Safe Hammocking: A Guide to Avoiding Hammock Disaster

A couple enjoying their cream coloured hammock.

Hammocks and hanging chairs have been an essential part of camping and garden décor for a long period of time. Ever since the beginning to the present day, there have been multiple ways that can lead to the destruction of your hammocks and hanging chairs. Many people can take them anywhere and have no struggles in keeping their hammocks safe and stable. However, for others, this can be a more difficult task. In this blog, we will go over the topic of how not to destroy your very own hammock.

Weather

Leaving your trusty hammock out in harsh winds can make it not so trusty, and here’s why. The high wind pressure hitting your hammock will effectively turn it into a sail. This leads to many unwanted outcomes. For example, rotating or spinning on the hammock’s axis or fixings. Subsequent to this, as it spins the hammock rope will tighten much more significantly than if you were to simply sit in it, leading to your hammock topping over or grinding away on its thread. In addition to the wind, rain and sun can also lead to issues with your hammock. When you leave your hammock out in the rain for a substantial amount of time it allows forms of bacteria to grow, which will then eat away at your rope. Similarly leaving your hammock out in high UV rays will decrease the life of your Simply hammock.

Friction

When thinking of your hammock and its location, you rarely consider its small less noticeable surroundings. Things ranging from other ropes, wood, branches, bricks, or even stone can play a massive part in the destruction or damage of your hammock. When your hammock encounters friction with any of these objects they effectively act as a saw slowly cutting away at the rope of your hammock leading to the rope often snapping or, damage to your hammock itself.

Overloading and not spreading your weight

Whether you bounce or stand on your hammock, it is a recipe for disaster, not spreading your weight around like the hammocks are designed for can often lead to tearing. This can also happen if you aren't paying attention to the capacity that the hammock can take. Make sure to buy the correct hammock for it's purpose, for example don't buy a single hammock for a family if you are all planning to use it, this can cause the hammock to fail and may even result in injury. It's best looking for a Double or Family hammock to enjoy it comfortably. This tip is most definitely one to keep in mind.

Smooth surface fixings

When your hammock first arrives and you get that feeling of excitement, don’t rush into the setting up process without the correct equipment. Ensure you have the correct smoothed surface fixings before you progress to hanging up your hammock. Using a rough-surfaced fixing is very likely to cause the fibres of the rope to sever leading to the rope being liable to snap/split.

Now you’ve read our Simply Hammock guide on how not to use a hammock we would like to remind you that our hammocks are extremely strong and only a small percentage of customers encounter such damage to their hammocks. We hope to see you starting or even continuing your hammock journey with us!