How to Set Up a Camping Hammock

Pick your trees first

You want two healthy, living trees roughly 12 to 15 feet apart, each at least the thickness of your thigh — call it six inches across. Too close and you can't get the right hang; too far and your straps won't reach. Before you commit, look up: no dead branches hanging overhead. Campers call those "widowmakers" for a reason, and a hammock parks you directly under them all night.

Use straps, not rope

Wide tree straps, every time. Rope digs in and girdles the bark, which kills trees and is flat-out banned in most parks — they'll check. Straps spread the load, protect the tree, and let you adjust the hang in seconds. If your hammock didn't come with straps, that's the first thing to buy.

The 30-degree rule

This is the one that fixes the taco. Don't pull the hammock drum-tight between the trees — a tight hammock squeezes your shoulders and folds you up. Let it sag. The straps should leave the trees at about a 30-degree angle down to the hammock — roughly the angle of a relaxed coat hanger. That gentle droop is what lets the fabric open up flat underneath you.

Hang it at sitting height

Set the height so that when you sit in the middle, your backside settles about a foot and a half off the ground — sitting-on-a-chair height. High enough that you're not on the dirt, low enough that getting in and out isn't a gymnastics event, and low enough that if you do roll out, it's a short trip.

Lie diagonal — this is the trick

Everybody's first instinct is to lie straight down the middle, which is exactly what bends you into a banana. Instead, lie at an angle — head toward one side, feet toward the other. The fabric flattens out and you end up nearly level, on your back, like a real bed. This one move is the whole difference between "I'll never sleep in this again" and "why did I ever carry a tent."

Stay dry: tarp goes up first

If there's any chance of rain — and around here there always is — string your tarp over the hammock before you hang the hammock, not after. Run a ridgeline between the trees, drape the tarp over it, and stake the corners out wide so rain rolls off well clear of you. Pitch it tight and angled and you'll stay dry through a real storm.

Stay warm: insulate underneath

Here's the surprise that gets every first-timer — hammocks sleep cold, even on mild nights. Your body weight crushes the sleeping bag flat underneath you, so there's no insulation between you and the open air, and the breeze steals your heat from below. The fix is bottom insulation: an underquilt that hangs outside the hammock, or a sleeping pad slipped inside. On anything below about 70°F, you'll want one. (Our hammock picks flag which ones come ready for this.)