Acquiring a hammock in and of itself is not enough. You definitely have to hang it to be able to accrue the benefits it potentially brings along. For this to happen, you have to know how to hang a hammock.
To do that, we aim at providing answers to some of the pertinent questions that be. These include but are not limited to the following:
- Places that you can set up your hammock tent
- Tools and materials you will need to set up your hammock
- Ways to hang a hammock
Where Can You Set up a Hammock?
There are numerous places where you can set up your hammock tent. As part and parcel of knowing how to hang hammocks, it is important that you know these places.
We dedicate this portion of our discussions to delineate and offer brief explanations about these possible places:
Safe and secure wooded areas
The safe and secure wooded areas are perhaps the best places to patch a hammock. That is because these places are sheltered from the strong winds and other adverseness of harsh weather conditions.
They also provide the support you need to patch the hammock smoothly and seamlessly.
200 feet from any source of water
If you must camp next to a water body, let the hammock be patched no less than 20 feet from the source of water. That is given the fragile nature of the shorelines and the riparian habitats.
You do not want your hammock to collapse or sustain serious damages that may harm your body.
Away from a busy pathway
Pathways are ordinarily busy and exposed to human and wildlife traffic. They are hence not the best of places to patch a hammock in.
Try as much as possible hence to get a little bit farther away from the busy pathways in areas that are sheltered from direct exposes.
Designated camping areas
Each city or jurisdiction has some designated locales and places where you may camp. Do not hesitate to take advantage of these areas if and when they exist.
You may want to check out the local land managers to find out these places and locales in your areas. That may also require you to obtain a permit as well.
Porch/Indoors
You do not have to go far away to patch your hammock. Indeed, some hammocks are small and compact enough to enable indoor or porch installations.
If and when these exist, do not hesitate to make full use of them. Be sure though that your interior space is large enough to allow for this.
Open spaces
A range of open spaces may also serve as great grounds for the installation of these hammocks. These include but are not limited to the areas in between cars, poles, and the trees in the yards.
You may also wish to try them out but with great caution lest you imperil yourself.
On a stand
Lastly, you may also try out the stand. This is an option that comes in handy if you are short on space or live in a tiny room.
In this instance, all you have to do is lay your hands on a stand, make it fixed on the ground or floor, and patch your hammock there.
Tools and Materials You Will Need to Set up Your Hammock
To hang your hammock, you no doubt have to make do with some tools and materials. Knowing more about them is just as important as knowing how to hang a hammock.
In light of this, we seek to belabor the tools and materials you will need to set up your hammock:
Rope or carabiner
A rope comes in when you want to tie and bind the constituent parts of the hammock to the trees or the stand.
Needless to say, a good rope has to be strong and resilient to prevent any possibility of the same breaking apart under the yoke of the weight of the people who sleep on the hammocks.
Measuring tape
You will need the measuring tape to estimate the dimensions of the occupants of the hammock as well as the spaces that exist for its installation and subsequent setup.
This is necessary to avoid wild guesses and those adverse issues that tend to compromise the quality of the final ends.
Masking tape
A masking tape plays the role of strengthening the bonds that the rope puts up.
It is mainly used to reinforce the ties and the bonds in such a way as to minimize the likelihood that the item may break apart under the weight of the occupant.
Pair of scissors
It is not uncommon to have to shred some parts and portions of the hammock and the ropes that are used to bind them to shape. For this role,
you will need a pair of scissors extensively. Choose a sharp, hard, and reliable pair that will hardly break apart when taking on stronger fabrics.
Stand
In the event that you have to set the hammock up in a squeezed area or one that is short on space, the stand definitely comes in handy.
It is on the stand that you patch the hammock and place the same strategically for you to swing freely without too much ado.
Trees
Trees are the places and the positions on which you place the hammocks if camping out in the wild. Not any tree taken randomly may yield this end though.
The tree you choose for the job has to be strong, stable, and properly buttressed to prevent collapsing even under heavier weights.
How to Hang a Hammock?
Precisely how to hang a hammock depends mainly on the locale you choose.
The anticipated number of occupants, and the sheer size and configuration of the hammock. And it’s important to choose a proper hammock for you.
In this segment, we highlight some of the areas wherein you may patch your hammock and how to do so:
On a Porch/Indoors
A porch or the indoor area is handy when tackling those small and cramped-up locales. This position is great if you have a large home or is reluctant to go afar off to patch your hammock.
To do so, follow the steps stipulated here below:
- Find a suitable hammock. It must be smaller and compact yet still strong enough to bear your full weight
- Drill some two hooks into a ceiling or the beam of the walls
- Fix the hammock in these two holes you have already drilled
- Link each hook with the respective eyes of the hammock using a carabiner or a rope
- Fasten the joints using a set of masking tape
- Using a pair of scissors, trim out excess fluff or unwanted materials
Outdoors
Some outdoor areas, as have already been hinted out above, may also be great for the setting up of the hammock. These include the spaces in between the cars, poles, and trees.
In order that you may patch your hammock in these areas, you have to follow these instructions:
- Delineate the specific locale or open space
- Find the most suitable hammock for the job
- Wrap a rope securely round and about the trunk or pole
- Attach to the eyes of the hammock the ropes by use of a carabiner or a knot
- Fasten the joint using the masking tape
- Reinforce the support if need be by use of extra weight
On a Stand
In case you are short on space, you may want to attempt the stand. These are convenient as they may fit those small and cramped up spaces easily and conveniently.
You need to follow the steps below to be able to fit your hammock on the stands:
- Ascertain the amount of space you have by use of a tape measure
- Identify the right kind of hammock for the job
- Find some two strong rope to use to fasten the joints
- Wrap the two ropes securely round and about the posts or beams of the stand
- Go ahead to attach the ropes to the eyes of the hammock by utilizing the carabiner or hammock
With Ropes
Ropes are extensively used to set these items up. Indeed, no successful installation exercise is even possible without the use of the ropes.
Below are the steps you may have to follow to bring this dream to fruition:
- Identify the structures on which you want to attach the hammock. These could be the tree, the porch, the stand, or the post
- Find a suitable rope, which needless to say, has to be strong and resilient to the common risks of damages
- Drill a hook on the porch or the stand or the pole
- Alternatively, wrap the rope around and about these structures
- Secure the other portion of the rope to the tree or the other stand
- See to it that the twin sides hang out uniformly
With Straps
After the ropes, it is the straps that are commonly used for the job. These have the added advantages of being able to secure the joints in ways that are tighter and less inclined to fall off even when extremely high levels of weight are exerted on them.
These steps will certainly help you out:
- Tie a loop at one end of the strap
- Pass this looped end round and about the tree or pole
- Fix the loose end through the loop
- Attach a carabiner to the other end
- Wrap this strap around and about the tree while keeping it flat
- Tuck the end of the carabiner under one wrap
- Repeat the above steps on the second tree
- Finish off by attaching the hammock
Hardware Mounting
As a last consideration, you may also wish to make use of the mounting hardware to fix your hammock in place. This simply entails the use of the reliable hardware to fix the hammock in readiness for its use and engagement thereafter:
- Identify the necessary piece of hardware for your usage
- Bore pilot holes that measure 3/8 inches into both of the anchor points available
- Screw-in the heavy-duty eye-bolts around 2 inches deep into the solid wood joists
- Attach the cords, ropes, and chains to the end-loops of the hammock
- Adjust the fit in such a way as to obtain the necessary sag and length of the hammock
FAQs
In this last segment of how to hang a hammock, we now provide answers to some of the questions that are persistently asked about this subject matter:
Will a hammock kill a tree?
Not really, especially if the fit and the snug of the hammock are adjusted appropriately.
Also, there is the need to match the strength of the hammock to the weight of the occupants who are to make use of the same to prevent the abrasions and damages to the trees from arising.
What distance should I consider to hang hammocks between trees?
Around 10 to 15 feet may be suitable. But then again, this all depends on the style and the length of your hammock plus the degree of the tension you are looking up to.
Be sure to come up with the necessary metrics to prevent a situation in which you may have to suffer undesirable consequences.
What angle should you hang a hammock?
A 30-degree angle is by far the most appropriate. If you hang the hammock too tight, you might end up imposing too many strains on the same to the extent of breaking apart.
This angle of 30 degrees is considered the most suitable for your great comfort and overall safety.
Can I hang a hammock from the ceiling?
Why not? This is a method that is largely recommended for those who are less weighty or in circumstances in which the amount of space available is way too small.
Take great care though because such a hanging is known to be too weak to last the test of time.
Can you cuddle in a hammock?
Yes, but on the condition that the hammock is very strong and reliable. For you to cuddle, you have to be at least two people in the hammock.
Of course, the weight of the occupants has the impact of wearing out the hammock. You must care that the hammock is able to support this large weight well.
Conclusion
From the explanations above of how to hang a hammock, it is pretty clear that this subject is wide and complicated.
Thus, we caution against approaching it casually as you might never gain the best of the returns possible.
We ask you hence to read in between the lines carefully to grasp the concept fully before proceeding to hang your hammock.