After years of development, today we release our Trekking Treez hammock stands. Trekking Treez function as trekking poles on the way to camp, and then as your hammock stand once there. (Bring your own “trees.”) Weighing not much more than the trekking poles you’d normally carry, and packing to just 20 inches long, they are truly ultralight backpackable — something few if any other hammock stands can claim — and will accommodate almost all camping hammocks out there. Hammocks aside, they are probably the strongest trekking poles on the market by a large margin. Also probably the heaviest, but still pleasant to use!
The first backpackable stand we know of was the Handy Hammock stand, now apparently discontinued. Its poles were impressively light. These worked with shorter hammocks than Trekking Treez, involved a delicate trussing system, came with 12 ground stakes weighing more than the poles, didn’t support tarps at higher than the level of the hammock, packed to a longish 28 inches, and did not function as trekking poles. Still, they inspired Tensa Outdoor’s Todd to buy a set before ever meeting me, Cheryl. Me, I like to make things, especially if I see a better way.
Backpacking in summer 2014, uncomfortable as often in my tent, I got mad and bailed out to my day hammock for the night. I have not slept on the ground since that eye opening (or eye shutting) night. I joined Hammockforums.net as Raftingtigger, and started devouring information on hammock camping. I saw quickly that a holy grail of hammock backpacking was a trekking pole that doubled as a hammock stand. After several more trips marred by worry over finding the right trees, making such a thing became a project. Then in July 2015, poster Sirenobie posted a prototype mashup of standard trekking poles and a trussing system like the Handy Hammock. Out to the shop, and soon I was hanging from my hiking poles.
This worked for a few nights, but it soon became clear that standard trekking poles aren’t strong enough as a hammock stand even at my 135-lb weight. The adjustment clamps would slip, de-tensioning the critical truss lines. I added hose clamps, and then the smallest diameter segments failed. One night I fell and repaired things three times before dawn. I needed purpose-built poles.
I built those poles from aluminum in small batches, and started a company TiggzCraftworkz to share the fun. I called them NoGround Trekking poles. They were taller than the Handy Hammock, so would accommodate 11-foot hammocks with proper sag and enough room for the underquilt. NoGround poles also used a trussing system similar to Handy Hammock, but the anchors were simpler and lighter. These were also an idea found on Hammockforums.net, now available as our Tensa Boomstakes. I spent an inordinate amount of time handcrafting every single pole, pre-tensioning the lines, turning many parts on my lathe. By the end of 2018, with Tensa Outdoor running, it was time to retire NoGround, or rather reinvent the product in carbon fiber, the only material strong and light enough to work in trekking-pole diameters without fussy trussing.
Trekking Treez have been in prototype for about a year now, and have gone on many of my adventures. They are now ready for prime time. Is there still room for improvement? Of course: we’re always improving everything. But we think we’re already close to the limits of material science on the basics, so don’t expect major changes soon.
Why three hammock stands?
We now offer three distinct hammock stands: Tensa4, Tensa Solo, and now Trekking Treez. Is this really necessary? Which one to choose?
Broadly, our mission is to keep hammockers aloft, off the ground and even beds unless they choose, regardless whether trees or rules cooperate. Seen this way, three stand designs might not be enough.
Trekking Treez (TT) as lightest and most compact is the best backpacking choice among our stands, especially if you already use trekking poles, which makes part of the weight “free.” It is otherwise functionally similar to the less expensive Tensa Solo, which began its life as a budget version of the former “NoGround” predecessor to TT.
Tensa Solo remains the budget choice, lacking trekking pole functionality. It’s heavier than TT, but certainly manageable in a pack, especially if you bring only one to pair with a single tree or other hanging point.
Tensa4‘s design does not depend on strong ground anchoring, so it’s the most reliable choice, working even indoors. It is also the heaviest, and intermediate in cost between Solo and TT. While people have hiked for miles with Tensa4, its weight around 12 pounds makes it better for car or motorcycle camping, at home or in hotels.
As a table:
| Deployability | Portability | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tensa4 | Almost anywhere: tiny footprint, indoor/outdoor, level or sloped | ~12lbs/5.5kg, carry-on luggage, easy to move deployed | $$$ |
| Trekking Treez | Footprint is ~1.5 parking spaces, outdoor only, most soils | ~2.9lbs/1.3kg more than typical trekking poles (no tree; half if 1 tree), carry-on luggage | $$-$$$$ |
| Tensa Solo | Footprint is ~1.5 parking spaces, outdoor only, most soils | ~7.3lbs/3.3kg (no tree; half if 1 tree), carry-on luggage | $-$$ |
Hang Safe, and don’t Go To Ground.
Cheryl aka Raftingtigger
how big a hammock will this support? i.e. Warbonnet Blackbird XLC
WBBXLC and other 11’ hammocks are no problem at all. 12’ hammocks work too, with room for underquilt, but seat height starts to be a bit low if you use more than an inch or two for suspension on either side. Cheryl uses a 12+ foot hammock and hangs the head low by shortening the head end pole a segment. That may or may not work for the heavier hangers, but any hammock 12′ or under and full length poles should give underquilt room for all hangers that don’t exceed our weight recommendations.
Need more height, put the foot of the pole on a stable rock or log.
Can the amok Draumr work with this
Probably not. Suspension height is 55 inches.
I have an Amok Draumr 5.0 and a Solo. They work great together. Use the ball loop to connect the Draumr buckle to the solo.
Thanks for the info! Great to know that the Solo combines with my Amok Draumr 5.0.
How well does the Treez 2.0 work with a WBRR or similar bridge? I saw a video where the TT owner hung an WBRR without a ridgeline. Would that work ok?
It can work, as bridges typically hang with enough tension to keep the system stable when the hammock is empty. Pitching a tarp can present complications, however, as the poles tend to move between the hammock being occupied and not. Using a tarp as a de-facto ridgeline can also work, but you must take care never to let the tarp lifters bear bending forces; the tarp’s ridgeline must always be guyed to ground anchors, never tensioned against the tarp lifters alone. Another complication is that bridge hammocks incur higher suspension forces than gathered end hammocks, which will increase the likelihood of the ground anchors failing. For these reasons, we can’t recommend bridges used with TT or Solo, but we do know that it works for some.
What about a Haven XL?
The maximum hang height supported is 56″. If Haven XL can work hung from that height, it should work. Both Tensa4 and Tensa Solo support higher hang heights, are known to work with Haven XL, cost less, and are likely better choices unless you mean to replace the trekking poles you hike with now.