Hammocks have an incredible history. Native people in Central and South America created hammocks to help them stay cool while they slept in the hot, humid environment. In the Galapagos, people slept in “hamacas” woven from tree bark and later from cloth. The hammock allows air to circulate beneath sleepers and carry heat away. Secondly, the hammock suspended its user above the ground. This meant people had less to worry about regarding poisonous snakes, stinging insects and other dangers. Today, modern users enjoy the hammock for many of the same reasons.

Buying your first hammock is an exciting moment! It’s a small piece of equipment that slips into any backpack without trouble. And yet despite its unobtrusive size, it can turn any pair of trees into your kingdom of comfort.

When you go about choosing your first hammock, you’ll want to take a few considerations into account. There are things like the main purpose of the hammock, the type of weather and temperatures you’re likely to experience, your height and weight, what range of activities the hammock might be used for and much more. This article is here to help guide you through the process and help you make a perfect choice.

Why Buy a Hammock?

We assume you don’t need to be told why hammocks are so awesome — lightweight materials, breathability, versatility in different types of weather and temperatures, natural air conditioning and being off the forest floor, to name a few — but there are some lesser-known reasons why they are so enduring.

For example, imagine thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. You won’t always have a camp-friendly patch of smooth, flat ground when it’s time to call it a night. Backpackers appreciate the ability to camp anywhere they want, whether it be on rocky terrain or atop a mountain. As long as you have two trees, a hammock makes that possible.

Also, sleeping in a hammock is more comfortable than making your bed on a forest floor. You’ll feel more rested, and a lot less achy, when it’s time to hike on. Consider falling asleep in a stuffy, hot tent or a hammock, breathing cool, fresh air under a star-filled sky. You’ll feel better when you wake up in a hammock because you will have spent the night cradled by nature.

Lastly, if you’re worried you won’t have bug protection, think again. You can equip your hammock with bug netting to keep you free of scratching and swatting in the middle of the night.

What to Consider When Purchasing Your First Hammock

You’ll want a hammock designed to fit your lifestyle and comfort needs, so consider a few factors before you shop.

1. Intended Use

Your hammock should be appropriate for your use. For example, a hammock for sleeping on hiking trips will be more durable than one for lounging by an outdoor pool.

The material will tell you more about its quality and intended use. Go with a hammock made of polyester or nylon if it could get wet. A cotton hammock will serve you well for occasional use in mild climates.

2. Size and Weight Limits

Hammocks come in two sizes — single and double. A single-size hammock is suitable for one person, and a double leaves enough room for two.

Most single hammocks support upwards of 300-400 pounds, and double hammocks can support up to 500 pounds. Single hammocks are typically 8 to 12 feet long, while double hammocks range from 10 to 12 feet.

3. Suspension Accessories

Some hammocks are compatible with reinforced suspension straps and accessories. Strong suspension straps enable you to relax above the ground safely. Make sure the hammock you are interested in works with your suspension technology. Pay attention to the suspension straps’ material, weight limits, and corrosion resistance.

Camping or Lounging Hammocks?

The first question you should ask yourself is what you’ll want to use your hammock for. There are two schools of thought here:

• Camping: A camping hammock is used in place of a mattress pad, tent and sleeping bag for camping trips. Whether you want to sleep outside in the woods behind your house or go for an extended camping trip, a hammock provides the chance to get off the ground and experience the great outdoors in a unique way. Camping hammocks are generally outfitted with different bells and whistles — zippers, accessory packages and design features — that make them ideal for comfortable overnighting.
• Lounging: Chances are good you’ve lounged in a hammock before. Here, the requirements are less strict. Lounging hammocks can be made of a multitude of materials and are generally better suited for reading, relaxing, napping and spending time with friends. While one could technically sleep in a lounging hammock, the fact that camping hammocks are specifically designed for comfort and sleeping means it’s wise to choose a camping hammock for sleeping.

Let’s go into a bit more depth on each of these choices below.

Camping Hammocks

If you are interested in hiking, camping or another outdoor activity that takes you off the beaten path, a camping hammock is recommended. A camping hammock is designed to let a person sleep “flat” — that is, not bent at the waist as with a typical lounging hammock. The material is made to be sturdy and comfortable. Additionally, a camping hammock should not let too much air through to avoid chilling.

If you are considering backpacking for extended distances, you will likely prioritize weight above all else. If you are planning on using the hammock for camping alone, durability is going to be the key factor.

An excellent choice for your first camping hammock is the Chameleon. This has quickly become an industry standard for hammock camping due to its full-featured design, which incorporates all of the needs of campers. The hammock is adaptable to a wide range of temperatures, making it perfect for camping in different seasons.

You can also modify it through different components and add-ons. Whether you are looking for pockets for storage, top covers or other accessories, this hammock is decked out for long-term modification and usability. It is truly the only hammock you will ever need — a pretty good promise for a beginner hammock.

Lounging Hammocks

Hammocks for lounging live by a less stringent set of principles, as they must perform a less rigorous task. They should still be lightweight, breathable and durable, though — and Dutchware’s netless hammocks are up to the task.

These feature hammock bodies that are sewn into a single- or double-layer hammock. The suspension is customizable. All four sides of the hammock are hemmed, and the ends feature triple-sewn channels. These hammocks come in two sizes — 58 inches wide and 11 feet long, or 70 inches wide and 11 feet long, providing plenty of room for stretching out.

Can’t make up your mind between a lounging or a camping hammock? Luckily, you don’t have to. A netless hammock can easily be made ready for a camping trip with bugnets and socks. Also, a netless hammock still features plenty of conveniences like a stuff sack with double ends and different materials to choose from for your comfort. NylonD, which is made from nylon, is soft to the touch and strong against ripping. Dobby has a checkered design and is made from nylon and polyester — it is also resistant to stretching. Finally, Hexon is a durable fabric that offers three weight classifications and many color options.

Knowing Your Height and Weight

Have you ever slept in a bed that was too small? It’s about as comfortable as wearing your childhood jacket. With hammocks, it’s especially important to choose the right size for your weight, because every square inch of the hammock plays into forming the right shape for you.

When it comes to the hammock’s physical dimensions — that is, height and breadth — your options will be fairly limited. However, this is nothing to worry about, as most people fit comfortably into an 11-foot hammock. You may be interested in choosing between a standard and a wide hammock, though. This feature is offered in the netless and Chameleon hammocks and is useful for those who require a bit more room. A wide hammock provides an extra 12 inches of space for taller people to stretch out.

Of more immediate importance is buying the correct hammock for your weight. Dutchware Gear hammocks offer a selection of different materials, each rated for a different weight. The Chameleon is one example. This hammock offers the following options for body fabric, which are weight-rated as follows:

• Hexon 1.0: This fabric features a 200-pound weight rating
• Hexon 1.6: A slightly stronger weave that features a 350-pound weight rating
• Hexon 2.4: The strongest available, with a 400+ pound weight rating
• NylonD Wide 1.7: This is an excellent silky, wide fabric, with a 300-pound weight rating
• Hexon Wide 1.6: Strong, cotton like, wide fabric with a 350 pound weight rating
• TrueTimber: Offers a 325-pound weight rating

It’s generally wise to choose a hammock that has a higher weight rating than you need. For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds, it’s better to buy a hammock in the next weight category up. This allows room for extra sleeping garments, storage items and sufficient strength for sitting down suddenly on the hammock without straining it.

In summary, a hammock is generally a “one size fits all” type of operation. Certain hammocks offer wider spans, but the main consideration that you must pay attention to is weight. The added benefit is that this helps narrow down your choices when shopping, preventing option overload.

Choosing a Hammock That Allows You to Progress

If you are buying your first hammock, you may not want to feel forced to choose between lounging and camping. Perhaps you would like a hammock that can do a bit of both while you figure out how it fits into your lifestyle.

In this case, look for a hammock like the Chameleon that offers comfort and easy setup. Choosing the wider version of the Chameleon will allow you to sit or stretch out sideways, which is ideal for gatherings with friends. Additionally, the Chameleon allows a range of laying positions that are perfect for reading, napping or just enjoying the afternoon breeze.

Hammocks for lounging and camping don’t always have to be mutually exclusive. Check out Dutchware’s large selection of quality hammocks to find one that can accommodate any type of activity you choose.

What Accessories to Use With the Hammock You Choose

Whether you’re napping on a sunny afternoon or camping for the night, you’ll want to check out some of the accessories available for hammocks. Many of these are the result of innovation by Dutchware Gear and offer new levels of convenience:

1. Bugnet: A must-have for hammock camping in the summertime and a divine luxury for lounging and reading, the bugnet is a lightweight addition that’s easy to attach. Made with Nanoseeum, Dutchware hammock bugnets are fitted with a shock cord and lock that make attachment to the hammock effortless.
2. Sock: Hammock socks come in summer and winter varieties. Summer socks work best with a ridgeline and come in either 10- or 11-foot lengths. Socks can be rotated to adjust the amount of venting and heat retention and include an excellent DWR to protect the quilt. Winter socks also include a Nanoseeum panel that allows for complete adjustment — from generous venting to complete coverage. Both socks work with ridgelines, and both are lightweight for easy travel.
3. Suspensions: There are many different ways to hang a hammock, but at Dutchware, we like to keep it simple. For example, our Titanium Beetle Buckles are versatile buckles that leave other suspension pieces in the dust. Their wings allow for easy tension and release and the anchor connection allows you to disconnect the suspension entirely. There are many other options, such as whoopie hooks which allow you to turn two single hammocks into one double hammock but works just as well alone. The Marlin Spike Hitch Complete Suspension set lets you use the marlin spike hitch and toggle method for lightweight attachments. Finally, the Tato Gear Hammock Stand is the easiest way to set up your hammock anywhere you wish, no trees required.
4. Ridgeline: Ridgelines are great for holding up tarps or attaching bug nets or top covers. There are two types of ridgelines, adjustable and fixed, which serve different purposes. Adjustable ridgelines come either as Universal Constrictor Rope or Whoopie Slings, and titanium Ridgeline Biners allow you to disconnect it without hassle. Fixed ridgelines come slightly shorter than the length of the hammock — about 83 percent, to be exact.
5. Double ended stuff sack: A lightweight, waterproof double ended stuff sack lends a helping hand when hanging a hammock, and it makes hammock-packing fast and easy.

If all of the hammock accessories confuse you then feel free to read our hammock camping checklist here.

Beginner’s Guide to Hammock Camping

Once you’ve chosen your hammock, it’s time for a quick refresher on how to properly use it. Here are some quick tips for hammock camping:

• Protect the trees: Place straps around trees to prevent your hammock from gouging and damaging its bark. Polyester is a great material for hammock straps and should be around 1.5 inches wide.
• Shoot for 30 degrees: How much should your ropes angle downward? The rule of thumb is 30 degrees. Resist the temptation to go too tight — this can put a deceptively large amount of force on the trees and make the hammock wobbly.
• Learn to love the deep sag: You want your hammock to sag pretty significantly in the middle. Though this might look like a nightmare for your spine, it will actually allow you to sleep comfortably, when you…
• Lie diagonally in the hammock: Yes — this is the secret for hammock sleeping that has somehow managed to elude most people who have lain in hammocks. Lie at a diagonal, and you will sleep as straight as a board.
• Use an under-quilt: Air circulation is a blessing, especially when it’s muggy outside. However, hammocks are so good at this that they can chill you at temperatures below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a sleeping pad or under-quilt to stay warm. An under-quilt is suspended beneath the hammock, whereas a pad is placed inside the hammock. If it’s warm, a thin blanket will do.

Use Dutchware As Your Hammock Buying Guide

No matter what style of hammock you choose, Dutchware offers the best quality, durability, breathability and value on the market. We are a one-stop-shop for all your DIY gear needs and hammock needs. Our innovations have spurred progress in the hammock and camping industries, and we are happy to be at the center of the movement.

Our no-knot hardware makes setting up hammocks easier. We also reduce the weight with cutting-edge materials, rope and webbing. Our products are ultra light, high-quality, innovative and easy to use. Just peruse our website to see why we are one of the most trusted names in hammock camping.

Related Articles

• Ultimate Guide to Dutchwares’ Different Hammocks
• Bridge vs Gathered End Hammocks
• Two Person Hammock Camping 
• Solutions for Hammock Camping Without Trees 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take a look outside. You know there are two perfect trees out there somewhere, waiting for you and your hammock. Figure out how many vacation days you can take, mark off the weekends on your calendar, make a camping gear checklist, and get ready to reunite with the outdoors! Temperatures, weather, and seasons are no excuse, because it’s always a great time to get outside and experience nature. Light summer camping quilts will keep you comfortable on warm nights, and winter quilts will provide a cozy cocoon in freezing temperatures. It’s time to hang your hammock, enjoy the aroma of a crackling wood fire, eat some delicious camp food, get a fantastic night of sleep, and let the fresh dew of the forest greet you in the morning.

If you have camped in a hammock before, you know how incredible hanging above the ground can be in warm weather. You can let cool breezes keep you comfortable from all sides. You can get creative and pitch your hammock wherever you please — over a mossy knoll, a babbling brook, or a clear patch of forest floor — and you never need to worry about rain soaking you from underneath. A hammock provides an automatic solution to the biggest problems tent campers face, and it’s the perfect shelter system option for anyone who loves to make every trip an adventure. As long as there are trees, your hammock will never let you down.

A breathable fabric top cover helps you take your hammock camping to the next level, extending your hammock’s range into cooler climates and expanding your camping season into the fall and winter. A top cover provides protection against both weather and insect pests. It affords you privacy, and it can even add extra storage space in your hammock. Dutchware Gear offers a variety of different hammock top covers, and we continually innovate and expand our selection of products with new models to meet your needs — all compatible with our modular Chameleon hammock system. This guide presents our range of top covers and bug nets in detail to showcase the ultimate level of protection they afford between you and the world around your hammock.

Sleeping Overnight in a Hammock: The Basics

If you are new to the world of hammock camping, we extend our warmest welcome; you may have many questions about your hammock sleep system and may benefit from some helpful fundamentals. If you’ve only lounged in hammocks previously, you may find yourself thinking “Sure, a hammock is comfortable, but wouldn’t it wreck my back to sleep in one overnight?” The definite answer is “No!” A properly designed hammock such as those we sell, constructed from the right materials and pitched correctly, is extremely comfortable all night long, and it possible to have lots of space and to maintain a healthy posture while sleeping in one.

Here are five easy tips for sleeping soundly all night long in a hammock:

• Hang loose. Don’t hang your hammock “bowstring tight”. A tightly pitched hammock is under undue stress, and it forces you to its center with less room to move around for comfort. Your initial temptation may be to hang your hammock tight in order to minimize any sagging, but the right amount of sag is beneficial — structurally more sound and a necessity for your best sleep — so keep it loose. Our Chameleon hammock features a structural ridge line to help you hang it right every time.

• Use a pillow, base layers, and blankets or quilts. Just like a bare mattress, you hammock needs to be optimized for a comfortable overnight sleep with proper accessories. You’ll want a small pillow or something like it. Wear breathable base layers to stay comfortable, and sleep between a top quilt and an underquilt. It’s possible to get too cool in a hammock — this is true even in warm weather — so if you’re at just the right temperature when you fall asleep, you may wake up a little cool. Therefore, it’s useful to have your top insulation ready to throw over your body, or you can keep an extra clothing layer handy.

• In almost any weather, you will need some bottom insulation to stay comfortable in your hammock. Typically, this is an underquilt or sleeping pad, but in a pinch you can wrap a blanket around yourself or lie on top of one for warmth underneath, which also protects from abrasion and biting insects while you’re in your hammock.

• Adopt a diagonal lay in your hammock. This beneficial trick is one virtually all seasoned hammock campers use. If you lay parallel to the centerline of hammock, your sleeping position will not be flat or comfortable, but if you move your head to one side of the hammock’s centerline and your feet to the opposite side, your sleeping position will be as flat as a pancake. This is probably the most important tip for staying comfortable and getting a great night of sleep.

• Take a moment to find the perfect sleeping position. Hammocks are almost magical; as soon as our bodies land in one, we often find ecstatic comfort and a sense of leisure that makes it easy to commit to resting for the next 12 hours. However, take a minute to get completely comfortable before drifting off to sleep. Dial in your pillow just right, have your blankets ready, and find the perfect angle for good back support and sound slumber.

Chameleon Symmetrical Top Cover

If you are hammock camping in colder weather, the Chameleon Symmetrical Top Cover may be the ideal accessory for you — particularly if you’re new to hammocks and still experimenting with your position — because it’s designed for versatility and comfort when temperatures drop. A perfectly sized mesh window at the head end of the cover gives you excellent ventilation and views while protecting you from persistent bugs on cool nights deep into autumn. This cover’s available Moonlight option provides adjustable zippered flaps across the window, giving you the ability to close your mesh vent partially or fully. When zipped, the flaps create a breathable, enclosed space inside your hammock, allowing you to control both temperature and humidity. If you need to build warmth inside the hammock, you can zip up the Moonlight flaps and keep the wind out. Once you’re comfortably warm, you can open them as necessary to allow any moisture from respiration to escape, or you can let the flaps hang down to redirect the moisture from your breath to the outside (similar to our Breathalizer accessory (see below)).

At Dutchware, the cornerstone of our modular sleep system that accepts this top cover and all the others is a hammock we call “the Chameleon” because it’s adaptable like its namesake.  The Chameleon easily accommodates diagonal sleeping with your feet to the left or to the right. When you wake up in the middle of the night, you may feel like switching sides to distribute pressure to other parts of your body. Our Symmetrical Top Cover makes switching your lay direction completely effortless.

Our top covers are made from Dutchware’s own Argon 90, an innovative fabric unique to our company’s product line. Argon is what all hammock campers dream of — resistant to the wind yet lightweight and highly breathable — allowing our top covers to provide superb ventilation without chilling you.

Chameleon Symmetrical Bugnet

Everyone has awakened in the middle of the night and flipped the pillow over to the cool, comfortable side before returning to sleep. In a hammock, similar joy can be found in changing the direction of your diagonal lay, switching your sleeping position from head left/feet right to head right/feet left (or vice versa). Netless hammocks allow this freedom to change position, but many netted hammock designs do not. We solved this problem when we designed our Chameleon hammock — and now we have symmetrical top covers and bug nets to match, affording you this same freedom and ease of use.

The Chameleon Symmetrical Bugnet comes with eight ergonomic pulls on smoothly gliding double-tab Vision zippers for easy installation, entry, and exit. This bug net attaches to your hammock and provides complete protection against all types of insects. Its symmetrical shape gives you full freedom to change your orientation inside your Chameleon hammock without ever opening it up to mosquitoes or other flying pests.

In hammock camping gear, weight can be important. At just 130 grams, our Symmetrical Bugnet provides total insect protection without adding significant weight to your hammock system, so you can bring the same gear on backpacking adventures and car camping trips.

Chameleon Asym Top Cover

When the temperature drops, be prepared and enjoy cold-weather camping with the Chameleon Asym Top Cover. Stay snug and warm inside your hammock while the crisp cold settles on the world around you. This breathable asymmetrical top cover is made from lightweight, wind-resistant Argon 90 fabric to help keep you warm.

The Asym Top Cover zips onto the Chameleon hammock in your prefered lay direction, and patented Vision zippers make it fully reversible to lay the other way. It creates a cocoon of warmer air around you for comfort, no matter what the weather is like, and the tailored parallelogram shape maximizes interior room and keeps weight down.

Our Asym Top Cover includes a thoughtfully designed  dual-purpose mesh vent; this linear window allows fresh air in as your breath escapes, and it offers you lateral and sky views of the world outside.

Chameleon Asym Bugnet

Insects are an integral part of nature and our larger ecosystem, and they are typical of most camping experiences. Waving away the occasional gnat reminds us to be glad we’re not at the office. However, being beset by biting insects like mosquitoes can ruin your camping trip, and sleeping is an activity best enjoyed bug-free.

For simple, reliable insect protection, we designed the Chameleon Asym Bugnet. This top cover is made of nanoweave mesh to repel the smallest flying and crawling bugs. It’s your safe haven in the woods, a sanctuary where you can relax as you lounge in your hammock and enjoy a good night’s sleep completely free of bites, stings, and itching.

Our fully reversible Asym Bugnet zips easily on your Chameleon hammock in either lay direction, shaped to allow maximum interior space. It’s durable and lightweight at just 122 grams, and the nanoweave mesh offers excellent visibility and airflow. Don’t surrender to bloodthirsty black flies or marauding mosquitoes. Fight back with the best bug net on the market.

Chameleon Sidecar Storage Accessory

Storage space is the only area where hammock camping always ran into problems — but that was before we invented the Chameleon Sidecar!

The Sidecar solves the problem of “Where do I put my shoes/socks/jacket/etc. in my hammock?” It’s a generous add-on pocket that zips onto any Chameleon hammock in multiple locations for versatility. Keeping your shoes safe and off the ground but not in your hammock is simple with the Sidecar, and it also offers space for clothing, quilts, personal items, or anything else you want to keep convenient at arm’s reach in your hammock

Adaptable like the Chameleon hammock, the Sidecar is accessible from both inside and outside of the hammock, so you can grab things easily while you camp day or night. You can also attach it in four convenient locations, at the head or foot end on the right ot left side — wherever you want it! If you require more storage, you can even install a second Sidecar on the opposite side of your hammock. Two tie-out points on the Sidecar allow you to stake it to the ground, holding it stable so you can view and access its contents more easily. Available in Argon 90 or bug mesh, you won’t want to camp without one!

Chameleon Integrated Sidecar Top Covers and Nets

The original Sidecar offers you abundant usable storage for your hammock whenever you want it — just zip one on! However, many folks wanted the Sidecar’s storage benefits full-time in a more streamlined package, so we created the Chameleon Integrated Sidecar Top Cover.

We integrated the generous Sidecar pocket seamlessly into our vented fabric top cover. We placed the pocket in the head end of the top cover near the vent, located exactly where you need it most often, so grabbing a book, your shoes, your headlamp, a water bottle, or your jacket is a cinch.

Our Integrated Sidecar Top Cover is made from our proprietary wind-blocking Argon 90 lightweight breathable fabric to create a warm microclimate inside your hammock. The vent at the top even serves as a tiny window, while the fabric gives you plenty of privacy. An all-mesh version is also available for warm weather.

Double Dutch Bugnet

The Double Dutch Bugnet is a deluxe specialty top cover for campers who want to sleep in two Chameleon hammocks side by side. It is full of cool features.

The Double Dutch Bugnet works with two Chameleon hammocks set up next to one another, sharing the same two trees, each on their own compatible suspension (such as our Dutchware Titanium Beetle Buckles) and separated at the head end by a spreader bar. The bug net zips around both hammocks to create a shared interior space, and an additional Argon strip zips down the middle between the two hammocks, forming a continuous surface between them and sealing the bug-free environment. The net is suspended over two ridgelines, creating a “no-fly zone” much bigger than the sum of two separate nets.

The Double Dutch Bugnet comes with a double-size stuff sack to hold your complete system, and it permits the use of other modular Chameleon accessories. This net makes hammock camping twice as fun!

The Breathalizer

Our Breathalizer is a miraculous add-on item for our line of top covers that solves the very common hammock camping problem of managing condensation from your breath.

Imagine camping in your hammock on a really cold night. You jump in, zip up your top cover, and get snug in between your top quilt and underquilt. Soon, inside your top cover your body heat brings your hammock’s interior up to a blissful temperature, and you drift off to sleep. Unfortunately, you wake up in the morning to find dripping excess moisture inside your hammock; it is condensation, the unwelcome effect of your body’s overnight respiration in cold weather, when moisture from your breath is trapped by your hammock’s top cover and condenses on the underside of the cool fabric.

The Breathalizer is an extremely lightweight, low-profile flap that attaches to your hammock’s ridgeline and sides, separating your moist breath from the dry air inside the rest of the hammock, redirecting it out the vent in the top cover, and permitting the moisture to escape while retaining the warmth you’ve built up. Experience the joy of waking up snug, warm, and dry — without condensation.

Explore Our Top Covers and Other Hammock Gear

At Dutchware Gear, we have distinguished ourselves as industry leaders in hammock camping. We use our own products in the field, and we are constantly innovating and improving our designs with new materials and technologies to make lighter, stronger, less complicated gear that is affordable and reliable.

Visit our website and explore our full selection of hammock camping equipment, including top covers, weather protection, suspension and hardware, and our complete line of modular Chameleon hammocks and accessories.

Contact us with any questions you have about our products — because we love to talk about our gear! — and let Dutchware help you take your outdoor experience to the next level of comfort, convenience, and enjoyment.

Written & Reviewed by Josh