Tentsile Stingray Suspension Tent: Hands-on Review

Didn’t we all want a tree house when we were kids? This is the adult version. Meet the gravity-defying Tentsile Stingray suspension tent. In this hands-on review, I’m taking it on the road to see what it’s like to set up, to sleep in, if it’s comfortable and what it’s designed for. I’ll wrap this up with the pros and cons and let you know if I can recommend this tent for you.

What is a Tentsile Tent?

Tentsile kind of turned the camping game on its head for me when I first reviewed the Tentsile Connect a couple of years ago. Tentsile tents are designed to be suspended between trees, getting you off the cold, wet or rocky ground for a unique and more comfortable camping experience. This makes the tents ideal to bring along when you’re not sure if you’ll be able to find a flat, soft campsite.

The model I have is called the Stingray; it’s a triangular shaped tent with room for three people and their gear to sleep comfortably inside, each along one side of the tent. Amazingly it can hold up to 880 pounds or 440 KG!

These tents sure look cool; you’re going to be getting lots of people stopping by your site to marvel at the engineering here. Speaking of which.. let’s get to how you set it up.
To understand how it’s set up let’s unpack the components. In the Tentsile duffel bag you get two sets of items; the tent components and the suspension gear. There’s the suspension tent itself which is pretty big at at about 13.3-feet/4m on each side , a rain fly and two tent poles. There’s also mesh gear lofts. Then the suspension components. There’s three rolls of thick orange strapping, three ratchets, blue felted tree protectors, and some plastic screw-pegs for pegging the fly. You also get a patch kit and extra pole segment.

The bag when fully packed isn’t light, weighing about 24 pounds.

How to set up Tentsile Stingray

The Stingray tent, like the Connect 2-person tent I reviewed a couple year back is easy to set up one you know what you’re doing, and is definitley possible for one person to tackle solo. With that said, it’s a bit weird the first time, so try to allow some extra time to understand it before you arrive at your campsite.

First; unpack all your parts, and lay the Stingray out on the ground so you can place it in the right space. You will need three sturdy, older trees, that are equally spaced around the tent so the straps can connect evenly. The quick check here is if every corner points directly at a tree, you’re good. Otherwise, move the tent until you get good anchor points.

Next wrap each of your webbed straps around the tree trunk; use the open loop and pull the end of the strap through and pull it to tighten. If you’re using trees with younger or more delicate bark, you can first pad them with your tree protectors. You’ll want to place the straps at the approximate height you’ll want them at, but you will have a change to adjust them a bit before you tighten everything.

Now, attach each of the ratchets to the corners of the tent; wrap the loop end through the large D-Rings on each corner and pull them tight.
Then it’s time to thread the strap into the ratchet. This might seem a bit tricky, but what you need to do is look for the slot in the narrow end of the ratchet and feed the strap through that slot, and pull it all the way through.

Next up you’re about to tighten the ratchets so now’s the time to make any height adjustments if you need to. Tentsile recommends you keep the tent at a manageable height off the ground, and unless you also bought thier add-on ladder. If it’s too high you’ll need some way to get in later.

To begin tightening the ratchets, hold the straps, and pull up on the release bar with your thumb. The release bar runs across the middle of the ratchet. This will allow you to open the ratchet.

Open it all the way up, then use the handle to ratchet it back and forth; it will begin to take up the slack in the straps. It’s a good idea to lightly tighten each strap, then come back around and do another firmer cinch.

When everything is tight you have to lock the ratchets; don’t forget this step, since if you do, the tent will give out unexpectedly. Push the lever of the ratchet down until the lock bar is siting behind the stop.

Now it’s time to make your home… Extend the tent poles and push them through each of the two channels in the top of the tent. There’s small plastic cups at the end, so make sure they are sitting in there.

Then inset the other end of the pole into the cups just outside the tent. Now you’ve got a 4-foot interior height tree house.

You can leave it as is, or add the rain fly. The fly slips over the top and clips onto the ratchets with small plastic clips.

You can peg the fly into the ground, but I found the plastic screw pegs were ineffective in the rocky mountain soil I tried them in. Good thing, then I was able to use the hooks on the fly to secure it to the bottom of the Stingray.

Using Tentsile Stingray

One of the great things about this tent is there’s going to be no climbing over people while you sleep; there’s a large door in each side of the tent.

To get in, the easiest way is to kind of sit on the edge of the door and then roll yourself in.
You can also use the central door in the floor to get in and out too, and if you need the ladder, this is where you’ll hang it.

The Stingray is also ideal if you have pets; our two dogs Kica and Rainie were so curious about the tent they couldn’t wait to get inside. They were pretty freaked out through by the moving floor, so the visit didn’t last long.

And you don’t need to worry about dog claws damaging the tent material; this tent is practically like kevlar, so I’m not worried at all about it. If you will have your dogs in here or you want to make the tent extra cozy, consider adding on the Tentsile Stingray Quilt; this perfectly fit quilted blanket covers the floor and secures with velcro. It’s a nice added bit of softness and insulation, and it even keeps the central floor door accessible.

Sleeping in Tentsile

Sleeping in this tent is so comfortable. You have that relaxed hammock feeling, but without the cupping; the floor of the tent stays fairly flat too, so you’re not rolling into the other people.
The only thing I’d mention is any time someone turns over or gets up, you’re all going to feel it. Of course you can also just bring the Stingray along as a kind of hang-out hammock too.

Unique construction

Even on the rockiest terrain, sleeping on the Tentsile is going to be supremely comfortable. It relieves all pressure from your joints and muscles which ensures a good night’s sleep.
Tentsile tree tents are kind of like the hammocks, but with more room to spread out and without that “burrito” feeling you get from hammocks all thanks to three mounting points and a spine-like wide strap down the middle of the tent. You don’t feel this strap at all; it’s really just there to provide stability. That strap can be adjusted if over the years the material stretches out a bit, but Tentsile sends it perfectly calibrated from the factory so you shouldn’t need to touch it.

Unique camping experience

There’s something incredibly soothing about being cradled above the ground while the forest whispers lullabies. It’s also incredibly novel and exciting to set up camp in the trees. It brings a bit of that childhood treehouse magic back into camping. Plus, it makes for some stellar Instagram fodder!

Keeps those creepy crawlies away

Forget about the hard, uneven, and sometimes soggy ground. Sleeping in a Tentsile tent is like being on a cloud (well, almost). You’re lifted away from ground moisture, creepy crawlies, and the cold earth, which can really up your camping game.

What’s new with Gen 3?

Tentsile has been around for a few years now and the company has continued to revise and refine their offerings. Now in its 3rd generation, there are a couple of updates worth noting.
Detachable underfloor storage nets: Nifty nets that hang under your tent, giving you a suspended “basement” if you will.

Upgraded rainflies: Now with a 5000HH rating, the rainflies can withstand significantly more resistant to rainfall while keeping its breathability.

Ground conversion kits: You can also set up Gen 3 Tentsiles on the ground, just like a traditional tent. This is especially useful when there are no sturdy trees around. This is great because flexibility is key in the wild. You can rock that aerial setup when the opportunity arises, and if not, no sweat—you can go traditional without missing a beat.

Zippable internal storage pockets: To keep your gadgets safe and dry, they’ve also added internal storage pockets like in traditional tents.
Zero footprint, felt-tree protector wraps: The Leave No Trace principle is one of the key tenets to becoming a good outdoorsman. To help you become one, Tentsile includes tree protector wraps that spread out the load of the tent’s straps, reducing stress and pressure points on the tree bark. This is especially important when setting up camp in one location for several days, as concentrated pressure can lead to lasting damage.

So, Is the Tentsile Tree Tent Gen 3 Right for You?

If you’re after something a little different, value a unique sleeping setup, and don’t mind a bit of extra work setting up camp, then a Tentsile tent could be a fantastic addition to your outdoor gear. It’s not just about sleeping in a tent; it’s about creating memorable and surprisingly super comfortable outdoor adventures.

Plus these little improvements on the Gen 3 makes the Tentsile even more attractive. The ground conversion kit in particular, is a heaven-sent feature because sometimes, you just won’t find the right trees, spaced just right to pitch the Tentsile.

Just remember, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. But hey, if you’ve got a spirit of adventure and a love for the trees, sleeping suspended above the forest floor might just be your kind of paradise.

Overall review: Tentsile Stingray Tree tent

Overall I love this tent; Lets go over the pros and cons.

On the Pro side, it’s fun, pretty easy to set up, and is supremely comfortable and can give you a great sleeping experience or just act as a campsite clubhouse. It’s weatherproof and can be warmed up with the addition of the quilt. It has doors in each side and the bottom for plenty of access options. It sleeps three people and can even handle your dogs too.

So what are the downsides? Perhaps the biggest barrier for folks could be that setting it up for the first time might be intimidating, but trust me when I say you’ll get used to it. The other thing is that it’s not ideal for backpacking, since the total weight is 24 pounds. Lastly, anytime someone in the tent rolls over everyone is going to feel it.

Even so, I think this tent is fantastic… and Kica does too. Rainie is a work in progress.

I can definitely recommend the Tentsile Stingray suspension tree tent for you.

It sells regularly for about $849 USD/ $1590CAD