REI is setting camp in the hammock market and is doing so in an unconventional way. Rather than releasing a run-of-the-mill parachute hammock, the outdoors manufacturer is leveraging what it knows best — tents — and bring that know-how to hammocks. The result is the new Quarter Dome Air hammock, a bridge hammock that combines the flat sleeping space of a tent with the comfort you get from a hammock.
The bridge hammock has poles at each end in place of the gathered fabric you see on a parachute hammock. These poles are what make a bridge hammock so comfortable. They spread the fabric, providing a wide, flat surface on which to sleep. The REI Quarter Dome Air hammock uses shock-corded poles at both its ends, and each pole is permanently attached, so you don’t lose one in the process of packing and unpacking your gear.
Unlike a traditional hammock, which curves to hug your body, the REI bridge hammock spreads out to provide a 7-foot by 2-foot sleeping area that allows you to sleep more easily on your side or back. The hammock is held taut by guylines at the four corners which come with tension locks for quick and easy adjustment.
Everything about the REI hammock is made for convenience. There are 4 ridgeline loops for hanging your personal belongings inside the tent and mesh pockets for storing your water bottles while you sleep. The hammock also ships with a removable 15-denier ripstop nylon rainfly that conveniently attaches to the ridgeline using aluminum hooks. And like any good hammock, the Quarter Dome Air hammock has an integrated bug net that attaches to the ridgeline. When you don’t need the bug net, you can quickly flip the hammock over to hide the mesh and sleep out in the open.
REI is selling the Quarter Dome Air hammock for $219. When packed, the hammock weighs 3 pounds 2 ounces, which puts it on par with most single-person backpacking tents. It has a weight limit of 250 pounds.
