Policies/FAQ

  1. Policies
  2. Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
  3. About us
  4. Legal notices

Policies

Warranty

We warrant our products against defects in materials and workmanship for life. We will repair, replace, or refund at our option. Warranty applies to original owners, and is not transferable.

We design our products to be repairable to cover ordinary mishaps, wear and tear, and will strive to offer suitable service components indefinitely.

Returns

You may return new, undamaged merchandise for thirty days from receipt. We do ask you to pay return shipping. Please email us for return instructions.

Please note that Tensa4 and Solo’s telescopic tubing is subject to fouling with sand. If you set up on beaches or similar sandy environments, you must wipe down or rinse off any sand sticking to the poles before collapsing them to avoid scratches that will make them ineligible for return.

We do not accept returns or credit for subcomponents bundled with complete products. For example, if you buy or make lines or anchors to replace those bundled with one of our stands, we do not offer to buy back the originals.

Shipping

We strive to ship orders within 3-5 days of receipt, usually faster, by the method you choose at checkout. Generally, more costly methods are faster. You should receive tracking information by email as soon as the carrier scans in the parcel, which can be delayed. All shipping methods include insurance. Parcels are sometimes delayed in transit, especially international shipments. Each carrier and insurance provider has a time period (usually weeks) before they will process claims as lost. In nearly every case that we’ve sent replacements, the customer ends up receiving the first shipment eventually.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

I want the most up-to-date version, should I wait to order?

Well it is really up to you, but there are several things to consider.

1. When do you need it? There are only 2 of us at Tensa Outdoor and I’m retired (this is my hobby business). We try to get stuff out right away, but there are no guarantees and we do NOT do rush orders. Those always ended up taking more time to get to the customer and cost us considerable time arranging them.

2. Currently (11 May 2025) all our stock is pre-trade war with China. Therefore we only had to pay 30-40% of the purchase price (not the current 145%) to the US government to retrieve our goods from US Customs custody. We are delaying buying any new stock – as much as we can – in the hopes of trade sanity returning and not forcing us to pass those duties on to you the customer. Any new stock acquired will have an “import fee” added. This import fee will stay there until that stock is used up and we get more stock. Since we buy our stock about 12 month at a time, any import fee will remain for about a year. We don’t want to charge this import fee, but neither can we absorb it ourselves. My guesstimate on the import fee for a Tensa4 is between $50-100 and a single Trekking Treez is between $50-100.

3. Currently (11 May 2025) everything we are shipping is our latest version AND we are not currently working on any improvements. It is always possible that we might have a brilliant idea tomorrow, but the fastest we can go from idea to Beta model is at least 4 months. To full production, it is more like 9-12 months minimum.

–Cheryl aka Raftingtigger

When will I receive my order?

It depends on the shipping method you choose, how many orders come in ahead of yours, and sometimes whether the products you order are ready to ship. Sometimes we ship same day, but we ask 3-5 days processing as a general rule. USPS quotes estimated transit times per method at checkout, and you will receive tracking information. Note that at least 10% of the time, USPS fails to scan in parcels that are in fact moving through the system, so “label created; USPS awaiting item” status does not reliably mean we haven’t shipped.

What about discounts?

We don’t do them. We rely mainly on word of mouth among happy customers to drive sales, not holiday sales, discounts or email-invasive sales tactics. Are you a veteran or first responder? We are both. You’re not missing out.

Do you ship to my country?

We ship worldwide. Our site software will quote the rate before you check out. We do not quote manually. We provide only accurate customs declarations.

Do you ship overnight?

No. By the time we arrange the expedited shipping, it usually would have been faster the normal way. Also, only some of our products are available instantly off the shelf. Most require processing/assembly from parts, which takes time. Finally, we strongly recommend practicing setup of our stands before needed; rush delivery often means setting up for the first time in trying conditions, with less than great results sometimes!

What are the dimensions of Tensa4 after assembly?

Because all the joints are flexible, the stand is almost infinitely adjustable, so has no fixed dimensions. Final size is driven by the hammock, your body and its weight distribution, and your lay preferences. That said, most users of gathered end hammocks end up with the stand about 6’ wide at the base, between 11 and 12’ along the top, and between 4 and 6’ high (foot end higher than head). The guylines can be offset by a variable amount, from 0 to about 12’.

Can I substitute items in Tensa4?

No, we’ve optimized Tensa4 (stand, webbing, anchor variety) for ease of use and functionality. Amsteel lines are visually elegant and very compact, but their lower weight vs webbing makes little meaningful difference in the overall weight. The webbing is more functional, because it integrates hammock suspension that doubles as tree suspension, and is more intuitive to use. You can still purchase Amsteel lines or alternate anchors separately, but not instead of the standard offerings. Webbing vs Amsteel does make a difference with Tensa Solo, so that option remains.

Tensa Solo or Trekking Treez?

If you backpack with trekking poles, Trekking Treez is for you. If you don’t, Solo is better in almost every way. Just because Trekking Treez is more expensive and in carbon fiber, doesn’t mean it’s better unless your use cases truly demand dual use as trekking poles and as hammock stand.

How do I raise the sit height on Solo or Treez?

Both systems will hang a 12-foot gathered end hammock high enough to keep an underquilt off the ground. The key is to keep any suspension between the pole and the hammock gather short. We generally connect the hammock directly to the poles’ hang points, with no intermediate suspension, and achieve a head down tilt by leaning that pole more sharply away from the hammock. This puts less stress on the ground anchors as well, maintaining a smaller overall footprint.

Can I convert Tensa Solo into Tensa4?

Not sensibly. Solo is 5 tubing segments, only 4 of which are in common with Tensa4. Tensa4 is 28 tubing segments. While technically you could buy all the 24 remaining segments and bag and lines and connectors, etc., a la carte, it would cost much more than just buying Tensa4 as a package.

Are your products made in the USA?

The short answer is:
Invented and designed in the USA
Components sourced worldwide
Much of the assembly in the USA.

The design and engineering are 100% done in the USA. Todd (Latherdome) often has the kernel of an idea and then Cheryl (Raftingtigger) prototypes it and does the Beta fabrication. It isn’t always that clear cut, but it is just the both of us.

Anything we can economically source from the USA we do. Treez Hubz are cut from Dutchware, Ultrasuede straps are cut in the USA from a Japanese cloth, Amsteel is from the USA and is either spliced in Florida by a stay-at-home dad, or tied by either Todd or Cheryl, Orange Screws came from Oregon (now Nitze) and Peggy Pegs from Germany.

Our sewn goods are made in China, as we found having them done here was about 10-20x more expensive.

Our Aluminum and Carbon Fiber are custom produced for us in China. We couldn’t get any USA aluminum companies to even talk to us, and carbon fiber is 5-10x higher from US sources.

Our injection molded parts are custom designed by Cheryl on AutoCad’s Fusion 360 platform. The molds and molding are done in China, which is about 3-5x less expensive than using a USA company – and even then that company often outsources to China. We have found that ‘going direct’ allows better and more timely communications with the production engineers. Prototype or interim parts are made on one of Cheryl’s 2 (soon to be 3) 3D printers or on her small lathe.

Treez are assembled in Cheryl’s home from what seems like 100 separate pieces in an assembly line (of one worker), and she definitely doesn’t want to figure out how long it takes to make just one.

About us

Ever since 2018, Tensa Outdoor has made innovative, ultra-portable hammock stands. We help people rest and sleep in unmatched comfort while traveling, camping, and even at home as a nightly bed. We’re always exploring improvements to our existing products, and looking to develop new ones, wherever we see complementarities and unmet needs.

We are two people who love camping, who prefer hammocks to sleeping on the ground or in beds. Stubborn and inventive, we’d each come up with novel ways to hang hammocks when no trees are available before we met. We formed Tensa Outdoor when we saw that we could improve our stands by using the same materials, joining them into a modular system, Tensa4 and Tensa Solo. Trekking Treez is an evolution of a product Cheryl first developed as NoGround Trekking.

Cheryl Todd has slept nightly in a hammock at home since 2013, and is probably the first to hike all of the “unhammockable” parts of the Pacific Crest Trail without ever going to ground.

Cheryl has pitched hammocks while trekking above the treeline, in desert slot canyons, and once underwater scuba diving. She also sleeps full-time in hammocks. We’re known on Hammock Forums and elsewhere online as Latherdome and Raftingtigger, respectively.

We run the company from our homes in California and Oregon, in tandem and tag-team styles, without a formal office, showroom, or set hours. Email to our shared address is the way to reach us: quick, non-intrusive, and accountable.

Summary of these notices is that we don’t share or sell your personal information, unless compelled by warrant, that we don’t do email marketing, and that we don’t want you to misuse our trademarks or copyrighted material. Only lawyers may understand the rest of this required boilerplate material.

Statement of Privacy

Tensa Outdoor is committed to protecting your privacy. This Statement of Privacy applies to Tensa Outdoor Web site and governs data collection and usage at all Tensa Outdoor sites and services; it does not apply to other online or offline sites, products or services. Please read the Tensa Outdoor Statement of Privacy. Tensa Outdoor is a general audience web site, intended for users of all ages. Personal information of all users is collected, used and disclosed as described in this Statement of Privacy.

Collection of your Personal Information

As an E-commerce Web site, Tensa Outdoor collects personal information, such as your e-mail address, name, home or work address or telephone number. Information collected by Tensa Outdoor is used solely for the purpose of billing and shipping your online purchases. Tensa Outdoor does not collect any information about your computer hardware and software.

Use of your Personal Information

Tensa Outdoor and its operational service partners collect and use your personal information to process product orders and deliver the products requested. 

Tensa Outdoor does not send unsolicited bulk email, nor engage in email marketing in general, unless customers expressly subscribe, with option to unsubscribe at any time.

Tensa Outdoor does not sell, rent or lease its customer lists to third parties.
 Tensa Outdoor does not use or disclose sensitive personal information, such as race, religion, or political affiliations, without your explicit consent.


Tensa Outdoor may access and/or disclose your personal information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Tensa Outdoor or the site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of Tensa Outdoor, including its Web site; or (c) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of Tensa Outdoor or the public. 


Personal information collected on this site may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Tensa Outdoor or its affiliates, subsidiaries or agents maintain facilities, and by using this site, you consent to any such transfer of information outside of your country. Tensa Outdoor abides by the safe harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union.

Security of your Personal Information

Tensa Outdoor is committed to protecting the security of your personal information. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. For example, we store the personal information you provide on computer systems with limited access that are located in controlled facilities. When we transmit highly confidential information (such as a credit card number) over the Internet, we use a secure payment gateway so your information is protected.

Changes to this Statement

Tensa Outdoor will occasionally update this Statement of Privacy to reflect company and customer feedback. If there are material changes to this Statement or in how Tensa Outdoor will use your personal information, Tensa Outdoor will prominently post such changes prior to implementing the change. Tensa Outdoor encourages you to periodically review this Statement to be informed of how Tensa Outdoor is protecting your information. Makes great reading in your hammock.

Conditions of Use 


Use of the Tensa Outdoor website constitutes agreement to our terms of use. We encourage you to review the following information carefully.

TRADEMARKS 


Tensa Outdoor, Tensa4, Tensa Solo, Tensa Trekking Treez, Tensa Boomstakes, Tensa Toggle Loops, and any other marks indicated on our site are trademarks owned exclusively by Tensa Outdoor, LLC. The use of these trademarks and trade dress is prohibited if used in connection with the sale of any product that is not Tensa Outdoor’s, in any manner that seeks to disparages or discredit Tensa Outdoor or in any manner that may cause confusion among our customers.

COPYRIGHT 


All content on this website is the exclusive property of Tensa Outdoor, LLC. Said content includes text, graphics, logos, icons, images, audio and video clips, digital downloads, and software. Our content is protected by United States and international copyright laws and we reserve all rights contained therein. In case of dispute or infringement, we will rigorously defend our rights to this material.

PROTECTING YOUR ACCOUNT 



Some portions of this website permit username and passwords to be used. You are responsible for protecting your unique username and password and you agree to be responsible for all activities performed under your user account.

LICENSE AND SITE ACCESS 



Tensa Outdoor, LLC grants you (the user) a limited license to access and make personal use of this website. This license does not include the right to download any material (other than routine page caching), modify any material, or any portion thereof, without the express written consent of Tensa Outdoor, LLC. This license excludes the download or collection of logos, product descriptions, pricing, text, graphics, audio and video clips, and/or copying account information. This website or any portion of this website may not be reproduced, duplicated, copied, sold, visited, or otherwise exploited for any commercial purpose without express written permission of Tensa Outdoor, LLC. You are prohibited from using meta tags or any other hidden text utilizing Tensa Outdoor’s name or trademarks without the express written consent of Tensa Outdoor, LLC. Any unauthorized use of this websites voids the limited license granted by Tensa Outdoor, LLC.

CONTENT SUBMITTED BY SITE USERS 



If you do post content to this site or otherwise submit material (including, but not limited to, photographs and testimonials), you grant Tensa Outdoor, LLC and its affiliates a nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such content throughout the world in any media. By your submission you represent and warrant that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to the content that you post; that the content is accurate; that use of the content you supply does not violate this policy and will not cause injury to any person or entity; and that you will indemnify Tensa Outdoor, LLC or its affiliates for all claims resulting from content you supply. Tensa Outdoor, LLC reserves the right to remove any content at our sole discretion.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY



This site is provided by Tensa Outdoor, LLC on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Tensa Outdoor, LLC makes no warranties, either expressed or implied, as to the operation of the site or the content contained therein. You expressly agree that your use of www.tensaoutdoor.com is at your own risk. 
Tensa Outdoor, LLC cannot warrant that this site, our servers, or email communications affiliated with the use of this website, are free from viruses. Tensa Outdoor, LLC will not be responsible for any damages of any kind resulting from use of this website, including but not limited to direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, and consequential damages.

APPLICABLE LAW 



By visiting www.tensaoutdoor.com, you agree that the laws of the state of Oregon, without regard to principles of conflict of laws, will govern these Conditions of Use and any dispute of any sort that might arise between you and Tensa Outdoor, LLC.



CHANGES IN POLICY


Tensa Outdoor, LLC reserves the right to modify, alter, delete and update these policies at any time we see fit. Such alterations do not nullify our rights if infringements or breaches occurred under a previous version of these conditions.