How to set up a hammock stand
Updated: October 2026
The box is in the hall and the lawn looks flat enough. How to set up a hammock stand, for the steel sets in this comparison, is a short sequence: count the parts, get every foot on flat ground, tighten only once the frame sits square, hang the bed so the middle clears the ground, and take the first sit in the centre. The [hammock with frame comparison](/hub/sun-loungers/hammock-with-frame) is where the models live. This page is the method after the set has arrived. The Products Compared editorial team did not assemble these stands in a lab. Review notes are from the amazon.co.uk listings of 16 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The box is in the hall and the lawn looks flat enough.
The box is in the hall and the lawn looks flat enough. How to set up a hammock stand, for the steel sets in this comparison, is a short sequence: count the parts, get every foot on flat ground, tighten only once the frame sits square, hang the bed so the middle clears the ground, and take the first sit in the centre. The hammock with frame comparison is where the models live. This page is the method after the set has arrived. The Products Compared editorial team did not assemble these stands in a lab. Review notes are from the amazon.co.uk listings of 16 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Tool-free assembly | Item weight | Carry bag | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  ANYOO ANYOO Hammock & Hanging Chair with Foldable Portable Stand, Indoor/Outdoor (black and green) | Yes | 11 kg | Yes | 8.4 | about £99.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  VITA5 VITA5 Double Hammock with Stand and Side Table - 200 kg | Yes | 18.2 kg | Not stated | 7.8 | about £89.19 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  ISWEES Hammock with Stand, Double Cotton Hammock with Adjustable Steel Frame & Spreader Bar, Blue | Not stated | 12.2 kg | Yes | 7.6 | about £75.99 | View offer |
Best overall
ANYOO ANYOO Hammock & Hanging Chair with Foldable Portable Stand, Indoor/Outdoor (black and green)8.4/10about £99.99
Preis-Tipp
ISWEES Hammock with Stand, Double Cotton Hammock with Adjustable Steel Frame & Spreader Bar, Blue7.6/10about £75.99
Before you build
Count tubes, feet, hooks and bolts against the manual before you flatten the box. OLLIDOT reviews include a missing foot and a missing pole, including on a replacement. ISWEES reviews include missing hooks or poles that do not line up. If a part is absent, stop. Do not leave a foot off and hope the other three hold. The buying guide points at the Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9, when a set is not of satisfactory quality given the description and the price. That is a consumer right, not a setup step, and it is not legal advice.
Every foot has to sit without a rock under one corner. Hammock Shop UK says a stand needs flat ground. Paving is the easy case. Short grass is acceptable if you can press each foot and feel no tilt. A mild slope is enough to walk the stand sideways once someone sits. If one foot rocks, use a slab or move the whole frame. Do not pack soil under a single leg. VITA5's line that the set can be built without tools still assumes a solid level surface.
Put the stand up square
Leave the bolts finger-tight until the frame is standing and all the feet touch. Tightening one joint while the opposite foot is in the air twists the hole. ISWEES reviews describe joints that do not fit and paint that flakes when you force them. If a tube will not seat, compare it with the diagram. A swapped pole is a parts problem.
Once the feet are down and the stand does not rock, tighten the bolts. Then push the top gently from the side. You are looking for a foot that lifts. WUDLEP reviews describe a chair that tips very easily, including a first sit that ended in a bruise and a bang to the head. That listing has no stated load. Watch the feet on a heavier double as well. A Tropilex sheet, via Hammock Giant, for one wooden stand tells you to check the bolts, sit in the middle, and not sit on the edge. It also states a 15-degree limit for that wooden model. Do not copy 15 degrees onto a steel amazon.co.uk set that does not print it. The useful part is the bolt check.
A delivery scratch in the powder coat is not, by itself, a reason to stop. A joint that will not close, or a missing foot, is. Open length, if the patio is tight, is the small garden page. Assembly does not shrink a 3 m frame.
Testsieger
ANYOO ANYOO Hammock & Hanging Chair with Foldable Portable Stand, Indoor/Outdoor (black and green)8.4/10about £99.99
Hang the bed and get in
Hook a lying hammock on both ends. A hanging chair uses one point. On a dual set, fit one fabric at a time. ANYOO ships a hammock and a chair for the same stand. Seating capacity on those tables is 1. The chair is not a second person on the bed.
For a spreader-bar hammock, Hammock Shop UK says the lowest point should be no higher than about 50 cm, so you can sit in rather than climb a washing line. The same guides hang a spreader-bar bed tauter than a gathered one so the fabric does not sit on the grass. If the empty bed already brushes the ground, it is too low. If the bars are forcing the stand inward, it is too tight. That 50 cm line is for spreader-bar beds. Do not apply it to a gathered portable bed or a chair. SELFLA reviewers say that chair sits very low, and you cannot raise it past what the hook allows.
Get in on the centre line, then swing your legs in. Do not perch on the edge to test it. The Tropilex sheet, for that wooden stand only, says an edge sit can tip the frame. sanheshun reviews here describe tipping and falling out, and one ISWEES review says the fabric failed and the user hit the floor. Take the first sit with someone watching the feet. If a foot lifts, get off and move the frame.
When to stop
Stop if a seam opens, a joint shears, or a foot is missing. Do not keep using it to see if it settles. Office for Product Safety and Standards alert 2207-0271 recalled an Aldi Adventuridge portable hammock with stand, product code 816216, because a seam at the head end could fail after limited use. The notice says it did not meet the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. That is one product. It is not a finding that every set here is the Aldi model. A split seam still means you stop and do not load it again.
Stop if the stand walks, if a bolt hole arrived oval, or if you can only stay up by sitting off-centre. Children are a separate stop. WUDLEP reviews say that chair is not stable enough for a child. These sets are not play equipment. A balcony whose structure you cannot rate is another stop. Nothing here states a balcony load. You can leave a powder-coated stand up if the feet stay square. Bring a cotton bed in when it is wet.
Common questions
Does the ground have to be paving?
Paving makes a rock and a slope obvious. Short, even grass is usable if every foot sits without a tilt when you press it. A slab under a rocking foot is better than soil packed under one leg. Hammock Shop UK treats flat ground as part of using a stand. A slope that only shows when someone sits is still a slope.
How high should the middle of the bed be?
For a spreader-bar hammock, Hammock Shop UK says the lowest point should be no higher than about 50 cm, and the bed should clear the ground once you are in it. That figure is not a rule for a gathered-end bed or a hanging chair. If the empty bed touches the grass, raise it. If the bars force the stand inward, ease the tension.
Can I sit on the side to get in?
No. Sit on the centre line, then bring your legs in. A Tropilex sheet for one wooden stand says an edge sit can tip that stand. Review themes here include WUDLEP tipping on a first sit and sanheshun reports of falling out. Have someone watch the feet the first time. Do not use the edge as a step.
What if a tube is missing?
Stop. Do not build around the gap. OLLIDOT reviews include a missing foot and a missing pole. A three-footed stand is not a temporary fix. Use the seller's returns route. Satisfactory quality under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9, is the frame if the description included that part. This page is not legal advice.
Can I leave it up all summer?
You can leave a powder-coated stand up if the feet stay square and no joint has opened. Bring a cotton or cotton-polyester bed indoors when it is wet. VITA5, ISWEES and the red sanheshun set use that kind of fabric. Check the bolts again after the first few sits. A finger-tight joint works loose.
Is a hammock stand safe for a child?
Not on the evidence in these reviews. WUDLEP reviews say the chair tips and is not stable enough for a child, and one first sit ended in a bruise. These sets are not sold here as play equipment. The Tropilex sheet mentions age 12 and over for that one wooden product. Do not copy that age onto a steel listing that does not print it.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked in October 2026.
- GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005: Great Britain (retrieved October 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, SI 2005/1803 (retrieved October 2026)
- OPSS recall 2207-0271, Adventuridge portable hammock with stand (retrieved October 2026)
- OPSS designated-standards notice 0100/24 (retrieved October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved October 2026)
- BBC Gardeners' World, best garden hammocks (retrieved October 2026)
- Hammock Shop UK hanging guide (retrieved October 2026)
- Simply Hammocks, Amazonas Sumo Grande (retrieved October 2026)