After you have purchased your hammock, you need to determine the right place to hang it. Start by choosing your location. Hammocks today have tremendous variety in length, material, and even hanging so finding a hammock that will fit in your desire space will not be a problem. If possible, your hammock should be hung between two trees. However, if you only have one tree or not trees at all, you can use posts set in the ground, one tree and a porch beam, or even a hammock stand. This means that regardless of your situation, you can hang a hammock.
Be sure when using trees that they are strong enough to accommodate the extra weight of both hammock and person. Most hammock companies recommend that a tree be a minimum of 6-inches in diameter. Be sure any wood supports are sturdy and do not have any splits, cracks, or rotted areas. Additionally, the tree or wood posts should be made from hard wood that will hold the hooks securely. If you were hanging your hammock outdoors, it would be best to use treated lumber or other woods that have been treated and are resistant to rot. When using posts, make sure they are set in the ground a minimum of two feet deep and even deeper if your soil is soft or sandy. Once the post is in the ground, set it with cement and once dry, you can hang your hammock.
If you will be hanging your hammock with hooks, drill a 3/16-inch or smaller starter hole where the hooks will go and if you do not have a drill, a hammer and nail will work fine. Screw the hooks into the starter hole, making sure they are screwed in deep enough so the eye of the hook is resting up against the wood. Although obvious, make sure you place the hook on the side of the tree facing the hammock.
To determine the distance you will need to hang your hammock, a good guideline is that the space should provide no more than one foot longer than the overall length of the hammock. As an example, if you have chosen a hammock that is 13 feet long at its longest point, then you want a space of 14 feet for hanging. When it comes to the appropriate height for the hooks, they should be mounted from five to six feet from the ground. Depending on the distance between supports and your own preference, you can hang them higher or lower. If you find you have less space or if the hammock sits too low to the ground, you can fix this problem by raising the height of the hooks. If the hammock seems to be hung too tight, you can adjust the chain between the hooks and S hooks.
To hang the hammock, you will use one or two pieces of chain and the S hooks as needed to reach the hammock and hooks. Remember that when your hammock is new, it is perfectly normal for it to stretch considerably, especially if the hammock is cotton. However, as it stretches out, the chain can be adjusted to take up the slack. Make sure the chain never becomes twisted as this can damage or weaken it. You also want to make sure your hammock is not hung too tightly since that will add unnecessary stress onto the supports.
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