A sagging hammock can be a pretty frustrating thing. This is because it affects your ability to enjoy the comfort or leisure you desire. Nobody wants their hammock sagging whenever you try spending time reading or relaxing in the beautiful fabric.
You should know that hammocks do sag occasionally and it is for several reasons. It could be from the fabrics to a host of other things. Below are ways to keep your hammock from saggings and possible reasons why your hammock keeps sagging.
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Why Does My Hammock Sag?
You know that feeling whenever you get into your hammock and notice that the hammock isn’t as high up or comfortable as it used to be? Well, it is a pretty familiar feeling whenever your hammock sags. Below are possible reasons why your hammock keeps sagging.
Reason 1: Long Ropes or Strings
If there is one thing that is known to make hammock sag, it is long ropes and strings. If the ropes or strings in your hammock are extra long, there is a pretty good chance your hammock might end up sagging when you try to get into it.
Often, producers or manufacturers of these hammocks make long ropes so you can use the hammocks in any location. However, these long roles can pose a problem whenever they are tied to closer stands. It takes expertise to tie the long ropes or strings to closer stands without them sagging.
Reason 2: The Hanging Style
The hanging style of your hammock is another thing that could be responsible for your hammock sagging. If you have never hung a hammock before, there is a pretty good chance that you miss the proper hanging style of your hammock which will make your hammock sag eventually.
Many people don’t know that there is a degree to which the hammock must be hung if you want it to be just comfortable and perfect for your relaxation. Most hammocks have to be hung at a 30-degree angle. If they are not, you will likely have a sagging hammock. Also, your hammock could sag as a result of the poles or stands being too close to each other.
Reason 3: Stretching
Everything wears out with time and the hammock is no different. If you use this beautiful piece of fabric for relaxation every time for around a year, your hammock will begin to wear out slowly and gradually.
The fabrics and roles or strings usually wear out with time. When it wears out, you will notice that your hammock doesn’t feel as comfortable or as strong as it used to. Simply check the string as there is a pretty good chance it has stretched beyond its limit over time.
How Do I Keep My Hammock From Sagging?
What do you do, when you get on your hammock and figure out that it touches the ground? I believe this can make you feel uncomfortable while using your hammock.
But don’t panic, I will be providing you with a way on how it can be fixed.
The steps below explain how to fix a saggy hammock.
- Step 1: Adjust The Right-side Hammock straps
A saggy hammock simply means having your hammock so loosed, to the extent that all its tension are been loosed. But how can this be fixed? The best thing you could consider doing is to re-tight your hammock.
By re-righting your hammock, it tries to ensure that your hammock is balanced, and as well, prevented from sagging.
Whenever this occurs, before thinking of any other alternative as a means to fix this, I, first of all, adjust my hammock straps, on both sides. If you are using a hammock strap, you may want to consider rounding the strap twice to the tree or whatever means you are using to hang your hammock.
While, if you are using a rope, you can also make adjustments as well.
Or, you can consider wrapping a substantial length of the rope to the carabiner.
- Step 2: Do the same for the other side
Similar to how you were able to adjust the first side of your hammock, you can also consider doing the same for the other side of your hammock, this is to derive a balanced tension right in the middle of the hammock.
Once you are able to adjust your hammock, ensure to keep it firm, so it won’t drop, once you climbed on it. At that moment, you should be able to see an increase in height in terms of your hammock ridgeline. But something important to note is that this is temporal.
In order to make it firm all through, you must consider ensuring that both sides are tight and firm.
By now, your hammock should look balanced, without that saggy-like look.
- Hammock too wide
Whenever you are experiencing your hammock being too wide, the best thing to do is to consider setting up your hammock in a different location other than the initial position.
The wideness of a hammock can result in the saggy nature you experience while making use of your hammock. On a general rule of thumb, a hammock wideness should be between the range of 9 – 14ft long.
OR
There are different things you can do to fix your hammock sagging problem the moment you nice that your hammock is sagging. Below is a list of the things you can do to keep your hammock from sagging.
- Check and Tighten the Straps
- Correct the End Chains
- Make Use of a Spreader Bar
- Replace the Ropes or String
Step 1: Check and Tighten the Straps
This is the first thing you should do if you are looking to keep your hammock from sagging. The moment you get into your hammock and you notice that it is sagging or losing balance, you should get off and check the straps.
You might find the straps not properly tightened. Make the straps or ropes as tight as possible. The moment you do this, the sagging problem should stop.
Step 2: Correct the End Chains
This is another thing you can do if you are looking to fix your hammock sagging problem. You should know that hammock strings or roles stretch when you get inside your hammock. This stretching usually results in your hammock sagging.
There are chains you can use to reduce the rate at which your string stretches. These chains are the end chains. You will likely see the on the hammock stand. Make all the necessary adjustments to the chain and your hammock should stop sagging.
Step 3: Make Use of a Spreader Bar
Spreader bars are pretty useful when it comes to hammocks and they can make them balanced or comfortable. When you notice that your hammock is tilting to one side, sagging, or lagging balance, you can use your spreader bar to solve this problem.
This thing works in a very simple way. It works by balancing the weight of your hammock. That way, your weight will not be concentrated on one side only. Apart from that, it also helps to prevent the bottom part of your hammock from tightening over time.
Step 4: Replace the Ropes or String
This is one quick and easy fix to the sagging problem you are experiencing with your hammock. You can easily change the roles once you notice that the ropes are overstretched. Changing the ropes is pretty easy as you can get new ropes or strings in almost every travel or camping store you walk into.
Once you change the rope, tie the rope or strings to the stand and check the hammock. The hammock should be as comfortable as when you first got it.
How Much Should a Hammock Sag?
The general rule when hanging a hammock is to allow for the hammock to sag or curve at 30 degrees. This should give you all the comfort and relaxation you need. However, you should know that this rule doesn’t always apply in every scenario.
The size of the hammock, the distance of the stand, and the type of string you use are among the things you need to consider when you want to decide the degree to which your hammock should sag. If the hammock is much bigger than the normal size, it might be a lot better to reduce the angle to around 20 degrees or less.
What Angle Do You Hang a Hammock?
The way you hang your hammock will largely determine the level of comfort you enjoy. If you are looking to hang a normal hammock that is neither too big nor too small in size, you can hang it at a 30 degrees angle. This will give you a little bit of curve which you will find very useful.
If you are hanging your hammock for the first time, you might have several problems getting the angle right, this is where hammock measurement and a lot of other things can come in place. You can use tools to measure the angle to know if you got it right.
How Far Apart Should Posts Be for a Hammock?
When it comes to hammock posts or stands, one thing that gets to confuse a lot of newbies is the distance of the hammock post. If the distance isn’t got right, it will affect the level of comfort you derive from the hammock. The hammock posts or stands should be between 13 feet to 20 feet.
The wider the distance, the firmer your hammock. If your hammock is firmer with a 30 degrees angle, you will enjoy maximum comfort and relaxation.
MORE GUIDES:
How To Stop a Hammock From Swinging? (Tips & Guide)
How to Wash Castaway Hammock (QUICK GUIDE)
Conclusion
There are a lot of reasons why your hammock keeps sagging. A few of those reasons include overstretching, loose tying, improper measurement, and a lot more. All these things can easily be addressed or corrected by getting a new rope, measuring the angle, and a lot more which have been discussed in the article above.
It can be a pretty relaxing thing to spend time in your hammock, however, you should know that the type of hammock you get also largely determines the level of comfort you will derive.