Hanging A Hammock Indoors

This video shows the process for hanging a hammock indoors.

I often get asked how to hang a hammock inside. This is actually very easy to accomplish. I’ve been using large metal eye bolts for years, but there are also hanging kits specifically made for hammocks, including the ENO Hanging Kit.

The process is straightforward:

  1. Measure the distance inside your room (wall to wall)
  2. Use the hang calculator to determine the hang point
  3. Locate the wall stud
  4. Drill the holes
  5. Insert the eye bolt (or other hardware)

Materials Needed

1 – Measuring tape
1 – Stud finder (you can also use a nail and hammer a series of holes until you find the stud edges and measure for the center)
1 – Hammock Hang Calculator
2 – Eye bolts (or hanging kit)
1 – Drill with drill bit

If you are installing a single hardware piece like the eye bolt, be sure to drill the hole in the center of the stud.

The minimum hang distance for a hammock, generally speaking, is about 9 ft (2.7 m), but much depends on what hammock you have. A lot of bedrooms are built with 10 or 12 ft (3 to 3.6 m) floor space, but if you have a small room, you could also go diagonally across a room for more distance.

Wall studs are easily found on corners or around window frames, but using a stud finder or using the nail method are good ways to make sure you are drilling or installing in the right place.

One the hardware is installed, hang your hammock! I use various hardware pieces I’ve collected over the years, including large steel S-hooks, steel carabiners, and even short lengths of chain. The chain is a nice because it provides variable hang points every few inches.

I also often use a short length of webbing that I hook on to the eye bolt and then use the Becket Hitch to tie off the hammock. This is a traditional method used in South America.

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195 responses to “Hanging A Hammock Indoors”

  1. Zac Avatar
    Zac

    Ok so I am not sure if I have drywall or plaster walls but I know if I have either they both have studs in the wall could I do it for either type of wall?

    1. Derek Avatar
      Derek

      Yes. The important thing is to find the studs, preferably reinforced studs like those around door or window frames, for extra support.

      1. Roger Alexander Avatar
        Roger Alexander

        Hello Derek, I am wanting to hang hammocks in my addition. I am getting ready to run the wire so I would like to get the appropriate studs in in which to put the I-bolts into. I can either re-enforce the wood studs with more horizontal and vertical studs or perhaps add in between the top and bottom plate. What do you recommend for new construction?

        1. Derek Avatar
          Derek

          Celing studs or wall studs? Honestly, I shouldn’t give construction advice as I am not an engineer. If it were me and I wanted extra security, I’d reinforce a wall stud. I’d probably drill a hole for a celing stud or joist.

        2. Ricardo Henriquez Avatar
          Ricardo Henriquez

          Hi,
          General contractor here. If your walls are already exposed and you know where you want to hang your hammock you can sister(double) the studs to reinforce. You can add Simpson corner ties at the top and bottom plates to make it even beefier. As an additional reinforcement the horizontal studs, usually called fire blocks, should be added in between the stud bays (usually code). Hope this helps. Happy hanging..

          1. Roger Alexander Avatar
            Roger Alexander

            Derek and Ricardo thank you, The wiring starts Monday so I need to make the modifications to the new construction studs this weekend before the wiring is done. I had thought about adding extra 2×4’s and sistering them together. I even thought it might be a good idea to add pressure treated 4×4’s. The floor is concrete and there are 24″ floor trusses at the top. I have considered using E-track with a ring like the one shown here:

            http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/faq/demo_erikson_etrack_d_ring_59131_644.jpg

            I am doing this mainly for the kids to have places to hang hammocks. Over the top of one another even to get more hammocks hung in the corners. I don’t know if the E-tracks are a good idea or not. They appear to be to me since they would provide a lot of flexibility.

            Again, thank you both for your help.

  2. Bev Avatar
    Bev

    Hi, I just purchased a chair hammock, the kind with a bar and attaches to the ceiling at only one point. I am going to hang it from the ceiling beams that lay above the drywall but am not sure what to use as when I went to the hardware store the hooks either said don’t use to hang human weight or said would hold only 75 or 50 pounds, or didn’t say anything at all. Also, should I use a spring?
    Thank you for any assistance.
    Bev

    1. Derek Avatar
      Derek

      I wouldn’t use a spring. You’ll want to reinforce the hang point or find a way to brace it between multiple joists.

  3. Cdog Avatar
    Cdog

    How would I be able to hang an eno between two doors and make it secure

    1. Derek Avatar
      Derek

      When I hang between two doors, it’s usually at a hotel room. It’s a temporary, short-term solution. I place my strap through the door jam, around the door hinge. Close the doors, and hang.

  4. James Avatar
    James

    Hi Derek,

    Love your post! I am planning on putting a hammock in my college dorm room. I believe that one of the walls in my room is concrete, and the other one is standard sheetrock on studs. How would you advise I attach the hammock to the concrete wall?

    Thanks for your help!

    James

    1. Derek Avatar
      Derek

      There are concrete screws I have listed in the post. The real question is whether you have permission to drill 🙂

  5. James Avatar
    James

    Hey Derek,

    I’ve re-read your post and re-watched the video, and could not find anything mentioning concrete screws. I would like to avoid having to order a hanging kit, as I live in Germany and would prefer to avoid the headache of ordering one, so I would like to know what I should buy at the local hardware store. I have never drilled into concrete, so I have no idea what I should expect and what I should watch out for (pieces of the wall crumbling, etc). Would it be easier (and maybe even better) for me to fix a piece of 2×4 on the wall using concrete screws, and then fixing an eye bolt/screw to the 2×4? This could be ideal, as I could make the 2×4 rather long and use it to hang jackets and coat as well (making it all pretty and stuff of course 😛 ).

    As for permission to drill, there’s nothing a little wall putty and paint can’t fix 😀

    1. Derek Avatar
      Derek

      You’re right. I put it in a new post (I’ll cross link them momentarily).

    2. Derek Avatar
      Derek

      I should also mention that I am not a contractor, nor am I qualified to give you any advice about drilling into concrete. I would talk with a professional to get advice as to how to go about it. Concrete blocks are different than a concrete slab (hollow vs. solid), which will also make a difference I’m sure.

  6. Jake Avatar
    Jake

    Hey Derek,
    Awesome stuff you have on here! I recently hung a hammock in my room and used the same screw in bolts and but I never drilled a pilot hole. Do you see this as being an issue? So far no problems….

    1. Derek Avatar
      Derek

      Those are pretty big bolts to screw straight in. My worry would be splitting the wood. I’d monitor closely.

  7. Esther Avatar
    Esther

    Hey this is cool I was wondering if you could help me figure out how to hang a yoga hammock indoors. I am having a hard time finding info for safely hanging inside.

    1. Derek Avatar
      Derek

      I’m not as familiar with yoga hammocks, outside of what I’ve seen. They mostly appear to be single-point hammocks, hanging from the ceiling, correct? Or at least the to ends are very close together. Here’s some advice I found from This Old House that I really like.

      Tom Silva is more accustomed to working on the porches of older homes, where the condition of joists is often hidden by a finished wood ceiling. Rather than remove a section of the ceiling and have to replace the whole thing later, he prefers to cut a 3-by-3-foot hole in the porch roof and patch it when he’s done. From the roof, he predrills holes through the joists, then inserts 6-inch machine-threaded eyebolts through the ceiling and joists, securing them with nuts. (A threaded connector and nut can be used to lengthen a 6-inch eyebolt, if needed.) If the joists aren’t located exactly in line with where you want to put your swing, Tom advises hanging a timber between two joists, then putting the eyebolt through the timber and securing the nut. Where a swing is to be installed parallel to a single joist and older, full-dimension lumber isn’t in place, the joist should be sistered.

  8. anselmocat Avatar
    anselmocat

    Hey Derek, i use my hennessy in the house – I just put the webbing over doors and the c,ose them – they grip, don’t damage the webbing and can be removed (helps if its over doors you won’t be using ;-))

    1. Derek Avatar
      Derek

      Nice! This is similar to how I hang in hotels.

  9. optimumrv Avatar

    Have you heard of someone doing this inside of an RV? This would be FANTASTIC in a toy hauler because many of them drop the back end as a deck (man cave). I’d be really curious how to do it without damaging the RV yet making sure it’s stable enough. Thanks in advance for any input you have on this.

    1. Derek Avatar
      Derek

      I’ve seen folks hang hammocks inside vans and buses so it’s no stretch to think you can hang in an RV.

  10. Jacob Weldon Avatar
    Jacob Weldon

    So my dad is worried about me pulling the studs out of the wall or damaging them if I mount my new hammock in my room. We have the eye hooks, drill, etc. But he is convinced it will not work and won’t risk trying it. We have eastern white pine studs in our house and I think they will be strong enough to hold me. I’m only 155 pounds anyway! Do you think two eye bolts in the studs will be sturdy enough and not pull my house down? Lol. By the way great video! I want to hang it exactly like you did on the video. Thanks!

    1. Derek Avatar
      Derek

      I don’t want to incur your dad’s wrath 🙂 I think you’ll be fine, especially if you drill in the center of the stud, and even better, drill in reinforced areas like a door frame or window frame.

  11. Melissa Avatar
    Melissa

    We live in an great older house (1860s) that has exposed ceiling beams. I’m sure they are strong enough to hang a hammock, but should I try to put a bolt all the way through the beam with a nut on the other end, or just go ahead and put eye screws into the beam? Does it matter?

    1. Derek Avatar
      Derek

      If you can drill through the beam, you can do exactly as you describe with washers and nuts. It’s a very secure method. The eye screws will work fine too, but I think if I had to choose, I’d go with the bolt and washers.

  12. Joshua Avatar
    Joshua

    Hey, I was wondering if i could screw into a corner stud for my eye bolts? Thanks.

    1. Derek Avatar
      1. Joshua Avatar
        Joshua

        Also, if the bolt is longer than the stud is thick, do I drill through the stud and screw it in?

        1. Derek Avatar
          Derek

          I always drill pilot hikes. You don’t want to drill through your house or walls, so be careful. Maybe get a shorter screw?

  13. Joshua Avatar
    Joshua

    Turned out not to be as thin as I thought. But the corner stud ended up being metal, which royally screwed with the stud finder for some reason. Laying in my hammock as we speak :). Thanks for all the help!

  14. […] use them instead of a standard bed. There is something quite tranquil about the look and feel of a hammock, don’t you […]

  15. Dinah Watkins Avatar
    Dinah Watkins

    Derek,
    I bought a double nest Eno for Father’s Day and can’t seem to get it to hang correctly. When I try to lay in it, the thing encompasses me like a cocoon ! Any suggestions?

    1. Derek Avatar
      Derek

      The ENO can be a little tricky because they are so wide but not very long. This makes the sides pull tighter, which creates that cocoon effect. Have you tried hanging the hammock with a good sag? Use my hang app clinometer to get your suspension angle around 30 degrees. Here’s a few more tips: