What Do You Need for a Hammock Tent Setup? Gear Checklist vs a Tent and Pad

Haven Tents · October 22, 2026 · 4 min read

What do you need for a hammock tent setup? Any overnight hammock setup needs six things: a way to hang it (straps and carabiners), the hammock, bug protection, rain protection, insulation underneath, and bedding on top. With a regular hammock you buy and match each of those separately. A lay-flat hammock tent kit like the Haven includes everything except your sleeping bag or quilt and your pillow. A tent setup needs the tent, a sleeping pad and the same bedding. To compare costs fairly, price the complete list for the same kind of trip, not just the shelter.

Insulated pad and mesh storage pockets inside a blue Haven XL

The full checklist, side by side

What it does	Regular hammock setup	Haven kit	Tent setup
Hang or pitch it	Tree straps and carabiners, bought separately or with the hammock	Included: tree straps and carabiners	Poles and stakes, usually included
Somewhere to lie	The hammock	Included: hammock body with spreader bars	Tent floor
Bugs	A separate or zip-on bug net	Included: built-in bug net	Mesh inner tent
Rain	A tarp, plus guylines and stakes	Included: rainfly, guy lines and stakes	Rainfly
Insulation underneath	An underquilt or a pad	Included: insulated air mattress with pump bag	A sleeping pad
Bedding on top	Sleeping bag or top quilt	Your sleeping bag or quilt	Your sleeping bag or quilt
Pillow	Yours	Yours	Yours

What comes in a Haven kit

The full kit for the Haven Tent, Haven XL, Haven Spectre and Haven Safari includes:

hammock body with a built-in bug net
2 spreader bars (aluminium; carbon fibre on the Spectre)
rainfly
2 tree straps (longer, lighter straps on the Spectre)
4 guy lines and 4 stakes
2 carabiners
insulated air mattress with pump bag
gear sling (Haven Tent, XL and Spectre)

You can also order a Haven without the pad or without the rainfly if you already own one that fits. Those kits still include the hammock, bug net, straps, guylines and stakes. Each product page lists the exact contents and weight of every configuration.

Optional extras, by trip

No trees, car camping: the Haven Stand fits every Haven, is rated to 300 lb and comes with rainfly poles and a case. It weighs 17.1 lb, so it's a car-camping item. For a vehicle, the Bare Bones XL and Mammoth Mount XL hitch mounts fit a 2 in receiver; check each mount's rating against your weight. More in our stand guide.
No trees, backpacking: nothing extra. Pitch the Haven on the ground in bivy mode with trekking poles or sticks. Use a footprint under the Spectre, whose mesh body isn't waterproof.
Cold nights: the Insulated Pad Cover adds insulation over the pad, and a warmer bag or quilt. See How to Hammock Camp in the Cold.
Hot nights: a sheet or light quilt instead of a bag (hot-weather tips).
Every trip: a camp pillow, a headlamp, and a short cord on each strap to stop rain running down to the hammock.

What about cost?

We don't quote prices in this guide because they change with the configuration you pick and with sales; each product page shows the current price. When you compare, keep it like for like:

Add up the whole list. A regular hammock looks cheap until you add a tarp, bug net and underquilt. A tent looks cheap until you add a pad that's comfortable enough to sleep on.
Match the trip. Compare setups for the same season and the same number of people. A summer hammock without an underquilt and a three-season tent with a warm pad aren't the same thing.
Count what you already own. If you have a good tent and pad and sleep well, the cheapest option is to keep them.
Count the people. One tent can sleep two or more; a Haven sleeps one, so a couple needs two.

A basic gathered-end hammock with a tarp and net usually costs less up front than a Haven. What you get for the difference is a flat bed with insulation built in, which matters most if you sleep on your side or stomach.

When a Haven kit isn't the right choice

You want the lightest, smallest hammock setup and you sleep well on your back in a regular hammock.
You want one shelter for the whole family.
You camp mostly where there are no trees and you don't drive in.

For the bigger picture, read What Is an Outdoor Sleep System?, Lay-Flat vs Regular Hammock and Best Car Camping Sleep Setup. Setting up for the first time? Follow How to Set Up a Camping Hammock. Compare a Haven with a tent on everything else in Haven vs Ground Tents, and see the lineup and add-ons on our outdoor sleep systems page.

Comments (0)

No comments yet — be the first!

Camper lying flat on the insulated pad inside a blue Haven XL

Camping With Back, Hip or Joint Pain: Pad vs Cot vs Lay-Flat Hammock Tent

How a sleeping pad, cot, regular hammock and lay-flat hammock tent differ in support, pressure and getting in and out, for campers with back, hip or joint pain.

Haven Tents · October 22, 2026 · 5 min read

Haven Insulated Pad Cover on an air mattress, marked warm, warmer and warmest

Do You Need a Sleeping Pad If You Sleep Off the Ground?

Usually yes: air under a cot or hammock pulls heat away and your bag flattens beneath you. What cots, hammocks and lay-flat hammock tents need underneath.

Haven Tents · October 22, 2026 · 4 min read

← Back to Adventure Journal