How to Hang a Hammock

This is the pillar guide in our hammock guides hub. Every other hanging page on this site refers back to these three numbers.

The three numbers

Sixteen to nineteen inches is about the height of a chair seat, which is the easy way to remember it. The 30-degree figure is the widely published optimum because it balances comfort against the force pulling on your anchors — a tighter hang dramatically increases that force.

Step by step

1. 1
   Pick your anchorsTwo healthy trees 12 to 17 feet apart, or a stand of the right length. Look up before committing — dead branches overhead are the real hazard, not the hammock.
2. 2
   Wrap the strapsWebbing at least an inch wide, flat against the bark, at roughly head height. Thin rope cuts into bark and can girdle a tree over time.
3. 3
   Clip in and set the angleAttach the hammock and adjust until the suspension sits at about 30 degrees. Eyeball it against the trunk — you are looking for a shallow, relaxed angle, not a taut line.
4. 4
   Check the heightSit in the middle. You want to be around chair-seat height, 16 to 19 inches off the ground, with your feet flat. Adjust the straps up or down until you are.
5. 5
   Add a ridgeline if you have oneA structural ridgeline at about 83% of the hammock's length fixes this sag permanently, so the next hang is identical. See hammock ridgelines.
6. 6
   Lie diagonallyGet in from the center, then shift your body at an angle across the hammock rather than along it. This flattens your lie dramatically and is the single most important hammock skill.

Quick picks

Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. Prices are not shown anywhere on this site — we link straight to Amazon so you see the live figure.

#	Product	Best for	Headline spec	Price
1	Kammok Python 10 Hammock StrapsLonger, lighter and higher-rated than the category default — the straps most people should buy.	Best straps overall	500 lb combined capacity	Check price on Amazon
2	ENO Atlas Hammock Suspension SystemThe straps everyone else gets compared against — proven, stocked everywhere, a step behind the Python on specs.	The industry standard	400 lb combined capacity	Check price on Amazon
3	DutchWare Adjustable Structural RidgelineAn adjustable UCR ridgeline from 26 to 135 in — set your sag once and the hammock hangs the same way forever.	Repeatable sag, every time	Adjustable UCR ridgeline, 26 in minimum to 135 in maximum	Check price on Amazon

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The diagonal, explained

A gathered-end hammock is a curve. Lie along the center line of that curve and your body folds into it — the banana shape people complain about, with pressure at the shoulders and a hyperextended back.

Lie across the hammock at an angle and something different happens: the fabric you are lying on comes from a wider section of the hammock, so it spreads flatter under you. Your head sits toward one side, your feet toward the other, and your spine ends up close to neutral. This is why a wider hammock is more comfortable — it gives you more diagonal to work with.

Common mistakes

• Hanging it tight and high. It looks tidier and it is uncomfortable and less safe.
• Using rope against bark. It damages the tree and is prohibited at many sites.
• Anchoring to a dead branch. The most serious mistake on this list. Look up, always.
• Lying along the center line. Then concluding hammocks are uncomfortable.
• Forgetting insulation underneath on anything but a warm day.

No trees, or hanging indoors?

The same three numbers apply, the anchors change. See how to hang a hammock between two trees for the tree specifics, without trees for stands, posts and vehicles, and indoors for walls and ceilings.