HAMMOCK CAMPING: GETTING YOU CLOSE AND BARE TO NATURE

Hammock camping opens your journey to the untouched terrain.

Do you love getting close to nature? Would you like to travel deep into the woods to find peace and solitude?

Nothing can beat the tranquility of waking up to scenic wonders of nature. Camping open the bonds between you and the earth, to get absorbed to its beauty and feel connected to the planet once more. You can choose what view to wake up to; a dramatic lake, serene forest, or dreamy sea. How does it feel to unplug from the hustle and bustle of reality again?

Now, the sounds of camping might include sleeping under the canvas, tucked inside a tent. However, do you know that modern camping is now evolving? Camping nowadays doesn't always require you to sleep on the grounds, dealing with hard and uneven terrain, where sometimes hidden rocks protrude your back in the middle of your sleep. You don’t need to deal with a bundle of rope and a handful of poles, trying to figure out the best way to set up the tent. You don’t have to hitch other camping equipments to make room for that bulky tent bag. Most importantly, your way of camping will entirely change by the time you convert to hammock camping.

You are now free from the bound of the ground. As suspended sleepers, now all nooks and cranny of the earth is open as your camping “ground”. Sleeping right under canopy of the trees, just above running rivers, even at the wall of a cliff is just made possible with ultimate flexibility of hammock camping, as long as your bravery allows.

Being disconnected from the ground doesn't mean less intense experience. Instead, camping in a hammock will draw you to rawest connection to mother earth. At night, your surrounding feel even more marvellous. Open your eyes, you are lying beneath a velvet sky, brimming with brilliant stars, twinkling brightly while the moonlight shone softly. You feel soft blow of the wind breezing at the tip of your nose, and the hammock rocks you back to sleep. Well, what’s better than a night spent unhindered to the starry skies, surrounded by natural wonders?

Let me tell you, buddy. It’s when the reality of being OUTSIDE really hit your nerves. Once you realise the openness and true connection to nature, it’s hard to go back into tent-camping days. The moment you open your eyes after a sound sleep, you will literally spend few minutes of the day, trying to absorb what’s happening around you. The birds are chirping, the clouds are slowly drifting, the leaves moved by the breeze, which gently helps you to wake up. And you are enjoying all of this without having to move out of the hammock—opening up the eyes is just all you need to do.

The next thing you know, hammock camping becomes a life-changing experience.

All you need is two solid and sturdy material to hook the hammock, some knotting skill, and you are set. It’s easier, you get the intimate closeness to nature, and feel that sense of being open, raw, and blend to the mother earth. It’s hard to beat with any other camp modes.

Wait, Hammock Camping Is A Real Thing?

While it may sounds pretty new to you, hammock camping is actually feasible. Mean, you really camp inside a hammock, no tent necessary. Sounds rocking to you?

If your entire experience of camp consist of tent camping, it’s completely normal if you have several doubt and worries. What about the sleeping bag? Can you really sleep inside it? Where will you store camping bags, shoes, and all? How will you exactly get into the hammock without tripping? Can you really last a night inside a hammock?

Worry not, my friend. Hammock camping is just as real as anything else. It’s very flexible you gonna get surprised at how easy it is to get customised to suit your camping need. Though it doesn’t enclose you in four parachute walls, hammock provides the same security and comfort, if not more.

When you get to know deeper about hammock, you will soon know that modern hammock now features everything a tent has. Development of hammock camping accessories allows customised hammock build up to create your own level of comfort. Need some extra protection from the sun, wind, or the rain? Stretch a hammock camping tarp above your floating bedding. Fear about mosquitos and nosy disturbance of flying insect? A mosquito net can be hung anytime just above the hammock. You can even add under quilt for heat insulation to tackle cold-weather camping and freezing butt—a common problem among hammock campers.

The best of it? Every upgrade of the backpacking hammock can be used separately, without having to be assembled as a whole. Pack what you need, and left necessary accessories at home until the season call for it. Each element of the tent is now present in a hammock, just a lot more lightweight and flexible.

What Hammock Actually Is

By now, you might have developed some idea about hammock. You might want to start trying out this new camping adventure, but the idea is still vogue to you. How a hammock actually works and how it compares to tent camping?

Well, here you go.

Hammock is essentially a lengthy swing made of various materials, such as rope, fabric, canvas, and parachute, and many others. It is suspended at both ends by cords to tie it between two poles, trees, or any sturdy materials. Hammock has grown to serve some purpose, such as simple leisure, infant bedding, naval bed bunk alternative, to camping, and the materials used typically follow it’s purpose.

Hammock camping is significantly different than other types of hammock, usually made of parachute, nylon, or polyester to provide lightness, support, and portability. It removes spreader bars that commonly found at the head and foot of classic rope braided or nylon hammock, merge two corners at each end into one gathered ends, and install anchor points using ropes and webbing strap to provide suspension systems. While hung right, hammock camping will form a perfect smiley shape which will be very comfortable for the body to sleep in.

How Hammock Differs With Tents

Now, you might want to know exactly why hammock will be a camping game changer, shifting the position of classic, familiar tent. Sure, camping is great, but it also comes with flaws that you need to deal with. If you grow up with a tent, you should have been familiar with common tent problems. For a starter, ideal camping ground should be flat, otherwise, the blood will push to your head (or your foot), leaving you with a morning headache. Thin materials of the tent won’t protect you from the bumpy ground and coldness of the earth, resulting in uncomfortable sleeping. Unless, of course, if you are willing to bring a sleeping bag or sleeping pad that will consume a lot more of your space.

Talking about space, have you ever notice how much space a tent take in your backpack and just how heavy it is? A tent is basically two-to-four-wall portable mini home, and the materials to make up these walls make quite a bulky roll while folded. Tent also features a system that involves poles and ropes to build structure and make sure you are not blown by the wind in the middle of the camp, adding significant weight to your backpack.

Surely, you can always opt for premium, ultralight tents to reduce weight and open up more space, but even the lightest tent available still weigh double, if not triple, than a hammock. Not to mention that it will cost you more—you can even purchase two different hammocks complete with gears for one ultralight tent!

A foldable hammock, while packed, will fit a bag at size of your palm and weigh no more than 2 lbs or less than 1 kg. They don’t need lots of pegs unless you are camping with tarp. The complimentary gear also doesn’t take much—it consists of a couple of ropes, carabiners, moon strap, and hanging kit that can easily be rolled and stuffed into a small bag.

True campers know that space is always treasured. More space equal with more important stuff (or food supply!) that can be brought to the camping site. That stuffy space is now available for camera lenses or portable coffee maker you always choose to give up to make extra room for the tent, allowing you to have more comfortable camping experience.

Aside of weight and space saving, camping with hammock also saves you from long hours of searching that perfect flat land which also free from hollows in the ground, incline land, moss, end even surprise puddle in the morning. Another challenge comes when you are deciding to camp in a wet season, resulting a wetland to deal with.

Above there, my friend, you don’t have to worry about the land—no more rocks, wetland, and snakes, frogs, and other critters to disturb your sleep. Floating wins.

The ground no longer matters. Say goodbye to a long quest of finding the perfect spot cause no you can set a camp just above any spot—even the rockiest one. You no longer care about snowy ground or wet land, floating will keep you dry and comfortable.

The simplicity of portable folding hammock allows you to just go all solo. You can set everything up in less than 5 minutes without any help, no matter how big your hammock is. Tent, in the other side, may require cooperation of two to three campers to establish the poles and plant the pegs. Well, advanced campers may be capable to build a camp alone, but novice and leisure campers won't stand a chance.

Sleeping in A Hammock is Actually Healthier

Sleeping in A Hammock

At first, sleeping in portable camping hammock might not seem really promising for you. For the whole time of your life, you were raised to sleep on solid ground, that’s why sleeping on a hammock appears a little awkward. However, you will be surprised to find sleeping in hammock actually make you fall asleep faster than you do in bed back home.

Thanks to the flexibility of hammock to adjust to our body shape, it removes pressures of our body and rests in the most natural way. Sleeping in a bed, although feels so natural, actually collect body weight in some area of your body. That’s why you often wake up feeling ached and tired. Unlike the fixed firmness of a bed, the flexible support of this hanging parachute will do wonder to your back. Say goodbye to back pain!

The banana shape of a hammock also elevate your head higher than the rest of the body, allowing better blood flow to the brain and unobstructed breathing.

What else do you feel while you are sleeping in a hammock? Yes, that gentle rocking motion, and apparently its health benefit is backed up by science. Scientist have found that the swaying motion helps faster transition your sleep into a dreamless state. Some link it back to our early day as an infant, where gentle rocking gesture a mother gives helps to send the baby to sleep.

Researchers from the University of Geneva found that during hammock experimentation, which involves 12 men and two session of 45 minutes naps, gentle rocking movement do have significant change to our sleep pattern. Our unconscious spent a longer time in dreamless stage soon after we enter the sleep, faster than when we are sleeping in still bed. The brain activity also showed a burst of sleep spindles, a specific brain activity to signify that we have entered deeper stage of sleep, when now the brain begin to consolidate memories of the day.

Whoa. Now you have no doubt to swift your sleeping habit into hammock, don’t you?

Which Backpacking Hammock Suits You?

There’s a lot of portable folding hammock in Ticket to The Moon. Aside for its varying color (you can customise color of your own hammock in the website, yay!), they have lots of hammock in different size which can be confusing to choose. The Single Hammock is commonly a popular choice, but taller campers and broad-shoulder can opt for Double Hammock which will better accommodate their body.

Single Hammock

Mini hammock is just the perfect size for kids who would love to have their own hammock, but sometimes thrill seekers pick this one for extra adventure. If you are bringing your loved ones and want a hammock which can fit for a little snuggle here and there, then you can rely on King Size and Perfect Hammock. For backyard party or group camping, Mammock is your best friend. It can hold up to three persons to share joy and laugh inside.

The special Moonchair is chair type hammock. You might want to hang it in the terrace, but you’ll be surprised at how comfy and relaxing it is when it is hung in the open nature.

Grabbing the Gear

Just like tent with its poles and pegs, hammock also needs its gear to support itself. Hammock camping gear, however, is smaller than camping gear and it’s easy to forget about them. You don’t want to spend a night freezing in the ground, turning your hammock as make-shift sleeping bag in a miserable attempt because you leave your suspension back home, aren’t you?

Hammock Strap: Moon Strap

How can you expect to hang your hammock without a strap? You need straps to attach the hammock into trees or other sturdy materials to create a good suspension. It’s important to find good straps which are highly durable and environmentally friendly, like TTTM’s Moon Strap. It is 2.6m long and 2cm width with 9 attachment loops, able to support up to 200kg (400lb) load. It won’t leave mark on the trees and other natural surfaces, completely adjustable, and rolled into compact size while packed up.

Rope Kit: Nautical Rope

Wishing for an ultra lightweight hammock? TTTM’s Nautical rope is your answer. You can just bundle it up into a tiny pouch, and it will fit just at any space at your bag. Come with two pre-knotted ropes, you can sling Nautical Rope just about anywhere. Create a couple of loops, attach the hammock hooks, and your floating bed is ready anytime. Just remember that it’s not advisable to use thin rope as suspension of your travel hammock to the trees. It can hurt and damage the bark. Nautical rope can be used for other types of hammock, such as TTTM’s chair type hammock (The Moonchair), or as suspension anchor to materials other than the trees.

Carabiner and Carabiner 2

No suspension is complete with carabiners. This multipurpose gear is useful to suspend your parachute hammock, attach gear to your hammock, attach other gear to your backpack, even to attach your shoes to the guy-lines (that line to set up tarp). It’s always wise to have few extra carabiners; they are your lifesaver in the wild. Aside from regular Carabiner, Ticket to the Moon has its Carabiner 2, an upgraded version of regular carabiner for heavy loads, making it as perfect suspension for bigger and heavier hammock.

Hooks: The S Hook

Hammock commonly uses S-hooks to attach the hammock into ropes or straps. This type of hooks is extremely cheap, easy to use, and highly portable. The S shape of the hook makesit possible to loop between two pieces of ropes and hold them together and act as suspension for the hammock.

Hammock Sleeve

While it may not help you with the camping, hammock camping sleeve will help you with the storage. You don’t want your hammock loose color and fade because of the sun, right? Slide your hammock into hammock sleeve, and it will protect your hanging bedding whenever you are not using it.

Hanging Kit

You’ve read it. Your hammock camping ground is not limited by the trees. Sometimes, you might want to have fixed hammock installation at your home, and that’s perfectly possible with a hanging kit. Ticket to the Moon’s hanging kit includes hangers, log bolts, fishers, washers, and of course, installation instruction to help you create the safest and strongest suspension.

Hammock Camping Accessories: Is Hammock Enough by Its Own?

You know, what makes hammock really shine is how adjustable it is. You can go camping just with a portable folding hammock and its hanging gear and be totally fine. You are free to pick and mix-and-match any hammock camping accessories that will suit your current camping needs. There’s nothing like fix system in hammock; you always create your own. What makes your hammock today can be totally different with your next camping adventure.

For a stargazing camp in the middle of a warm summer night, you might only need the hammock. However, a different situation calls for different adjustment, and here we list hammock camping accessories you might want to assemble one day.

Hammock Camping Tarp

Sometimes, the sun is just too strong to lay around, especially when you set your hammock in open space, and lay around just in the middle of the day. Luckily, you have sunglasses in handy to protect your eyes—and hammocking in style. However, not so long after, you’ll feel your face get burned, and soon you’ll be busy looking for hats or extra shirt to cover your face.

Hammock tarp camping exists to prevent your eyes from squinting too much—and provide comfort for your overall hammock camping experience. Tarp gives you necessary shelter when it comes to wind, rain, and snow. It’s even better to set up the tarp before your suspended sleeping system during wet season camping to keep your gear dry.

Nearly any tarp will do as long as it provides the coverage you need. Yes, you can dig into your garage and reuse that good ol’ tarp your parents use to cover the car with. As long as it has eyelets in the corner, you can always stake it down to the soil and cover up your hammock. However, it comes with striking orange or blue, a lot of rustling noises, and is quite heavy to pack. Quite big and take a lot of space when rolled up, too. However, why you need to go through this unnecessary ache when you can just opt for a tarp that specially designed for hammock camping purposes?

Made of coated waterproof nylon polyester, Ticket to the Moon’s Hammock camping tarp gives you reliable weather protection during the hot sunny day and gloomy rain, and it weighs half of 1 kg (660g/ 1.46 lb, to be exact). It’s thin enough to form a small roll when packed, but comes with high durability you need.

Mosquito Net: TTTM’s Mosquito Net 360º

Ah, mosquito and insects. Our unwanted companion during a night of adventure, Sure, you can slather big dollops of bug repellent to prevent the nasty bites, but how can you make sure that they will not find a blank patch between your fingers and start sucking your blood out?

Seems like it’s time to refer to our old and faithful mosquito net, buddy.

Though it sounds like something your grandma will use, mosquito net actually very compatible with hammock as outdoor bugs repellant. Many designs of mosquito net are available, and TTTM’s Mosquito Net 360º might have been the best one. The net perfectly covers all around the hammock, from above and below, creating 360º protection. You don’t want the bugs to bite your butt through the nylon underneath, do you? The Mosquito Net 360º is also equipped with diagonal zipper for your easy access of getting in and out, anytime. The sheer materials give you protection without blocking away the sight of natural surrounding from your eyes.

Under quilt: Ticket to the Moon’s Moonquilt

Hammock is best known for its ability to regulate air, preventing you from getting overheat that oftentimes happened in a tent. Hammock prevents you from getting baked, but it also gives you chill during a colder time. In fact, the air circulation underneath cause what hammock campers famously called Cold Butt Syndrome. Your bum becomes so cold it’s nearly frozen. No kidding.

The natural curvature of a hammock, however, doesn’t support sleeping bag nor sleeping pad to this suspended sleeping system. With additional sleeping bag, the hammock will fail to distribute your body weight evenly, and this cause insulation to flatten and fail to work as well. Your bum will still freeze. Not to mention that sleeping bag and sleeping pad alter the natural shape of the hammock, and its fabric just can’t maintain its position inside the hammock. The result? Constant slips and slides all the night, and overall sleeping trouble.

Solution? Ditch them. These guys just cannot work well with hammock.

Fortunately, what seems’s to be a big loss turn out to be a very beneficial gain. Instead of a sleeping bag, hammock use technology of air insulation to keep users warm. This result to underquilt, an additional suspended layer to insulate the air under the hammock, providing the warmth without breaking the curve of hammock. It provides extra warmth and effectively distributes the heat throughout your body. The benefit? It’s way lighter than either the bulky sleeping bag or sleeping pad, yet it still gives sufficient insulation.

Essentially, under quilt is a blanket for your hammock. Instead of making cocoon inside a cocoon (sleeping bag inside a hammock), you wrap the hammock with a blanket, allowing you to still move freely inside. In extreme weather, sometimes hammock campers drape top quilt (can easily be substituted with any home-quilt) for extra warmth, but it would mean another consummation of space. Ticket to the Moon put a lot of thought to this, and create their own Moonquilt which can be zipped up to perfectly envelopes your hammock, keep you warm from the top and below with just a single under quilt.

Moonquilt comes with adjustable shock cord and level of insulation to regulate the comfiest level of insulation easily from inside the hammock. Moonquilt doesn’t take much space inside your bag as it has smart compression bag to hold and compress the quilt and the hammock at the same time.

Now, What You Need to Pack for Any Hammock Camping?

Hammock camping is essentially just regular camping, and what you need to bring doesn’t differ much from the usual tent camping. Minus the tent and its gear, of course. you still need to bring your food, cooking gear, first aid, and other essentials.

However, hammock camping can shorten your camping accessories list as they will be pretty much useless, such as:

Sleeping Bag: it’s uncomfortable to use sleeping bag inside hammock. Use your jacket as insulation clothing and under quilt instead.
Camping chair: Your hammock can double up as hanging chair at any given time, and it’s way comfier.

Though hammock is pretty much build-able with its accessories, you don’t essentially need to bring them all to your hammock camping. The flexibility of a hammock allows you to bring just things you need, but that also requires deep understanding about your camping ground, current season, climate, and weather.

For first-time hammock campers, it may be difficult to estimate what you need to bring. You may feel unsure whether bringing tarp will be too much for a summer camp in the woods, or how many rolls of rope and guy-lines you need.

The answer: bring everything you have. You gotta learn on the spot. Who knows that the trees will drop accumulated dews to your hammock, and soon you realise you need a tarp though it’s shady and not raining. Just like any other adventure, you’ll grow from experience and slowly gain second instinct of what to bring and what to leave home.

The Basic:

Hammock camping list, essentially, consists of three things:

A hammock

Carabiner/ S Hooks

Straps/ Rope

Let’s call it the basic gears that you will always need for hammock camping in all season, which all of them can fit snugly to your small hammock bag.

Accessories

Tarp:

A tarp is your shelter in the wilderness. It keeps you dry from snow and rain, and shades you from the blazing sun. Bring your tarp almost everywhere you go. Should you wish to fall asleep under that stars, you can just remove it anytime.

Guy-lines:

Guy-lines should be stretched above your hammock and between the same trees to set up the tarp.

Stakes or pegs:

If you bring the tarp along, you should include these little guys, too. Stakes is good to plant the tarp deep to the earth, unless you are planning to tie the tarp around surrounding trees (another way to set up tarp).

Mosquito net:

To keep the bugs away. Especially important at jungles and the wood where critters and mosquitos are plenty.

Drip Lines:

Water can seep down to the suspension and wet your hammock, whether it’s from the rain or morning dew. Drip lines will help you to drip the water down from the suspension before it even touch the hammock.

Guy-lines (and extra guy-lines)

You mainly use guy-lines for setting up the tarp. However, having extra guiltiness will help for hanging your clothes, small bags, and even….wet socks.

Extra Carabiners

Carabiners mainly act as you suspension support, but having a few extra won’t hurt. They can help you attach many things to the guy-lines and make your camping life easier.

Large Trash Bag

Unlike tent camping, your backpack has no place inside the hammock. Unless you want to sleep with it, and it’s totally uncomfortable. Sorry, but you have to leave your backpack down in the ground. To prevent it’s getting dirty and wet from the fog, put it inside (new and clean) large trash bag.

Second tarp (or used poncho or anything flat and waterproof)

Unlike the main tarp, you can bring used or broken tarp with you as make-shift pad under the hammock. It’s useful to keep your camping gear from dirt, stash your shoes, and clean your foot before climbing up to the hammock.

Now, It’s Time to Hang it Up…

By now, you have everything you need to know about hammock covered. It’s time for set up. Are you ready for your first hanging experience?

1. Find A Pair of Healthy Trees

As the main anchor point for your floating bedding, finding the right trees is extremely important. The trees should be big, healthy, and sturdy enough to support the suspension.

Never choose a tree which is:

Sapping
Small enough to be hold between your fingers. Choose trees with diameter at least 15 cm.
Full of dead branches, commonly known as widow maker. This can cause you unwanted accident, especially during snowy season.

2. Estimate Distances Between Trees

Your trees are ideally 13 - 17 feet apart. or roughly 6 - 10 steps, depending on the size of your hammock. Any closer than that, then you will sleep in a loose banana. Any further than that, your hammock will stretch so hard it’s almost impossible to lay comfortably. You want to have that comfy sag that will make your hammock hug you just right.

3. Attach Suspension Systems

Hammock should be hung evenly between the tees and at the same relative height on uneven terrain. Wrap your tree straps at eye level, so your hammock will not hang too high—it should be hung down just about your waist.

It’s advisable to use wide straps as cords and rope can dig into trees and cause stress to the trees.

4. Attaching Hammock to Suspension System

After securing tree straps, now it’s time to connect the suspension with your hammock suspension. Slip S-hook or clips the carabiners between the loops of straps on the tree and the strap to the hammock itself. Repeat to the other side.

Tip: The best angle to hang your hammock is about 30º from ground level to the anchor. This angle will give a deep, good sag which is not too loose and not too tight. It lowers the center of gravity, means that your hammock will be more stable, minimizing the chance of you falling to the ground. Who would want that in their first-night hammocking?

5. Adjust Suspension System

Check the suspension. Have you achieved the perfect angle? Is your hammock showing its natural curve, so is it still too stiff? Try out different adjustment and pick the one that makes you happiest! Always remember to maintain the natural curve of the hammock.

Attention: Most common beginner mistakes is hanging their hammock too tight to re-create the appearance of the familiar flatbed. Don’t. It will cause your hammock to gain extra tension which will not only squeeze you inside but also damage the trees. Just believe in going loose!

6. Lie Down and Try

Congrats! Your hammock now finally hung, and it’s time to admire your handwork. Try to lie down in your hammock before the camping begin, and make some final adjustment (if necessary).

Your hammock is now ready. Time to snap some Instagram photos, no?

Pro tips:

It’s best to practice your hanging skill. You don’t want to spend the whole afternoon adjusting your hammock while other campers have started to sip their coffee and enjoying the scenery. You will save a bunch of time if you arrived with prior knowledge of your own hanging preferences.
Never hang a hammock higher than what you are willing to fall. Except that you are a seasoned hammock camper, no one wants to always be your private rescuer overtime you fall from your treehouse.

How to Lie Inside Your Hammock

Now you might ask, “seriously? I thought to lie my body is all I need to do.”

Yeah, bud. There’s actually a technique to lie on your hammock. Actually, hammock camping is all about angles. And we will apply simple calculation for lying technique to ensure that you have the best sleeping position all night.

The first time you climb to the hammock, the chance is you will automatically lie down your head at one of the ends and your feet in exactly another side, lying in banana-shape. This feels totally good for a rest, but you may want the comfier position for sleeping through the night.

The key is Now you might ask, “seriously? I thought to lie my body is all I need to do.”

The key is sleeping diagonally.

Instead of putting your body parallel with the hammock, you can lie flat in this bowl-shaped floating bed. Once you get into normal banana position, shift your head some inches to the side, and your feet some inches to the other side. Voila! Now you have achieved lying flat that seems impossible before. No sliding, no butt-slipping, no shoulder squeezing, and now you have extra room to put that book you always want to read during a camp.

Feel free to toss and turn as much as you want without the fear of falling! You don’t have to lay stiff like a corpse. Hammock welcome even the side-sleepers and back-sleepers, so explore the best position for you.

Though the natural curve of the hammock itself has provided the high level of coziness, you can upgrade your sleeping comfort by rolling some clothes under the knees for knee support or go overboard by bringing along a pillow. Some hammock brand like Ticket to The Moon purposefully design their hammock bag as a pillow when the hammock is out, so you don’t have to sacrifice the room in your backpack.

Attention:

The first time you successfully stretched your hammock, you may have the urge to go all out and dive—cannonball style—to the hammock. For the love of God, please don’t. Unless you want to break your back and go to a hospital—which is far from the wilderness.

Attention:

How Safe You Can Be Inside A Hammock

Like, would you fall?

Actually, you would, if your hammock was made without proper suspension. This is, my friend, is the importance of checking everything before plopping on the hammock.

Hammock relies on hanging to a certain substance to support the weight of its users. Naturally, hammock opens the chance of falling risk due to its nature. However, many hammock manufacturers put a lot of consideration to the danger and engineer the hammock to support the safest camping possible. Great attention is given to the materials used, the supporting cords, a shape of the hammock itself, overall suspension gear, to the gravitational pull and weight distribution when being used.

Accident is commonly happened due to negligence during set up or failure to follow safety procedure. Always check for any rip or tears in your straps, ropes, tarps, and the hammock itself. Never compromise your safety by sleeping on a ripped hammock. Change your straps once it shows serious ripping before it broken off during the hang. Always choose for durable hammock which let you change it, like Ticket to the Moon’s hammock which comes with 10-year warranty.

Choose your trees carefully. Never choose a dead tree to hang your hammock as it can break anytime. Measure your anchor point carefully, as different level of suspension height can put imbalance to the hammock. And we can’t stress enough for widowmakers—avoid them at all costs.

If you are seasonal hammock campers who want to test the adrenaline by hammocking high in the Highline, never abandon your harness and safety ropes which are suspended on the Highline, to prevent you from plummeting to death in case the dizziness hit you to fall.

Choosing Environment to Hang Your Camping Buddy

Now, where to hang?

Hammock is extremely possible, as long as you can find two sturdy structure, you are welcome to float around. The popular choice is, of course, the trees. Yet, once you find the joy of hanging, all corner of the world is open for you, even in places that are impossible for tent camp. Hammock camping extends the places you can explore—and literally lie around.

1. In The Woods

This is by far, the most popular choices for campers, both hammock and tent goers. The trees are just perfect as a steady anchor, and its pole structure makes it easy to adjust the height. Whether you are a beginner, previously-tent-camper-newly-converted-to-hammock, or the veteran, no one can deny the coziness of lying between the trees.

2. Above streaming water

The beauty of hammock is it can happen anywhere. If you come across a small streaming river at the woods and decided that you want to set up your hammock there, go. There should be sturdy trees nearby to tie your suspension. You can even go totally hammocking above shallow, stagnant water if you happen to find trees or rocks to hung. Just remember to keep the water clean from any of your waste and protect yourself with the net, as mosquitos are high here.

3. By the beach

Have you ever experience the pain of planting tent’s pegs deep to the grainy sand of beach? No more, buddy. Going with the hammock means you deal way less with the sands and having the coastal vibes all for yourself.

4. At the Side of A Cliff

Camping at a wall of a cliff or mountainside is just downright epic, which is unfortunately not possible for tent-campers. Hammock is often used for highline climbers to rest—it’s easy to set up, very lightweight, and gives them instant bed! You just need supporting hanging kit to make the hang safe and possible.

5. High Above the Sky

Have you ever picture yourself sleeping just in the middle of the air? Well, here you go, bud. Ticket to the Moon has made it happened at International Highline Meeting 2014 in Monte Piana, Dolomites, Italy, where 22 people in 16 hammocks are hung high at 7,200 to 7,800 feet (2,200 to 2,400 meters) above sea level. The hammocks are hung at 164 feet long line, some of these adrenaline campers even brought cigarettes, book, and guitars to enjoy the blissful view.

6. Between Two Cars

Are you travelling around with Jeeps with the group? Then it’s time to try the awesome between-Jeep camping! Sling your hammock between two Jeeps; they are sturdy enough and can go through extreme track—making your hammock camping even more adventurous!

7. Between Icebergs

Is that even possible? Well, it’s hard to find trees where the land is freezing with ice. While you are there, why not digging two little holes at two bulky icebergs to create your on-the-spot hammock camping site? The icebergs are strong enough to support your weight, anyway.

8. In the city

Who said that hammock camping is exclusively reserved for natural outdoors? The city is open for you! If you want to have a taste of urban camping or simply don’t have the time to go into the woods. This city even installs tree poles on one of its parks for hanging out—literally—with the hammocks.

9. Up Above the City

Have you ever spend your time watching people running their own business on the street? Above the houses, life suddenly seems small and every business seems remote. Suspend the highline between city skyscrapers (make sure you ask local permit before) and enjoy the city landscape from up above.

Welcoming Hammock to Indoor Enjoyment

Once you get the hang of it (no pun intended), sleeping in hammock feels so much more preferable than in your usual bed. Whenever you miss being rocked to sleep, you can always hang the hammock at your house to take a relaxing snooze anytime you want it. It brings different vibes to the house and it’s great for the kids to play along with, too.

Don’t let your hammock sit with the dust in the garage. Why wait for a weekend holiday to enjoy your hammock potential? Here is the best place to hang your favorite hammock indoor.

1. At the porch

Ah. It feels good to lounge on the porch, enjoys the lazy afternoon, and peeking at the life happening outside the house. It’s a good way to recharge without having to go anywhere. Actually, Ticket to The Moon has a special hammock designed for a blissful occasional nap, the Moonchair.

2. At the backyard

If you are lucky enough to own garden or backyard, then say welcome to hammock! You know, this is what it’s like to have childhood dream come true. It would be perfect to have sturdy trees as the anchor points, but if you don’t have any, you can always plant fake tree poles for your private backyard camping site.

3. At the attic

An attic is always perfect for a little hideout, and it can get better with a hammock. Stretch your classic nylon hammock or TTTM’s Moonchair and enjoy the blissful silence for a while.

4. At your room

Got sleeping trouble? Whenever insomnia attacks and you need a quick switch between the flat bed with a gentle swing, hammock is ready for you. Plop in anytime and fall asleep in just minutes!

What you need:

Setting a hammock inside the house can be quite different than in the woods. Here, you don't always have pole-like structure or two sturdy materials that are strong enough as anchor points. The solution is installing hanging kit. You need to drill screws and installing the hook to a desirable concrete, such as walls, ceiling, or beam. The hanging kit will be permanently installed, but your hammock can be removed anytime.

Get Dirty. And Get Clean

Your portable camping hammock gets stain each with your adventure. That’s good! It means you really experience the nature to its fullest. It will come the time, however, to get these dirty boys clean again. And that’s an easy thing since TTTM’s nylon hammock can be just tossed to the washing machine and get dry really fast. Use a gentle detergent and air dry them to ensure your favorite hammock can last a lifetime.

Leave the Nature As It Is

There’s something you need to keep in mind every time you go hammock camping, and it’s the camping ethics. Always remember to leave the camping ground as you first come there. Take nothing but photos,leave nothing but footprints, and kill nothing but time. Always be aware of sensitive plants and the ecosystem you are visiting. True hammock campers will take active action to keep purity of the nature.

If your entire experience of camp consist of tent camping, it’s completely normal if you have several doubt and worries. What about the sleeping bag? Can you really sleep inside it? Where will you store camping bags, shoes, and all? How will you exactly get into the hammock without tripping? Can you really last a night inside a hammock?