There are many reasons people don’t like hammocks. However, what you have not realized is that these negative things you hear about hammocks purely depend on you.
What you don’t know about hammock may shock you. The thing is that you need to be prepared very well before purchasing a hammock and bringing it to your camping trip or simply hanging it outside your home. It would not set itself up to be safe and sturdy— you have to do all the work to ensure that you have the best hammock experience. It’s a lot to take, that’s a given. However, if you do it right, you would be able to enjoy the many benefits of staying on a hammock. Here are some of the things you need to remember to make an enjoyable experience possible and worth it:
1. Hang the hammock loose
Many people tend to hang the hammock very tightly because they believe that it is the only way to guarantee their safety. Do not be fooled. Hanging the hammock tightly will only cause you too much discomfort. It will cocoon around you tighter as the hammock embraces you more and more as you get on it. The trick is that you need to hang it loose. By doing so, you would be able to maximize its width.
2. Use tree straps and not raw ropes
Raw ropes are the number one enemies of trees. Thankfully, today, there are now tree straps that help minimize environmental footprint as much as possible. These straps distribute the suspension pressure in order to prevent damaging the tree. Also, as a green consumer, it is also your responsibility to look for sites where it is allowed to hang hammocks from trees. There are some locations that do not permit it so do your thorough research beforehand. Make sure that you only hang your hammock from sturdy trees— not too young and not too old— to avoid damaging them and causing accidents as well.
3. You can still use it even if it is raining
If you think that hammocks are only ideal when the sun is out, well, you are wrong. You can still enjoy being on your hammock even if it is raining. You can contemplate on the things running in your head with the coziness of the weather without being hassled by the rain. All you need is a rainfly to protect yourself from the raindrops. Today, there are already numerous variations of rainflies so you don’t have to worry. They can be heavy but they ensure 100% protection so it’s still somehow a win-win situation.
4. How can you jump on and out of the hammock?
It’s not really that difficult to get on and off a hammock. All you have to do is to make sure that there is a 30-degree angle between the anchor and the ground. Why? This creates a lower center of gravity, ensuring that there are very little chances of falling.
Hammocks only take a lot of getting used to. Give it some time and you will be able to realize that the advantages really outweigh the cons you always hear about.