I use eye bolts. I weigh about 240 pounds (I just really love donuts and pizza), and haven't had a problem. Totally agree about the necessity of finding the middle of the stud.
Also, be sure to measure. I was shocked by just how small the inside of my house (or how large the outside of my hammock) seemed. I ended up having to drill twice, because the first set of holes was too high and too close together to allow for a long suspension.
Don't forget this Sticky for info overload on the subject:
Indoor hammock hanging help
my walls haven't fallen on me yet and I've had easily 100 nights hanging inside.
I've been using the same 2 eye bolts in my master bedroom for the past going on 3 years w/o any issues. My house was built in the early 50's as part of the explosion of GI's coming back from WWII and moving out of the cities so it's been around for a while now. That said, I was a little nervous at first but after a while I realized it would hold just fine. Also, idk if it helped strength wise or not, but my head end eye bolt is screwed into the window framing with the foot end into the closet door framing. In addition, I only weigh 155-160lbs so I'm sure that's helped out quite as well. I use the same size eye bolts in my boat house, which is where I often hang in deep winter. Those eye bolts go directly into the exposed 2×4 framing on both ends and are not in a corner or part of the window framing. I've been hanging from those 2 bolts the past 2 winters and again no issues. I've even had all 3 of my daughters in my hammock out in the boat house with them swinging and carrying on and still no negative impact on the wall or bolts.
" The best pace is a suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die." ~ Steve Prefontaine
I sleep in a hammock nightly in my living room with eye bolts in my 2×4 wall, I also have been build houses for a living for over 20 years. I would strongly suggest if you can to put the bolts in either around a window or a door. There are two studs stack together around either called a king and a trimmer, which will lend you extra support. Putting an eye bolt in a loan stud in the middle of the wall is a Gamble, if the stud is not structurally sound (has big knots cracks xcetera) or is not supported by the siding on the outside of the wall, there is a possibility that It can snap on you and yank out of the wall. Corners are another good place or up just under the ceiling there's also two top plates stacked on each other which is how my setup is. Lots of people have successfully hung off a single 2×4 stud in the middle of the wall, however if that's stud was to break and rip out it would be hundreds of dollars worth of damage. Another good way is just to put another 2 × 4 across three separate studs securing it to each stud with a bolt and then hanging off that 2×4 this will also spread the load, some people turn that 2×4 into a shelf. Anyways good luck and have fun. I would also suggest using at least a half inch eye bolt.
By all means, let's argue about whether or not a hammock will hurt a tree. All the while ignoring the fact that there is an island of garbage the size of Texas floating in the Pacific ocean. Or how about the fact that over 75% of the world's nuclear reactors are leaking...
I use them on my deck or Tractor Supply Truck Tie Downs.
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"...in Florida, she felt air conditioning for the first time, and it was cold and unnatural upon her skin."
Lots of people hang indoors as the threads linked above point out. A few even do it safely. But it is impossible for anyone to answer your question because there are some things unique to your home. There are however some things that we do know:
- Load bearing vs non-load bearing walls make a difference.
- Interior vs exterior walls make a difference.
- Position of the anchors matters - i.e. corner vs window/door frame vs. middle of a wall.
- 2x4 walls were never designed to handle a significant lateral load on a single stud. They are designed to transmit vertical loads from roof to foundation (load-bearing walls) and resist lateral loading as a system (ie resisting hurricane winds). Interior walls are designed to hide utilities and look nice. Everyone hanging in a hammock from walls is in uncharted territory.
- The actual construction of your home matters a lot. It may have been diligently constructed with every stud nailed conscientiously, every stud crowned correctly, proper fasteners used consistently, off-center fastners removed and damaged studs replaced, metal reinforcing applied appropriately, and fire-blocking installed thoroughly. Or it may have been slapped together by a crew of idiots who drank on the job and were given leftover nails from another job that were the wrong size and who shot one or maybe two nails at the top and bottom with an untuned pneumatic gun that set them too deep or missed some studs entirely. Your mileage may vary.
- Spreading the load is probably better than concentrating it.
The big thing you need to be worried about is that you will be placing significant lateral load on a stud and this will cause the stud to deflect somewhat. Each cycle of deflection and relaxing weakens the system. The results of continued deflection cycles could be as minimal as a few drywall nails or screws popping or as serious as exterior sheathing loosening or the stud twisting and weakening the wall.
If you would like an eye-opening experience, after you have installed your system, string a chalk line across the whole wall it is attached to from side to side. Use regular push pins to keep the line 1/16 or so from the wall. Then use your hammock - sleep in it and move around as normal. Then see if you've left a mark the next morning due to deflection of the wall in the area of the anchor. You may be surprised how much the wall actually deflects with a concentrated live load.
Good luck.
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