Strap Load Calculator
Enter your total suspended weight and your hang angle to see the real tension on each strap — and check it against a rated capacity before you trust your full weight to it.
Load on each strap
The physics of a two-strap hang
A hammock hangs from two lines meeting the load at an angle, forming a shallow “V”. Basic statics for that shape says the tension in each line equals the total weight divided by twice the sine of the hang angle. At a steep 90° (straight up and down, which isn’t physically achievable for a real hammock but is useful as a limit), that formula would put half the weight on each strap. At the more realistic 30° recommendation, each strap actually approaches the full suspended weight, and below that, the multiplier climbs fast.
This is the flip side of the Hang & Sag calculator: a flatter hang gives a nicer lie-flat feel but demands stronger anchors, stronger straps, and stronger trees to hold the same person safely. Knowing the real number lets you match your hardware’s rated capacity to the hang you actually want, instead of discovering the mismatch under load.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the tension in each strap higher than half my weight?
Because the two suspension lines pull at an angle, not straight up. Basic statics for two lines sharing a load at an equal angle gives tension = weight ÷ (2 × sin(angle)). At a 30° hang, sin(30°) is 0.5, so each strap ends up carrying almost the full suspended weight rather than half of it.
How much does hanging flatter really change the load?
A lot. At 30°, a 250lb load puts about 250lb on each strap. Flatten that same hang to 15°, and the same 250lb load jumps to roughly 480lb per strap — more than the total weight of the person, hammock, and gear combined. Shallow angles are the main reason a hammock or its hardware fails under a load it should easily handle at a proper angle.
What should I do if a strap is close to its rated capacity?
Hang at a steeper angle (closer to 30-35°) to reduce the tension for the same total weight, remove excess gear from the hammock, or move to hardware rated for a higher load. Never load a strap you know is near or over its stated rating.
A simplified statics estimate, not a certified engineering calculation. It ignores dynamic loads (getting in, shifting, bouncing) which can spike well above the static figure shown here — always leave a comfortable margin below any rated capacity.