Can you sleep on your stomach in a hammock? Not comfortably in a gathered-end or asymmetric hammock, because the lay still curves. Bridge hammocks get closer, but usually leave some up-pressure at your head and feet. A lay-flat design that holds an air mattress flat in a suspended frame, like the Haven Tent, lets most stomach sleepers lie face-down the way they would on a bed. Pad firmness, strap tension and hang angle still matter, so set it up well and try it at home first.
The search for flat
The Haven Tent lays flat. Not kinda flat, or sorta flat. FLAT.
Think pancake. But really, think about your mattress at home. That's probably what you're missing most at 4:00 am when you're wide awake on your camping trip!
Our patented lay-flat design works for people who sleep on their back or side. In this post I want to explain why it also works for the group most hammocks leave out: stomach sleepers. Stomach sleepers, we are here for you!
"I sleep on my stomach, there's no way I could sleep in a hammock!"
Traditional hammocks have that distinctive banana shape. Personally, I can't stand being bent like a banana, and it makes sleeping on your stomach next to impossible. Imagine raising both ends of your mattress to mimic the traditional hammock shape. You might manage on your back or side, but not on your stomach.
We actually tried this at home. My wife wasn't all that excited to see what I did to our mattress.
When I hear people say, "I love sleeping in my regular gathered-end hammock," this is where my mind goes. I had yet to see a hammock-mattress on the market, so why not make a mattress-hammock?
Gathered-end, asym, bridge and lay-flat compared
We are not the first to try to solve this problem. Here is how the main hammock designs compare for stomach sleeping, based on the ones I've slept in:
Design
How you lie
For stomach sleepers
Trade-offs
Gathered-end
Curved, banana-shaped
Very hard
Light and simple, but feet are trapped together and shoulders get squeezed
Asymmetric (asym)
Diagonal across a wider hammock, much flatter
Hard
Best for back sleepers; turning over usually means sitting up and readjusting
Bridge
Flatter, held open by spreader bars
Possible for some
Most designs still leave up-pressure at head and feet
Lay-flat (Haven)
Flat on an air mattress in a suspended frame
Yes, for most people
Heavier than a bare hammock; needs two anchor points or bivy mode on the ground
Asymmetric hammocks, or asyms, are bigger versions of the traditional gathered-end hammock. With more material, you can lie at an angle to the suspension, which can greatly reduce sag. You're closer to a flat lay, but it still feels very unlike a mattress. I primarily sleep on my side and switch sides during the night, so one struggle I've had with asyms is having to sit up and readjust every time I want to flip over.
Bridge hammocks have been around for a long time. Technically the Haven Tent could be called a bridge hammock, because it uses spreader bars. Every bridge hammock I have tried walks a good way toward the "lay-flat finish line" but never quite crosses it. Even with the most elaborate designs, I still felt up-pressure on my head and feet. That's not a deal breaker for back and side sleepers, but it rules bridge hammocks out for most stomach sleepers.
How the Haven stays flat
The Haven Tent hangs between two trees, but that's where the similarities with a hammock end. The lay and feel are so different that I didn't even want the word "hammock" in the name of our company.
Ours is the first hammock designed around an air mattress. The goal was to keep the mattress as flat as possible and avoid the sag that comes with traditional hammocks. We were anti-banana from the get-go!
Here is some of the secret sauce. The suspension arcs carry tension from one end of the hammock to the other in a catenary curve, and the sleeping platform hangs below them like the road deck on a suspension bridge.
Like a suspension bridge, the sleeping platform bows slightly upward when nobody is in it. That counteracts the sag once you lie down. You'll notice more of an upward bow in the Haven XL and Haven Safari: their larger platforms need more bow to compensate. The full story is in The Secret Design Behind the Haven Tent, and why the platform doesn't tip is in What makes a hammock stable, or not?
Limits and tips for stomach sleepers
Pad firmness matters. An underinflated pad lets your hips sink, which is what stomach sleepers notice first. Inflate fully and top it off on cold nights.
Tension and hang angle. Aim for a 15 to 30 degree hang angle (guide). If you feel yourself leaning, re-center the pad (how).
Size. The Haven XL, Spectre and Safari have a 30 x 80 in platform, and the Haven Tent is 24 x 78 in. Taller stomach sleepers usually want the 80 in length, because you can't bend your knees to fit the way side sleepers can.
Try it at home. Hang it in the backyard and spend a night face-down before your first trip.
"More comfortable than my bed!"
The original Haven Tent debuted on Kickstarter in 2019. Our video started with a standoff between a backpacker and his nemesis: a good night's sleep. Just as he jumps on the mirage bed you hear, "Let's face it, a lifetime of sleeping on soft cushy beds has ruined us for sleeping outside... until now."
This is still one of my favorite Haven clips, and it sums up the struggle we set out to solve as a product and a company.
We've tried to bring the at-home, lying-in-bed experience outdoors. Comfort is personal, but we regularly hear from customers that their Haven is "more comfortable than their bed at home."
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