So, after using hammocks while camping for the past couple of years (tablecloth hammocks with turtle-dog stands thanks to all of the great information here on hammockforums.net) my two sons told me that they would like to sleep in hammocks in their bedroom. After thinking through several different options, here is what I came up.


Hammock 1.jpgHammock 5.jpgHammock 6.jpgHammock 8.jpg

The pallet racks are 42 inches wide and the beams are 9 feet long. The shelves are installed about 5 feet off the floor and hold their twin-size mattresses. Another set of beams is installed at the top of the pallet rack, right next to the ceiling. The tablecloth hammocks (90" x 132") fit perfectly on the diagonal under the shelf. I made some webbing straps with side-release buckles to keep them (or their friends) from rolling out of the top bunk while sleeping, yet make it easy to make the bed (probably an optimistic view on my part). We painted the pallet racks black and gray to go along with the Star Wars theme of the room, which was really brought to life with some Fathead wall decals.

A piece of plywood and some spacers made from 2x2 lumber were installed on the shelf to keep the racks in a rectangle and prevent the hammock from pulling the racks into a diamond shape. This could also be accomplished with some cable and tighteners. I made the headboards up by their mattress by linking some storage cubes from Ikea together with some facing out into the room and others facing the mattress to use as storage space. I used some large electrical conduit to attach the two racks together and provide a ladder to get up to the twin mattress. There is plenty of room between the ladder rungs to exit the window if necessary, but since there is a 20 foot drop out that window, chances are they would use the window on the opposite side of the room in the event of a fire since it leads out onto a porch roof and only has a 12 foot drop.

The original plan was to mount some fans right above their hammocks for warmer nights, but they are content to use some of the Honeywell turbo fans on the floor pointing up at their hammocks.

To prevent the rack from rubbing through the Amsteel cord, I ran the cord through a black piece of 1 inch climbing webbing. I purchased several Rubbermaid action-packers to use as storage space under the ends of the hammock, installed some 6500K fluorescent and LED lighting, installed some room darkening roller shades, and purchased some black garage storage cabinets and drawers to add to the illusion that you are inside of a space ship while inside their room.

All together, it turned out really well and the boys are enjoying their room and sleeping in a hammock. One of my sons recently told me that when he wakes up in the morning it takes him a few seconds to realize whether he is camping or in his bedroom because he sleeps in the same type of hammock and sleeps just as well in both situations.

The nice thing about this solution is when the boys grow up and move out, I've got some really nice shelves, cabinets, and drawers that I can repurpose for storage space in my garage. Or maybe I'll just move into their room, since I enjoy sleeping in a hammock too.

Let me know if you have any questions about our setup or if you'd like me to take any measurements or more detailed pictures.

Onidah