(Beginner) About to buy. Can someone give advice?

[P-Dub]

The hammock you gave a link to is only 10 ft long "including carabiners" so I think you may not be very comfortable in that hammock either. The fabric may be only about 9 ft -- sure it's wider, but without the length you may not get a good lay. Most folks prefer a longer hammock (10'-11' of fabric). There was a recent thread on here discussing whether a shorter hammock was okay if it was wide enough. Most agreed that length was the most important factor in a comfortable lay.

For another $5 you could get this stand
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016KUWT5M
it is adjustable from 9-14 feet, so you would have more ability to adjust, plus no bar on the floor to fall on

[whengreg]

I'm in the same situation right now, I contacted dutch about the Tato stand, when the tripods are extended to the recommended width the entire length of the stand comes to about 17'. I currently have this:
https://www.houzz.com/photos/3610788...nd-accessories
but it is not high enough / or too long depending how you look at it for my WBBB or Dutch Chameleon.

Right now I'm looking at the Byer of Maine Ceara Hammock stand which has adjustable length, but I am a bit concerned that my hammock will still stretch too much to the point that it will bottom out on the ground. Anyways that's what i've been able to gather for my situation as I am in an apartment with about 16' of length to play with.

If you go with the Byer Ceara Hammock Stand, make sure you don't get one of the knockoffs. The hooks on the end are made of plastic, and judging from the Amazon reviews, while it's possible to make plastic take loads properly, the knockoffs didn't bother.

Let me start by letting you know that I have a total of 3 nights in a hammock, so I am absolutely UNqualified to offer any expertise. But, opinions are like bellybuttons (everyone has one) so here's my *opinion.*

If you can afford the Dutch stand, it looks WAY better than the Amazon stand (its portable!), but it's out of my budget, for sure. If you don't have tools, making your own stand (as others have suggested) is going to be a challenge. I bet you can make a Turtle Dog stand with hand tools if you have them, and you can make it just the right size for your hammock/bedroom. Up to you if you want to give it a go. I'm always looking for a reason to buy more tools. Otherwise I say go for it with what you've found on amazon.

Regarding the hammock, there is wisdom in buying good products. If I were going to sleep in a hammock EVERY night, I would spend $63 on an 11' wide-style dutch hammock in a heartbeat, but their out of stock. I'm sure there are other options in the same price range, but I haven't been lurking long enough to know who's who yet for "cottage" shops. For me and my occasional nights in the backyard, my $30 kit is mighty comfy (although my straps stretch a bit, oh well). Where did you get your current single? I'm guessing it was less than $50 and held up just fine, you just want to upgrade to a double, right? One of the reasons I started hammocking is because its SO cheap to get into. You can make your own $20 no-sew hammock from a bedsheet and some rope if you really want to (not really suitable for long-term use by anyone over 5' tall, but you get the point). If you buy the $25 cheapie and you end up on your bedroom floor in the middle of the night, you're only out $25 and one sore butt. Big deal, and most likely it will last you for months and months. And don't think I'm just a cheapskate. I've spent more nights than I cared to on the ground. I HATE sleeping on the ground so I spent somewhere north of $100 on a ThermaRest LuxuryLite cot a few years back. Again, I was sleeping on it EVERY night for awhile, so it was worth it (to me). Only you can decide how much you want to spend on a hammock.

Good Luck!

Yeah, I got my current single hammock off of Amazon, and the material is fine, it's just a bit small.

Again, I don't mind paying a bit more for quality, but my impression is that most of the hammocks available are designed for camping, so I'm not sure if the features on the more expensive ones will actually improve my sleep any.

The hammock you gave a link to is only 10 ft long "including carabiners" so I think you may not be very comfortable in that hammock either. The fabric may be only about 9 ft -- sure it's wider, but without the length you may not get a good lay. Most folks prefer a longer hammock (10'-11' of fabric). There was a recent thread on here discussing whether a shorter hammock was okay if it was wide enough. Most agreed that length was the most important factor in a comfortable lay.

For another $5 you could get this stand
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016KUWT5M
it is adjustable from 9-14 feet, so you would have more ability to adjust, plus no bar on the floor to fall on

Good point on the length. (It's only an inch short of 10', but I might as well hit 10' even while I'm here.)

I don't think that stand actually adjusts size. It talks about fitting hammocks from 9 to 14 feet, but I think that requires feeding them through the upper holes down to the lower hooks. This might be alright for Brazilian-style hammocks because you're just feeding ropes through, but I don't think that would work well with ripstop nylon.

[hutzelbein]

If you want to switch from your bed to a hammock permanently, I would
a) get a proper hammock = 11' or longer if you can fit it into your bedroom and
b) skip the stands and build something that provides the same adjustability as a tree does.

I have been sleeping every night in a hammock for the last 3+ years, but it took me a couple of years to get to my current hanging solution. About 6 years ago I started with drilling my walls and installing some eye pads, although the construction of the wall was not ideal for hanging a hammock. But I don't weigh much, and the walls held up. However, the single point attachments made it really difficult to fine tune my hammock to give me an acceptable lay. After I had riddled my walls with holes, I tried the stand option. While some could be adjusted better than others, they all had in common that they flexed quite a bit - so it was difficult to get a tight ridgeline. The other problem was that stands take up so much space! That's OK if it's a temporary solution, but I didn't want to dance around poles permanently. So I ended up installing some 4x4s that take up hardly any space, and allow me to slide the suspension up and down to achieve the best hang for each hammock I own.

If you're willing to do a bit of DIY, you could build a solution that requires no drilling into the walls. For example you could build a structure leaning against the walls, that looks like a table without the tabletop. There needs to a small distance to the walls, but just enough so that you're able to slide the suspension through. With some imagination you could make the framework do something else as well, like provide a space to hang clothes or whatever suits your needs. Of course you can't just use that "stand" somewhere else. But you would keep most of the space in your bedroom useable, it could look better if done well, and it's cheaper than the high-end portable solutions.

[cap624]

2) Is there a better way to get a double-sized hammock in my bedroom? (Complications: I can't drill holes into the wall, (rental) and I don't have access to power tools.)

I've built three different styled hammock stands and I like the Spurtle Stand the best: relatively cheap, lightweight, and portable. Has a smaller footprint than my other two stands. Highly recommend getting the Husky pipe cutter mentioned in the thread.

I didn't build this stand exactly as it's illustrated (didn't use pins), but I did need a power drill to drill two holes (one at either end) of the top rail. There is a Spurtle Stand 2.0 thread that details an improvement in the hardware, which I will use should I ever make another Spurtle stand.

Good luck!

[NarlocB]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016KUWT5M
it is adjustable from 9-14 feet, so you would have more ability to adjust, plus no bar on the floor to fall on

my only concern with these is the height for an 11ft hammock is too low.

[P-Dub]

my only concern with these is the height for an 11ft hammock is too low.

Yep, good point. I certainly was not recommending it, just pointing it out as another option should the OP actually decide to get the one he first linked to.

[whengreg]

Yep, good point. I certainly was not recommending it, just pointing it out as another option should the OP actually decide to get the one he first linked to.

I'm not getting that one. The "adjustability" relies on feeding longer hammocks through the hole in the top, which I don't think would work right. The actual frame does not move.