A place to discuss all things hammocks, including questions, gear, trips, reviews, and why sleeping in the sky is better than sleeping on the ground.
I love stacking hammocks double and triple tall, this was only a double, but still very cool.
You should learn a hammock knot and tie them around the trunk, not the branches. Using the branches will catch you out eventually when one breaks. That’s not fun in the night while sleeping, trust me.
A hammock knot will go around the trunk and uses tension to stay up. Much less likely to break or slip.
Hammock knot? For rope? Got a link? I've heard ropes can hurt the tree, cut into the bark.
These are hammock straps, with loops for length adjustment, like this:
That helps spread the load out so the tree is happier.
I do agree the trunk is best, usually that's all I do. But I was trying to fit 4 hammocks in here. The branches were plenty stout, plus if you keep the angle acute enough, that is, if you're hanging correctly, you can reduce the lateral load, like this:
I see way too many people with bad hang angles, not only does it make it harder to lay diagonally, or even impossible in some cases, it actually increases the load on your straps. Which if they are ropes, is worse for the tree. And if it's an old or undersized rope, they can fail. I did that once, thankfully only a few feet off the ground 😬
I just wrap the line three times around the trunk and tie a bowline. There are other types of knots but that’ll be the easiest and most secure. You can do the same with straps but tying a bowline in straps can be a challenge. I would use a half hitch or two since they’re easier to tie in straps.
How do you get to the top hammock? And more importantly, how do you get down?
It's a little tricky, but you climb them like a ladder. The key is opening the top hammock wide before climbing into it, so you don't roll out. Also helps if your hang angle isn't too obtuse, which would make it easier to roll out of.
Basically if you keep them close enough in height relative to each other, and you use a normal proper hang angle, you can climb right up and in.
That said, my wife won't do it, doesn't trust herself to not fall. So if you feel uncomfortable, definitely don't try it.