Living in the UK, owning a hammock has never been a priority for me. After all, the weather is often terrible, and who wants to gently swing about in a hammock when it's piddling down? Plus, carrying around a hammock is extra weight in my backpack, which is a lot of effort if I don't know for sure that I can it.
My attitude towards hanging sleeping pods changed completely when I realised there was a hammock that could covert into a sleeping bag if needed. that's right: Balinese outdoor manufacturer Ticket To The Moon's Mat Hammock can be used on the ground if there aren't any trees around to hang it up.
As someone who had heard plenty of outlandish claims about products before, I was initially sceptical about the Mat Hammock. Surely, it'll either be humongous when packed, making it impossible to carry about, or too flimsy to use a spelling bag if it's thin. Would the Mat Hammock convince me to ditch the best sleeping bags from my hiking backpack?
My first impression of the Mat Hammock was positive. I liked the design and the banana-shaped carrier bag it came in. Better still, the carry pouch indicated where the sleeping mat is inserted in the actual hammock – that's an excellent example of user-centric design! The whole thing weighs as much as the lightest sleeping bags (620g/21.8oz.)
The hammock is made from 70d nylon with a 20d nylon slot for the sleeping mat. Ticket To The Moon integrated a ridgeline into the hammock for the bag to always sag optimally. There is also an organiser pouch on this ridgeline for your phone or other small items.
Setting up the Mat Hammock is effortless; I used the tree-friendly Moon Straps to fix the hammock to the trees. It takes under five minutes to get the hammock out of the backpack and up on the tree. Once it's in position, you inflate the sleeping mat, and you're ready to go.
How does the Ticket To The Moon Mat Hammock perform on the ground, though? I'd say it's a one-season, zipless sleeping bag. The sides of the hammock provide ample coverage, but the ridgeline is little in the way when the Mat Hammock is in sleeping bag mode. And the thin 70d nylon material is anything but insulating.
You can tell the Ticket To The Moon Mat Hammock was designed in Indonesia, a country with a more pleasant climate than the UK, where a thin layer between you and the environment is more than enough insulation. Even here, I can see the appeal of the versatility the Mat Hammock offers. You can always wear a fleece jacket and walking trousers and sleep in them when you're out on the hike.
Coming back to the original question: will the Ticket To The Moon Mat Hammock replace the lightweight sleeping bags? Maybe not. the company's MoonBlanket stands a better chance, which is similar to the Voited Slumber Bag I tried. The Moonblanket offers recycled synthetic insulation and can be converted into a blanket and a poncho.
I'll probably pop the Mat Hammock in my hiking backpack for my next warm-weather escapade, if for nothing else, in the hope that I might be able to use it. It doesn't take up too much space, and the thought of gently swinging around in the mild summer breeze is enough of an incentive for me to include the Mat Hammock in my kit.
Head over to Ticket To The Moon to find out more about the Mat Hammock. More info about the Moon Straps can be found here. Check out the MoonBlanket here.
