>>2529428>comfortThis is an obvious one. No matter how thick your pad is, it will never be as comfy as an appropriately sized and correctly hung hammock.
>ventilation/condensationIt’s a major issue in the south east, and hammocks are the most ventilated shelter option. The comparison to single wall tents isn’t even close.
>site selection is easierOn a macro scale, you can choose a general area and be guaranteed to find at least an ok hammock spot (if you’re in a forest, obviously). Generally that’s done to be on the leeward side of a hill, or further from a water source, or in a less-traveled area. In a micro sense, there are fewer worries about rocks, sticks, vegetation, or roots. A slight angle to the ground doesn’t matter. Puddles aren’t a major concern. You’ll never set up only to realize there’s a weird lump under your hip.
>slight versatilityI can keep my tarp in it’s skins if I’m certain there won’t be any rain, pull back just half of it for privacy, leave up one side in “porch mode,” or really hunker down in storm mode. A single walled tent is set up one way.
>utilityA hammock tarp is fairly large, providing much more useable space if there’s rain. It’s only a slight advantage, as most decent tents already have enough space under the vestibule. A hammock also doubles as a chair, but it’s not like you can just plop it down wherever (but it’s still a place to sit).
>not stuck in a dog house while it’s rainingSelf explanatory. I’ll be in a hammock, sitting sideways, swaying lightly with my hammock in porch mode while I listen to the rain pattering lightly against my tarp. Peak comfy.
>cooler, as in less hotThis really only applies to the Deep South, where summer nighttime temps can make sleeping in a tent much less enjoyable. The convective heat loss in a hammock is a net positive.
>great for old peopleOld folks have trouble sleeping on really hard surfaces, and we won’t be “young” forever.
