The Backyard Nap Spot: Why a Recliner Beats a Hammock
Outdoor living ideas · Published by Outdoor Nook, which makes and sells the recliners shown
Everyone pictures the same backyard nap: a hammock between two shady trees, a book face down on your chest. Then you try to climb in with a cold drink in one hand. Most of us have the trees in the wrong place, or no trees at all.
Our owners have found another way to nap outside. In 28 of the 635 reviews we analyzed, people mention napping or falling asleep in their recliner, a few of them overnight. Here is why a swivel glider recliner makes a better everyday nap spot than a hammock, where the hammock still wins, and how to set the spot up.
1. Owners really do fall asleep in them
Comfort is the word that comes up most in our reviews, and napping is where it often leads. Some owners plan for it. Others are caught off guard with a book in their lap. One Keywest owner put it in seven words:
“These are the most comfortable outdoor chairs! We take naps in them often!”
A Newport owner tried to read in the reclined position and gave up for the best reason:
“I tried to read a book in the reclining position but don't recommend it because I was so comfy that I kept falling asleep -LOL!”
And one couple took the idea further than we would suggest:
“Comfortable enough we have [fell] asleep and stayed there most of the night.”
A recliner is a chair, not a bed, and we would not plan on sleeping out all night. One Newport owner who enjoys napping in theirs noticed some upper-back discomfort after a long sleep. For an afternoon nap, though, owners keep telling us it works.
2. Getting in and getting out
This is where the hammock usually loses. You sit on the edge, swing your legs up, find the balance point and hope your drink survives. Getting out means rolling to one side and standing up from a sling that is still moving.
A recliner starts as a normal chair. The seat sits about 20 inches from the floor, close to a dining chair, so you sit down the usual way. To recline, lean back and the footrest rises. To get up, push the footrest down with your legs until it closes, then stand. That push takes some effort, and a few petite owners tell us it takes practice, so it is worth trying in the first days while you are still inside the 14-day return window.
3. Back support and sitting up
A hammock holds you in a curve. Lovely for twenty minutes, less so if you want to read, eat or talk. Every Outdoor Nook recliner has a high back, about 43 inches tall overall, so your head rests on the cushion whether you are upright or reclined.
You also get more than one way to sit. Upright for coffee. Footrest out with your back still fairly upright for reading. Fully reclined for the nap. One owner wanted exactly that:
“Wanted a chair that would recline fully to take a nap outside here in AZ.”
One honest limit: there is a single, full-recline position, not a series of stops. If you want to nap at a halfway angle, a recliner with several positions will suit you better.
4. Follow the shade without moving the furniture
A hammock is fixed to its trees or its stand. When the shade moves at three o'clock, you move or you bake. Our recliners swivel 360 degrees on the base, so you turn the whole chair in place to keep your face out of the sun, or to face the garden, the pool or the conversation. The glide adds a slow front-to-back motion, which is the closest a chair gets to the sway of a hammock.
You also need no trees, no posts and no stand. The recliner goes anywhere it fits: a deck, a patio, a screened porch or a small lanai.
5. The cover lives on the chair
Hammock fabric left out in the rain stays damp, and most people end up taking it down and putting it back up. Each recliner has a patent-pending, built-in all-weather cover that stores in a pouch on the back of the chair. Pull it over the cushions when rain is coming, tuck it away when it passes. It is water-resistant rather than fully waterproof, and in strong wind it can blow off, but it stays attached to the chair, so it is never lost in the yard.
Hammock or recliner: the honest comparison
| Hammock | Swivel glider recliner | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting in and out | Sit, swing, balance; rolling out takes practice | Sit like a normal chair; push the footrest down to stand |
| Back and head | Held in a curve; little support for sitting up | High back, about 43 in tall; sit up or recline |
| Positions | Lying back | Upright, footrest out, or fully reclined (one recline position) |
| Following the shade | Fixed between trees or on a stand | Swivels 360 degrees in place |
| What it needs | Two trees or a frame | Floor space: about 64.5 to 67 in deep fully reclined |
| Weather | Fabric usually brought in | Built-in cover in a pouch on the back |
| Where hammocks win | Lower price, packs away, lying flat |
Hammock points are general and vary by style. Recliner figures are from our size charts.
If you already have the perfect pair of trees, keep the hammock. If you want a nap spot you will use every day, that also works for coffee, reading and company, a recliner earns its space. For a wider look at lounge chairs, see our guide to lounge chairs vs. outdoor recliners for all-day lounging.
Setting up your nap spot
A few small choices make the spot work.
- Pick the afternoon shade. Watch where the shade falls between 1 and 4 p.m. and put the chair at its edge. The swivel does the rest.
- Leave room to recline. Allow about 64.5 to 67 inches front to back for full recline, plus space behind the chair. Our post on how much space an outdoor recliner needs has the full clearance numbers.
- Add a side table. A drink, a book and your phone need somewhere to go. Our Keywest, Newport and Malibu II side tables are 18 inches square and 20 inches tall, just below the 25-inch arm.
- Cover it when you go in. Ten seconds with the built-in cover keeps the cushions dry for tomorrow.
Wondering which chair is actually the most comfortable to nap in? We pulled together what 600+ owners say about comfort. If you are replacing an old porch chair, read why homeowners are swapping Adirondack chairs for outdoor recliners, and see real customer setups on porches, lanais and sunrooms. Every guide in the series lives on our Recline & Relax hub.
Good to know before you order
- Delivery is free. We ship by FedEx to the 48 contiguous states, typically within 7 to 10 days. FedEx leaves each box at your door or curbside (the driver decides; it is not a white-glove service), and each box weighs about 90 to 100 lb, so plan on two people to move it. Assembly needs no tools: the back slides onto the base in under 5 minutes.
- You get a 14-day return window. Return an undamaged item in its original condition within 14 days of delivery for a full refund, with free FedEx pickup. After that, returns are accepted up to 90 days with a 20% restocking fee. See our returns policy.
- The frame carries a 5-year limited warranty and the cushions 2 years, against defects in materials and workmanship, for the original buyer. Read the full warranty.
Choose your recliner
Pick the size that fits your nap spot, then the finish that fits your house.
Questions before you order? Call 1-800-296-0232 or email cs@outdoornook.com.
Quick answers
Can you sleep in an outdoor recliner?
Does it lie completely flat?
Is it easier to get out of than a hammock?
Can I leave it outside?
Sources. Reviews: our own analysis of 635 Outdoor Nook product and company reviews on Reviews.io, October 2026, quoted as written; excerpts are marked. Dimensions are from the size charts on our product pages. Prices are as of October 2026 and can change. Hammock comparisons are general and vary by product.
