hardware not included.
Kayak Dave Rating:
