That’s a hammock.
I can’t see how you can sleep in that, either, without spinal damage 
but some people apparently can. Perhaps young people?
Even if you can sleep in it, you still have to do something about insects. These are a massive issue even with hotels. If staying in a hotel with no aircon, in a hot summer, there is likely to be a cloud of mosquitoes outside the window and if you open that window they will have you for dinner. The worst ever was a cheap hotel in Prague. Consequently I usually travel with a mozzie net. With a hammock, I don’t know where you can string one of those up, because the fine mesh has to be well away from your face so that oxygen can permeate through it across a large area.
I’ve been reading tent reviews today (work is slack, with the economy here mostly destroyed) and have got it down to something like this.
I have a Hennessy hammock (reasonably high end) but given the choice would generally prefer a tent.
Hammocks are good for rainforests where you don’t have much in the way of flat ground and rivers of mud are common. They’re quite quick to set up, but they’re no lighter than a tent (the fabric has to be stronger) and you can’t sleep flat because they sag in the middle. You still need a sleeping mat to stop the sleeping bags thinning out and letting the cold in. In a tent, you can sling a book or a torch to one side with abandon. In a hammock they congregate just above the small of your back unless you stow them in pouches.
I found mine not quite as waterproof as a tent because the rain would run down the canopy ropes. Mine was very cold. They mostly have integrated mosquito nets but you need canvas to stay warm. Perhaps if I had used mine somewhere warmer than a cloud forest I would feel more positively about it.
I think rigging one up between two aircraft would be likely to cause structural damage to anything smaller than a 737.
I think with hammock’s for sleeping you need to get a blanket thing that goes under the bottom to stop the cold transfer. They also I think have a mosquito net type thing that goes over the top. I’ve not tried one though.
As an experienced cycle tourist, mountaineer, and outdoors person I have spent many hundreds of nights out.
For Peter’s mission and comments I think the 2 person tents he has posted are on the right track, but rather than the expensive ultralight sub 2kg version I would choose the mid weight mid price tent for aircraft trips, say 2 to 3.5 kg.
A tent is a consumable and although it may last many years with care, I would choose horses for courses. It is really irritating to have a nice (expensive) ultra light tight get ripped or blow over onto pavement and scrape holes in the rain fly. Or to be overly concerned on those days when you have to temporarily put it away wet. I would keep the budget more to the £100 to £250 range, which will get you something which is good quality, but more durable and doesn’t have to be babied (heavier fabrics). Over the years I have had four tents blow away…
If you are going on an exotic self propelled trip, then spend away for the lightest gear and accept the trade offs. I say this tongue in cheek because I don’t really like my ultra light tent, except for the fact that it is light, and much prefer the next step down.
As mentioned earlier, the thermarest neo xlite sleeping pads are great, although a bit pricy. The are light, pack small and are thick enough to be comfortable and warm. My wife got one when they first came out… I resisted for years due to the price and the fact that I already had a pad. Eventually I converted and admit it is much better!
So if you don’t like the standard hammock you should probably consider this (tent included)
This feedback has been brilliant. Many thanks to all!
I have bought the MSR Elixir 2 tent
and this mattress
This looks hilarious – it can burn avgas!!!!! The ultimate pilot’s survival accessory
although there isn’t much info on how one does that. Is one going to put avgas into that bottle?
You could just drain fuel from the tank into the bottle. I’d probably only use it as a backup though, it’d probably be better to use normal white spirits or similar.
I’ve been pretty happy with my gas jetboil, but it would be nice to have petrol as a backup.
I would be very wary of cooking with AVGAS. It will coat the bottom of the saucepans with lead and it will be difficult to wash them without transferring lead to your hands and to the inside of the pan and potentially to other cooking utensils and streams.
I know we’ve had the debate about whether lead in AVGAS poses a personal risk, many times. But for me this would be a step too far.
I have recently bought myself a Kelly Kettle which burns sticks or dry grass or anything else that happens to be lying about. I’ve only used it on the doorstep and it seems very well thought out, if a bit bulky.
And at risk of being patronising… never cook in a tent due to the risk of CO poisoning.
The Primus and MSR multi-fuel stoves are great. As mentioned I would refrain from burning AVGAS due to the lead. White gas, e.g. Coleman fuel (which is naptha and not white spirits) is the most civilised fuel to burn and what I prefer to use almost all the time, especially if you can bring the right amount of fuel with you. White gas doesn’t smell bad, evaporates cleanly and doesn’t leave any residue on the stove, your hands, your food, etc.
I typically take a ~330ml bottle for two people for 2 to 3 days. A one litre bottle will last for a week (depending on usage). You can push it longer if you are careful.
I burn auto gas in my MSR, but only when cycle touring. I start with white gas in the bottle, and then refill from petrol stations along the way. However, this involves extra precautions because the fuel smells bad, leaves a residue when it evaporates and contaminates your hands. Nothing to spoil a nice meal like petrol on your hands. Some of the precautions include cooking away from where I want to eat, being careful with the fuel from the line when you pack it up (or not disconnecting it at all – the MSR stove I have has two valves, one at the bottle and one at the burner), and double or triple bagging the stove before putting it away.
I’m sure it would be equally happy burning kerosene… Peter, time for that TBM, eh? ;)
