The Secret Design Behind the Haven Tent

How does a lay-flat hammock work? A Haven combines five design features: an insulated air mattress whose horizontal baffles hold the sides open, two catenary support arcs that carry the load like the cables of a suspension bridge, spreader bars at each end, a structural ridgeline that keeps the shape the same however far apart the trees are, and fabric cuts that make the platform bow slightly upward until you lie on it. Together they hang a flat sleeping platform below high anchor points, so you get a flat bed that is also stable. Here is how each part works.

Imagine the comforts of home, with the ever-changing backdrop of the great outdoors. I like sleeping outside as much as the next wannabe explorer or cowboy but have been spoiled by years of sleeping on a flat, comfortable mattress.

Try as I might (and I find more reasons than most) I still only make it out camping a few nights each year. Not enough time to develop the calluses of rough living or whatever kept my pioneer ancestors going. Luckily, we live in a day and age when you really can have the best of both worlds. A good night’s sleep, wherever the road takes you.

Here I will outline the features (the secret sauce) behind the Haven Tent system. It might get a bit nerdy, but for those of you asking for a deep dive into the world of lay flat hammock design… you’re in the right place.

Air Mattress

The Haven Tent is one of the first hammocks designed specifically for use with an air mattress. Not only does our mattress provide insulation, but the mattress also acts as a critical element of our design.

If you’ve slept in a traditional camping hammock (not a Haven Tent), you probably have first-hand experience with shoulder squeeze. A pressure on your sides that comes from the walls of the hammock wrapping you up like a burrito. This gets really uncomfortable and keeps a lot of people from ever trying to sleep in a hammock again.

This is where our air mattress comes in. Simply put, the horizontal baffles in our mattress help hold the sleeping space open, which takes away that shoulder squeeze and feels much more like your bed at home. It is also why we recommend our pad over your own: it is sized to fit the frame exactly (more on using your own pad).

Catenary Support Arcs

One of the first things you’ll notice looking at a Haven Tent are the two support arcs on either side of the hammock. Much like a suspension bridge, these arcs follow a catenary curve. This is a natural curve between two objects, like how a rope sags between two points.

Rather than using a wall of material, like those used in traditional hammock construction, our low-profile arcs allow for strength with easy access in and out. With another nod to suspension bridge design, the hammock material hangs below the support arcs supporting the air mattress like the suspender cables supporting a road base.

A bonus of the low sidewalls is the view from inside the tent: there are no tall walls blocking your line of sight, so you can enjoy the world you came to see. The arcs also make the Haven easy to get in and out of, and they are why it is so stable (What makes a hammock stable, or not?).

Spreader Bars

On either end of the hammock body, you’ll find a collapsible pole that helps hold the internal space of the hammock open. It easily tucks into pockets that are secured to the support arcs on either side. Without the poles, the lay-flat design still works, but there is less room inside the tent. They hold the sides open but aren’t made to carry weight, so don’t sit or stand on them (spreader bar tips).

Structural Ridgeline

Yes, the nylon strap connecting the end loops of the hammock makes for a great handhold and helps keep the bug net and rainfly in place. But there is a lot more behind this structural ridgeline.

Finding trees with just the right spacing is one of the many things that can ruin your night with a traditional hammock. Without a structural ridgeline, a traditional hammock can sag too much or be pulled too tight if the trees are too close or too far apart.

Trees about 12 to 15 feet apart work well, and it’s not a problem if they are even further apart than that! As tree spacing increases, the ridgeline will carry more and more tension, but the hammock body and sleeping platform are held in place and will not change regardless of tree spacing.

In the image below the tree straps and support arcs are at different angles. The structural ridgeline maintains the hammock shape even with the wide tree spacing.

Material Cuts

And last but not least, our patented design relies on a unique combination of fabric cuts. Lay-flat paradise is found when the materials are assembled with the other design features of the tent. With more material on the head and foot end of the hammock, you’ll notice that the air mattress actually curves upward when unweighted. The preemptive up curve counteracts the sag that occurs when you lie in a traditional hammock. This effect is even more pronounced with the XL, Spectre and Safari, where the platform is larger.

Why does all this matter? A flat, evenly supported surface lets you sleep on your back, side or stomach, much as you would at home. See how it works for side sleepers and stomach sleepers, how a lay-flat system compares with a tent and pad in Haven vs Ground Tents, or what an outdoor sleep system is.

You can read about it, you can hear what others have to say about it, but at the end of the day… you just need to lie in a Haven and experience it for yourself. Compare the four models in our lay-flat hammock tents collection. To see how other flat-lay designs work, read Lay-Flat Hammock Tents Compared and Haven vs Lawson Blue Ridge. We can’t wait to rock you to sleep!*

Derek Tillotson 
Haven Tents Founder

*Or if you don’t want to rock, tie a piece of shock cord (not static cord) to the corner toggles of the tent. That will keep you nice and steady 😅😂 (how)

Don't take our word for it!

A few things customers have told us:

David C - The Haven XL is absolutely amazing. I have never had any sort of hammock before. The idea of sleeping like a banana was horrible. Then I found the Haven. It is more comfortable than my bed at home.

Cody S - Love the tent. After years of long ruck marches and sleeping on the hard ground or military cots, I started to hate sleeping outdoors since it is so hard to get comfortable. This hammock system is the best night’s sleep I have had in years.

Keely H - My husband and I used our hammock tents for the first time over the weekend, and it was the most comfortable camping sleep I've ever had. Highly recommend!