Executive Summary

Kammok remains the leader in AI search recommendations for the hammock and tent category, with valid recommendation coverage of 52.8% in August 2026, compared with 52.3% in the July 2026 baseline. The gap to the second-ranked brand, Hennessy Hammock (21.7%), stands at 31.1 points and has held steady across both tracked months.

August 2026 was a quiet month for the category. None of the seven tracked brands moved beyond the range considered typical for month-to-month variation, and the ranking order held from July to August: Kammok, Hennessy Hammock, Tentsile, Haven Tents, Lawson Hammock, Amok Equipment, and Sierra Madre Research occupied the same relative positions in both months.

Within that stable pattern, Lawson Hammock's valid recommendation coverage moved from 2.1% to 3.1% (up 1.0 points), and Tentsile's moved from 13.3% to 12.4% (down 0.9 points). Both changes are the largest numeric moves recorded this month, but both fall within the range treated as normal variation rather than a category-level shift.

Each monthly run begins with 703 prompt-surface observations (470 unique questions) across the benchmark's defined AI/search surface universe in August 2026, compared with 612 prompt-surface observations (375 unique questions) in July 2026. Of the August prompts, 607 mentioned a tracked brand or competitor; 477 were relevant and 130 were irrelevant. The public metrics use the 322 observations that survive both qualification stages.

Key Findings

Benchmark Context

The report separates the raw collection universe from the qualified analysis set. Brand-level recommendation percentages are calculated within the qualified benchmark set.

The qualified benchmark set shrank slightly from July to August even as the raw collection universe grew, reflecting a higher volume of prompts screened out at the relevance stage.

Benchmark-Level Metrics

AI Recommendation Trend

The category held a stable leadership structure in August 2026, with Kammok's lead unchanged and the remaining brands clustered within a narrow band. No brand changed rank position month over month.

No brand exceeded the range considered typical for month-to-month variation in August 2026. The category-level stability came from the combination of several small movements: modest gains for Kammok, Hennessy Hammock, and Lawson Hammock offset by declines for Tentsile, Haven Tents, Amok Equipment, and Sierra Madre Research.

What Changed This Month

Haven Tents

Haven Tents' coverage moved from 13.0% in July 2026 to 11.5% in August 2026, down 1.5 points. Top-three rate moved from 8.8% to 9.3%, with top-three appearances rising from 29 to 30. Rank-one rate moved from 3.6% to 4.0%, with rank-one appearances rising from 12 to 13. Raw mention presence fell from 18.4% to 16.2%, while valid recommendation count fell from 43 to 37. Haven Tents' placement quality moved higher this month even as raw presence declined.

Kammok records 52.8% valid recommendation coverage in August 2026, while Haven Tents stands at 11.5%. The more important issue is that Haven Tents is entering the valid recommendation set much less often than the category leader, even while its top-three and rank-one placement rates improved this month. The current benchmark does not establish what is driving that recommendation gap, making the underlying prompt and surface pattern the clearest area requiring attention.

Highest-priority diagnostic: Which prompts and AI/search surfaces are responsible for Haven Tents' lower recommendation coverage, and where is the brand failing to enter the valid recommendation set compared with stronger competitors?

Kammok

Kammok's valid recommendation coverage moved from 52.3% in July 2026 to 52.8% in August 2026, up 0.5 points. This keeps the brand in the leadership position.

The move came alongside a slight dip in top-three rate, which fell from 39.3% to 38.5%. Rank-one rate rose from 12.1% to 16.8%, with rank-one appearances increasing from 40 to 54, while top-three appearances fell from 130 to 124.

The brand's raw mention presence moved from 68.6% to 68.9%. Kammok converted fewer total top-three slots but secured the top spot more often this month.

Highest-priority diagnostic: Which prompt categories are associated with the rank-one placements, and whether those are high-intent purchase queries or broader discovery questions.

Hennessy Hammock

Hennessy Hammock's coverage moved from 21.4% in July 2026 to 21.7% in August 2026, up 0.3 points, holding the second position.

Top-three rate moved from 14.8% to 16.8%, with top-three appearances increasing from 49 to 54. Rank-one rate moved from 3.0% to 4.0%, with rank-one appearances increasing from 10 to 13. Raw mention presence fell slightly from 29.9% to 28.3%.

The brand is converting a smaller presence pool into a higher share of top-three and rank-one placements this month.

Highest-priority diagnostic: Which external sources are associated with the improved top-three conversion, and whether that pattern holds across all six AI surface families.

Tentsile

Tentsile's coverage moved from 13.3% in July 2026 to 12.4% in August 2026, down 0.9 points, the largest numeric move among decliners this month, though within the range considered typical for month-to-month variation.

Rank-one rate fell from 6.7% to 4.7%, with rank-one appearances falling from 22 to 15. Top-three rate fell from 9.7% to 8.7%. Raw mention presence fell from 29.0% to 25.5%.

Tentsile also recorded its first negative sentiment appearance, with one negative mention in August against zero in July. Valid recommendation count fell from 44 to 40.

Highest-priority diagnostic: Which surfaces and prompt types are associated with the reduced rank-one placements, and whether the negative sentiment is tied to a specific evidence source.

Lawson Hammock

Lawson Hammock's coverage moved from 2.1% in July 2026 to 3.1% in August 2026, up 1.0 points, the largest numeric move among risers this month.

Valid recommendation count moved from 7 to 10. Top-three rate held at 1.2%, while top-ten rate moved from 1.5% to 3.1%, with top-ten appearances rising from 5 to 10. Rank-one rate remained at zero in both months.

The move came on a small base, so the numeric change is notable but should be read with caution given the small underlying counts. Net sentiment moved from 0.7 to 0.8.

Highest-priority diagnostic: Whether the new valid recommendations cluster in specific prompt types or surfaces, and which competitor typically takes the rank-one slot when Lawson Hammock appears.

Amok Equipment

Amok Equipment's coverage moved from 1.2% in July 2026 to 0.6% in August 2026, down 0.6 points.

Valid recommendation count fell from 4 to 2. Top-three appearances fell from 3 to 2, and rank-one appearances fell from 2 to 1. Raw mention presence fell from 2.7% to 1.6%.

The brand's presence remains thin across the benchmark, and the absolute counts are small, so month-to-month movement should be read with caution.

Highest-priority diagnostic: Whether the change reflects fewer relevant prompts or a shift in which surfaces mention the brand at all.

Sierra Madre Research

Sierra Madre Research's coverage moved from 0.6% in July 2026 to 0.0% in August 2026, down 0.6 points.

Valid recommendation count fell from 2 to 0. Top-three rate fell from 0.3% to 0.0%. Raw mention presence held at 0.9% in both months.

The brand was present in the conversation 3 times in August but received zero valid recommendations, down from 3 mentions and 2 valid recommendations in July. Net sentiment fell from 0.7 to 0.0 as positive mentions dropped from 2 to 0.

Highest-priority diagnostic: Whether the zero-recommendation outcome reflects how the brand is described in AI answers or a shift in prompt intent where the brand no longer qualifies.

Buyer-Intent Interpretation

In both July and August 2026, all qualified observations fell into the Brand Recommendation cluster. The Pricing & Value and Multi-Brand Comparison clusters recorded no observations in either month. The public benchmark therefore measures which brands AI systems recommend for discovery and consideration, but it cannot yet answer how those brands rank on price, value, or direct head-to-head comparison. Those commercial questions require a company-level analysis focused on comparison and pricing prompts.

Brand Opportunity Summary

The benchmark identifies where attention is warranted across the category; a company-level analysis is needed to explain why.

Evidence Behind the Benchmark

The aggregate metrics are built from prompt-level observations that capture the query, the AI surface, the recommendation outcome, the rank position, sentiment, and citations where exposed. Company-level analysis can go deeper into prompt patterns, competitor overlap, surface-specific behavior, and the external evidence sources that shape AI answers. Source presence in an AI response is not automatically treated as proof of causation.

About This Benchmark

This report is part of the LLM Authority Index AI Market Discovery research program.

• AI Industry Market Discovery Methodology
• AI Industry Market Discovery Metrics
• AI Industry Market Discovery Standards

Report-Specific Interpretation Notes

• Small-count movement: Brands with fewer than 10 valid recommendations (Amok Equipment, Lawson Hammock, Sierra Madre Research) show larger relative swings; treat those movements as directional signals, not definitive shifts.
• Qualified denominator vs raw collection: Percentages are calculated against the qualified benchmark set (322 observations in August 2026), not the raw collection of 703 prompt-surface observations.
• Directional analysis: Month-over-month movement identifies changes worth investigating; it does not by itself establish the cause of those changes.

Next Step

The Public Benchmark Shows Where a Brand Is Winning or Losing. A Company-Level Audit Shows Why.

Beneath the aggregate percentages sit the questions that matter commercially: which high-intent prompts does a brand win, which competitor takes the recommendation when it loses, what attributes do AI systems associate with each option, and which external sources shape those answers. The public benchmark shows the scoreboard; it does not show the plays that produced it.

A company-specific AI visibility audit maps the prompt, surface, competitor, ranking, sentiment, and evidence-source patterns into a prioritized visibility strategy. That is the difference between knowing the position and knowing how to move it.

Request an AI visibility audit