Camping is a fun experience, but if you want to get the most out of it, you need to have all the right gear, equipment, and accessories. One of such camping equipment is a hammock.
Hammocks are often used by people on lightweight camping exercises. However, it’s not enough to just stretch out your hammock between trees; you need to add some extra things to make it comfortable. Hammock rain fly cheap is one of such additions.
What is a rain fly? A rain fly is a stretch of material that lots of campers use to shield themselves from the elements. In fact, you may have seen them in camping-related pictures and documentaries.
This efficient fabric is easily spread over your hammock, like a make-shift roof, to fend off rainwater and the sun’s rays. When you search the market for a good rain fly, you will be presented with lots of brands.
For this reason, having some sort of a product guide would save you time and energy. This article reviews the best hammock rain fly. Keep reading to know more.
Best Rain Fly for Hammock
If you don’t want to spend several tedious hours searching for a reliable rain fly, you can make use of the information provided in this article to make things easier.
We’ve done a comprehensive review of the best hammock rain flies to make things easier for you.
1. Unigear Rain Fly
In this review of the best hammock rain fly, the Unigear Rain Fly hasn’t been left out.
Just like any reliable rain fly should be, this product is fully resistant to water; all you have to do is stretch it over your hammock, and you’ll be well protected – thanks to its 210D ripstop Oxford material/3000mm PU specification. Apart from heavy rainfall, you’ll also be shielded from heavy gusts of wind and sun rays.
The installation of this waterproof rain fly is simple and straightforward. To ensure easy use of this product, there are quality accessories that come with the purchase: 3 aluminum stake pairs, 4 pairs of tie-downs, nylon-based ropes, and a storage pouch.
This Unigear is also durable and won’t easily get ripped. Thanks to its anti-leak properties, it effectively holds off every drop of water.
2. ENO Eagles Nest Outfitters HouseFly Rain Tarp
First on our list is the ENO Eagles Nest Outfitters HouseFly Rain Tarp. Regardless of its 126″ x 120″ size specification, which might not be the largest in the market, this product is still highly effective as a shield from the rain and heavy winds. Apart from its quality resistance to water, it’s also classified as a 3-season tarp that is equipped with an overlapping doors design. You can say that this product is the best rainfly for an ENO hammock if you have one.
The way that this tarp is designed with an overlapping doors system makes it versatile. It can be deployed in different ways to achieve a great amount of comfort. This tarp doesn’t just keep the rain out of your tent, but it also holds up properly against snowfall.
This rainfly doesn’t weigh much, with a weight specification of 1.56-lbs, thanks to the silnylon material used in its manufacture. This tarp can be neatly/compactly stored away when it’s not in use.
3. Rain Fly EVOLUTION Waterproof TARP
This product has earned its place among the quality rain flies in the market. It’s a rain fly that’s designed to efficiently block out rainwater and keep your tent dry.
Not only does it protect your hammock from rainwater, but it also remains taut when there’s a strong wind – thanks to the diamond ripstop nylon fabric. This significantly wide-span tarp doesn’t rip or tear easily, plus it only weighs 1.5-lbs.
You won’t need to spend much time installing this product, thanks to an efficient combination of quality features – 2.8’’ loop length, durable grommet, and a reliable carabiner. It’s fully accessorized with 2 pairs of guy-lines, 3 carabiner pairs, 7 ropes, and a convenient storage bag.
In addition to these accessories, you also get a unique package, the evolution survival bracelet, which doesn’t come with other rain fly products. It’s equipped with 5 exciting features: one compass, a safety whistle, a fire starter, scraper/knife, and a 10.5-ft paracord rope.
4. Chill Gorilla Rain Fly
This product is excellent at keeping rainwater out of your hammock – thanks to its water-resistant ripstop nylon material.
If you won’t be able to hull heavy luggage on your camping trip, and you want to avoid excess weights, you can still take this rain fly with you – it has a light 1.4-pound weight. This product is significantly strong, and it does well against heavy rainfall and winds – it has a water-resistant spec of 2000 PU. It remains firmly stretched out, even when there’s a heavy wind, thanks to its 10” swallow-tail design.
Apart from its simple setup process, this product is also fully accessorized. Some of its accessories are 3 pairs of tensioners, 2 pairs of tent stakes, guy liners (with up to 20-ft length), and a convenient bag for compactly keeping the rain fly. It’s constructed with everything that’s needed to successfully stretch it out over your hammock.
5. Hennessy Hammock Hex Rainfly
When searching for the best budget hammock rain fly, the Hennessy Hammock – Hex shouldn’t be overlooked. The manufacturers of this product are not new to the game.
Rather, they have gained a good reputation over the years – thanks to their high standard merchandise. The “Hex” in the name refers to the shape of the rainfly, which is a hexagon. This product works well as a shield from rain and winds, while you comfortably relax in your hammock.
Its quality waterproof nature is a result of its polyester ripstop material with good Polyurethane (PU) rating. This product isn’t only made for hammocking, but also for tent camping – regardless of which one you’d be doing, this rain fly will serve you well.
This hammock doesn’t just span over the top of your hammock, but can also be extended all the way down, on both sides, to the floor – which is achievable with its 143″ x 120″ specification. With its 3 pairs of anchoring spots, you can securely install the fly over your hammock.
The fly’s installation cords can be neatly stored away in their special storage pouch whenever they’re not in use. The downside to this product is its weak cords. If there’s going to be prolonged usage of these cords, you’ll need to consider getting stronger ones. Regardless of that, this rainfly can be compactly stored for the purpose of portability.
6. Sea to Summit Waterproof Camping Tarp
Compared to most other tarps in the market, this product is really lightweight – it has a 0.75-lbs weight specification.
Its remarkable light-weight can be attributed to the 15D ultra-sill Nanomaterial used to manufacture it. If you don’t need heavy loads on your camping trip, this tarp is a great option to serve as a rain fly.
This rainfly also covers a good area – with its 142″ x 110″ specification – and it can be kept in a neat and compact fashion when it’s not being used. This tarp can be installed in such a way that you’re left with abundant space beneath it. This efficient unit can also be stretched all the way down to the ground, on both sides, for extra shielding against the elements.
A discouraging factor associated with this product is that purchasing it costs a lot of money. You can pick from the other excellent options available in this review if your budget won’t support this one. However, the features associated with this rain fly make it totally worth the price.
7. OAV Hammock Rain Fly
The OAV Rain Fly is also a great mention in this review of the best hammock rain fly. This rainfly has a wide coverage that effectively warms up even when temperatures are low.
With this long-lasting rain fly stretched out, you can be confident of full protection from rainwater and dry sleeping space – thanks to its 40D rip-stop nylon material and 5000mm PU rating.
After purchasing this product, you can put it to use in several different exercises that require a tarp – it’s a versatile tarp. The tarp isn’t heavy, and it can be compactly stored away when it is not in use. This rainfly cannot get ripped easily, and it remains taut/tightly stretched in the event of a strong wind.
Whenever the tarp is not in use, you can compactly keep it away in its storage pouch. Extra stakes aren’t required because the rain fly is sold along with 3 stake pairs (aluminum-based), and 2 pairs of guy lines. The rain fly has widespread coverage, which makes it excellent as a make-shift roof.
8. Bear Butt Double Tent Rain Fly
The Bear Butt Double Tent Rain Fly is another great choice for you. Thanks to its simple design, this rainfly can be quickly installed. It also works excellently as a protective covering from the elements – rain, sunrays, and winds.
This product doesn’t weigh much, meaning that it can be easily moved around, and it totally holds out water. The manufacturers of this fly also made sure that it’s remarkably resistant to getting punctured and holes.
It has a wide-spread coverage that effectively cools your hammock even when temperatures are high. This hammock cover remains firmly stretched whenever there’s a strong gust of wind.
The fly doesn’t weigh much, which makes it perfect for backpacking exercises, and it’s properly accessorized. You get a pair of metal stakes, a nice storage pouch, and durable guy lines; the guy lines are coated with a reflective pigment that makes them easily visible.
With the accessories provided, you won’t have a hard time installing this rain fly. The Bear Butt Double Hammock Rain Fly is a product that delivers excellent shielding from the elements while you’re out in the open.
How to Find the Best Hammock Rain Fly
When you’re searching for the perfect rain fly to use together with your top quilt for hammock, you will come across a lot of tempting options.
However, there are certain factors that you must always pay attention to before spending your money on a tarp.
Material
The first thing to be considered is the material the tarp’s made of. You should go for something that’s long-lasting and strong.
When looking for the right rain fly same as with a poncho for rain, you want something that’s fully resistant to water. You can choose from either silnylon, polyethylene, polyester, cuben fiber, or nylon coated with PU.
Setup
The ease of setting up your rain fly is also a factor to be considered. Make sure your purchase is a product that can be quickly and easily installed on the portable hammock stand for extra convenience.
Check for tarps that come with ridgelines for easier setup on your easy pop-up tent. There should also be enough points from which you can securely anchor the tarp.
Shape
You also need to consider the shape of the tarp you’re going for. The shape determines how effectively the tarp will shield you from the rain, sunshine, snow, and wind.
Here are the tarp shapes we have:
Rectangular: There are tarps that are shaped like a rectangle and work excellently during hammocking exercises. With two pairs of anchor points and a centerline, these tarps efficiently shield you from the rain and winds, although they don’t provide the best airflow within your hammock.
Diamond: The diamond cut tarps have their ridgelines passed across the center of the hammock. When compared to the previously mentioned types, this one is a better shield for your hammock – thanks to the positioning of its corners; with 2 at the hammock’s opposite extremes, and the rest either stretched down to the ground or secured to a tree.
Asymmetrical: This type is a bit similar to the latter shape, but it is a bit angled differently from the pure rectangle shape. The angled nature of this tarp makes it less efficient when it comes to shielding against rain, sunshine, and winds.
Hexagonal: Just as the name implies, you can tell that this tarp is shaped like a hexagon with six sides. It also works efficiently as a shield against the elements – rainfall and heavy winds. Regardless of how high the winds get, this tarp will remain firmly stretched out and balanced. This feature is a result of the tarp’s catenary cut edges.
Size
Different campers have different needs and preferences. When choosing the best rainfly for a hammock, pick one with a large enough size to give you all the coverage you want, the same as you would with a hammock sleeping pad or underquilt. You should know that bigger tarps could be much heavier, and they would need more accessories for a successful installation.
Weight
When you’re going on a camping trip, you need to consider the weight of the items you’re taking with you. If you’re backpacking, you’d go for a lightweight tarp design that can be compactly stored – something with a portable make.
Final Thoughts
This review provides you with enough information that can serve as a guide when you’re searching for a rain fly. Out of all the great products that were mentioned in this review, the Unigear Rain Fly is the best ENO hammock rain fly that we recommend.
This product is highly effective as a shield from rain and heavy winds. It’s also classified as a 3-season tarp which is equipped with an overlapping doors design.
It’s a silnylon light-weight rain fly that provides you with a significant amount of comfort. This tarp can be stored away when it’s not in use.