Mountain Warehouse Lightweight Hammock review: a good hammock for budget campers

First impressions

A simple hammock is good for learning skills, and the Mountain Warehouse Lightweight Hammock is as basic as it gets: a single skin and and a rope at either end, though spring clips are used to join the suspension ropes to the ends’ eyelets. It’s still one of the best hammocks you’ll find, though.

It’s a good system if you’re confident that you know the best knots for camping and hiking, as you can make numerous adjustments to take into account the different diameters of and distances between trees or other supports. The stuff sack is fixed halfway along one long side meaning it can be used to hold small items close to hand when the hammock is in use, and it’s generously sized making repacking the hammock and ropes easy.

The dimensions are generous enough to sleep diagonally – so you’re lying flat – meaning that with a mat, light tarp and a good sleeping bag the hammock is more than adequate to spend nights out in during milder seasons.

In the field

There’s a lot to be said for starting hammock camping with a basic piece of kit, and not just because it's cheaper. It’s a great way to learn how to use a hammock through hands-on experience. The Mountain Warehouse Lightweight might use ropes and knots for its suspension but once you can implement traditional techniques securely and safely, (check ‘how-to’ videos online and then practice until you’re confident), you’ll have the skills needed to meet a wide variety of tree diameters and spacings, and to be able to site a hammock to avoid exposure to the prevailing weather.

I was able to get the hammock suspended within a few minutes, and adjusted to just the right height and angle of hang in a few minutes more. The nylon skin didn’t have a lot of grip on my mat, but learning how to lay out sleeping gear and get into it without getting tangled up is another key hammock camper’s skill.