Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent

First Look at a New Hammock Tent for the Mainstream

We’re excited for the new Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent. As our readers know, we believe hammock tents are a far better option vs. a conventional tent for wooded trails like the Appalachian Trail. As such, we take them on almost every trip in the Eastern US and even areas like Rocky Mountain National Park. You can read more about this in our 7 Reasons Why Hammock Tent Camping is Fantastic | How To Get Started. In summary, some advantages of hammock tents for Eastern US and most other wooded areas are:

  • Huge increase in available campsites vs. tents – stop and camp where you want
  • Sleep comfort and sleep quality – sleep the same great way each night regardless of the ground below you
  • Fast easy setup – no poles and very little staking assembly required
  • Leave No Trace – no need to clear ground of debris, or crush pants/ground below
  • More Solitude – no need to camp in popular, heavily impacted campsites with noisy campers
  • Protection against rain & ground water – you sleep above it, not in it (many established campsites become small lakes in heavy rain)

Kammok  Mantis UL Hammock Tent at REI

In June 2019 the Kammok Mantis Ultralight All-in-One Hammock Tent became available at REI

Regular pricing

Mantis UL MSRP: $259  |  Mantis Regular MSRP: $229

Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent

The Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent comes with everything you need. Hammock, bug net cover, rain fly, and all cords and stakes. No need to buy any additional parts/gear! All the gear is thoughtfully integrated to work together and it’s designed to be intuitive and easy to use and LIGHT!

What’s Different About the Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent?

The Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent is a complete setup that has everything you need to begin using a hammock tent, and in the easiest and most intuitive package we’ve seen. It includes the hammock with a full coverage bug net, a full-sized rain fly, all tie-out cords, a set of stakes, all suspension hardware (what attached the hammock to the trees), and stuff sacks.

Kammok with their Mantis UL Hammock Tent, intends to bring modern Hammock Tent camping into mainstream camping, backpacking and thru-hiking culture as viable option to traditional tent camping. The Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent is under 2 lb and $219 for a complete, easy-to-use hammock tent kit that will be stocked by major outdoor retailers like REI. As such, it’s lighter and less expensive than most solo tents but with many advantages.

To that end, being on the shelf at major outdoor retailers will hopefully bring a light and modern camping hammock tent to the attention of a much larger audience of campers and backpackers than hammocks have attracted in the past. And being backed by retailers like REI will significantly increase buyers confidence. Currently, a number of cottage manufactures like Dutchware, and Warbonnet to name just a few, make great backpacking hammocks — we like and use them. But in spite of making great hammocks, they have not penetrated mainstream camping and backpacking culture. Their products and hammock camping in general have remained fairly niche due to cottage manufactures not being carried by major retailers, limited output, long lead times, and other cottage gear manufacturer constraints. We hope that good, inexpensive backpacking hammocks like Kammok with their Mantis UL Hammock Tent, available in volume, at reasonable prices, and off-the-shelf at major outdoor resellers will change that. Many campers will be more comfortable and happier for it.

Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent

The Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent includes a generously sized but very light rain fly complete with tie-out cord adjusters, and light DAC stakes. The hexagonal Mantis fly is only 11 oz and has a modern catenary cut for a taut pitch. The protected area under the fly is surprisingly large.

First Look Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent

Almost all of the relevant specs for Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent are available on their Kickstarter Page. As such, we will focus mostly on key features and analysis of a pre-production sample. To hit the high points with the Mantis UL Hammock Tent, and standard Mantis Hammock Tent, Kammok takes the confusion out of buying and using a hammock tent. Buy a Kammok Mantis Hammock Tent and you get everything in a light, sophisticated, and easy to use package. In contrast most other hammocks offer a confusing array of options, and things you need to add to your order (sometimes you need to get them elsewhere). And everything in Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent  is easy and intuitive to use — not the case with other hammock setups.

Top New Things We Like

  • It’s light. At 1 lb 15 oz it’s lighter than most solo backpacking tents and most other complete hammock setups
  • A lower price than other hammocks (when you finally add in all the additional components to other hammock systems)
  • The suspension (stuff you need to hang the hammock from trees) is a wining combination of light and easy to use! This is important, since the suspension is usually where new hammock campers get the most confused. And the Kanga Claw carabiners and Python straps weigh only 3.9 ounces.
  • Great cord adjuster system. Hypalon-reinforced guy out points, all tie-outs have line adjusters (no knots), high quality reflective cords, and top-end DAC J stakes.
  • Integrated bug net opens on both sides. It can also be zipped out and replaced by a solid cover for cold weather camping.
  • Symmetrical design. Unlike most asymmetrical hammocks, you can switch from left-to-right and have the flattest / most comfortable lay possible. [Kammok has a slightly more relaxed ridge-line to help with this.]
  • A dazzling array of tie-outs in key locations, make pitching customization super easy.

The suspension is a wining combination of light and easy to use! This is important, since the suspension is usually where new hammock campers get the most confused. And the Kanga Claw carabiners and Python straps weigh only 3.9 oz. Kammok also includes a first rate set of (6) DAC J stakes.

Essential Specifications | Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent

Best Uses: backpacking, ultralight backpacking and thru-hiking

MSRP: $259

Trail Weight: 1 lb 15 oz (excludes stuff sack & stakes)

Packed Weight: 2 lb 3 oz

Hammock Size: 10′ long – 56″ wide – Ridgeline length: 115″

Weight Capacity: 300 lb

Tarp Size: 11.3′ x 7.3′ (tapers down to 6′ at foot end)

Kammok designed new very light but high-tech and high-strength fabrics for the Mantis

Hammock Fabric: 1.1 oz/yd2 Levitas™ 20D nylon diamond ripstop DWR

Fly Fabric: 0.6oz/yd2 Patagium™ 15D nylon diamond ripstop nylon 1,500 PU/Silicone/DWR


Component Weights

  • Mantis UL body w/ out mesh (with mini Kanga & continuous loops): 10.9oz/ 311g
  • Mesh: 5.3oz/152g
  • Mantis fly: 11.3 oz / 321 g (comes with 6 guy outs with line locks and 2 knotless hooks)
  • (2) Python 10 Ultralight: 2.9 oz / 85.05 g (no stuff sack)
  • Mini Kanga: 13g / 0.5 oz (1 oz total for both)
  • 6 DAC Stakes: 2.3oz/ 66g (total for 6)
  • 2 shock cord guy-outs with knotless hook: 0.8oz/22.68g (total for 2)
  • Stuff sack 1.0oz/ 43g

Hammocks also make great seats, so no reason to bring a camp chair for comfort. And in the rain you can even cook dinner while seated under your tarp!

Compared to Other Hammock Tents

With the exception of the  Hennessy Hammock Hyperlight Asym Zip Hammock, the Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent is the only other truly light, modern camping tent carried by REI. That is, it’s a hammock, that Alison and I would happy using. But the Mantis UL Hammock Tent while similar in weight has a number of advantages over the Hennessy:

  • Higher weight rating – 300 vs. 200 lbs – a critical difference that will cover most campers
  • Larger coverage rainfly – important! [To compare fairly to the Mantis we replaced the extremely small, stock Hennessy fly with a larger one]
  • A much more refined, easier to use feature set that requires no fancy knots or special skills to quickly hang (setup) the hammock. These include their patented suspension system (what attaches your hammock to the trees) mini 13kN Kanga Claw carabiners and Python straps. This is one of the lightest and easy to use hammock suspensions we’ve seen to date. [Hennessy uses complicated, time consuming lashing]
  • A modular replaceable bug netting that opens on both sides and can be replaced by a solid fabric cover for cold weather camping.
  • Two “storage wings” on either side of your head – many other hammocks lack sufficient pockets and storage areas for things you want to easily reach when lying down.
  • Lighter and less expensive – when you replace the replaced the extremely small, stock Hennessy fly with one of similar size to the Mantis UL, the Hennessy Hyperlight Asym Zip Hammock is more expensive and heavier.

Cottage manufactures like Warbonnet and Dutchware make hammocks similar to the Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent (see table below). But they are not available at major outdoor stores. They do however, offer a huge range of fabric weights and colors and many customizations for hardware and accessories. This is great for knowledgeable buyers but confusing to most. And when you assemble a complete kit of their gear — hammock body, bug net, rain fly, suspension and other hardware — they are usually a bit heavier and more expensive —  unless you are a very knowledgeable and sophisticated enough to find the right models and assemble the lightest component options.

Some Other Hammock Tent Options

This list is by no means exhaustive. I own and like hammocks from all these companies. I know all their owners personally. They produce excellent hammocks that have widespread use and good reputations. Most also offer all the hammock accessories you might need, top quilts, under-quilts, tarps etc.

Company Hammock Oz* Comments
Kammok Mantis UL Hammock Tent 31.5 Included in this First Look
Hennessy Hyperlight Asym Zip Tom Hennessy is considered the man responsible for modern backpacking hammocks as we know them & has the patents to prove it. This is their lightest hammock & available at REI.
Dutchware Chameleon Light & Versatile. Adaptable to every season from humid summer days to winter use. Full review here which also compares it to Hennessy and Warbonnet hammocks.
Warbonnet Blackbird A longtime hammock manufacturer. Blackbird is their most popular hammock. A well thought out and functional design.

* Weights are approximate, and include MFR’s suspension (webbing and hardware to hang hammock and wide tree straps to protect trees—important for LNT!), and appropriate tarp when not included .

Hammock Camping — The Basics

Derek Hansen, author of The Ultimate Hang, is an advanced hammock camper and excellent illustrator. Here’s a quick illustration about the essentials of hammock camping.

hansen-hammock-basics

Disclaimer

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on the these links, a portion of the sale helps support this site at no additional cost to you. I do not receive compensation from the companies whose products are listed. For product reviews: unless otherwise noted, products are purchased with my own funds. I am never under an obligation to write a review about any product. Finally, this post expresses my own independent opinion.

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