Instant Hammock

Here's how to make a hammock in a minute from a sheet or any big piece of cloth.
It's the simplest method from my "Instant Hammock" article in Make Magazine Issue #9.
I used the program "Avd Video Processor" to make these animated gifs from video.

Now on Know How! Click on the steps above for more details.



Do you like this Instructable? Digg it!. Then check out episodes one, two, four, five, six, and
seven!

First bunch up the ends and tie knots in them as shown.
If you don't have much cloth, are skilled with rope, or don't care if you fall you can skip this step.

Step 1 Tie a rope to each end with a Lark's Head knot

just like this, or tie whatever knot you like best.
If you don't fall it means you did it right.

Comments

[Yerboogieman]

Whats that song called?

[milothefultz]

The Hukilau Song

[wackenstein3]

This is awesome! We went camping this weekend, and while everyone else was in their tents, I slept on this incredibly easy to make hammock. Slept like a baby. Thanks for this instructable!

[jongscx]

In your opinion, how would you make it more weather proof? It has several advantages to tents in the rain, since it's 1) off the ground, 2) already sheltered under a tree [falling limbs not-withstanding] I was thinking just hanging a tarp over it, but my main concern is water wicking from the rope (which is tied to a wet and getting wetter tree) into your sleeping surface...

[nolangjohnson]

With a little preparation, you can use a plastic or nylon rain tarp as a rain fly over your hammock. Just clip the tarp corners onto the end ropes, so the tarp lies over your hammock diamond-style. Make sure to pull the tarp taughe enough to create a ridgeline above your hammock. Then use cord to stake the side corners out to the side. With the right dimensions, your hammock will be entirely underneath the rain fly. My Star scout son calls this "super-mega-ultralight camping"

[geodez]

This is an old Native American trick, tie a rope to the rope that attaches the hammock to the tree so it hangs straight down, gravity will pull the water along that rope if it is thin enough and tied tight enough. I have also used it myself and it works like a charm.

[wackenstein3]

I tried putting a tarp around it once, but you're right, the water just dripped in to the middle. So I was thinking of finding some kind of funnel or something, like one of those dog collars that keeps them from scratching, on the ropes.that might keep the ends of dry.

[redsuit09]

rub non scented deoderant on it (the kind you roll on your armpits.) it wick water from the rope and mosquitoes are to busy trying to eat the rope than you

[jongscx]

Well, the root of the problem is that water wants to go to the lowest point. if there were some way that the attachment point was sheltered, then it wouldn't be a problem. if, let's say, you cut a branch that was angle up, tied your rope to the end of the branch, and put the tarp over the point where you tied it, then water won't creep towards your sleeping area. I'm sure there's a way to do this with a stake being driven into the tree too, but that's harder to visualize without pictures.

[Bro. Jones]

A hammock tent is called a bivy sack. Google "bivy sack". There are a lot of people who backpack this way to save weight. To keep water from coming down the tree into your hammock tie several small pieces of string around the rope for the water to drip off of. There are a number of ultralight hiking sites with advice on hammocks (how to insulate them for winter usage, sausage tube storage, etc.).

[bmartinez-3]

Actually I believe Bivy Sacks are just small tents used to contain one sleeping bag. Mainly used for rock climbing and ultralight hikers. Places like REI do sell "tent like" hammocks though, which do look like bivies sometimes, but aren't the same.

[adlabens]

Yep, it's quite simply called a "drip loop" & we use them all the time when stringing phone lines. Even WITH the loop attached to support across the loop, the water still runs down the drip loop & drips off.

[alpe_97]

Going to scout camp this week. I'm going to teach them how to make your hammock. Good job!

[E_MAN]

Cool! i think ill go make one!

[the sharpener]

cool hammock dude

[southqaw]

Hey, how long is the piece of fabric?

[haptotrope]

If I were to gather and speculate, I'd figure that was 3-4 yards of fabric... the knots could take up about a 1/2 yard each, depending on how thick the fabric is.

[TimAnderson]

Any length. A sheet or curtain is good.

[siafulinux]

I just found this type of thing on Youtube and tried it between two trees in my yard with a fitted sheet (non-fitted is best though) and some cheap Wally World rope rated at 120lbs. We had three people in there at one time and it held just fine. Lots of weight and it worked wonderfully.

Going to bye a non-fitted sheet to make it better and probably some stronger rope, just to be safe. Now if only I could find an easy way to set this up inside the house. hmm

[eulaliaaaa!]

My mom used to always get mad when we took the bedsheets and made hammocks out of them. Good times. :-)

[oud25]

you can use a bowline knot and then do the knot in the sheet

[lucazoid]

I have a bunk bed but we got rid of the bunk underneath and now there is two bookshelves and a hammock! i use the frame of top bunk to hang it from though sadly im outgrowing it

[Ckunes]

Hey! I do too! except haven't gotten a chance to remove the bunk bed on the bottom, so sometimes my weight makes me sit on my bed in the hammock. It's sturdy, though, so I'm sure it'll be fine once I dump the bed.

[cr8n]

 cute kid

[dalucero]

One of the things we did in the scouts was to untwist a part of some braided rope (like a really thick twine), insert the sheet, and the let the rope twist back. Instead of tying a knot in the sheet, we wrapped a rock in the corner of the sheet to keep it from slipping back through the rope.

[redsuit09]

yeah i use that for hanging a tarp over clothes bags while camping. it's a technique called ghosting very useful if the tarps getting worn out near the loopholes

[Oimi]

Pardon me, but I am living in rented accommodation and cannot risk messing with the walls (but I want a hammock in my bed room). Does anyone have any advice?

[redsuit09]

you can always buy or build an hammock stand.... google it or look for an 'ible on it

[srhadaham]

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Hammock-Stand/

[Fenwick]

I laughed so hard when he said "Womb-like comfort"

[cmd1237]

Can u do it with 4 nots

[tabi]

Ohh... sorry I forgot to add, you can use your hammock as a backpack, some of us do when going into the jungle... everything goes IN.

[tabi]

Hello all; I live in Cancun, in the Yucatan, where people DO use hammocks to sleep in all the time, there are no beds in some of the houses over here. The easiest way to make one is this great instructable, another is to use parachute fabric, very cheap and easy too. I have found that using the cross bars makes for a very dangerous thing, without them you sort of fall into a cocoon like place. The better ones are, of course, made of weave net by the local people here, but almost anything will do, canvas, poliester... To hang them be sure to find a VERY secure place, drywalls will como crashing down as normal stone walls if you do not find the place where everuthing is joined (sorry I do not know the word fot that in english) You can use an expansive stud and a hook from there. YOu can also have netting for mosquitoes just some tulle will do and it is made like a funnel tied down underneath. nothing will coe up your hammock, very nice if you camp in the jungle where there´s prone to be some tarantulas and snakes that love the warmth of your skin! Hope this helps some... Oh by the way, to sleep soundly, lie down diagionally in your hammock otherwise you´ll get up with lots of kinks in your skeleton! ;)

[alex-sharetskiy]

kind of reminds me of this:

[Sunbanks]

Last time I made a hammock it was between two doors in the hallway and it fell....It hurt my tailbone rather badly

[Siebe]

Wow i was really laughing about your post! You should've make a video about it xD. Neh just kidding i feel sorry for you.

[Sunbanks]

It was pretty funny though. And yesterday I was laying in a hammock hanging from a tree branch and here comes my brothers dog and he tries to get in and it breaks.

[Siebe]

Hahahahaah you really are unliky, the only thing that happened to me was when i hang it up and was lying in it for and half our listening to music and then there was a comedy part i was laughing then my hammock broke and fel on the ground...stone to be precise xD (I am not fat by the way im 13 and i am 39 kg

[Sunbanks]

LOL that probably didn't feel too great!
I'm not fat either but I seem to break and/or fall out of hammocks a lot

[pmac93]

what did you use for the cloth? I found a sheet was not long enough after tying knots in it