Here we are. Have you furnished your beautiful garden, have you set up a particular environment or are you ready for camping holidays and have you decided to buy a hammock for your relaxing moments?
We support and encourage your choice. The hammock is undoubtedly that little bit more that can make the difference, and that will surely give you very pleasant moments.
The hammocks are a bit of a big sea where, especially if you are a beginner of the topic, you could get lost. We thought of helping you and choosing a hammock.
Indeed, not a hammock, but the perfect hammock for your needs, so that maybe one day you could also invite us to take a nap in the garden. So let’s see how to choose a hammock and how not to make unpleasant purchase mistakes.
Table of Contents
What is a hammock?
Let’s start with the presentations. The hammock, in all probability, was born in South America at the time of Columbus’s discoveries. It was easy to find on the boat bedding used for sleeping or simply resting, made with cloth that was available on the boat or with rope nets, which is even more likely.
These beds were then fixed to two anchors, one in front of the other roughly. In this way, the sailors were no longer forced to sleep on the ground and could certainly rest better lulled by the waves.
Today the hammock is undoubtedly more a whim than a necessity, but for this reason, it is fundamental to choose the whim well to be granted, isn’t it?
How to choose a hammock: Typology
There is not a single type of hammock, and a world is already opening up here. We can find hammocks of different types on the market:
- Brazilian (or Colombian) hammock: made with wonderful fabrics to match your garden or to choose according to your taste. Embellished with crochet work on the edges, in Brazil, it often tells the story of the family that owns it and originally also identified its social location.
- Mexican hammock: the classic net hammock, which is certainly not among the most beautiful or ornamental but has the undoubted plus of being light and not allowing heat to accumulate when you stand on it even for prolonged periods.
- Hammock with bars or withstand: it is an object with a strongly decorative spirit that does not need to be fixed to trees or other anchors. In this case, the hammock is supported by a structure and fixed to it and can be positioned practically wherever there is space.
- Design hammock: a design hammock is by its nature almost a small conceptual work of art, if we may say so. Today there are several famous brands to make this type of hammock, which in addition to its functional aspect, certainly has to be a piece of furniture at a certain level.
Here, we made a brief overview of the different types of the hammock so that you can have a more or less clear idea about the product to choose.
Let’s move on to a second very important aspect when it comes to choosing a hammock: fabrics and construction materials.
Choose a hammock: fabrics, materials, and surroundings
If you have more or less identified the type of hammock to buy, a separate space, at this point, it’s up to the materials with which the hammocks can be made. They come in all kinds and, precisely for this reason, especially if you buy a hammock online, you must be careful not to find yourself with a product that does not meet your expectations.
In a very traditional way, hammocks can be made of cotton. It is highly resistant cotton both to the weight it has to load and, of course, to washing. The fabric generally presents itself often and must be of excellent quality because otherwise it would be destined to last very little, as well as being unsafe in terms of use.
One of the characteristics that the fabric with which a hammock is made must be resistance. In addition to the classic cotton, you can easily find hammocks made of organic or organic cotton for sale, if you are particularly attentive to these things.
Often, even this type of hammock is sewn to support small local activities located in developing countries or to support associations that deal with volunteering or charity. Not only man lives by nature… You can buy beautiful hammocks also in synthetic fabrics designed to be ultra-resistant even to bad weather if you decide to leave your hammock always outdoors. The peculiarity of these fabrics is that they are washable like natural ones, generally at 30-40°, but much more durable and tough.
For a very exotic atmosphere, the classic net and/or rope hammock could be right for you. It is probably less comfortable to the touch than a cotton hammock, but even in this case, it is good quality that makes the difference.
Always pay attention to quality and carefully read the specifications of the cyl you are buying. Interesting, if you are an experienced camper, it could be the hammock made with the classic parachute fabric. Lightweight, durable and takes up little space. You can fold it and put it directly in your backpack and as soon as you find two trees, fix it and enjoy nature.
Buying a hammock: When sizing matters
Well yes, as for the hammock, the measures count. And not a little! At the level of measures, when choosing the hammock we can orient ourselves on a single-seater product or suitable for welcoming more people.
For simplicity we can distinguish:
- Hammock XXL: it can take on a maximum of 550 lbs a family hammock, and can be up to 8 feet long.
- Two-seater hammock: perfect for a couple.
- Single-seat hammock: the classic, unique, and timeless hammock to stay a little quiet in blissful solitude. At least until someone comes to claim it.
How to choose an indoor or garden hammock
In the imagination of all of us, a hammock is undoubtedly an object that embellishes our gardens. This does not mean, that it cannot also be placed in an enclosed space or under a patio declined in its suspended armchair versions, for example.
A beautiful design hammock can also be placed in a particular or eccentric environment, much will also depend on your personal taste. Even hammocks with support can be placed under a patio or on a terrace because they do not need trees or anchors to which they can be fixed.
So go ahead for your imagination and personal taste. Just remember to remove the sheet when you’re not using it, especially if it’s cotton or rope ones because it could be damaged by wind, sun, or rain.
How to choose a hammock: practical advice
- Quality: do not put savings as a purchase priority. A hammock must be of excellent quality because it must support you, your loved ones, or your friends, and you certainly don’t want them to fall and risk getting hurt, do you?
- Resistance: the fabric and the construction material must be resistant to weight and washing.
- Dimensions: think about the purchase according to your needs. Do you want an XXL hammock because you would like to spend time with your children or do you prefer a single-seat hammock?
- With self-supporting or anchored structure: as regards this aspect, the basic conditions will dictate the law. If you have trees to fix the hammock of course you can think of an anchor one, but if you don’t know where to hook it, the self-supporting structure is your choice.
These are our basic tips on how to choose a hammock. We hope we have been useful and have made you a little clarity about the purchase. Always remember to buy a high-quality hammock because the safety of relaxation comes before anything else.