How it works
Two hammocks, two sets of names. A rope hammock hangs from a ring at each end, on a stand. A camping hammock hangs from straps round two trees, under a tarp.
Read the full guide
From the ring to the bed
On the rope hammock, start at a ring. The clew is the fan of cords that spreads from it to the spreader bar, and the bar holds the bed open. On the camping hammock, start at a tree: strap, carabiner, suspension line, then the hammock. The ridgeline runs end to end above it, the bug net hangs from the ridgeline, and the tarp goes over everything.
- Ridgeline and suspension line are easy to swap: suspension lines run to the trees, the ridgeline runs between the two ends of the hammock.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a hammock called?
On a rope hammock: the bed you lie on, a spreader bar at each end, the clew, which is the fan of cords, and a ring. A camping hammock adds tree straps, suspension lines, a ridgeline, a bug net and a tarp.
What are the ropes at the end of a hammock called?
The clew: a triangle of cords that ties the bed to the ring at each end. The word is an old sailors' one, for the cords that hang a ship's hammock.
What is the wooden bar on a hammock called?
A spreader bar. There is one at each end, holding the hammock open to its full width.
What is a ridgeline on a hammock?
A cord that runs from one end of a camping hammock to the other, above it. It makes the hammock easier to set up, and a bug net or a tarp can hang from it.