What Size Hammock Do I Need?
Two numbers answer this: bed length against your height, and bed width against how you like to lie. Everything else follows from those.
By Mike M. · Last updated
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Add roughly two feet to your height and that is the bed length to look for — so most adults want 10 to 11 ft, and anyone over six feet wants 11 ft or more. For width, 55 to 60 in is the backyard standard and around 76 in is a camping double, which is what lets one person lie diagonally. Then check the hammock fits your span or your stand.
Part of our guides hub. This page is deliberately table-first, because the question is arithmetic rather than opinion. Note what it is not about: matching a hammock to a stand you already own is a different problem with a different table, and it lives on hammock stand size guide. This page is about the bed itself.
Length, by your height
| Your height | Bed length to look for | Example from the registry |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 ft 6 in | 9 ft or more | ENO SingleNest, 114 in (9 ft 6 in) |
| 5 ft 6 in to 6 ft | 10 ft or more | ENO DoubleNest, 114 in; Wise Owl DoubleOwl, 10 ft |
| 6 ft to 6 ft 4 in | 11 ft or more | Onewind Aerie 11 ft; Warbonnet Blackbird XLC, 132 in |
| Over 6 ft 4 in | 11 ft or more, and check the maker's stated height fit | Hennessy Explorer Deluxe Zip XL and Safari Deluxe XXL, both listed to 7 ft |
| Backyard, any height | 13 ft is the category standard | Pawleys Island Original Deluxe and Hatteras Deluxe DuraCord, both 13 ft |
Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. Prices come straight from Amazon and are refreshed daily; where a figure is missing the link takes you to the live one.
| # | Product | Best for | Headline spec | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pawleys Island Original Deluxe Cotton Rope HammockThe reference cotton rope hammock: soft, wide, American-made, and the one every other rope hammock gets measured against. | Classic rope comfort | 450 lb capacity | |
| 2 |  Hatteras Hammocks Deluxe DuraCord Rope Hammock, 13 ft x 60 inThirteen feet long and sixty inches wide — the published dimensions that make this the easiest backyard rope hammock to recommend to someone over six feet. | A backyard hammock with room to spare | 13 ft long, 60 in wide | |
| 3 |  ENO DoubleNest HammockThe most widely sold camping hammock there is, and OutdoorGearLab's best all-around pick. | Best all-around camping hammock | 400 lb capacity | |
| 4 |  Sunnydaze Universal Hammock StandUniversal fit, powder-coated steel and a 550 lb rating — the stand most people should buy when the hammock came without one. | Best overall stand | Universal compatibility |
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Width, by how you lie
Width does something length does not: it lets you lie diagonally. In a gathered-end hammock, lying across the bias flattens your body far more than lying down the centerline does, and you can only do it if there is spare fabric. That is the real reason a single person is usually happier in a double.
| Width | What it gives you | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Around 58 in | One person, lying roughly straight | ENO SingleNest, 58 in |
| 55 to 60 in | The backyard spreader-bar standard; two people side by side | Pawleys Island Original Deluxe 55 in; Hatteras Deluxe DuraCord 60 in |
| 63 to 68 in | Comfortable diagonal lay for a taller camper | Warbonnet Blackbird XLC 63 in; Onewind Aerie 11 68 in |
| 65 in spreader bar | The widest cotton bed here, two adults with room | Pawleys Island Presidential, 65 in |
| 76 in | A camping double; a genuine diagonal lay for one | ENO DoubleNest, 76 in |
Then check it fits the space
A hammock that is right for your body can still be wrong for your yard. For a gathered-end hammock between trees, the span wants to be a little longer than the hammock so you can hang at roughly 30 degrees with a seat 16 to 19 in off the ground; the hang calculator we cite will give you the anchor height for any given span. For a spreader-bar hammock, the span is a hard limit rather than a preference: a 13 ft bed plus chains wants a 15 ft stand.
If you are buying a stand too, the Sunnydaze Universal is the one most often paired with a 13 ft hammock on this site — powder-coated steel, published at 550 lb, and marketed on universal compatibility. The sizing detail is on how to choose a hammock stand.
What the size names actually mean
- Single. Narrower, usually around 58 in. One person, lying straight.
- Double. Wider, not stronger. Published capacities on products carrying the word range from 275 lb to 600 lb across this site, so the word tells you nothing about load.
- XL. Unregulated. On a Hennessy it corresponds to a published fit up to 7 ft; on other brands it may mean nothing at all.
- Family or king. Usually width again, not length. Check the two real numbers.
Common questions
What size hammock do I need for my height?
Roughly two feet more hammock than your height. Most adults are well served by 10 to 11 ft; anyone over six feet should look for 11 ft or more, and the makers that publish a height fit — Hennessy and Warbonnet — list their long models to 7 ft.
Is a double hammock too big for one person?
No, it is usually better. The extra width is what lets you lie diagonally across the fabric, which is flatter and more comfortable than lying along the centerline. The ENO DoubleNest's 76 in is the usual benchmark.
What is the standard hammock size?
There are two standards. Backyard spreader-bar hammocks cluster at 13 ft long and 55 to 60 in wide. Camping hammocks cluster at 10 to 11 ft long and 58 to 76 in wide.
Does a longer hammock need a longer span?
Yes, and for a spreader-bar hammock it is a hard limit — a 13 ft bed plus extension chains wants about 15 ft. A gathered-end hammock is more forgiving because you can take up slack with the suspension.
Does hammock size affect weight capacity?
Not reliably. Published capacities and bed sizes are independent figures: the 11 ft Warbonnet Blackbird XLC publishes a comfort range to 250 lb, while a shorter 10 ft Wise Owl DoubleOwl publishes 500 lb. Read both numbers.
Sources
Every specification on this page traces to one of these — manufacturer data, owner's manuals, published standards and named independent publications, all linked so you can check them yourself.
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