How to hang a hammock
Updated: 21 October 2026
You have a hammock, and the garden may or may not have two trees that can take it. Hung too tight, the cloth becomes a banana. Hung on a thin cord, the bark takes a scar you will still see next spring. This is how to hang a hammock between two anchors in Britain, using public UK guidance and these amazon.co.uk listings as of 19 October 2026. It is not a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Which bed you bought is on the [hammock comparison](/hub/sun-loungers/hammock).
You have a hammock, and the garden may or may not have two trees that can take it. Hung too tight, the cloth becomes a banana. Hung on a thin cord, the bark takes a scar you will still see next spring.
You have a hammock, and the garden may or may not have two trees that can take it. Hung too tight, the cloth becomes a banana. Hung on a thin cord, the bark takes a scar you will still see next spring. This is how to hang a hammock between two anchors in Britain, using public UK guidance and these amazon.co.uk listings as of 19 October 2026. It is not a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Which bed you bought is on the hammock comparison.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Suspension | Strap length | Flat size | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  ANYOO ANYOO polycotton hammock | Nylon straps, two steel carabiners | Not printed | 2.7 x 1.5 m | 8.7 | about £26.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  AnorTrek AnorTrek camping hammock | Loop straps, steel carabiners | 2.5 m, 5+1 loops | 2.8 x 1.4 m | 8.6 | about £19.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Bramble Bramble canvas hammock | Tree ropes, not loop straps | Ropes to tie | 2.7 x 1.5 m | 7.5 | about £12.99 | View offer |
On this page
Pick two living trees, or do not hang
Start with the trunks, not the carabiners. You want two living trees that can stand a load, far enough apart for sag, and clear of paths and greenhouses. A gardening rule of thumb is a trunk at least about 15 cm across. That is not a British Standard. If the tree is damaged, hollow, or leaning, leave it. The Countryside Code says leave trees as you find them, and Forestry England’s Forest Code says protect trees. Neither page is a permit to sling a bed.
The sources do not print one official span. Simply Hammocks suggests trees about 3 to 4.5 m apart. Decathlon UK mentions about 3.3 to 6 m for its own straps. Cycayit’s longer model prints 2.5 to 4 m, with the seat 20 to 40 cm up. Follow the sheet in your box when it gives a span. Trees that are too close leave a pod you fall out of. Trees that are too far leave the straps short, which is what UK reviews say about the 190 cm cotton and the Cycayit with 1.5 m straps. One tree is not a hang. A downpipe or a washing line is not the second anchor. With no second trunk, you need a stand you already own, or you do not hang it.
Straps flat, ropes only if you must
Wide webbing spreads the load around the bark. A thin cord ring-barks the tree and becomes the part that frays. Lay the webbing flat, with no twist, and keep the clip off the bark. Take the hammock down when you leave. A strap left up for a season is how a tree keeps a scar, and how cloth fades, which UK reviews already report on the ANYOO when it stays outside. Ropes are what Bramble and the small cotton hammock include. You can tie them to a frame you already own. They are a poor default on living bark. One Cycayit review still wanted knot advice because the straps slipped, so a no-knots bullet is not a guarantee. DD prints 125 kg on its own daisy-chain straps, which are not these products. Do not treat a 300 kg cloth line as the strength of every clip.
Sag, height and getting in
A bar-tight hammock feels tidy and sleeps badly. The loaded low point wants to sit near 40 to 50 cm above the ground. That figure is Simply Hammocks’ rule of thumb, not a regulation. Cycayit’s bullet is a little lower, at 20 to 40 cm. You should still sit, put your feet down, and stand up without a drop. Too high and a tip becomes a fall. Too low and the cloth hits the grass, which is what happened to a shorter reviewer on the Cycayit with short straps. Attach the straps higher than the seat, around head height, then let the middle drop. Get in from the side, sitting first. Lie slightly on the diagonal in a gathered-end nylon. A centred pose on a tight ridge is the banana back. A tighter line will not warm a cold night. That is the camping hammock page.
Stop, and who should take over
Stop if a seam, a strap or an end webbing opens. Do not retie it and get back in. The Office for Product Safety and Standards recalled Aldi’s Adventuridge hammock with stand in 2022, code 816216, after a seam at the head end was reported to fail. That model is not in this set. The failure mode is the point: gathers and stitching are where these beds come apart. In England and Wales you report a dangerous product through Citizens Advice. In Scotland the route is Advice Direct Scotland. In Northern Ireland it is your district council. Ask a competent person if the only anchors are a wall, a balcony, or fixings you cannot identify. Also stop if you do not have permission, including a campsite that bans hammocks from its trees. The hammock buying guide checks the job before you buy.
Common questions
How far apart do the trees need to be?
A UK retailer rule of thumb is about 3 to 4.5 m. Decathlon UK mentions about 3.3 to 6 m for its straps. Cycayit’s longer listing prints 2.5 to 4 m. Follow the sheet in your box when it gives a span. If your straps are only 1.5 m, that retailer band is already too wide, which is why the shorter Cycayit is a poor match for trees several metres apart.
How high should the low point sit once you are in?
About 40 to 50 cm is the retailer rule of thumb for the loaded middle. Cycayit’s bullet says 20 to 40 cm. You should still get your feet to the ground. Higher than that makes a fall more serious. Lower than that puts the cloth on the grass as soon as you sit down.
Can you use rope instead of straps?
Only if you must, and not as a thin cord around living bark. Wide straps are the kinder and usual choice. Bramble and the small cotton hammock are sold with ropes, and UK reviews tie those to frames and posts. On a tree, a cutting rope is how the bark gets damaged and how the suspension frays.
What if you only have one tree?
You do not hang a gathered-end hammock from one point. You need a second anchor that can take the load, or a stand. A downpipe, a fence panel and a washing line are not that anchor. If the second point is a wall or a balcony, that is a job for a competent person, not for a longer strap.
How do you stop a banana-shaped back?
Let the hammock sag, and lie a little across the diagonal instead of along a tight centre line. A bar-tight hang is what bends you. If the cloth is simply too short, sag will not create length. The 190 cm cotton is the listing UK reviews already call small for a taller adult.
Is it allowed on Forestry England land?
The Forest Code says protect trees. It is not a hammock permit, and the Countryside Code is not one either. Assume you need permission, take wide straps off when you leave, and do not treat a public wood as a campsite. Overnight rules are stricter again, and they are not settled by a good knot.
What do you do if a seam opens?
Stop using it. Do not knot the torn end back together and get back in. Report it: Citizens Advice in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland, or your district council in Northern Ireland. A 2022 recall of a different hammock, Aldi’s Adventuridge with stand, followed a head-end seam that failed. The same kind of failure is the reason to retire the bed.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these ten listings were read on 19 October 2026. Page updated 21 October 2026.
- Countryside Code: advice for countryside visitors (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Forestry England: the Forest Code (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- General Product Safety Regulations 2005, Great Britain (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- OPSS: Adventuridge portable hammock with stand recall, 2022 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Simply Hammocks: nylon or cotton (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Simply Hammocks: how to hang a hammock (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Camping Sites in Britain: hammock camping (retrieved 19 October 2026)