No experience with hammocks but switching to fulltime.

[MistRiver]

Hello, I am super new here. I've actually only ever been in a hammock once, when I was a kid, and it was one with a spreader bar that I mostly spent my time flipping around in. While looking up baby hammocks, for my newest one coming in a few months, I came across the idea of full time sleeping in hammocks. I've had an awful time sleeping in any bed we've ever tried, a lot of that can be attributed to joint and hip/shoulder/back pain. From what I've been reading a hammock might be the perfect solution. My husband and I have decided to sell our bed and try two hammocks in our room instead. I've read the most comfortable way to go would be a jumbo Mayan hammock. I'm not a small person (230) and my husband is around 200. While we would sleep in separate hammocks it would be nice to hang out together in the same one. We also have five children who at various times will likely crawl in with us. We rent so I think we should try stands. Are there good stands out there that would fit a large Mayan hammock that would hold around 500 pounds (has to be affordable too)? What if anything would you suggest? Thanks in advance for any suggestions on setup.

As a side question in case anyone can answer this, is there any kind of hammock type setup I could safely do for my 2 and 3 year old? Thanks again.

[Junebugdawn]

If you have sewing skills, you may want to look into DIY tablecloth hammocks. This is one of the ones I made.

[IMG][/IMG]
A single layer should hold around 400lbs, so a double layer is what you would want to make. Then make sure your suspensions can hold over 500 lbs by using Amsteel rope and/or high enough rated webbing straps.

Smaller versions can be made for children. The crinkle taffeta tablecloths come in several sizes or can be cut down smaller.

[bhinson]

Hi MistRiver
You've come to the right place
The guys and Gals here are the Best
I'm sure someone here can put you on the right path
To sleeping bliss...

[Loki]

... Are there good stands out there that would fit a large Mayan hammock that would hold around 500 pounds (has to be affordable too)? What if anything would you suggest? Thanks in advance for any suggestions on setup...

Here are four separate Google Searches for you. Paste one line at a time into a google search box:

JRB Pipe Stand site:hammockforums.net
Surplus Aluminum pole stand site:hammockforums.net
Turtledog stand site:hammockforums.net
Turtlelady stand site:hammockforums.net

Remember, with a longer hammock you will need a taller stand.
http://theultimatehang.com/hammock-hang-calculator/

[IHover]

I am also a "full time" hammocker. I started full time because of shoulder issues and never looked back. Although I am not familiar with the Myan Hammock, here is my 2cents:

-Try it first. Sleep in your back yard for a week or so. Hammocking is not for everyone and full time hammocking is for even less. Works for me!

-I use an ENO Doublenest (rated for 400lbs). Might be good enough for one 200lb adult and one <100lb child on occasion? I have had about 300lbs in mine.

-If you go with stands, consider stands for each hammock (think about that mattress with the wine glass on it).

-Consider eye bolts in the walls. I know you said that you rent, but the hole in the wall wouldn't be more than 5/8 of an inch... easy to fill in with "patch and paint" when it is time to vacate. I have never had a landlord really concerned over three or four small holes from hanging "things." Worst case (if you can't do it yourself), pay someone to repair the holes. That couldn't cost much more than $50 or so from a handyman (small price to pay to get a 3, 4, 500+ dollar deposit back).

Here is my setup:

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...1&d=1363960679

In case I have a "guest" over, I can have a normal bedroom in about 5 seconds or so! Notice that I can unhook the left side and throw the entire set up in the closet. And if I happen to fall out (for some crazy reason or another) it will be a soft landing!

Well, that is what works for me. You are definitely in the right place to find the answers you seek.

Good luck

[MistRiver]

Junebug:Thank you, I will definitely look into tablecloth hammocks.
Thanks Bhinson
Loki: Getting on the searching now, thanks for the suggestions.
Ihover or anyone else who can answer this: With five kids we have never moved without having to patch little holes so I'm not too worried there. If I put eyebolts in the walls would it hold 500-600 pounds in one hammock? I was reading on here about a suggestion of doing a 2X6 across the wall and screwing that into multiple studs. Would that help it hold that much weight? Is there way to reinforce it with an structure on the outside of the wall? I'm not super worried about pretty, just functional and safe. I'd prefer this to stands honestly, just wasn't sure I could pull off that much weight.

[PrisonerOfGravity]

With 500-600lbs in the hammock, if you plan to use eye-bolts in the wall, you definitely want to share the weight across several studs.

Unfortunately this setup loads the studs in their weakest way. On http://theultimatehang.com/hammock-hang-calculator/ if you enter 600lbs in the 'weight in hammock' box, and 30 degrees in the 'hang angle' box, you can see the force pulling the mount points toward each other is 519lbs. My back-of-the-napkin calculation tells me that if this force is applied halfway up a single (per end), 8ft long 2x4 pine stud, the wood will be stressed to where it *should* fail. That is with no safety factor, and assumes perfect wood grain, no splits, no knots, no nail holes into the ends, no hole for eye bolts, and certainly no bouncing in the hammock, all of which you will have. Can share calcs if you want.

A few options:
a)Share the load between multiple studs. This could be a board screwed into 3 or 4 studs, then the eye bolt attached to the board. Or, screw multiple eye bolts (EB) into multiple studs, then weave a rope from EB1, to ham, to EB2, to ham, to EB3, to ham, to EB4.
b) Brace the walls apart with a beam. But I think 519lbs will crush the drywall between the stud and the brace.
c) Use rigid ridge pole (or 2x4) to hold the hammock ends apart as is done in the free-standing setups linked to earlier in this thread. Then, the wall only needs to hold the ends of the pole up.

[MistRiver]

a)Share the load between multiple studs. This could be a board screwed into 3 or 4 studs, then the eye bolt attached to the board. Or, screw multiple eye bolts (EB) into multiple studs, then weave a rope from EB1, to ham, to EB2, to ham, to EB3, to ham, to EB4.
c) Use rigid ridge pole (or 2x4) to hold the hammock ends apart as is done in the free-standing setups linked to earlier in this thread. Then, the wall only needs to hold the ends of the pole up.

If I go with option a would sharing the load between four studs or multiple eye bolts get rid of the possibility of overloading the studs? Which one would be more effective in dispersing the weight?

If I go with option c would I basically just make a freestanding setup and then bolt it to the wall? Would this option easily hold that much weight? Sorry, just trying to picture this one in my head.

Thanks!

[PrisonerOfGravity]

If I go with option a would sharing the load between four studs or multiple eye bolts get rid of the possibility of overloading the studs? Which one would be more effective in dispersing the weight?

If I go with option c would I basically just make a freestanding setup and then bolt it to the wall? Would this option easily hold that much weight? Sorry, just trying to picture this one in my head.

Thanks!

First, I should mention that I haven't actually done any of this, but I am planning to in the near future so have put some though into it.

For option a, using the board screwed into many studs would share the load very evenly and would be tolerant to flaws (ie some screws driven into the very edge of a stud that feel solid but can't really carry load). The rope method would look better, IMO, but less even sharing of load due to the different rope angles.

I really prefer option c. TurtleDog and others have proven the ridge pole for holding the hammock. Many poles/lumber should be able to support the 519lb in compression. Then the load on the wall is straight vertical support that you could do in many ways, including as pictured: