Hang a hammock wrong and it's a wrestling match. Hang it right and it feels like the thing is holding you. The difference is almost entirely one number: thirty degrees.
The 30-degree rule
Your suspension — the strap or rope running from the tree to the end of the hammock — should leave the anchor at roughly a 30° angle from horizontal. At 30°, the curve of the hammock bed cradles you flat instead of folding you into a banana, and the load on each anchor stays reasonable. Flatter than that and the forces on your trees (and your hardware) multiply fast; steeper and you'll feel like you're sleeping in a soup bowl.
Sit height: aim for 18 inches
When you're sitting in the middle of the hammock, the lowest point of the bed should be about 18 inches off the ground — chair height. That's your target while you're setting up: hang it a little high, because woven hammocks settle and stretch a touch in the first few hangs. If you can sit down into it like a chair and get up without a strategy meeting, you've nailed it.
Distance rules of thumb
A good starting point: the distance between your two anchor points should be roughly 83% of the hammock's total length in suspension terms — in practice, most gathered-end and Mayan hammocks hang happily between trees 11 to 15 feet apart. Too close together and you're sleeping in a taco; too far apart and you'll need the straps mounted higher to keep your sit height, or longer suspension to reach. Our Hang Lab calculator does the math for your exact trees and hammock — distances, strap heights, and all.
Straps: kind to trees, kind to you
Never wrap rope or wire directly around a trunk — it cuts bark and can girdle the tree. Wide webbing tree straps spread the load over a broad area, protect the cambium layer under the bark, and give you adjustment loops along their length so fine-tuning your 30° is a two-minute job. Wrap once, clip or loop through, and adjust.
No two good trees?
If your yard has one perfect tree and one fence post of questionable character, a stand is the honest answer. Our straps, stands & gear collection has arc stands that set the geometry for you — same 30°, no tree required.
Hang it once, hang it right, and the hammock disappears underneath you. That's the whole job — the rest is the nap.