How to Hang a Hammock Between Two Trees

Part of our guides hub, and the specific version of our how to hang a hammock pillar.

Choosing the trees

1. Look up first. Dead branches overhead are the real hazard of hammock camping, and no strap or rating protects you from one. If there is deadwood above the spot, move.
2. Check the trunks. You want living, solid trees. Avoid anything with obvious rot, fungal shelves, hollow sound, or a lean under existing stress.
3. Measure the span. Twelve to seventeen feet is the workable range for most hammocks.
4. Check the ground beneath. You will be 16 to 19 inches above it; make sure that is not a rock shelf or a drop.
5. Check the rules. Tree hanging is restricted at a growing number of parks, and where allowed a minimum strap width is often required.

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	Hummingbird Hammocks Tree Straps1.55 oz for a 400 lb rating — the lightest credible straps in the category by a wide margin.	Best ultralight straps	400 lb combined capacity	Check price on Amazon

#ad — the buy links above are affiliate links. See our affiliate disclosure.

Strap width is the tree-protection rule

Use webbing at least one inch wide, flat against the bark. Thin rope concentrates the load into a narrow band and cuts into the bark, and over time that can girdle and kill a tree. This is why parks specify a minimum width rather than a minimum strength.

In practice the straps sold for hammocks all meet this: the 2026 strap test we cite covers products from 8 ft 1 in to 10 ft 2.5 in, all designed to wrap flat. What fails the test is paracord, clothesline and chain. See are hammocks bad for trees?

Strap length against trunk size

The wrap eats length before anything reaches the hammock, which is why an 8-foot strap that seems generous on paper can come up short on a mature oak. If you camp in old woodland, buy 10-foot straps.

Setting it up

1. 1
   Wrap at head heightPut the strap around the trunk at roughly 4 to 6 feet, going higher for a wider span. Keep the webbing flat against the bark rather than twisted.
2. 2
   Clip inAttach the hammock to the strap at whichever attachment point gets you close, then fine-tune.
3. 3
   Set the angleAim for roughly 30 degrees between the suspension and horizontal. You are looking for a relaxed diagonal, not a taut line.
4. 4
   Check the heightSit in the center. Feet flat, knees near 90 degrees, around 16 to 19 inches of clearance.
5. 5
   Lie diagonallyShift across the hammock rather than along it. This is where the comfort comes from.

Leaving no trace

• Wide straps, always, and flat against the bark.
• Do not hang from the same two trees repeatedly in a heavily used area — bark wear accumulates.
• Avoid young or thin-barked trees, which mark far more easily than mature ones.
• Take the straps down when you leave. Left webbing girdles trees slowly.