I Bought a Portable Hammock and My Lunch Breaks Are Now Transcendent

Submitted by: Ethan W., Austin, TX

Meta Description: After a camping trip where someone had a hammock and I did not, I bought an ENO DoubleNest at midnight. It lives in my car. My lunch breaks are now horizontal. Life has improved dramatically.

TL;DR: Camping trip. Friend had a hammock. I had a sleeping pad on the ground like a person who had made suboptimal choices. Bought the ENO DoubleNest portable hammock that night. It sets up in 5 minutes, packs to the size of a grapefruit, and has made every outdoor space I visit significantly better.

The Camping Trip Revelation

There were six of us. Three people had hammocks. Three of us had ground sleeping arrangements and were lying on our backs looking at the sky, which was beautiful, but also the ground was hard and there were rocks involved.

My friend Matt — who had a hammock and the serene expression of a person who knew something the rest of us didn’t — was suspended between two trees reading a book while we waited for the fire to get going.

“How long does that take to set up?” I asked.

“Five minutes,” he said.

“How long have you had it?”

“Two years.”

I sat with this. Two years of hammock life while I had been making do with the ground. I had been deprived.

I bought the ENO DoubleNest Hammock at 10PM from the campsite on my phone. Two-day shipping to my house. I was back from the trip when it arrived. I have had it in my car ever since.

What Is the ENO DoubleNest?

The ENO DoubleNest Portable Hammock is a nylon portable hammock that weighs 19oz, packs into an included stuff sack the size of a grapefruit, and sets up between any two trees in under five minutes. “DoubleNest” means it holds up to two people — 400lb weight capacity.

ENO (Eagles Nest Outfitters) makes the most popular portable hammocks in the outdoor space. The DoubleNest has been their flagship for years for good reason: it’s bulletproof, comfortable, and ridiculously convenient.

Why This Is the Best Outdoor Purchase You Haven’t Made Yet

• 19oz and grapefruit-sized — lives in a daypack, a car trunk, or a hiking bag without thinking about it
• 5-minute setup — two straps around trees, carabiners clip in, done
• Holds two people at 400lbs — this is a serious, durable piece of gear
• Nylon fabric — breathable, dries fast, doesn’t rot or mildew
• Works with any two trees 10-16 feet apart — found in most parks, trails, and campgrounds

What My Life Looks Like Now

My ENO lives in my car. This is the key decision that changed everything.

Lunch breaks: There are two trees by the park near my office. I eat lunch in a hammock three days a week from April to October. My coworkers have started asking to borrow it.

Camping: Obviously. But now I’m the person in the hammock.

State parks: Anywhere with trees and 20 minutes is now a hammock opportunity.

Backyard: When I don’t want to go anywhere, it sets up in my backyard in five minutes.

The opportunity cost of not having one was enormous. Two years of Matt’s tree-suspended peace that I could have had.

Setup Tips

1. Tree straps are worth buying separately — the basic kit comes with carabiners; tree straps ($20-30 extra) protect bark and are required in many parks
2. Aim for 30-degree angle — the straps should make roughly a 30-degree angle with the ground for the ideal sag
3. The banana shape is correct — you’re supposed to lie diagonally, not straight. Diagonal = comfortable. Straight = a swing.
4. Check weight limits — the DoubleNest holds 400lbs. Two average adults are fine.

FAQ: ENO DoubleNest Hammock

Q: Does it come with tree straps? A: The basic kit includes carabiners but not straps. Atlas Straps from ENO are the recommended add-on — under $30 and required in many parks and national forests.

Q: How wide is it? Will I fall out? A: 63 inches wide — generous for one person, snug for two. Designed so the sides naturally cradle you. Falls are rare if you get in slowly the first time.

Q: Can I leave it outside overnight? A: ENO nylon handles weather. Not a camping tent, but rain doesn’t ruin it. Store inside long-term to extend life.

Q: Is it just for camping or is it genuinely an everyday item? A: It’s an everyday item for people who are smart about it. In the car. Lunch breaks. Parks. Backyard. The people who carry it everywhere get dramatically more use from it.

Bought from a campsite at 10PM after witnessing hammock life for the first time. It lives in my car now. My lunch breaks are horizontal. Matt was right. See the ENO DoubleNest →