How We Pick
Most sites in this category lead with a testing claim. We do not have one, so here is exactly what we do instead — including what we will not pretend to.
What we do
- Research published manufacturer specifications. Capacity, bed dimensions, overall length, material, coating, packed weight. These are the numbers that decide whether a product fits your space and carries your weight.
- Compare claims across competing models. A 450 lb rating means more when you can see that the category ranges from 275 lb to 600 lb.
- Read what independent publications with real testing programs found. OutdoorGearLab, CleverHiker, Treeline Review, Bob Vila and others do hands-on work we do not. Where we rely on it, we name them and link it.
- Read verified buyer feedback at the retailer — qualitatively only. "Buyers repeatedly flag assembly difficulty" is a fair observation. A star average is not something we will quote.
- Weigh price against specification. Without publishing the price, because prices change and ours would be stale.
- Check the product is currently sold. A recommendation for a discontinued model is worthless.
- Re-check every pick on a published cadence. Set out in our editorial policy.
What we do not do
We do not run a physical test lab, and we do not claim to have personally tested every product we recommend. Where a recommendation rests on another publication's hands-on testing, we say so and link to it.
That sentence is the most important one on this site. A great many affiliate sites imply testing they have not done, and the implication is usually buried in phrasing like "in our testing" or "we found". You will not find those phrases here, because they would not be true.
We also do not:
- Publish prices, discounts or "was/now" figures.
- Publish star ratings, review counts or product scores.
- Publish customer testimonials. We have none that are real.
- Accept payment for a placement, a ranking or a mention. No brand has ever been offered that and none will be.
- Fill in a specification a manufacturer has not published. A blank field means unknown, not "assume a typical value".
What we weigh, by category
Hammocks
- Published weight capacity, and what it covers
- Bed dimensions — the part you actually lie on, not overall length
- Fabric and weave type, and how each handles weather
- Spreader bar or gathered end, and what that does to the lie
- Stand compatibility, including overall length with chains
- Assembly requirements
Stands
- Working length, and therefore which hammocks fit
- Published capacity
- Material and coating, and how they handle rain
- Portability and packed weight
- Adjustability, and tolerance of uneven ground
- Base width, which decides stability rather than the rating does
Gear
- Compatibility with common hammock sizes and styles
- Published capacity for anything load-bearing
- Coverage and fabric weight for tarps
- Temperature rating for insulation
- Packed weight and attachment method
How we handle disagreement between sources
We say so. When two publications with real testing programs name different products as best, quietly picking one and presenting it as settled is misleading. We name both and explain what each was optimizing for, because the disagreement is usually informative — it almost always means the two reviewers had different priorities rather than that one of them was wrong.
Why we have no scores
A numeric score implies a measurement. We have not measured these products, so a score would be an opinion dressed as data, and marking it up as a product rating would contradict everything else on this page. What you get instead is the specification, the source, who the product suits, and who it does not.
Our affiliate relationship
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It does not drive our rankings, for the simple structural reason that every product on this site links to the same retailer — there is no commission difference between our first pick and our fifth, so there is nothing to be biased toward. The full statement is on the affiliate disclosure page.
Tell us when we are wrong
Email mike@blackironathletics.com or use the contact form. If you can point to a manufacturer specification that contradicts something we have published, we will check it and correct the page. Material corrections are noted on the page itself, per our editorial policy.