Rope Hammock Vs. Sheet Hammock

Identification

• Rope hammocks are the typical netlike hammocks that you see in stores. These are woven using either natural fibers or synthetic cords. The cords stretch out as you lie on them, creating a small cocoon that keeps you suspended a few feet up. Sheet hammocks are generally bedsheet hammocks, which are made out of bedsheets, as the name suggests. These are usually homemade and meant to be cheap, do-it-yourself versions for those who don’t want to buy or weave a hammock.

Homemade Versus Bought

• Sheet hammocks rely on strong knots anchoring the ends of the sheet to the trees or posts from which you’re hanging the hammock. That’s the most difficult part of making a sheet hammock yourself. It’s not enough to wrap some rope around the ends; you have to secure the cord so that it won’t allow the ends to pull out once you place your weight on the sheet. The Practical Primitive website recommends wrapping the cord around the end of the sheet several times, securing with at least three half-hitch knots; then folding the end of the sheet over itself, wrapping the cord many more times around the now-folded edge, and finishing up with more half-hitches. Rope hammocks, on the other hand, can be woven at home, but first-time weavers risk having the woven rope come undone.

Washability and Care

• Care is similar for both. Whether or not you can machine wash the hammock will depend on the materials used. Bedsheets are, of course, going to be machine-washable, for example. Leaving the hammocks out in bad weather can reduce their life span, and here is where professionally woven rope hammocks have the advantage: Sheets were meant to be used indoors and may not survive bad weather without some cosmetic damage, at least.

Safety

• Rope hammocks have little openings and nooks and crannies that can catch fingers and cause injury. It can be difficult to find the edge of a tangled rope hammock, and if you’re not careful, you could fall while trying to get inside. Sheet hammocks are a little simpler to enter because the edges are better delineated, even when the empty sheet is crumpled up. However, you can still get your fingers caught in folds of cloth, so you must still be careful when trying to get inside.