Camping in a hammock can be both convenient and comfortable. You don’t need level or soft ground — you’ll be suspended in the air! Here’s how I hang one between two trees:
(1 min. 8 sec. video shot by me on 4 Nov 2025 in Lelystad, the Netherlands. I’m using a Hennessy Hammock Expedition 2.5 from 2002.)
Tips
- Find two sturdy trees about 4 meters apart and hang the hammock at roughly chair height.
- The knot I use around the trees is a slippery bowline — it’s secure yet easy to release (just pull the tail).
- To keep the hammock spread open, attach the elastic guy lines to small sticks pushed into the ground. (They don’t carry much load.) I use a slippery half hitch for this.
- Lie diagonally in the hammock for a flatter, more natural sleeping position.
- To stay warm at night, lie on your sleeping mat inside the hammock or use an underblanket— your back can get cold otherwise, even in a sleeping bag.
- If you expect rain, pitch a tarp over your hammock. And if there are bugs, make sure it has a mosquito net.
Happy camping!
Other shelter-related posts
- Sleeping under a tarp (13 Jan 2016)
- Wearing clothes in sleeping bag or not (22 Jul 2011)
- Mors Kochanski super shelter (19 Jan 2010)