25+ years designing, selling and living with hammocks.
I sold my first hammock when the internet was still dial-up, flip phones were the height of technology, and renting a movie meant a trip down to Blockbuster. Almost everything about that world has changed. The hammock hasn't. A good one still doesn't have a USB charger, a Bluetooth speaker, or a string of LED lights, and it has never once needed an update. What has changed is how much people need one: the faster and more stressful life gets, the more demand there is for somewhere to lie down, unplug and do nothing at all. In 25 years I've answered just about every question anyone could ask about hammocks. If you don't find yours answered here, email me and I'll answer it too.
Not all hammocks are built the same way. The Mayan hammocks of the Yucatán are delicate but remarkably comfortable. The cloth hammocks of Colombia and Brazil were traditionally hung indoors and slept in as beds. The Carolinas gave us the classic American rope hammock on spreader bars, and today's Quilted and Caribbean styles are modern takes on that tradition.
Nothing beats the look of the classic American rope hammock, which originated in the low country of the Carolinas and introduced the world to the spreader bar. These have thick, heavy-duty ropes in cotton or polyester, worked in an open double-latch weave that lets air circulate and keeps you cool. The open weave also lets leaves and debris fall straight through, though the same gaps can catch a small limb or a pet's paw. Rope hammocks are known for their comfort, but the thicker cords can dig in if the weave is too sparse, the rope is too thick, or the hammock simply wasn't woven with enough skill.
Originally woven on hand looms and now often machine made, Brazilian style hammocks are typically cotton cloth in a wide range of textile patterns and colors, finished with a macramé fringe or hand-crocheted fringede called the veranda for a distinctly bohemian look. They began as indoor beds for the indigenous peoples of South America, and today they're most often hung outdoors under a covered porch or in a sunroom, where the delicate cotton stays protected from the elements. They're exceptionally comfortable, especially when used correctly: lie across the bed at an angle rather than straight down the middle. For the best quality and comfort, look for a large, traditionally hand-loomed hammock from South America rather than one of the small, cheap machine-made copies.
The legendary Mayan hammock is intricately hand woven from hundreds of fine cotton cords in the traditional diamond weave. It's widely recognized as one of the world's most comfortable hammocks, and it was traditionally used indoors as a bed by the Mayan people. That comfort comes with care, though. The larger sizes are the most comfortable of all, but a traditional Mayan needs to come indoors ahead of high wind or rain, and the fine cords are easy to snag, pull or break. It isn't the right hammock for pets, for children at play, or for commercial use.
Full disclosure: I designed the first Caribbean Hammock back in the early 2000s, so my opinion here is not exactly neutral. The idea was to take the look and the spreader bars of the classic American rope hammock and give it the much closer, far more comfortable weave of a traditional Mayan, then build the whole thing from modern weather-resistant polyester instead of natural fiber. The cord is the part I spent the longest on: thick enough to stand up to kids, pets and horseplay, fine enough to feel as comfortable as a traditional Mayan hammock, and woven so the bed opens just wide enough for cooling air to move through it.
Quilted hammocks are two panels of polyester sandwiching a layer of polyester fiber fill. They have their place. If you want a particular designer color or pattern to match your other outdoor furniture, or you're mostly using the hammock on cool fall evenings, quilted does that well. But from years of watching them in the field, the drawbacks pile up fast. They catch the wind like a sail. They soak up rain and can stay wet all day. And in direct sun the flat polyester absorbs heat like a car seat, so you end up hot and sweaty in the one place you went to cool off.
It's worth asking who the quilting really benefits. Sewn panels can be machine made quickly and cheaply, with no skilled weaver involved. That's a real advantage for a manufacturer. It's less obvious what it does for the person lying in it.
Ultralight and packable, camping hammocks are made from ripstop nylon or parachute material and they're excellent at what they were built for: a comfortable night's sleep on the trail, at a campsite, or strung between two palms at the beach. What they aren't built for is living in your backyard year round. The fabric catches wind like a sail, and strong sun breaks it down quickly.
Hammock chairs come in as many styles and materials as hammocks do. The differences are in how you use them. A chair is for one person, it holds you in a more upright seated position, and it hangs from a single suspension point rather than two. That last part is why you'll find them in tighter spots than a full hammock will fit: on a porch, indoors, or in a yard with only one good tree to hang from. The best ones have enough material that you can tuck your heels up in front of you and recline with your feet up.
rule of thumb
FIND A HAMMOCK THAT WILL FIT YOUR SPACE
Most quality hammocks are comfortable. Not every hammock will fit your space. You can adapt to a different style easily enough, but the space you have isnt going to adapt to fit your hammock.
WHAT SIZE OF HAMMOCK SHOULD I BUY
Best for tighter or smaller spaces like porches or sunrooms, consider a Mayan Hammock or hammock chair.
Plenty of room for one person to sprawl out, and cozy enough for two to curl up together.
Roomy and luxurious for one, spacious for two, with room to spare for a child or the family pet.
Perfect for solo relaxation in tighter spaces and indoor rooms, and just as good for anyone who prefers a more upright position for reading or catching up with someone.
RULE OF THUMB
SIZE MATTERS
Bigger is better, but length does more for comfort than width does. A longer hammock lets you stretch out fully, while extra width mostly just gives you more space for an extra person. That said, the right hammock is the one that fits the space you've got. Measure first, then buy.
HAMMOCK MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION AND DURABILITY
A hammock comes down to three materials: the cotton or polyester it's woven from, the wood of the spreader bar, and the metal of the end rings and suspension. Get any one of those wrong and the life of the hammock is cut short, no matter how good the other two are.
Long gone are the days when polyester meant a stiff, slick, shiny fabric reserved for uncomfortable shirts and grandpa's flared trousers. Modern polyester can be every bit as soft, breathable and comfortable as cotton, and it's also colorfast, resistant to rot, mold and mildew, and quick to dry. Best for outdoor, uncovered spaces.
Most Central and South American hammocks are woven from natural cotton, either as a cloth like the hammocks of Colombia and Brazil, or as fine cords like the Mayan hammocks of the Yucatán. Cotton has the appeal of being a natural fibera and a really gentle touch on the skin, but it doesn't handle weather and rain well, so it's best kept to covered porches and indoor spaces.
Look for a quality outdoor wood, well oiled or coated in marine varnish so the weather doesn't get to it. And look for one solid piece. Laminated bars and two-piece bars joined by a metal bracket in the middle exist for one reason: a shorter bar means a smaller box and cheaper shipping. That's a saving for the seller, not for you.
Metal end rings and chain vary in quality. Zinc plated sits at the bottom, galvanized is a step up, and stainless steel is the gold standard especially in wet or coastal conditions. Look for a large diameter and a heavy gauge while you're at it. Hammocks that don't end in a metal O-ring tend to wear out faster, because the ends are where nearly all the stress is concentrated.
Finer cord and thinner cloth do make for a more comfortable hammock, but you pay for it in durability. The ultra-fine cords of a traditional Mayan snag and break with very little provocation. Heavy rope is the opposite trade: tougher on the skin, but almost impossible to ruin. Our Caribbean was designed to sit between them, on a cord fine enough for comfort and strong enough for the weather, kids playing, and the family dog.
The bed is what you feel, so that's where the attention goes. But the ends are what decide how long the hammock lasts. Every bit of weight in the bed travels up the end cords, through the O-ring and into your suspension, and the ends are where it all concentrates. More end cords, and thicker ones, spread the load across the full width of the bed. A well-tied clew knot then delivers that load into the ring evenly, so no single cord is doing more work than the rest.
RULE OF THUMB
QUALITY MATERIALS ADD TO YOUR RELAXATION
Nothing ruins a good hammock afternoon faster than a rusty O-ring, a corroded chain, or a frayed suspension cord overhead. You can't fully relax in something you're not quite sure about.
MOST COMFORTABLE HAMMOCKS
The most comfortable hammocks don't happen by accident. They take thought, skilled handwork, and good quality materials.
It's the part you actually lie on, so it had better be made right. Start with the cord count: the more cords in the bed, the more surface area your weight is spread across. Finer cords make for a more comfortable bed too, right up to the point where they're so delicate you can't relax without worrying about breaking them.
One continuous weave, with no knots or obstructions anywhere in the bed, so it can make small adjustments around your body and relieve pressure points as you settle in. The closer the weave the better, as long as it still leaves openings small enough to keep air moving through. Ours is woven so closely that we call it the Micro Weave.
The more end cords there are, the more evenly your weight gets distributed, and the better the hammock feels underneath you. But the number alone isn't enough. The end cords have to be balanced so the center of the bed carries a little less tension than the edges, which is what lets a pocket form under you. That balance comes from getting three things right together: the thickness of the rope, its length, and the amount of twist laid into it. Get them right and you have enough stretch and flex for the middle to settle into a pocket. Get them wrong and you end up lying on a tight, flat board.
Bigger is better, and I'd encourage you to buy the largest hammock that comfortably fits your space. But most of that comfort comes from length rather than width. A longer hammock has the room to form a gentle curve underneath you, and that curve is what you're really lying in. Extra width mostly just makes room for more people to pile in.
Traditional Mayan hammocks versus hammocks with wood spreader bars is the age-old argument in this industry. In my opinion, both styles can be extremely comfortable, provided the weaver understood the dynamics outlined above.. That's the part nobody argues about and it's the part that actually decides it. A well-made hammock of either style beats a poorly made one of the other every time.
Assuming you've got a quality hand-woven hammock, the hang is what makes or breaks it. Tight and flat feels uncomfortable and unstable. Soft and loose, with a gentle curve through the bed, is cozier and far more balanced to get in and out of or share with a friend.
RULE OF THUMB
HANDMADE COMFORT VS MACHINE MADE CONVENIENCE
Premium hammocks are hand woven from cord, and that takes time, patience and real skill. Machine-made quilted hammocks are built the other way round: designed first for speed and ease of mass production, with your comfort as a secondary consideration.
HOW TO USE A HAMMOCK
There's no wrong way to use a hammock. If you're in it and enjoying it, you're doing it right. That said, there are a few things that will make the experience noticeably more comfortable.
Take it slowly. Sit down toward the middle of the bed and get settled before you commit. Then bring one leg in, then the other, and work your way to the center. The center is the trick. Off to one side, your weight is unbalanced and the hammock will roll you right out onto the grass.
The more cords your body makes contact with, the more evenly your weight gets distributed. So spread yourself out across the whole bed. Kick out a knee, drop an elbow, and let the hammock take you where it wants to. Hammock aficionados never lie straight up and down the middle. They lie at a slight angle across the bed, which is what flattens it out underneath you.
Never fight the hammock or try to make it conform to you. Take a minute to make small adjustments in angle and position until you land on the one that makes you go "ahhhhh."
RULE OF THUMB
DON'T FIGHT THE HAMMOCK
Nobody lies down perfectly on the first try. If your neck is stiff or your back feels bowed the wrong way, scoot a little, shift your shoulders, try a different angle. The right position is in there, and you'll know it when you land on it.
HAMMOCK CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Some people leave never bring their hammock in while others store it safely away at the sight of a dark cloud on the horizon. And there may be a sweet spot somewhere in between, so hang you hammock with hooks that make it easily removable so when it comes time to store its a quick and easy process
Polyester itself is highly resistant to mold and mildew, but the bed can collect debris from trees and wildlife, and that material will break down and stain if it sits. Every time you walk past, flip the hammock over and give it a good shake to clear it out.
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Rain and sun take their toll over time, but the worst damage I've seen comes from wind. A hammock left up in a storm catches the gusts like a sail and spins, and every rotation twists the end cords tighter until one of them finally gives.
Leave the hammock hanging and rinse it down with a garden hose. Add a little mild detergent — dish soap works fine — and use a soft brush on any stubborn spots. Rinse until all the soap is out, then leave it hanging to dry. Pick a sunny, breezy day and it'll be dry before evening.
Give the hammock a quick wash the way I outlined above, and make sure it's completely dry before you roll it up. Storing a damp hammock for the winter, or for any long stretch without use, is asking for mildew.
I've lost count of the customers buying a second hammock who told me the first one didn't die outdoors — it died in storage. A family of mice moved in over the winter, or something found the folded cotton and decided it was a nest. Store yours somewhere sealed, in a bin or a tote with a lid rather than a loose bag on a shed floor.
RULE OF THUMB
PREVENTION OVER CURE
No matter what anyone tells you, there's a big difference between weatherproof and weather resistant, and hammocks are firmly in the second camp. Protecting yours from bad weather is a lot easier than cleaning it up afterward.
WHAT SIZE HAMMOCK CHAIR DO I NEED
Our hammock chairs are sized by the width of the spreader bar. The wider the bar, the more shoulder room you get, and the more comfortable the chair feels.
Perfect for tighter spaces and smaller people
Plenty of shoulder room for just about anyone
Not just bigger, its the biggest. Add to that stainless steel suspension rings, thicker end cords and Micro-Weave in the seat.
rule of thumb
WIDER BAR EQUALS MORE COMFORT
When you see a size on a hammock chair, that number is the spreader bar, not the chair itself. It matters more than you'd think. The bar sets how far the fabric opens across your shoulders, so a wider bar means more room to settle in and turn without the sides closing in on you. If you're between sizes, go wider.
Contact Me
@paulAshwellHammocks
Our location
Key West Hammock Company, 235 Lands Road, Madisonville, TN, 37354
