There are only a few things I always take with me when I hit the road. And perhaps the most important one to me is my hammock. That’s probably surprising to hear, but there’s a reason for that and it’s a pretty good story. Before we get to that, let me introduce you to my hammock.

I have what is called a parachute style hammock. I bought it online from some website. It was not a huge site, but they have a good selection and they have great prices on parachute hammocks. They also sell other types of hammocks, like Mayan hammocks and Brazilian hammocks and tree tents, but parachute hammocks are the best for traveling.

The reason parachute hammocks are so good that they weigh very little and they roll up into a tiny ball. You stuff them in the pouch they come with and they take up very little space. Despite that, they are very strong. More importantly, they are incredibly comfortable.

The only hammocks that are (slightly) more comfortable are Mayan hammocks and Nicaraguan hammocks or perhaps Brazilian hammocks. For me Brazilian hammocks are a bit too warm, but Mayan and Nicaraguan hammocks are cooler. All three are very comfortable though. They are the kind of hammocks you can sleep in. The drawback of these hammocks is that they are bulkier and they weigh a little bit more and they are much more expensive. That is why I have a parachute style hammock.

I started carrying a hammock with me when I first began DJing in other countries. Back then I could not afford to stay in nice hotel rooms and even hostels were a bit expensive for me in the long run. I quickly learned from other travelers that you could often stay in a hostel for much cheaper if you brought a hammock with you and simply hung it up on the property.

They would charge you half of what they would charge for dorm room and often even less. In exchange for that, you get access to the kitchen and their bathroom facilities. For me this was important. I know I could’ve hung my hammock up out in nature and not paid anything, but I really wanted to be clean. You can’t roll up looking like a homeless person when you’re DJing in a club.

Because of what I said earlier, you’re probably wondering what other things I take with me. The others you can probably guess. Naturally I always bring my phone and a lightweight laptop. I need these for my business. I don’t bring much DJ equipment anymore, since I can do everything from my laptop. Sometimes, when I play big festivals, I do bring actual turntables and a mixer. At these types of events, I like to still spin it old-school style with real turntable record players. Apart from that, I just bring the standard stuff you would take when traveling: clothes, toiletries and so on.

Like I said, there’s nothing too surprising in there. Except for the hammock of course. These days, I can afford nicer hotel rooms, but I still like sleeping in my hammock to be honest. Sleeping in a hammock is much more comfortable than just about any bed.

Of course, this presumes that you know how to sleep in a hammock. Most people do it wrong. They lie init like a banana and that is not comfortable for a long period of time. You have to lie a bit diagonally, so that your body ends up being straight. Lie in one like this and hammocks are super comfortable and also great for your back. You get the best sleep of your life, trust me.