If your hammock has a spreader bar, it needs to be hung taut, so the two anchor points should be roughly the same distance apart as the full length of the hammock.Hammocks without spreader bars need to have some slack when hung, so the two anchor points should be closer together than the full length of the hammock — but no closer than two-thirds of the length of the full hammock. For instance, a nine-foot hammock’s anchor points should be less than nine feet apart but more than six feet apart.