Dream Hammocks Darien Review

Bottom Line

The Dream Darien is the lightest hammock for those who still want top-notch comfort and are willing to sacrifice a few features for that goal. The quality is excellent all around, and the inclusion of side-pulls makes a huge improvement for livability.

The lack of pockets or storage of any kind is a slight downside, but the Dream offers many accessories that add storage in thoughtful ways. This allows for customization of the type of storage that’s more important to individual users.

We think it’s priced well for a premium model, landing about average compared to other camping hammocks, and we think this makes it a worthy investment that will last for many years with proper care. 

We found the Darien to be super comfortable when testing it out in the woods, reaching for it most when we just wanted to relax. We found that lying diagonally was easy due to the generous dimensions and quality nylon.

During the night, the lack of pockets was most noticeable, and we resorted to hanging headlamps from the ridgeline and keeping phones in pants pockets.

Aside from that, the supreme comfort carried through to morning, and it was among the best night’s sleep we got during testing. While it’s not the lightest model for ultra weight-conscious backpackers, it is the model we’d recommend if comfort is slightly more important than ounces.

Comfort

If comfort is more of a priority than weight, the Darien is the lightest hammock that still manages to wow us with its comfort. The Darien has a generous 11 feet of length and 5.3 feet of width while using a soft and premium nylon that has just the right amount of give. During testing this was the hammock we kept coming back to for lounging when we wanted something supremely straightforward; there’s not a lot of features and it’s easy to use. Two of our testers – at 5’11” and 5’5” – rated this the most comfortable out of all the camping hammocks we tested. 

The ridgeline is set right at that sweet spot of 83% the length of the hammock, so finding a diagonal lying position was easy. The inclusion of side-pulls meant that the bug netting stayed out of our face. This is an asymmetrical hammock, so the bug net is sewn to a right side lying position (feet to the right, head to the left), but we don’t think directionality is that important.

Features

Balancing features with weight savings is all about tradeoffs, and it’s here the Darien shows its priority for lightweight comfort versus having all the bells and whistles.

Most importantly, it has side-pull attachment points and includes some shock cord to increase livability. This is our favorite hammock feature to see since the bug netting can get in the way during sleeping without it. However, the shock cord has no adjustability, and the attachment points are really underquilt hooks, which might be cramped if they’re sharing space with the quilt attachment.

Overall this is our least favorite implementation of side-pulls, but we’re glad it wasn’t a feature that was ignored. Those aforementioned underquilt hooks are nice to see, but that’s the extent of the Darien’s features.

It’s worth noting that Dream doesn’t intend this to be their most fully featured hammock; they have their Sparrow model for that. The Darien is meant to be a stripped-back model focused on comfort and weight, and to that end the lack of features makes sense.

They do offer some really nice accessories such as a ridgeline organizer, peak shelf, and a ridgeline sling, but these cost more and add weight. One nitpick is that the zipper pulls are longer than necessary, which means they get tangled in each other a bit more often than other hammock models, and the extra length isn’t all that helpful.

Weight

The Darien is the second lightest hammock we tested coming in at 17 ounces. There are other hammocks that are lighter, but they’re not as comfortable due to fundamentally smaller dimensions.

We think the Darien strikes an excellent balance of leaning more towards comfort while staying on the lightweight side of the spectrum. Adding back things like storage would increase the weight and add extra cost, shifting its position from the clear, lightweight comfort king to a more feature-rich and costly option.

Ease of Use

Another benefit of being simple is that setup is quite easy. With two fixed loops, a nice full length zipper, and side pulls connected to the fabric body, it doesn’t get much simpler than this. It would score higher, but the side pulls don’t include any adjustability out of the box. If this was our daily driver, we’d add some cord locks to make it an even better experience. Cord locks would allow for tensioning the shock cord so the stakes could be placed at any distance without worrying about appropriate tension.

Should You Buy the Dream Darien Hammock?

For someone in pursuit of the lightest gear that still retains luxurious levels of  comfort, the Darien is an excellent choice. It’s right in the middle of price for premium models which should make it an easier purchase than others, and we think it offers good value for the quality of product it provides. It’s not a good fit for someone who wants a removable bug net or other features, but Dream has more accessory-rich models like the Sparrow, if you like the overall feel of the Darien.

What Other Hammocks Should You Consider?

Warbonnet Blackbird Review: For our top hammock pick that boasts the lightest weight while still retaining key features, the Warbonnet Blackbird is hard to beat. At 1.7 ounces lighter than the Darien, the Blackbird adds two key features: an excellent gear shelf and better side pulls for increased livability. The downside is that the Blackbird is smaller and therefore isn’t quite as comfortable as the Darien. Ultimately we think, for most people, this slight tradeoff in comfort is worth the lighter weight and the features it adds. The Darien still makes a good case for being the best lightweight hammock depending on priorities.

Onewind Tempest Review: If the comfort of the Darien is appealing, but the price is a bit high, the Tempest is a bargain for similar levels of top-notch comfort. It keeps the same 11×5.3 foot dimensions as the Darien but at the cost of four more ounces due to slightly heavier materials and a fully removable bug net. We think the Tempest offers incredible value for a comfortable design, but people wanting to invest in a lighter design will want to stick with the Darien.