ENO DoubleNest Camping Hammock

The missing piece of every camp setup

You drive four hours to a state park, find your campsite, set up the tent, and then spend the rest of the afternoon sitting in a folding chair staring at the firepit. Or you bring no chair at all and stand around like you're waiting for a bus. Neither one is what you pictured when you planned the trip. A hammock changes this — it gives you a reason to actually settle into a place rather than just passing through it. At state parks in the Georgia mountains and along the Tennessee river corridors, you'll find two trees within hammock distance of every decent campsite. The question isn't whether you need one — it's why you've been camping without one.

What we looked at first

We looked at single-person hammocks and ruled them out immediately — if you're camping with anyone else, you'll spend every afternoon explaining why you bought the one that fits only you. We looked at budget nylon hammocks under $30 and found a consistent pattern in the reviews: broken carabiners after one season, zippers that fray at the stitching, and material that sags unevenly once two people sit in it. We looked at the ENO SingleNest (same brand, one-person version) and while it's lighter, the DoubleNest carries two adults at 400 lbs and is only six ounces heavier. The weight penalty for doubling capacity is worth it.

What you get

• Holds 400 lbs across two people — works as a couple's hammock or a wide solo lie-down
• Packs into its own internal stuff sack — fits in a daypack pocket, not just a gear bag
• Sets up in under 3 minutes with the included aluminum carabiners — no knot-tying experience needed
• High-strength nylon ripstop — same material used in parachutes, holds its shape after hundreds of uses

Who this is for

This is for the car camper and the state park weekend regular who wants to actually relax at camp rather than just sleep there. It's for the couple who books a campsite at Amicalola Falls and wants to spend the afternoon between two trees instead of in a folding chair. It's for the solo traveler who camps solo and uses the wide setup as a proper lounger. It doesn't require any camping experience — if you can find two trees ten to fifteen feet apart, you can set this up.

Where to use it on your trip

At Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia, the wooded campsites sit in mixed hardwood that has hammock-ready trees within thirty feet of the fire ring — you'll be strung up before the tent stakes are in. At Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, every developed campground (Elkmont, Cades Cove, Cosby) sits in dense second-growth forest with ideal anchor trees. At Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee, the campsites near the lake are in mature hardwoods where the ENO will be the most-used piece of gear you brought.

Who should skip it

If you're backcountry backpacking where every ounce is justified, a dedicated ultralight hammock system (Kammock, Warbonnet) is worth the extra money and research. If you're planning to sleep in it overnight on a long trip, you'll want an underquilt for insulation — the DoubleNest is a day lounger first. Skip it if your camping locations are treeless (desert, alpine above timberline, RV park with paved sites).

Our take

Buy this if you camp at Southern state parks even once a year — it will be the thing you use every single trip. The ENO DoubleNest has over 20,000 Amazon reviews for a reason: it works, it lasts, and it genuinely improves the camping experience in a way that more expensive gear doesn't. Skip it if you're strictly a desert or alpine camper with no trees to anchor to.