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Hammock tents are the hammock and tent hybrids that are gaining popularity among outdoor enthusiasts. It is not difficult to see why. Hammock tents allow the camper to sleep above the ground thus solving all kinds of problems including having a lot more options on suitable campsites, better sleep quality and protection against snakes, creepy crawlies and ground water. However, the Tentsile Stingray takes elevated camping to a whole new level by literally hoisting a 3-person tent up among the trees.

We listed some advantages of hammock tents but as you might imagine, there are quite a few disadvantages as well. For one, a hammock tent is nothing more than a sleeping bag strung between 2 trees. There is no living space to speak of. And while sleeping on uneven rocky ground can get pretty uncomfortable, not everyone may find the banana sleeping position in a hammock as the ideal alternative. This is where the Tentsile Stingray tree tent comes in. It combines the best of both worlds. If you ever wondered what it feels like to camp high above the ground among the trees, you now have the chance to find out.

Some may consider the Tentsile Stingray more like a tree house for that is probably the closest experience. It is a 3-person (or 2 adults and 2 children making it the ideal family tent) tent with a fly sheet and a mesh roof. It has a triangular shape with each corner acting as an anchor point that attaches to a tree. There is a side door for access into the tent. However, it also has an access hole on the floor of the tent that can be used if you choose to hoist the tent high above the ground. An optional rope ladder will be required.

There is plenty of headroom (about 4 feet high) and lots of storage space inside the tent. The “dry porch” area under the tent can be used as additional storage space as well. There are also rings inside the tent for attaching a clothesline.

As for sleeping comfort, some adjustments and fine tuning are necessary to get the floor as flat as possible but once you get things right, you do get a fairly flat (although a bit bouncy) surface to sleep on. This was actually quite surprising considering the tent had to fit 3 adults. If it was just a single or two persons, the weight balancing is much more forgiving.

Camping in a Tentsile Stingray is a whole new experience plus it opens a whole new world of possible places that you can camp. You will no doubt be the envy of other grounded campers. There is also the option to add a Tentsile Trillium hammock/floor under the Stingray to create a multi-story camping setup that fits 6. String up a few of these up in the air and you literally have the equivalent of an Ewok village.

At about 20 lbs, the Tentsile Stingray is not designed for backpackers. However, the obvious advantages it has over a ground tent and also hammock tents make lugging all that weight more than worthwhile. The feeling of sleeping high above the ground and the closeness to nature is indescribable.
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