Timothy Meinch

DES

It's the same intangible draw that possesses an avid boater.

"There's something about being on the water," Zachary Gilbert said, searching for a relatable experience while standing in Gray's Lake Park.

Instead of water, he seeks two strong trees — at least 15 feet apart — to get his fix: There's something about being cocooned while suspended in a light breeze. Sunshine with a lakeside view is a bonus this particular Saturday afternoon in May.

The 26-year-old settled for a clearing beneath ash trees in the southeast corner of Gray's Lake Park. His girlfriend, Emily Miller, who just graduated from Iowa State University, reclines in her own hammock a couple feet above.

They call it stacking.

"It's a little adventurous," Miller said, after tactfully maneuvering into the top bunk. "Some people get wild and go like eight-people high."

Miller got into hammocking during the summer of 2012, when she worked at a camp near Tyler, Texas. She was impressed by how many lightweight, packable hammocks would pop up out of nowhere during down time.

She bought a used Eagles Nest Outfitters hammock from a friend and took it back to Iowa State, where she found, and perhaps helped cultivate, an urban hammocking culture. She introduced Gilbert to the pastime last year.

Gilbert, of Des Moines, said he seldom leaves the house without his portable camping hammock — a double-nester Kammok Roo. When it's warm out, he regularly strings it up in an Ames park near his office during lunch breaks.

"I keep mine in my bag every day," he said.

Within the last year, Gilbert has enjoyed afternoon "hang sessions" and overnight stays between trees in Italy, the Ozarks in Missouri and downtown Minneapolis.

Gilbert and Miller say they grew up familiar with stationary hammocks, often made of netting or rope, in retired people's backyards or in tropical destinations, like a hammock garden Gilbert discovered years ago in Cancun.

Miller said she recently learned that her grandfather had spent many nights sleeping in a hammock in a boiler room on a navy ship during World War II.

But a new wave of lightweight camping hammocks are taking the leisurely pastime beyond its traditional element.

The portable hammocks are made of a parachute-like material with straps that can be set up in minutes.

Three growing companies, ENO, Kammok and Grand Trunk, are thriving, selling various models at prices ranging from $20 to $150-plus.

The portable-hammocking culture, whether in the mountains or cityscape, combines an active-lifestyle element with leisure, Gilbert said. And there's an aesthetic appeal that cannot be ignored.

Kammok promotes #TheRooLife hashtag, encouraging its customers to post impressive photos of their hammocks on Twitter and Instagram.

Gilbert says he typically posts a picture whenever he finds the perfect spot, which is an inherent challenge to urban hammocking.

"The more epic it looks, the better the session," said Gilbert, who is a graphic designer and photographer.

"If it looks good, it's going to feel good hammocking."