This heated, water-filled hammock might be the greatest thing ever invented

By Drew Prindle Published January 28, 2016

Some of the greatest inventions in the world were created by combining two already awesome things. Just look at cookie dough ice cream, the Cronut, and, for those inclined, weed brownies — all of these are shining examples of the fact that when you mix two amazing things together, the resulting concoction can be greater than the sum of its parts.

This week, the world has been gifted with yet another one of these inventions. Oregon-based entrepreneur Benjamin Frederick has recently taken to Kickstarter to fund a glorious new contraption he calls the Hydro Hammock — which is essentially the bastard child of a hammock and a hot tub. Could there be anything more relaxing?

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At first glance it just looks like an extra beefy hammock with watertight walls — but it’s more than just a sling you can fill with water. The system actually comes with a portable pump and gas/electric heater, so once you’ve hung it up and filled it up (it can hold up to 50 gallons, by the way), you can connect it to the heater by dropping in a couple tubes. One draws in cool water from the hammock bed and heats it up, and the other pumps the warm water back in to the hammock pool.

To make it more portable, so you can take your suspended bathtub wherever you want, the entire Hydro Hammock system is designed to fit neatly into a large hard-shell carrying case. It’s admittedly a bit bulky, but definitely still compact enough to fit into the trunk of your car.

Single and double-wall versions of the Hydro Hammock are currently available for pre-order for $260 or $390, respectively — but that’s only for the hammock sling alone. If you want the full meal deal, complete with the carrying case and portable pump/heater, you’ll need to dish out at least $920. While that’s certainly not a small sum, it’s still cheaper than buying a full-sized hot tub, and last we checked, you can’t hang a full-sized hot tub over an alpine creek.

If all goes as planned and the hammock’s crowdfunding campaign meets its $50,000 goal, Frederick expects to begin shipping sometime in September.

Former Senior Editor, Features

Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…

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