When talking about what is the best hammock for someone new to hammocking there are always a lot of worry. What is the best, or will last the longest, or is the smallest? This is one of the biggest debates I hear because having a good hammock can come in handy for travelers and adventures of all sorts.
In our opinion, two brands usually stand out among the rest. ENO and Grand Trunk. So, asks the mysterious person in the back row “Which of these hammocks do I buy?” Hopefully we will be able to make your decision a bit easier! Emily bought an ENO DoubleNest hammock in 2015 and, I went out and bought a Grand Trunk Double Parachute Nylon hammock! Hey, a couple that travels together, can still disagree which hammock they prefer. 🙂 So together we are able to give a good comparison of the two brands. Maybe it will help you decide which will be best for you. For the sake of this post, we will only be talking about our own personal two person hammocks.
Price
Cost is always the most important factor in a big purchase decision. We know people always want a cheaper option however, with something like a hammock, cheap means easily breakable. We recommend spending the extra $30 to make sure it will survive your adventures. Overall these two hammocks are very similar in price. Sometimes one will be on sale when the other is not and that is about the only time there is a difference in the price of the hammocks. ENO hammock does not include the straps to hang it. The straps usually are about $20-35 depending on quality and brand.
Straps
This is probably the only thing about these two hammocks that creates a substantial difference. ENO hammocks use slap straps which are thick bands with loops to tighten around poles, trees, or whatever you are hammocking from. These straps are not included and cost about $20-35 extra. Grand Trunk however uses rope bands that are included with the hammock.
Both hammocks have carabiners as the fastener, so if you get a Grand Trunk hammock and later on decide you do not like the rope, you can easily switch to straps. That is what I did because I was always afraid the rope wouldn’t be strong enough, but they always held me despite my fear.
Comfort
Comfort, yet again they are very similar with slight differences. If you were to lay in them both one after another, the other difference you would notice comfort wise is that the ENO hammock is much smoother material than Grand Trunk. Technically, Grand Trunk is a little bigger at 126 x 78 inches, than ENO at only 112 x 74 inches. Because it is such a small difference, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Unless you need to have the one that is bigger even if it is only a few inches, then go for the Grand Trunk. Also just a quick note about comfort, you do need to break in your hammock, it’s not uncomfortable but after a few uses it becomes like a second home.
Size
As we mentioned in the last section, the ENO is a bit wider and the Grand Trunk is a bit longer. Another important aspect of a hammock, depending on how you plan on using it, is the size it compacts into. In our opinion, ENO is the clear winner in this field. The bag that ENO fits into has a strap around it in order to cinch it down to a smaller size. When compressed it is about the size of a grapefruit. Grand Trunk has simple drawstring bag that is roughly the size of a half deflated football.
Durability
The hammocks are evenly matched yet again in this category! When Emily and I first got our hammocks we were 75 pounds heavier than we are now. Even though we were 15 over the weight limit the hammocks never gave us any fear that it would be unable to hold our weight. Both are triple stitched and even after two years of use, show no major sign of wear. The ENO hammock has a hairline tear in the fabric that has been there for a year. Thankfully the tear has not grown even after extended use.
Also for you new hammock users out there, please understand that the hammocks are built for you to use. When we first got them we were always so anxious about them ripping or break but they both have a one year warranty so don’t worry about being rough on them.
Customization
Both hammock brands have TONS of color combinations you can choose from
to make it more personal. But, for about $5 more Grand Trunk also has a variety of printed patterns for your hammock as well. Some of the patterns include camouflage, plaid, polka dots, and flowers.
We already discussed that Grand Trunk comes with ropes for suspension but maybe you are a strap person (like us). In that case Grand Trunk also have different colored straps available for about $30. If you remember from earlier, that is around the same price as ENO straps.
Overall the choice is ultimately yours. They are very similar hammocks and it just comes down to your preference. If you are more worried about space in your bag, maybe ENO will be a better fit for you. On the other hand, maybe choose Grand Trunk if you want a hammock that can express your personality and style more.
Which of hammock do you this earns the title of “Best Hammock”? Comment below and let us know!
Here you can find links to both ENO and Grand Trunk hammocks as well as ENO straps!
Hammocks have always struck me as a really cool idea. And I think Grand Trunk, not only because of the amazingly long name (but that is partly it), looks like the winner to me. Thanks for the review!