Most hammock regret comes from three mistakes: buying too small, picking a fabric that doesn't suit where it'll hang, or trusting a weight rating never meant for two people and an enthusiastic sit-down. Get those three right and almost any well-made hammock will serve you for years. Here's the plain version of each.
Size: buy for the lie you actually want
Hammock sizes — single, double, family — aren't standardized: one maker's "double" can be narrower than another's "single." Ignore the label and check the bed — the fabric or weave you'll actually lie on, length by width.
A single's bed is typically 100 to 140 cm wide: one person, comfortably. A double runs 150 to 190 cm wide, and it's the sweet spot for most people — not because two people share it, but because the extra width lets one person lie diagonally. That diagonal lie is the whole secret of hammock comfort: it flattens the curve, takes the pressure off your back and knees, and turns a banana shape into something closer to a bed. Family and king sizes, 200 cm and up, are for genuine sharing.
Length matters too, and it's where listings get slippery: "total length" includes the braided arms and loops at each end, which you never lie on. What counts is bed length — if you're over six feet tall, look for at least 210 cm, so your feet aren't riding up the end. Every hammock in our handwoven collection lists its true bed dimensions.
Fabric: match it to where the hammock will live
Cotton is the classic for a reason: softest against skin, breathable on a hot afternoon, and a woven bed that moulds to your body instead of fighting it. Its weakness is weather — cotton wants a covered porch or a spot under trees, and on the BC coast it should come inside for the wettest months. Treat it that way and it lasts for decades.
Woven cord — the Mayan style — is a net of fine cords rather than a solid bed. Cotton cord is softest and most traditional; nylon cord trades a little softness for shrugging off rain and sun, making it the pick for an uncovered yard. Both stretch to fit your shape in a way flat fabric can't.
Parachute nylon is the travel and camping answer: astonishingly light, packs to the size of a loaf of bread, and dries in minutes. The trade-off is feel — it's slicker, less plush, and can be clammy in heat. On the trail, an easy trade. At home, most people prefer cloth.
Rope hammocks with spreader bars stay open and airy, suiting hot, dry climates. They're also tippier, and the rope grid leaves its pattern on your skin. Know what you're choosing.
Weight limits: read them like an engineer, not a brochure
A weight rating is a static load, evenly distributed, on a perfect hang. Real life is none of those things. Sitting down is a small drop, not a gentle placement. Two people shift, laugh, and reach for drinks. All of that multiplies force.
So buy headroom. Add up the heaviest realistic load, at honest weights, and choose a hammock rated comfortably above it. And mind your hang angle: the flatter and tighter you string a hammock, the more force lands on the straps and anchors. A shallow, strained hang can multiply the load far beyond what the sleepers weigh. The calculator in The Hang Lab shows the geometry; hang with a good sag, around 30 degrees.
Every style we sell is hang-tested here in Nanoose Bay before it lists, at loads above its rating — a number we haven't verified is just a rumour.
The short version
Size for the diagonal lie, not the label. Pick fabric for the place the hammock will live, not the place in the photo. Leave headroom on the weight rating, and hang with sag. Do those four things and the rest is taste. To start from what other people actually buy, our Bestsellers collection is the honest short list — and every product page there lists bed dimensions, fabric, and rating in plain sight.