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  1. #1
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    Hanging Indoors in Apartment

    So I live in a rented home and I want to start sleeping in a hammock full time. I would prefer to hang it from some studs in the wall rather than get a hammock stand because they are a bit cumbersome and part of the appeal is that a hammock can be a space-saving option. My budget is pretty low though, so the idea of damaging the studs is just a nightmare... How well can I trust hanging without a stand to hold up long term? Any ideas or advice for someone in my situation?

  2. #2
    Senior Member Singingcrowsings's Avatar
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    If you don't have insurance, I would talk to your landlord. Maybe they'd help you find the studs too; they usually know the lay of the building?

    I too am a renter and it has not been a problem. Find the stud, then find the centre of the stud, and use the right hardware and you'll be fine... and very comfortable. I didn't use carabiners or s-hooks at first so taking the hammock down and hanging it at the right spot took a lot more effort. If you want to use the space for other activities, I would highly recommend the extra hardware.

  3. #3
    Senior Member @Diagonal's Avatar
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    Also consider spanning more than one wall stud with a 2x6 or 2x8 and hanging from that. See here for an example.

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    Senior Member Atlas918's Avatar
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    It'd probably be less expensive to get a hammock stand than to lose your security deposit if a fiasco happened. Just my 2 cents.
    The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.

  5. #5
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    It can be done safely and with no visible damage to the walls

    Quote Originally Posted by boughofjunik View Post
    I would prefer to hang it from some studs in the wall rather than get a hammock stand because they are a bit cumbersome and part of the appeal is that a hammock can be a space-saving option.
    This is exactly why millions of people in other countries hang from walls and occasionally ceilings so your thinking is good it is just that hammock hanging is for whatever reasons new to North America and some small minded people freakout about anything new or different. So there are solutions to this that have been used for over 100 years it is just more of a challenge in the USA.

    The link to a Thread in Comment #3 should help, I and others listed some hardware anchors there and there were some links in that thread to other threads that may be even better. I hope you have time to read the best of the comments there, good knowledge and research is more valuable that poorly thought out experiments or at least that is what I tell myself every time one of my experiments goes terribly wrong, usually with explosives out on the the back 40 acres, OH I am only joking. PLZ don't sic the Feds on me.

    So I will try to briefly summarize it up here (not easy for me). There are various hardware anchors available from about $1 to $30 each that work to suspend a hammock from the wall or ceiling, some better than others, lag screws that go into the wood or metal vertical stud from 1/4", 3/8" or 1/2" (also 10mm or 12mm from Europe a pain to purchase on eBay). When possible it is highly recommended to attach it to multiple studs, one good method is to use a horizontal beam across 2-4 studs. Personally I recommend about 49" across 3 studs where each is spaced the standard 16" center to center (for various reasons this is not always the case). Ideally you would back up this 2x4 or 2x6" wooden beam with a metal plate, bar or angle of aluminum or steel to reduce the chance of the bolt holding the anchor hardware from ripping through (yes I have seen this happen) and to give the wood beam more strength, typically this is 1.5" (not actually 2") especially if counter sunk thus it is not very strong, then when several people jump in the hammock at the same time, well you get the idea, you all have SBS (Sore Butt Syndrome) and heads knocking together, been there done that, we were all young and foolish once, no need for repeats.

    Getting your Apartment deposit back: Absolutely not guarantees there never are, especially if you have wild parties with strong drinks BUT… If you use a very sharp utility knife to first very carefully cut out the paint and drywall where you have very carefully marked the lag screws are to go and save this in a tiny bag for later. Then place a thin felt pad between the horizontal beam and the textured painted wall of the apartment wall (felt pads over by furniture foot pad area of hardware store, just ask someone there). Then pre drill the holes with the recommended drill bits (ask at H.W. store). Install carefully and when you are going to terminate your lease uninstall very carefully so paint does not pull off, use a sharp utility knife if necessary. Then return to H.W. store talk to the nice helpful employees there about the correct products for your particular type of drywall, or concrete block or whatever to patch up the holes, take the paint chips in that tiny bag you saved to the paint mixing station, have them perfectly matched to a custom pint of paint. Follow the instructions to patch the approximate 1/2" holes and any other minor damage, let it dry as indicated on the instructions. Then apply at least 2 layers of paint allowing for correct drying times between, use a roller, if you never painted a wall talk to someone who has like those friends you made at the H.W. store, do they know you by name now? (How many times a year do you move girl? I am only joking, LOL.) With all the drying times I would be SUPER conservative and give this whole process at least a week, but it may take less than 2 days, but that is very risky. Final end result: only a trained eye up a few inches away should be able to detect that something happened there or even suspect that anyone ever hung a hammock full of crazy party animals there. (Also NOT recommended!).

    My dream is that many years from now North Americans everywhere will have finally evolved to the point where they actually expect and demand that every home they buy or rent has hammock hanging anchors in every bedroom, living room and porch. And that a home without these very basic amenities will be valued less and seen as uncivilized. Personally I suspect that the Back Pain Clinics of America are conspiring to prevent this from happening, for fear that it will negatively impact their profit margins and business. They may be undercover attempting to sabotage the good work being done at Hammock Forums right now! BEWARE OR THESE IMPOSTORS! They often flame me and my comments which the over worked HF moderators must ruthlessly defend against… I am only joking there. But seriously I have injured myself far worse falling out of beds and chairs than from a hammock 18" above a carpet or even hard tile floor, Dang cheap beds and chairs with broken legs and such, and all the mites and bed bugs crawling around in them sucking on humans, gross who sleeps in those things any way Neanderthals? ONLY JOKING, please don't flame me.

    Have fun and hang safely, ntxkayakr
    Last edited by ntxkayakr; 08-17-2014 at 05:44.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by boughofjunik View Post
    So I live in a rented home and I want to start sleeping in a hammock full time. I would prefer to hang it from some studs in the wall rather than get a hammock stand because they are a bit cumbersome and part of the appeal is that a hammock can be a space-saving option. My budget is pretty low though, so the idea of damaging the studs is just a nightmare... How well can I trust hanging without a stand to hold up long term? Any ideas or advice for someone in my situation?
    Definitely check with the landlord to make sure it's ok to do so first. After he/she oks it, I'd definitely suggest using a spanner board that will cross 2-4 studs with your anchor point somewhere in the middle of the spanner board. This will help spread the weight and adds a level of security to the whole contraption holding up over time.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Hudsonhawk's Avatar
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    So I don't want to cause problems, but I've seen the suggestion for "spanner" board type setups on here a few times and I wanted to ask a few questions about this way of hanging.

    My thoughts are that when hanging in this method you are still putting all your stress at a single point on a the spanner board and leaving one point for failure. I was thinking about using something like this, but hanging 2 of these level on adjacent studs at the head and the foot and placing a continuous loop between them for a clip point. SS_Bolt_Hanger.jpg

    My thoughts with this are then you are distributing the force between to anchors both rated for like 5000+lbs and as long as this is in 2 load-bearing walls as is emphasized in the threat linked above this would provide more than enough security for even those of us paranoid about weight distribution.

    Thoughts, Comments?
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  8. #8
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    The reason a spanning board is recommended isn't to change it from a single point of failure but to move that point of failure from the wall studs to the "sacrificial" spanner board.

  9. #9
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    Another option. https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...r-stand-design I've been hanging on this for about a month now and have had no problems. If I were to do it over I'd use untreated lumber doubled up 2X4 suggestion, the 4x4 posts I used have warped & I really don't like the green treated wood.

  10. #10
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    My indoor hang'n thoughts

    Quote Originally Posted by Hudsonhawk View Post
    SS_Bolt_Hanger.jpg

    My thoughts with this are then you are distributing the force between to anchors both rated for like 5000+lbs and as long as this is in 2 load-bearing walls as is emphasized in the threat linked above this would provide more than enough security for even those of us paranoid about weight distribution.

    Thoughts, Comments?
    I don't want to get overly technical or paranoid either one but may sound a bit that way due to the limitation of a text conversation. But one of those climber anchors (or a pad eye rated at 1200 to an extreme 4000 lbs) is typically rated for over 5000 lbs-force directly down or about 1/3 of that directly out and hopefully you will mostly be hanging about 60 degrees from the wall or 30 degrees down from horizontal (i.e. same thing) So if 2 - 3 average to large people are in a heavy duty hammock the hardware and hardened fastener should not fail. Some hammocks are rated at 800 pounds or even more (3 in one hammock sounds like something discussed on a totally different forum that I am NOT a member of LOL, I am a hammock hanger not a swinger):

    http://www.seasidehammocks.com/TOMMY...ANDE-p331.html

    Possible issues are with the fastener pulling through the wood, either stud in the wall or the wood 2x4" or larger spanning horizontally across 2 or more studs? One method to reduce this risk is to use a standard threaded bolt with nut and large washer on the backside (i.e. backer plate) or a metal bar across the entire length of the horizontal spanning bar. Most hardware stores sell aluminum bar stock (you many need to drill the holes) or steel bar or angle and if lucky the pre drilled holes may match. Obviously use the correct metal drill bits for the job, ask the folks at the hardware store for help if you need it. When possible I like to drive standard lag screws all the way thru the hardware (climbing anchors or pad eyes) then thru the spanning beam and into the middle stud (i.e. lag screw about 5" long). Every installation is different, if you need an anchor to be in the corner or door frame of the house or apartment, then the wall may (should) have double studs there so take that into consideration. Pictures might help but every home is unique and there is NOT just one correct way to do it. A simple metal plate with predrilled holes sold in a hardware store for framing a buildings may be used over double studs and multiple lag screws driven into it then painted or wall papered over so it does not look so ugly (thin wood over metal plate with small cutouts of lag screw heads if you want to get fancy), the possibilities are only limited by your imagination and handy man/woman skills. I have seen HF of people who put small shelves over this or hung a painting or poster when a hammock was not there and no one would know there was a heavy duty hammock anchor capable of supporting three 250 pound people from it behind the picture, with a 2x or larger safety factor.
    Last edited by ntxkayakr; 08-21-2014 at 19:54. Reason: mega Mayan for swingers with strong walls ;-)

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