Hammock season
Advertiser Staff and News Services
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| The traditional hammock such as this one, strung between trees at Waimanalo Bay, comes with and without stretcher bars, among the choices buyers must make.
Advertiser library photo • 1998 |
Time to snooze when you should be mowing the lawn.
Time for hammocks.
Mike Moore, co-owner of Hangouts Island Hammocks & Hanging Chairs in Paia, Maui, thinks more people should take a hammock break.
"I see people coming to Hawai'i and spending all their money on a rental car, driving, driving, driving," he said. "They need to figure out a way to stretch out and relax; Hawai'i is really an ideal place for hanging out."
Moore says his store (1-808-579-8117, www.hangouts.com) along the Hana Highway appeals to residents and tourists alike.
"For less than $100 you can buy a hammock that's more fun than two consenting adults can have," he said. "There's a certain peace of mind that comes with a hammock, even if you just get to look at it sometimes."
Hammocks have an image of being connected to a certain carefree lifestyle, but they're also a great piece of furniture, said David Fairley, president of Hammocks.com. "Sleeping in a good hammock is like being suspended weightless in a web. It's the most comfortable way to rest you can find."
If you're interested in stretching out on a hammock, the first step is understanding your options. Do you want cotton or polyester? Do you want spreader bars, those poles that keep the hammock spread flat? Do you want to lie on a mesh of woven rope or do you prefer a solid fabric?
You can find hammocks for as little as $25 or as much as about $200. You can hang them between trees in your yard, stuff them into a backpack for a hiking trip, or permanently install them in a bedroom. You can find them in specialty stores and home outlets, at
Costco and — especially — on the Internet. (A word to the wise: If you're shopping for hammocks and other summer stuff at Costco, buy when you see them; they generally are not restocked until the next summer season.)
Here's a primer on what to look for:
Traditional styles
When most people think of a hammock, they think of a flat, rectangular web suspended from lines suspended from a tree at both ends. That describes a rope hammock with spreader bars.
The body of the hammock is made of ropes woven and knotted to form a grid with large diamond-shaped openings. At each end of the body of the hammock, the ropes run through hardwood bars that keep the bed of the hammock open.
The Hammock Source (1-800-334-1078 www.hatham.com, www.pawleys.com) manufactures two popular brand names of rope hammocks: Hatteras and Pawley's Island.
Company sales manager Bert Singleton said the most popular models are 54 inches across or wider, which is big enough for two people to lie side by side.
An important variable in rope hammocks is the material of the rope. Cotton is traditional, but hammocks also are made of polyester and other synthetics.
Singleton said the main advantage of cotton is comfort. It is soft to the touch, and it doesn't hold heat so the hammock stays relatively cool on the warmest days.
"A cotton rope hammock is perfect for hot, dry climates," he said. "The cotton is cool and comfortable and the rope mesh design allows lots of air to circulate around the body."
Cotton is relatively fragile, though. If you leave a cotton rope hammock out in the rain often it may rot within a couple years. To prolong the life of the hammock, it should be brought indoors when not in use and stored in a cool, dry place.
Cotton rope hammocks are generally the least expensive with most retailing for about $75 to $125.
Polyester and other synthetics stand up to weather better than cotton. Many hammocks combine cotton weaving with synthetic ends, which hold up better under pressure, Moore said.
The spreader bars of the traditional rope hammock can be a mixed blessing.
On the positive side, spreader bars spread the weight of the hammock's occupants so that two or more people can share the bed without rolling toward the middle.
A hammock with spreader bars also looks neater than one without them.
But spreader bars make a hammock more prone to tipping. If too much weight is positioned along either edge, the hammock can spin on its axis and dump the occupants.
"We really discourage people from buying that style," Moore said. "The bar makes them tend to tip over. It's very easy to flip out on the ground."
Finally, spreader bars make hammocks bulkier. If you plan to carry a hammock along with you or fold it out of the way when it's not in use, you'll probably be happier with one without spreader bars.
Mayan styles
Fairley of Hammocks.com (1-866-577-3529, www.hammocks.com) said hammocks probably originated in South America about 1,000 years ago, and the style he feels is the most comfortable is still made by hand there.
"These are made to be lived in," Moore agreed. "There's no bar, but you position yourself across the middle of it and they are much more stable. I encourage people sleep in them. They work great indoors and they fold up very small so you can take them camping, or wherever you go."
Mayan and Brazilian hammocks are woven from multicolored string that is much narrower than the ropes of traditional hammocks.
The strings are woven in a tighter mesh than rope hammocks, but they're not as tight as most fabric hammocks so they provide good air flow.
Mayan hammocks don't have spreader bars and are very wide. They are designed for the person in them to lie horizontally or diagonally across the bed of the hammock instead of lying lengthwise like in a hammock with spreader bars.
Mayan hammocks are also excellent furniture for children's rooms and guest rooms. The hammocks can be stretched between hooks set into wall studs and used as beds and couches. When they're not needed, you disconnect one hook and hang both ends of the hammock from the other hook.
You needn't give up on having a hammock if you don't have trees to hang one from. The same retailers who carry hammocks usually sell hammock stands.
The least expensive models are tubular steel and start at about $70. But hardwood models that sell for about $300 to $400 are also available.
"Some of the hardwood models are really striking," Singleton said. "They look like the the prow of a sailing ship and have beautiful wood grains."
Fabric hammocks
Singleton said some customers want a hammock that matches their color scheme more closely than a rope hammock. A good choice for them is a fabric hammock, which sells for about $125 to $200.
Canvas used to be the fabric of choice for hammocks with beds of cloth instead of woven rope, but modern fabric hammocks use materials commonly used for upholstered lawn furniture.
The synthetic fabrics have the bright and varied patterns available for other lawn furnishings, and they tolerate weather fairly well.
When considering a fabric hammock, play close attention to the tightness of the weave. A fabric that is too tight won't allow air to flow around your body and may become uncomfortably warm.
Chairs and accessories
While you're shopping for hammocks, you'll probably run across hammock chairs. These are made of the same rope mesh as traditional hammocks, but hang from one overhead hook and are usually designed for one person.
"I couldn't say when they were developed, but they've really popped out all over the place in recent years," Moore said. "The advantage is that you are in a more upright position, which is much better for reading or just looking around."
Hammock afficionados also can find a number of accessories in local stores and on the Internet. Hangouts Island Hammocks & Hanging Chairs, for instance, offers everything from special hanging hardware ($11) to custom wooden stands ($350) to a mosquito net designed for hammocks ($65).
