Help With Choosing Hammock Stands

Help With Choosing Hammock Stands

 

Hammock Stands - A Useful Guide

Why Buy A Hammock Stand?

The obvious and main reason to buy a hammock stand is that you want to choose exactly where to lay in your hammock regardless of trees, posts, or other existing supports.

You might have two trees in your garden, and they might even be at the perfect distance apart. But maybe you want to lay in your hammock in the middle of the lawn without any shade on you.

There are all sorts of places you might want to locate it. Here is a list:

  • To complete a garden seating area
  • Next to a pool
  • In the shade when it is hot
  • Under an awning when it is raining a little in the summer
  • Move it indoors in the cold months
  • Put it near a patio heater, but not too close.

The point is that you might want to move your hammock around depending on your mood and the situation. It would have taken a ridiculous amount of foresight to have pre-planted convenient pairs of trees in all the possible locations.

If you have some convenient trees in your garden, I would suggest getting a hammock and ropes first, but keep in mind that you can give yourself a lot more flexibility by adding a stand later on.

How To Choose The Correct Size Of Hammock Stand?

We supply hammock stands that are made to fit the 3 main categories of hammocks - singledouble, and family.

We also say which stands our hammocks will fit.

If you just have the dimensions like those shown in the picture below, you can still easily figure out which hammocks will fit.

In this example. The total length of the hammock stand is 352 cm. If you allow about 10cm for the thickness of the wood at both ends and about 3cm space for hooks.

This means that you have about 352 cm minus 2x10cm minus 2x3cm equals 326cm.

So for a hammock to fit the stand in the image, it should have a minimum hanging distance no longer than 326cm.

If it is longer than this, it is likely that the bottom of the hammock will touch the crossbar of the stand.

The minimum hanging distance of a hammock is up to 10% shorter than the total length of a hammock. I would take 5% to be safe and to allow for the initial stretching of a new hammock.

This is starting to feel like a maths question from my son's homework☺️ 

Example 1

So, if the total length of the hammock is 350cm, then its minimum hanging distance would be 315cm (10%) to 332cm (5%).
For the hammock stand pictured, the maximum hanging space is 326cm. In that case, I would recommend the slightly bigger stand.

Example 2

So, if the total length of the hammock is 330cm, then its minimum hanging distance would be 297cm (10%) to 313cm (5%).
For the stand pictured, the maximum hanging space is 326cm. So this hammock stand would fit perfectly.

There are a couple more things to take into consideration with regards to the size.

a) Are you likely to change for a bigger hammock later on? You can always put a smaller hammock in a big stand, but if you try to put a bigger hammock in a smaller stand then it will not fit. A hammock and stand that fit perfectly look the best, but it makes no difference to comfort at all if you have a single hammock in a family hammock stand.

b) Check the space where the hammock stand is likely to be placed. A lot of people want them for a balcony or in a conservatory. The stands always seem bigger to me one set up than they look in the pictures. It is worth making sure it will actually fit.

Wood or Metal?

Here is a list of the advantages of wooden hammock stands. They are more expensive, so you might expect them to have more advantages. But the metal stands have some advantages too.

  1. Aesthetic. Arguably, a curved wooden hammock stand looks beautiful. It is a quick, easy, and effective way to upgrade your garden. If you are selling your house or renting on Airbnb, this will definitely upgrade your offering.
  2. Wood smells nice.
  3. Wood ages well. Over the years, and depending on how you treat it, it will develop a natural patina a merge with nature. The wood from slow-growing pines or larch looks particularly great after a few years.
  4. You can easily stain it another color if you like.
  5. You can easily screw things onto it. You can add wheels for ease of movement. You can add hooks to hang things you might need while in the hammock. Or an umbrella holder. Keep in mind that any holes you make may allow water inside which might cause problems later.

Advantages of Metal Hammock Stands

  1. Usually cheaper, although some of the curved aluminum ones can be more expensive than the wooden stands.
  2. They pack up smaller than the wooden stands. The weight is similar, but they take up less storage space when packed away.
  3. You can stick things to them with magnets. Glue neodymium magnets to everything you want to use while relaxing and stick them all over the frame.
  4. They are lower profile. In a smaller garden or a balcony or an indoor space, they will not dominate the space like a chunky wooden stand.

How Else Can We Help You?

What other information would help you to choose whether or not to buy a hammock stand and which type and size to choose?

If you find yourself with any more questions, please do not hesitate to ask us. We can then upgrade our guide for everyone else. Thank you!


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