9 Best Hammock Straps for Backpacking

Your hammock’s suspension system is what holds your hammock off the ground and allows you to adjust your hammock. The suspension system comes in two pieces, one to wrap around each tree you’ve chosen as your anchor point.

After your suspension is wrapped around the tree, it gets looped through itself at the end. This process is referred to as “hitching” to a tree. The suspension continues from here to where it attaches to your hammock. This section of your suspension is where adjustability is built in.

In a hurry? Jump straight to the reviews.

3 Types of Suspension Systems

Daisy chain (left) vs. whoopie sling (right)

1. DAISY CHAIN

Hammock straps with a daisy chain have loops sewn into the webbing on the part of the webbing that is not looped around the tree. You adjust your strap length by clipping your hammock to whichever loop works best to hang your hammock at the right height off the ground.

This system is very simple, but will not be the lightest.

2. WHOOPIE SLING

Hammock straps with a whoopie sling use the same principles as a Chinese finger trap to adjust the length of rope extending to your hammock. And, since whoopie slings can be made of thin cord, they are generally the lightest option and pack down the smallest.

A single piece of rope is looped through itself at an area referred to as the “bury” to make this fast and easy adjustment system. To lengthen the strap, simply pull on the loop end of the sling. To shorten the strap, pull on the string opposite the looped end.

Be sure to smooth the bury when you’re done adjusting it. This process is referred to as “milking the bury” and will prevent the whoopie sling from slipping when you get in your hammock.

3. DIY: Ropes or Webbing

A DIY hammock suspension system will be slightly cheaper but is much more complicated.

You can hang your hammock using ropes and knots. Or, you can use nylon webbing (at least ¾ inch thick) with some knots and D-rings for adjustability. However, these methods can get complicated pretty quickly, and a rope isn’t recommended or even allowed in some places.

NOTE: Straps vs. Ropes

For hitching to a tree you can use either straps or rope. However, straps are far superior to rope in almost every way. A rope is generally going to be cheaper. But, that is likely the only area where ropes are superior to straps for hitching to a tree.

Hammock straps are made of flat webbing. They are much less damaging to trees, especially tree-friendly straps that are at least .75” thick. The rope will cut through a tree’s bark and cambium. This process is called girdling and is the most important reason why rope should be avoided. And, a rope is also much more prone to stretching.

So, skip the sagging hammock and stick to the hammock straps.

How you adjust the length of your straps and adjust your hammock is broken down here into two categories and a DIY option.

Daisy Chain (top) vs Whoopie sling (bottom)

Considerations

LENGTH: 8 TO 10 FEET

Generally, 8-10 foot long straps are sufficient. Your hammock straps should strike a balance between adaptability and weight. The longer your hammock straps are, the more adaptable they’ll be. However, the longer your straps are, the heavier they’ll be.

No matter how short your straps are you’ll likely be able to find trees to hang your hammock, it just might require a bit more searching.

If you’re going to an area where trees are more spread out, you should get longer straps. If you’re going somewhere with lots of trees and weight is a concern, get shorter straps.

WEIGHT CAPACITY: BODYWEIGHT + GEAR + 25 LBS BUFFER

You should add about 25 pounds to your body weight and sleeping gear to pick the right capacity. I weigh 165 pounds, plus about 10 pounds for sleeping gear and other items. So, I should pick straps that have a capacity of at least 200 pounds.

Be sure to factor in double the bodyweight if you plan to sometimes share your hammock with a friend while lounging in camp.

STRENGTH AND DURABILITY: MATERIAL AND STITCHING

Make sure your straps are made of high quality materials and inspect them regularly. Polyester, nylon, or Dyneema webbing is best. Cotton will stretch, so avoid that.

Before using your straps, look at how they are constructed. Does the stitching look good? Are there threads coming loose? If the stitching doesn’t seem secure, don’t rely on those straps to hold you up.

ADJUSTABILITY: AT LEAST 8 ATTACHMENT POINTS

Get hammock straps with at least 8 attachment points. Or, get a whoopie slings that are at least three feet long for adjustments. You want to have plenty of adjustability so you can pitch your hammock as quickly as possible.

WEIGHT AND PACKABILITY: KEEP IT UNDER ONE POUND

If you’re backpacking, the lighter and more packable, the better. But, don’t give up strength and durability to save a few ounces. The last thing you want is to sleep on the ground and carry around some broken hammock straps on your next backpacking trip.

REFLECTIVE STRAPS: DO I NEED THAT?

You don’t need reflective straps. But, be careful if you don’t have them. The last thing you want is to clothesline yourself when stumbling around in the dark at camp!

What are the best hammock straps available? We break them down here.

© Wilsonlin45 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Best Hammock Straps

Kammok Python 10 Straps

Price: $29

Weight: 8.2 oz

System: Daisy Chain

Length: 10 feet

Capacity: 500 pounds

These straps are each 10 feet long, with 20 daisy chain connection points per strap for adjustability. These are some of the most tree-friendly straps available because they use 1.5-inch wide webbing where they wrap around the tree.

To save weight, they taper to ¾ of an inch for the daisy chain portion of the straps, too. These straps are strong, with a capacity of 500 pounds. They use Kammock’s patented Nano-weave technology in the construction of their daisy chain. Rather than stitching two pieces of webbing together for the construction of the daisy chain, Kammock has woven two pieces of high-tenacity polyester webbing together to make these straps some of the lightest and strongest of their kind.

ENO Helios

Price: $34.95

Weight: 4.3 oz

System: Whoopie sling

Length: 8 feet

Capacity: 300 pounds

The ENO Helios suspension system is their ultralight hammock strap offering.

Each strap is 8 feet long and they have a combined weight limit of 300 pounds. The Helios straps use a whoopie sling for ultra-fast adjustability. Although ENO calls it their patented Microtune™ Adjustable System, it’s just a whoopie sling and it works well. The tree sling segments of these straps are 1 inch wide. So, they shouldn’t hurt whatever trees you choose to hang from.

If you’re looking for straps with a daisy chain system from ENO, check out their very popular Atlas straps.

Hammock Gear Ultralight Daisy Chain

Price: $1.5 (per foot)

Weight: 0.19 oz (per foot)

System: Daisy Chain

Length: customizable

Capacity: 1500 pounds

If you're looking for lightweight and compact hammock straps, consider the Hammock Gear Ultralight Daisy Chain. Hammock Gear sells these straps per foot, meaning you can get them as long and as short as you'd like.

At 0.19 oz per foot, these are some of the lightest hammock straps available on the market. And the quality's there, too. They can support a load of up to 1500 pounds thanks to their wide webbing and durable construction. Instead of being sewn, the loops are interwoven, making for solid attachment points.

Lastly, the webbing's wide enough that you won't have to worry about scarring the trees you hang your hammock on.

Overall, the Hammock Gear Ultralight Daisy Chain straps are a great choice for any backpacker looking to keep their hammock system as light as possible. And, at $1.5 per foot, they're also the cheapest option on our list.

Grand Trunk Tree Straps

Price: $29.95

Weight: 12 oz

System: Daisy Chain

Length: 10 feet

Capacity: 400 pounds

These straps use 1-inch high tenacity poly filament webbing and a daisy chain system for adjustability. Each strap has 18 adjustment points. 

They weigh a bit more than comparable straps from some others on this list. But, they come with a lifetime guarantee.

And, they come in a variety of colors: black, blue, green, orange, and teal. So, if you’re looking for colorful straps to hang your hammock, these are a great option.

Hummingbird Tree Straps

Price: $19.95

Weight: 1.55 oz

System: Whoopie sling design

Length: 8 feet

Capacity: 400 pounds

These are the lightest hammock straps available. And, both of these straps pack down to the size of a candy bar.

They are made of tree-friendly 1” Dyneema webbing and a 1500 pound Spectra cord whoopie sling. Each strap is just over 8 feet long, with five feet of webbing to wrap around the tree and three feet of a whoopie sling.

These straps are rated to 400 pounds, not the highest capacity, but still plenty high for most individuals. Hummingbird hammocks and their straps are sewn to FAA parachute standards. So, they shouldn’t break on you when you’re looking to relax.

Wise Owl Talon XL

Price: $21.71

Weight: 16 oz with carabiners

System: Daisy Chain

Length: 10 feet

Capacity: 500 pounds

These straps use 1-inch webbing and a daisy chain system. Each strap has 19 attachment points, for adjustability.

They come with two heavy-duty aircraft-grade aluminum carabiners. Each of these carabiners weighs 2.2 oz, so the actual weight of these straps is 11.6 oz.

These straps are a high-value option for hanging your hammock, especially since they come with carabiners.

Bear Butt Kodiak Hammock Straps

Price: $35.97

Weight: 13 oz

System: Daisy Chain

Length: 10 feet

Capacity: 1000 pounds

These straps use 1-inch webbing and a daisy chain system. They’re 10 feet long and have 20 attachment points per strap.

What makes these straps stand out, though, is their weight capacity. These straps can handle 1000 pounds of load. So, if you’re looking to hang your multi-person hammock at your next group campout party, these straps are a great option. You can get several friends all cozied up on a hammock couch together and not worry about these straps breaking.

Nature's Hangout Hangtight XL Hammock Straps

Price: $24.95

System: Daisy Chain

Weight: 17.2 oz with carabiners and storage bag

Length: 14 feet

Capacity: 700 pounds

At 14 feet long, these daisy chain straps are the longest on this list. You can wrap these around extra wide or far away trees. And, they each have 24 attachment loops, so you’ll be able to adjust your straps no matter where you hang your hammock.

These straps have a very high weight capacity of 700 pounds. But, they only use 3/4 inch thick webbing, though. This is the bare minimum width for tree-friendly hammock straps according to Leave No Trace practices.

Rallt Hammock Tree Straps

Price: $15.99

System:  Daisy Chain

Weight: 11.7 oz

Length: 10 feet

Capacity: 500 pounds

These daisy chain straps are each 10 feet long. They are made of ¾ inch non-stretch polyester tubular webbing.

Again, these just meet the minimum required width to be tree-friendly straps.

They each have 18 carabiner loops for easy adjustability. And, they have reflective tracers built into the webbing to see at night, too.

How to Use Hammock Straps

Using hammock straps is a fairly easy process. Here are a few guidelines to ensure a smooth setup. Be sure to follow all LNT guidelines for hammock camping.

1. Find two trees that are spaced about 15 feet apart.

This number can vary depending on the length of your hammock and straps but is a good starting point.

2. Inspect the trees you’re going to hang your hammock from thoroughly.

The trees you pick should be sturdy, living, adult trees that don’t bend when you push on them. Pick a spot that has already been camped in, or at least has no underbrush you will trample under your hammock. Make sure there are no dead trees in the area that could fall down on you during the night.

3. Loop your hammock straps around the trees you’ve chosen.

Make sure your hammock straps are at least ¾ inch thick. If your straps aren’t thick enough, place sticks between the straps and the tree’s bark spaced about a hand’s width apart.

4. Attach your hammock to the straps.

You want to make sure your hammock isn’t too taught before you get in it. The angle of your straps should be around 30 degrees off the horizon. You also want your hammock to be no more than 18 inches off the ground when you’re in it.

5. Pitch your tarp and/or bug net.

... if you need to. This will depend on the weather and bug situation where you camp. 

6. Pack up.

When you’re packing up, wrap your straps around your hand or something else that can act as a spool. Wrap the last foot perpendicularly around the rest of the spooled straps so they don’t get tangled in your pack.

FAQ

Do you need hammock straps?

Yes, you’ll need something to hang your hammock. You don’t need to purchase straps specific to hanging a hammock. Hammock straps are the easiest way to ensure a good hang, though.

Can you wash hammock straps?

Yes, you can probably even wash them in a front-loading washing machine with no agitator. Be sure to remove any carabiners or other hardware first. Then, wash them in cool water on a delicate cycle using a mild detergent or gear wash. Hang them to dry after.

Do hammock straps hurt trees?

Using ropes or thin straps to hang your hammock hurts trees. Make sure your straps are at least ¾ inch thick. Also, you can use this tree-friendly hammock hanging method to protect trees even more.

Some photos in this post were taken by Jonathan Davis (@meowhikes).