21 Epic Hammock Accessories

First and foremost, you need something to hang your hammock with. Hammock straps with daisy chain loops are the best choice as they are simple to use and don’t require any knowledge of knots. Once hung, it’s very easy to adjust the height by moving the carabiner to a different loop.

If you’re looking for lightweight gear that doesn’t take up too much space, a hammock rope might be a better choice. These are very diverse so you may also find other uses for rope on your trip.

I recommend the Kammok Python 10 straps as they have more attachment points than any other straps so you can always get the perfect height, plus their nanoweave technology means they are very strong and don’t stretch in the slightest.

Wherever I’m hanging out in my hammock, I love to have some music to chill out to so a Bluetooth speaker is essential. The JBL Flip 4 is a popular choice as it provides a crisp sound whilst also being waterproof so you can take it camping or use it at home.

The 3000mAh battery capacity allows for 12 hours of playback so you can have plenty of time relaxing with some music before you need to get out of your hammock to recharge it.

This is the hammock accessory you didn’t even realize you need until you see it. The beer holder from DD hammocks has been designed to perfectly hold your beer whilst in a DD hammock by clipping onto the side hooks.

If you don’t have a DD hammock and don’t fancy making holes in your hammock to accommodate the holder, this Sunny Daze ground stake is a great alternative, although it may take up a bit more room if you’re carrying your gear.

Although I don’t personally use a pillow in a hammock, some people like to have a pillow. They are more popular among side sleepers and when lounging on spreader bar hammocks. There are two kinds of pillows suitable for hammocks: camping pillows and travel pillows.

Unlike a regular pillow, a camping pillow has been designed to be compact enough to carry with you. These are either inflatable or compressible pillows. A compressible pillow is larger than an inflatable pillow but much more comfortable so this is what I’d recommend.

The Wise Owl camping pillow is my top pick, not only is it very affordable but it’s available in a variety of sizes and colors so you’ll find one to suit you.

Alternatively, you can use a U-shaped neck travel pillow as you’d use on an airplane. These are also available as inflatable versions for added portability.

This next accessory is a must-have for avid readers, especially if you’ve used your hammock to make a reading nook at home or love to take it to the park for a bit of reading.

The Kindle is an e-reader that allows you to carry millions of books without actually carrying a book. Plus, with the paperwhite screen, it’s just like reading from the pages of a book.

Bundle it with a subscription to Kindle Unlimited for access to millions of free books.

Sharing a hammock between two people is a nightmare. It might be alright for an hour or two, but you definitely don’t want to share it overnight.

The ENO Fuse tandem pole is the ultimate accessory that allows you to enjoy a shared hammock experience without actually having to share a hammock.

With one at each end, you can hang two hammocks side-by-side from the same tree just a few inches apart. This means you can still get many of the benefits of sharing such as using the same tarp, only without being pushed together all night long by the hammock’s center of gravity,

If you don’t have any well-placed trees in the backyard, the next best way to hang a hammock without trees is using a hammock stand.

There are lots of different types of stand to choose between, from portable hammock stands that can easily be put away when not in use to wooden hammock stands that are more of a permanent solution and can be left out in all weather.

I’m a big fan of this Sunny Daze Universal Stand as it can be used with almost any type of hammock and is easy to put up or take down.

A Madera post is a sort of halfway house between hanging your hammock between trees and a stand. You can attach one end of the hammock to trees, posts, or even a car, then use the Madera post to hold the opposite end.

For a more permanent setup at home, it’s better to use a hammock fixing kit. These can be used to hang your hammock from walls, ceilings, posts, or any other surface.

Even if using trees for your permanent fixing, I’d recommend using a hook as hammocks can kill trees when tied to them with straps or rope for long periods of time.

Take your backyard lounging experience to the next level with this side table that’s perfect for placing next to your hammock. Unlike the beer holder shared earlier, this side table can be used to store drinks, food, gadgets, and more.

Plus, you can even fill the lower tier with ice so you don’t even need to get out your hammock for a cold one. Even loaded with ice, it can hold up to 40 12oz cans.

The most obvious ridgeline accessory is a multipurpose ridgeline organizer. These can clip onto the ridgeline to store your personal belongings such as your phone, wallet, keys, and pocket knife.

The ENO Talon is my top pick for a hammock organizer, it’s very roomy and could easily hold all of your personal belongings plus a battery pack, headlamp, etc. Similar to their hammocks, there’s a built-in stuff sack for packing it away after. It does come with its own ridgeline which you can use if you don’t already have one.

The Hangtime Hook is a great gadget for your ridgeline that holds your phone in place so you can lie in your hammock and watch movies or TV shows. This saves you from having to hold your arms up in the air for long periods which can be exhausting.

This is a great accessory for use at home in the backyard and whilst out camping if you’re looking for something to do whilst sheltering from the bad weather.

It easily locks on to the cord so that your phone doesn’t slide around and it has a handy swivel so you can use your phone in portrait or landscape mode.

This set of battery-controlled lights is the perfect addition to your setup as they have been designed specially to wrap around your hammock ridgeline to light up your campsite.

The lights are 10ft long and consist of 20 fairy lights powered by AAA batteries so you can easily swap them out if they run out of battery.

They come with a carry case and hanging hooks to make installation straightforward. This is sure to add an extra ambiance to your evening.

My final accessory for your ridgeline is a storage sling. This is an alternative to the ridgeline organizer shared earlier as it performs a similar function of holding your personal items whilst you lie in the hammock.

Unlike the organizer, the shape is much more open so it’s easier to grab the items you want. Onewind suggests putting the sling at the end of your hammock although you could also place it near the middle for quick access.

A compression sack allows you to pack your hammock and accessories more effectively so that it takes up less room in your backpack.

Many of the best camping hammocks such as ENO will have built-in compression straps, however, if you have a budget camping hammock it’s unlikely to have this feature so you can benefit from a dedicated compression sack.

Frelaxy compression sacks allow you to compress your items by up to 40%. They have various sizes with the small size ideal for just a hammock or the larger sizes if you have a top quilt or underquilt to pack as well.

If it’s likely to rain whilst you’re camping out, you’ll want to ensure you pack a tarp. This is a waterproof material that goes over the top of your hammock to keep you dry. You will need a separate tarp ridgeline to erect it, poles are optional.

There are several different shapes of hammock tarp to choose from but the most popular ones are:

• Rectangular – This is a basic tarp that provides full coverage down each side. They tend to be the cheapest although are the biggest to carry around. You can use two poles to prop one side open.
• Asymmetrial/Diamond – These are generally for ultra-lightweight backpackers as the tarp is much smaller and they are very open without the need for a pole. The downside is that you get less coverage from the rain.
• Hexagonal – This is a compromise between the square and diamond offering a good balance between carrying size and protection from the rain. I generally recommend hexagonal tarps.

The best hammock tarp is the ENO Profly which is a hexagonal shape tarp that’s made from 210D ripstop nylon. This is hard-wearing but lightweight, coming in at just 22oz.

Next, we’re on to insulation. As you’d expect when hanging mid-air, the wind chill is far greater than when you’re camping on the ground so insulation is very important.

Unfortunately, a sleeping bag isn’t a great choice as you’ll compress the air when you lie on it so you need an alternative. This is where an underquilt attachment comes in handy. It hangs underneath your hammock to keep a layer of air trapped underneath you that provides warmth.

If you’re looking for a cheap hammock underquilt, I can recommend the OneTigris Hideout which offers great value for money. It uses a synthetic filling instead of duck down which keeps the cost down, but it still packs away to be fairly compact.

However, if you’ll be out in freezing temperatures, you’ll need a winter underquilt such as the ENO Blaze which has a more effective down filling.

Now that you’ve insulated your butt, you’ll need something to stop the heat from escaping upwards. Whilst you could use a sleeping bag if you have one handy, the best option is to use a top quilt.

This is similar to a camping blanket, only they tend to have a footbox that keeps your toes nice and toasty. The best top quilt is the ENO Vesta which is lightweight and suitable for temperatures between 30-50°F. If you’ll be camping in colder climates, a four-season top quilt such as the Hyke Byke Crestone would be a better option.

Driplines might not seem like an essential item, but trust me they are an essential hammock accessory. The purpose of a dripline is to interrupt water droplets that are sliding down the hammock ropes or the ridgeline and provide an alternative route so that they drop to the floor rather than ending up in your hammock.

Whilst there are dedicate dripline products, I recommend using a small piece of paracord and tying it on yourself using a prusik knot. This video will show you exactly what you need to do.

The next essential hammock accessory for camping is a headlamp. Unlike a tent where you can usually find a good spot to put a camping lantern, when it comes to hammocks there’s just no room so a headlamp is a much better alternative and becomes a life saver when you need to get up in the middle of the night.

If you’re not comfortable leaving your backpack and gear on the floor, a gear hammock (also called a gear sling) is a great accessory that can hang underneath your hammock to store your belongings.

One of the best gear hammocks on the market is from Onewind and can double up as a waterproof cover for your backpack so you don’t even need to worry about it taking up extra space in your bag.

An alternative to a gear sling is to hang your gear from a storage strap. These have daisy loops so you can wrap them around the tree and use carabiners to hang your gear from each hole.

You don’t need to buy a dedicated storage strap as you can always use a spare hammock strap if you have one lying around, they are essentially the same thing although you will need to invest in some extra carabiners.