FIVE Improvements to the Haven Tent
- Randy Reek, The Great Out There
- Aug 8
- 7 min read
I love sleeping on AIR in my Haven Tent! Here are FIVE ways I improved this shelter for my style of camping.
The Haven Tent is a sleeping system. Beyond a hammock and a tarp, the Haven Tent is a flat-lay suspended tent that includes bug netting and a rain fly.
Here in Wisconsin, most of my camping is in dense forests. Finding two trees to suspend a hammock is easy. But finding a clear, level, dry spot to pitch a tent is often difficult. Much of the forest is covered by underbrush. At the end of the day, I don't want to hack an opening to pitch a tent or tarp shelter.
In addition, much of the forest is far from smooth and flat. I have actually had difficulty finding a dry, flat space the size of my sleeping bag at times! If it has rained recently, the only flat spots are also soggy.
I have owned many hammocks, including other "bridge hammocks". All have some advantages and disadvantages compared to the Haven Tent. But when I pack for a backcountry motorcycle or canoe/kayak trip, MOST of the time it is the Haven Tent that best suits my needs.
Over the past two years, I have pitched the Haven Tent in a variety of settings. Here are FIVE ways that I have modified the stock Haven Tent for improved comfort or efficiency:
First, I swapped out a few of the stock parts. I discarded the original steel carabiners in favor of lighter, locking aluminum carabiners.
I also discarded that stock tent pegs for much stronger triangular aluminum pegs that I can pound into the hard ground without bending.
I use the Haven XL model and it fits me fine. One of the biggest advantages of the Haven Tent SYSTEM is that the rain fly can be attached to the tent body with the carabiners. I stuff the tent with the carabiners at the top. The I can attach the tent to the suspension without it touching the ground. Likewise, I can also pack the tent without it touching the ground.
Here is Derek demonstrating stuffing the tent:
Using the standard web suspension is the second place I made a modification. I like the heavy-duty webbing but I often feel like the Haven Tent isn't strung tightly - and it then sags too much when I climb in.
Some campers substitute rope "whoopie slings" for the standard webbing ladder loops - but that isn't my preference. Instead, I simply added an infinitely adjustable web strap with a tension buckle. Originally, I bought this strap with hooks on each end to hoist a kayak to the ceiling in the garage. Later, I installed a better pulley hoist.
I removed the hooks from the original cam buckle strap. Then I looped one end onto the original suspension tree strap. Now, I attach one end of the tent to the suspension, as normal (typically the head end with the closed zipper for the screen). At the foot end, I have looped the suspension around the tree. Then I attach the carabiner to the short tag end of the web strap.
Now I can snug the ridgeline "just right" - not too loose, not too tight - and I get the perfect lay every time! This added strap also gives me the ability to camp with more widely spaced trees, which has come in handy!
There are times when the standard Haven attached rain fly can be a liability. This includes when you are camping with a group or in an open campground. The rain fly exactly covers the sides of the Haven hammock - and no more. If you want privacy for dressing OR for more room for cooking or lounging, you will need a larger tarp.
Rather than carry two tarps, I sometimes leave the Haven rain fly at home and pack a separate larger tarp. My favorite rain fly is longer and wider, with the option to close the "doors" at the ends. This is handy for dressing and undressing. It also offers protection from the wind and rain - and this makes meal preparation possible on a windswept point.
I make this substitution when I am travelling and staying in wide open campgrounds. This is one big advantage of the Haven Tent over a roof top tent where you need to exit and climb down just to change your mind! The other time I pack the larger rain fly is for extended backcountry canoe trips, like trips into the Boundary Waters, where cold driving rain is a certainty.
Hammock camping can be a Mix and Match process of assembling components from various brands. Pitching this larger rain fly has the downside or requiring a separate ridgeline. But the advantage (besides privacy) is that the tarp can be pitched FIRST, hours before you are ready for bed - or even during a midday storm.
You and your buddies can hang out under the protective fly. Later, you can hang the hammock with full protection from the elements. All your gear stays dry. In the morning, you can dress, cook, and pack with the same protection. After everything is packed, the rain fly is the last to come down.
Once you experience the bliss of sleeping on air, above the cold, lumpy, rocky, wet ground, you will be a hammock camper for life! But I admit, there are places that I visit where trees are scarce! This includes the wide open plains, the high desert, and sandy beaches. If I am traveling with my wife, the simplest alternative is a free-standing tent. But when on a solo adventure, I still opt for the Haven Tent.
Many campers have used trekking poles to suspend the Haven Tent as a ground "bivy" when trees aren't available.
First of all, trekking poles are used when backpacking, and the added weight and bulk of the Haven tent system (tent, fly, and the required pad) disqualify it for most weight-conscious hikers. Secondly, unless you are car camping AND hiking, you aren't carrying trekking poles on a canoe trip or motorcycle adventure.
On adventure motorcycle trips in forested regions, I can usually find trees to pitch the Haven Tent. But there are times when the group finds a picturesque campsite without two trees in the perfect position. No problem! As long as I can find ONE tree, fence post, or other stationary object (including my parked motorcycle) I can pitch my Haven shelter.
Instead of trekking poles, I pack along a pair of short tent poles that I have lashed together. I discarded an old tent a while back with worn out zippers. I couldn't bring myself to the point of throwing away perfectly good tent poles, including a light set of poles that were used for the fly over the main tent.
I took one of these poles (that had five sections) and created two shorter poles, each with two sections. Then I used my Boy Scout skills to tie a sheer lashing, which created a "scissor" joint. These connected poles are now infinitely adjustable to suspend one end of the Haven Tent. (If you don't have any "surplus" tent poles, here is a cheap source - Click HERE.)
I stake down the four corners of the tent. Then I attach one end to the fixed object with a web strap. Using the second suspension web strap over the poles, I stake it down to complete my ground tent. Note also that this requires a fifth stake and a protective ground sheet under the Haven Tent - which can be a piece of plastic..
Finally, becoming a hammock camper has also converted me from a sleeping bag to a top quilt. Combined with the insulated Haven XL air mattress, I only need a light quilt for a comfortable night sleep. But I do not like sleeping directly on the plastic air mattress.
I have experimented with several sheet and liner alternatives. You necessarily enter the hanging Haven Tent at the center. This makes sliding into one end of a sleeping bag liner next to impossible within the confines of the 30-inch wide Haven XL! The best option is a liner that opens the full length along the entry side.
Another option is to insert the Haven air mattress inside the envelope of a micro fiber liner. This provides me with an immovable, comfortable (and washable) sleeping surface over the pad. On hot nights, I cover up with a flat sheet. On cool nights, I wake and pull up the top quilt. This air mattress "pocket" adds a tiny bit of bulk to my gear, but is still far less than the standard underquilt required for other hammocks. (Haven also offers an added insulated air mattress cover for winter camping!)
So there are my adaptations and improvements to the Haven Tent based on several years of varied usage. There are a few occasions when I need to pack a tent, and a few others when I pack a minimalist hammock. But for the most comfort in the widest variety of campsites, I pack along my Haven XL Tent MOST of the time!
Bonus Tip: I often watch videos of campers who pack ALL their gear in huge dry bags - including their tent, folding chair, table, etc. These waterproof "dry bags" keep moisture IN just as effectively as keeping the rain out! Why would you stuff a wet tent inside a dry bag with your other gear? Why would you use precious space for a waterproof chair, camp sandals, or other gear - including rain gear?
I always pack my clothes, sleeping pad, and top quilt in a waterproof stuff sack. I NEVER pack the Haven Tent (with the pad attached) in a dry bag. I don't want a wet tent inside my pack. I pack the wet tent on the outside of my pack or luggage so it has a chance to dry out! If it rains while riding or kayaking, the standard Haven stuff sack will repel most of the rain. Even if it is slightly damp, I am never in contact with the tent fabric or rain fly while sleeping.
Thanks for reading! Please leave your comments below. Are you a converted hammock camper? Are you ready to experience the all-in-one Haven Tent? Follow this link for a discount on behalf of the Great Out There! Click HERE!
