Camping Hammock

A bed that hangs between two points

A camping hammock replaces the ground with a suspended sheet of nylon, so the surface underneath stops mattering. Roots, slopes, stones and wet grass stop mattering, which is why it appeals to anyone who has spent a night on a lumpy pitch. The range runs from compact single designs through double widths in nylon to garden and travel sizes, some supplied with a rain fly. What it needs in return is two solid anchor points and a plan for the cold underneath. Overhead cover on its own sits in camping tarps.

How do you sleep flat in a hammock?

By lying diagonally rather than down the middle. Strung tight and banana-shaped, it presses on the shoulders. Hung with a deeper sag and slept in at an angle across the fabric, the body flattens out and the knees stop being pushed up. A folded jacket under the knees settles the last of it. Width decides how far diagonally you can move, which is why many solo campers choose a double.

Why are hammocks cold underneath?

Because your weight compresses whatever insulation is beneath you, as it does on the ground, while cold air moves on all sides of the fabric. A sleeping bag zipped around you flattens where the body presses, so the underside gives almost no warmth. The fix is insulation that is not compressed: a mat inside, or an underquilt hung outside so the fill stays lofted. Above you, a sleeping bag opened as a quilt is easier to arrange than one climbed into.

What do you need to hang one?

• Wide tree straps: broad webbing spreads the load across the bark instead of cutting into it, and many campsites ask for exactly this.
• Rated hardware: the carabiners or hooks take the whole load, so use the ones supplied or a proper climbing-rated replacement.
• Ridgeline: a line between the ends fixes the sag at the same point every time and gives somewhere to hang a torch.
• Bug net: built in or added over the top, this is what makes a summer night in woodland bearable.
• Rain fly: a tarp pitched above, hung first when rain is already falling.

Where can you hang a hammock?

Between two living trees thick enough not to bend, spaced a little wider than the fabric is long, with nothing overhead that could fall. Dead trees and thin trunks are the common mistake. Check what the landowner or campsite allows first, since many sites permit hammocks only in marked areas. Anchor points can also be posts or a frame, which is what the garden designs are made for. Where the trees run out, a shelter from hammock tent or a ground pitch is the fallback.

How do you look after the fabric?

Keep it off the ground when packing, since grit worked into thin nylon starts a tear, and a tear in loaded fabric spreads fast. Unclip and shake it out rather than dragging it. Dry it fully before storing, because nylon left damp marks and smells within days. Store the straps separately so their grit does not sit against the body, and treat any tarp pitched above it the same way.