Leisure and Hobbies

TV commercials and magazine or Internet ads featuring hammocks often show someone lying in one under palm trees with an orange sun in the sky. That image, obviously, is designed to create a certain mood in the potential buyer. But it is only successful because there’s a lot of truth in it. Hammocks are great.

Using a hammock is trickier than it looks. Images of someone peacefully asleep under palm trees, swaying in a gentle breeze, are common from films and TV. But they rarely show you anyone getting in, getting out or changing position. That takes a bit of practice.

In many cases, there are no conveniently located trees from which to hang your hammock. Porches, lawns and many other locations don’t offer a nearby pair strong enough to support your fine piece of outdoor furniture.

On a scale of 1 to 100, hammocks are not particularly dangerous. Let’s more or less arbitrarily set the number around 10. But there are nevertheless a few things it’s a good idea to watch out for, in order to drive that number even lower.

Hammocks come in a wide variety of types, styles, materials and sizes. Which one is right for you depends on your size, your climate and the hammock’s intended use.

Talk of hammocks brings to mind the image of a cloth bed hanging between tall palm trees in a tropical breeze. But there are in fact many ways to enjoy the comfort of a relaxing hammock bed - once you get it hung.

Camping hammocks almost always attach to a tree or rocks, since taking along a stand is usually more weight and trouble than anyone wants.

There are a half-dozen different styles of hammock available today. But one of the oldest, and still very popular, is the Mayan hammock.

A small effort exerted periodically will keep your fine hammock in top shape.

Ok, it’s true. Actually listing 101 hammock accessories would be excessive. But the number and variety available today do make for an astounding array of choices.

There are today a half-dozen popular styles of hammock. But for centuries one of the most widely used was the Brazilian hammock.