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. Mic Avatar
    Mic

    I got the ENO indoor hammock hanging kit for my room but have since decided to make my own hammock stand. Would the kit work for a home made stand?

    1. Derek Hansen Avatar

      The hanging kit is nothing more than anchor bolts. I’m not sure what kind of stand you’re trying to make, but it should easily bolt onto any wood project.

  2. Dan Avatar
    Dan

    Dear Derek,
    thank you for this great post.

    Could you tell me the length of your eye screw?
    Do you have any thoughts on the maximum length of that screw?

    1. Derek Hansen Avatar

      I can think of no maximum beyond practical mechanics. A screw-type eye bolt only needs to be 3-4 inches long. But if you wanted a bolt, you would want to drill completely through the studs and bolt it on both sides. If you had a 4×4 stud or larger or steel girders or something, you could bolt through.

      1. Dan Avatar
        Dan

        Thank you so much for taking the time to answer every comment!

        We are designing a specific eye screw for suspending hammocks on different materials and constructions like timber framed houses. Your answer helped me to decide the length of the screw.

  3. Greg T. Avatar
    Greg T.

    Hi Derek. Slightly un related to the post topic. I am just wondering what type of fabric your Hawaiian flower hammock is made of and where you got it.

    1. Derek Hansen Avatar

      That was a Grand Trunk hammock. I think they are still available.

  4. Jeffrey Wong Avatar
    Jeffrey Wong

    Hi Derek,
    Current indoor setup: living room, screw hooks into 4×6 posts about 16′ apart. When I first get into the hammock, I can hear a creak at one end. This might one day completely jerk out & I should lay a sofa cushion underneath my head end. Maybe I should remove the hook, lube it and reinsert, with an extra turn to put the threads further in. Thoughts?
    thanks!

  5. Sébastien Pilon Avatar
    Sébastien Pilon

    Hi Derek, i love your site, I gathered bunch of awesome info. I was wondering if you had any wisdom on hanging a hammock from the ceiling? From the ceiling joist, I’m a big guy 350lbs… Also I saw those hammock stands, my son and I travel a lot and we will do some car camping, can 2 stands fit easily in a Toyota Corolla? Thanks for you help Derek!

    1. Derek Hansen Avatar

      It’s possible, but you want to make sure you have sturdy studs and joists. I’ve seen houses in varying degrees of quality, some with large 4×4 studs and others with composite that probably are not good. If you can drill a hole through a large stud that is your best bet (if it ie exposed).

      1. Jeffrey Wong Avatar
        Jeffrey Wong

        Sebastien,
        You want to have as much bolt thread in those joists as possible. I’d go for no less than two four inch long 5/16″ or 3/8″ lag screws on each end about four inches apart. Hang eight inches of sturdy chain from each pair of screws. Then hang your hammock from the chains.
        Re: the hammock stands and your Toyota Corolla. If you were talking about the “turtledog” hammock stands the tripods most likely will fit between the front and rear decks of your car. Two piece poles at six feet each piece will also fit. Not the ideal set up as the parts could hinder your view of the road

  6. Rombout Versluijs Avatar
    Rombout Versluijs

    To bad the calculator doesnt have specific height input. I miss the option to input the anchor heights

  7. Marie Avatar
    Marie

    Hello Derek,

    Did you ever hang a hammock from the ceiling instead of the walls? I want to hang a hammock but my house doesn’t have two suitable walls. Behind my walls the studs are made of metal instead of wood 🙁 So i was thinking about the ceiling.

  8. Beckett Avatar
    Beckett

    Think it would work to tie off to support rods like these? Not physically able to drill here
    Task Tools T74500 Quick Support Rod, 81-Inch to 108-Inch https://a.co/d/9iII0lU

    1. Derek Hansen Avatar

      Yeah, that’s tricky. I’d much prefer something I knew was solid and not going to move.

  9. Terry Avatar
    Terry

    Hi Derek, I was looking through the comments and didn’t see any mention about finding the “sweat spot” with an indoor hang. My hammock, as many other outdoor camping hammocks as you know require the foot end to be higher than the head end. Any suggestions on how to account for this indoors with such short distances? I’m thinking this would require the foot end eye bolt or hanging hardware to be installed higher than the head side on the wall. Thanks for all your great information and book. By the way, I’m an ASM and past SM. Also, now involved with White Stag Sierra. Happy hanging and Scout on!
    Terry

    1. Derek Hansen Avatar

      You’ve got the solution: put a bolt higher on one side. This is true if you’re literally fists to cuffs for room. If your hang distance is a little longer you can actually just shift your foot end closer to the anchor than the head end (instead of being even) and the hang will be the same as if you hung the foot end higher.

  10. Abigail Morgan Avatar
    Abigail Morgan

    Hello! I am having trouble finding ropes to hang my hammock, preferably cotton, and what length should the bolts be? Also any carabiner suggestions?

    1. Derek Hansen Avatar

      3/8 x 4-7/8 eye screw

    2. Derek Hansen Avatar

      You can get some 3/8 poly rope from Home Depot. Very easy to do. You can use some aluminum wire gate carabiners but you don’t need them. Just take a length of rope and double it over and then you can feed that through the eye screw in the wall. The working end can tie to your hammock via a simple becket hitch