• Kickstarter: Kammok, A Hammock For Outdoorsmen and City Folk Alike

    Chris Velazco

    Chris Velazco is a mobile enthusiast and writer who studied English and Marketing at Rutgers University. Once upon a time, he was the news intern for MobileCrunch, and in between posts, he worked in wireless sales at Best Buy. After graduating, he returned to the new TechCrunch to as a full-time mobile writer. He counts advertising, running, musical theater,... → Learn More

    Friday, August 26th, 2011
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    The perception of geeks used to be that we lived in darkened houses constantly hunched over computers, never seeing the light of day. To be honest, that was me for a bit in my younger years, but these days I’ve come to appreciate the outdoors a bit more.

    Still, my love for fresh air is only matched by my love of lazing about, and the Kammok sounds like a perfect fit for my ideal lifestyle.

    The Kammok is a lightweight portable hammock whose main claim to fame is its LunarWave fabric. It’s a breathable, tear-resistant nylon fabric that allows cool air in during the dog days of summer while keeping heat in when it gets nippier out. The whole shebang stows in a lightweight, water-resistant bag, and only weighs about one pound.

    While it has some pretty obvious uses for all you outdoorsmen out there, Team Kammok insists that their product is just as capable for city folk and college students as it is in a forest clearing. Users just loop the Kammok’s “python straps” around two of whatever nearby supports will hold your body weight, snap the specially made carabiners into place, and voila, you’re sitting pretty in just a few minutes.

    At $85, the Kammok is a bit steep for what it is, but with over 1,400 backers the demand certainly seems to be sufficient. Team Kammok has also pledged that once they’re fully operational, 20% of all future profits will go toward humanitarian aid efforts. The Kickstarter project reached its funding goal in a scant two days, and has already begun the production process, so here’s hoping the final product lives up to the team’s claims.