Say you have everything you need, now what? Let's go over the process of hanging a hammock, and demystify hammock camping by explaining why we hang them the way we do.

First of all, find yourself some good anchor points! Good, strong trees are a great place to hang. The ideal span is around 12' apart, but you can make due if they are closer together or further apart. If the trees are further apart, you will need to hang your straps a little higher to compensate, and lower if they are closer together. For more information on what makes a good anchor point, please read our article on Hammock Safety.

Next you will want to get your tree straps in place. Our tree straps have one end with a loop, and another end without a loop. All you have to do is pass the end without a loop around the tree, then feed it through the strap's loop. Se the straps at a good height, then pull them tight against the tree. I like to start with my straps just over head height on the tree, because I find it easier to adjust the straps downward rather than adjust them further up the tree.

Side note: Do not use any kind of rope as tree straps. Doing so can damage the cambium, the outer layer of a tree which transports water and nutrients throughout the tree. Our flat 1" tree straps distribute the load evenly, preventing the weight from strangling and killing the tree.

Now that your straps are in place it's time to attach your suspension to them. Naturally, how you do this will depend on the suspension system that your hammock has. Learn more about this on our Suspension page. We generally recommend our Cinch Buckle Suspension for both beginners and veterans (who aren't too concerned about their hammock's weight) for their ease of use and ability to make adjustments quickly.

Start by pulling just one end of your hammock out of the stuff sack to attach it to your straps while keeping the rest of the hammock in the stuff sack. Once attached, you can unpack your hammock as you walk to the other strap, attaching the suspension on the other end of your hammock to your second strap. Doing it this way keeps your hammock off the ground, preventing any snags or wear.

Regardless of the type of suspension, you will want to hang your hammock so the suspension is roughly at a 30 degree angle. The simplest way to rough in the right angle is by making a 'finger gun' with your hand. If you keep your index finger parallel to the ground, then draw a line between the tip of your index finger and the tip of your thumb, the result is roughly 30 degrees. Hold this up to your straps to get yourself in the right ballpark.

Now that you're in the right ballpark, you can fine tune your hammock by checking the ridgeline. Sit down in your hammock. You'll notice when you do, the ridgeline (the rope running from end to end) is pulled tight. When you sit you don't want the ridgeline to be sagging, but you also don't want it to be as tight as a guitar string. It should be loose enough that you can bend it, but tight enough to give you plenty of resistance in doing so. If the ridgeline needs to be tighter, tighten your suspension, if it needs more slack, loosen your suspension.

Adjust your hammock suspension and the height of your strap until your foot end is around 6 to 10 inches higher than your head end. We do this because our center of mass isn't in the center of our bodies, it's closer to our stomach. This means that as we lay in the hammock, our center of mass will sink to the lowest point, which will push our feet past the asym-point of the hammock (see Directional Lays). As you use your hammock more, you'll learn exactly how much higher you need with your foot end, but 6 to 10 inches is a good starting point.