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This thread is for you hammock campers out there.

The notion of sleeping on a flat surface within a hammock tent IS appealing.  About the best you can do in most typical hammock tent systems is sleep on a diagonal.  Doing that, "side sleepers" can come close to what they're looking for IF they get it just right.  Stomach sleepers still don't have a prayer, though.

I am a side sleeper.  I DO enjoy my Clark Jungle Hammock.  I've owned a couple of them and have used them for many years. However, the Clark - like most hammocks - does have limitations re: my preferred manner of sleeping.  Personally speaking, the older I get, the worse my snoring gets, especially when laying on my back.  When explained to me after a sleep apnea test, that experience kind of made physiological sense.  The doc says I was "borderline" re: apnea but that I "compensate" by subconsciously avoiding sleeping on my back.  This is not an easy trick in a hammock tent.

Anyway, enough of my back story/personal challenges.  My REAL question is if anyone has any experience with Haven Tents?  Are they the real deal?  If you skim their website you will quickly see their main selling point:  their ability to allow sleeping on a flat surface (sleeping on your side, your back, and even your stomach!).

Most of the reviews I've read are quite positive.  About the only "hits" I can find on them are:
  *  These hammocks are a tad heavier than competitors due to their aluminum spreader bars and the incorporated sleeping pad.  [As my buddies will attest, "weight" has never really figured in much in my trip planning, so this is not much of a concern for me.]
  *  One reviewer noted that the bug screen can be difficult to zip closed when a full load is inside.  [My buddies will also attest that I am, well... "a full load."]  This is my biggest concern, I suppose.  I don't mess around with Canadian skeeters.
  *  Reviewers have warned prospective buyers that they MUST watch the instructional video for set-up in advance.  This suggests to me that the Haven Tent set-up may be something less than "intuitive."

Reviewers have been uniformly complimentary re: quality of materials and construction.  With this in mind, I was a bit surprised that the price tag - at @$340 - was actually about $40-50 cheaper than my own top-of-the-line Clark NX-270.  Clark construction and materials have been absolutely "bombproof" for me for the better part of two decades.  Can Haven really do much the same thing for less?

So, I'm thinking the Haven MIGHT represent real value for a guy like me who LIKES to sleep in a hammock versus a tent BUT also yearns for the ability to sleep on his side.

Bottom line: all of your perspectives on the Haven are welcomed.  I am particularly interested in hearing from anyone with direct knowledge or experience with this product.

You know what they say when something seems too good to be true.  I'm just trying to get to the bottom of it.

Thanks in advance for your insights!

Jimbo   

Thanks for the input, ST.  Good idea re: using space blankets/mylar sheets.  I actually use them with my Clark when I'm in the park during the colder shoulder-season months.

Jimbo