Pursuits
Hammocks Aren’t Just for Backyard Lazing Anymore
They’re the hottest way to chill on hiking trails, college campuses, and campgrounds.
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For an object so closely associated with laziness, the hammock has been busy recently. Far from the cumbersome, macramé-style cradles strung across backyards of yore, the modern hammock is portable, easy to set up, and a favorite of hikers, campers, and do-nothings alike.
“Hammock” became as much a verb as a noun (as in, “If you need me, dude, I’ll be hammocking”) in the late 1990s. At music festivals such as Lollapalooza and Lilith Fair, listeners hammocked as they jammed to G. Love & Special Sauce and Shawn Colvin. From there, the hammock migrated into the camping world, where it became a warm-weather alternative to a tent.