How To Set Up A Hammock – A Definitive Guide

When I am in need of some rest, I always turn to my hammock. A great way to put your feet up and get some much needed time to yourself, the hammock is the number one way to sleep comfortably in the great outdoors.

How long does it take you to set up a hammock, 30 minutes, one hour, two hours? Believe it or not, it should be as simple as eyeballing once you’re used to it.

There are many various ways how to set up a hammock. In this article, I will be discussing some of the most common hammock setup techniques. To simplify things, I have categorized each technique under the best place to use it.

How To Hang A Hammock​

One thing that always surprises me is that so few people (less than 50%) know how to hang their hammock correctly. Knowing how to put a hammock up properly is essential for -​

• Providing stability,
• Comfort,
• And avoiding back pain.

The hammock should cradle your lower back, one of the key areas of injury and inflammation in people of all ages.

Too tight, and the hammock will be uncomfortable and hard to lie on. Too slack, and you will fold up and put too much strain on your lower back. For maximum comfort do not allow your hips to sink below the line between your feet and shoulders by more than one foot.​

How To Set Up A Hammock With Trees​

One of the best places to set-up a hammock is in the great outdoors. The first step when installing a hammock is to identify a spot that you love. For that purpose you can use your binoculars, there are plenty of binoculars which are great to use for scouting the spot.  I would advise you to choose some of the best birding binoculars under 100 because they are compact and in this purpose expensive binoculars would be waste of money. But if you want to enjoy the view of nigh then grab a  night vision binoular. You can inform your friend about the scouting area by using two way radio. The best two way radio for hunting, camping or great outdoor is a must tool.

Naturally, the spot you choose must have trees near it as you will use the trees as hammock stands. There are certain factors you need to consider when setting up a hammock in the great outdoors. The main factors to consider are

1. The Distance Between The Trees​ :

The ideal distance between trees is 3 to 5 meters or approx. 10 feet to approx. 16 feet. Thus, before setting up a hammock identify two trees that are either 3m or 5m apart.​

2. How high off the ground the hammock is :

The height of your hammock from ground depends on how closely you hang the eyes of hammock together. Otherwise, you can set up your hammock about chair height approximately 1 to 1.5 ft above the ground.

3. Height of the attachment points

If the distance between the trees is 12 feet, the approximate height of the attachment points should be 5 to 6 feet. If the height is too high, it will increase the risk, too low it will be less comfortable.

How To Set Up A Hammock With Straps

#Once you have identified the trees, the second step will be to choose a set-up technique. When you are using trees, there are certain techniques you can use. The best technique is to use tree straps to hang your hammock between the trees.

#Personally, I prefer polyester straps to nylon straps. The reason being that nylon straps tend to stretch and snap. However, there are some high-grade nylon tree straps out there, which you can use.​

#Once you have your polyester or nylon tree straps, wrap the first strap around one tree. Normally, tree straps will come with metallic S hooks. However, you can use a strap that does not have an “S” hook and instead of using the hook you can use a carabiner. If you are a beginner, I recommend going for a tree strap with an S hook.​

Wrap the second strap around the second tree. Once the straps are securely in place, connect the hammock to the tree straps. You can do this using a hoop or a carabiner. Ideally, the hammock should be about five feet from the ground. Alternatively, the distance from the hammock and the ground should be chair high.​

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#key Points On Using Straps

• Always assess what you are attaching the straps to.
• Check your straps for damage.
• Adjust the tension of one strap to give the desired sag in the hammock.
• It can be great to get a friend to do the other strap; your hammock will be up twice as fast.
• Sit back and enjoy the convenience and comfort of your quick and easy strap set up.

How To Set Up A Hammock Without Trees​

Wrap the second strap around the second tree. Once the straps are securely in place, connect the hammock to the tree straps. You can do this using a hoop or a carabiner. Ideally, the hammock should be about five feet from the ground. Alternatively, the distance from the hammock and the ground should be chair high.​

A hammock stand is a great device where anybody can set up a hammock, even if you don’t have anything at all to hang one off.Also, I will tell you how you can setup hammock without trees by not purchasing a stand.

The first thing I want to tell you about is how to set up a hammock stand.​

With more than one hundred thousand stands sold every year, they are the choice for millions of users. I have even used a hammock stand by the side of a swimming pool, and on a balcony in the city. They are a great way to get relaxing quickly and easily and really are a lot less fuss than they might first seem. Here are my key points to remember when setting up your stand:​

• Always follow the instruction manual, and make sure all bolts are tight.
• Never leave your stand outside in cold weather, or expose it to rain.
• Touch up any scratches to the paintwork to avoid rust.
• Do not bend or swing from the frame.
• Push down on the middle of the hammock before climbing aboard.
• Pick somewhere super relaxing, and lie back and relax.

But What You Can Do While You Can’t Effort Hammock Stand?

Well then try to arrange these, and I am sure you gonna buy these without spending much-

• Buy two 4 inches round wooden posts which should be 8 feet long.
• Buy Fast Setting Concrete Mix or cement mix.
• A bag of gravel
• Buy a 4-in x 5-ft Sch PVC pipe and cut it in half
• And Buy two in-caps for the PVC pipe

Now, Dig Two big hole with your throwing tomahawks or camping knife which should be 3 feet each in depth and 14 feet apart from each. Next, put gravel for five or six inches in the bottom of the hole for drainage.

Put the PVC Pipe in the hole and pour the concrete mix around the PVC pipe. Remember the PVC pipe should be in level with the ground. Once the concrete set up put the posts on the PVC pipe hole, and you are ready to setup your hammock.​

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The next question I will be answering is -​

How To Set Up A Hammock Indoors

The process of setting up a hammock indoors is almost similar to that of setting up a hammock outdoors. To set up a hammock indoors, there are some materials you will need

• A drill with a drill bit
• Eye bolts
• Measuring tape
• S-Hooks

Once you have the necessary appliances, the second step will be to choose the hang style you want. There are three hang styles you can choose, the swing style, the swing style with spread bar and the pivot style.

If you want to go with the swing style, you will need first to drill hooks onto a ceiling bar. Secondly, attach your hammock’s eye to the hooks either using a knot or a carabiner. For safety reasons, I prefer using a carabiner to a knot.​

Alternatively, you can hang your hammock between the walls of your room. To do this, you will need to get a hang calculator and a tape measure. The purpose of the latter is to measure the distance between the two walls you want to use to hang your hammock. The hang calculator helps you accurately determine how high you should drill the eye bolts. A stud finder will also come in handy if you do not know where the studs are on the walls.​

The first step is to measure the distance between the walls. On average, most hammocks measure nine feet in length. Using your room’s measurements and the length of your hammock use the hang calculator to measure how high to drill your eye bolts. You can find hang calculator online or in app stores.​

The third step is to use a stud finder to find your walls’ studs. Once you have found the studs use the drill, to drill a hole into the studs. Once you have drilled, a hole fastens the eye bolts into the holes.​

Personally, when hanging a hammock indoors, I prefer using a chain as it is easy to adjust. After I attach the chain to the eye bolt, I then use the S hooks to attach the hammock’s rope to the chain. I recommend using stainless steel eye bolts and stainless steel carabiners. This is because stainless steel is a tough material that does not wear easily.​

How To Set Up An Eno Hammock

An Eno hammock is a great quality extra-durable hammock specially designed for camping. You can set them up much the same as a normal hammock:

• As you are out camping it may be wet: keep your hammock several feet above the ground.
• Adjust the tension with straps or ropes.
• Pick two suitable trees.
• Find a great view and then relax.

How To Set Up A Hennessy Hammock

Hennessy hammocks are great; I really love them. They are a combination of a hammock and a tent. By providing an elevated cover for your hammock, the Hennessy design allows you to sleep outdoors in the wettest of weathers. I had used them many times when I wanted to be both covered and off the woodland floor. The perfect way to stay dry overnight.

• Set up the base hammock just like you would any other hammock.
• Unpack the upper cover and ensure there is space to tie it off higher up the same trees as the hammock.
• If not then use neighboring trees that are close enough to pull the cover tight.
• Don’t have the cover too low, otherwise; you will struggle to get in and out.
• Don’t have it too high otherwise; you will be at risk of soaking in high winds.
• Leave about a one-foot gap.

So there you have it, a quick and helpful hammock camping for beginners guide. They are a lot of fun, and a lot easier to use than they may appear at first. There is a method to suit every setting and everybody, so if you are not sure how to proceed, just have a quick skim through the key bullet points above. You are guaranteed to find what you are looking for straight away.

Happy camping folks!​