I do almost exactly the same as Dryer. K.I.S.S. A hennessey hitch, known to the rest of the world as a cinch hitch or lineman's bend, is really foolproof. Back when God was a little girl, I made my first hammock like Js's using the same reasoning. Trouble is, you need super strong line for that because a tight stretch puts enormous tension on the lines (we use the trick of pulling the middle of a taut line in swiftwater rescue to pull trapped boats off rocks. It's like a power winch). A simple slack hang with lines attached to the hammock ends permits using much less strong and therefore lighter lines. I have used 3/8" Muletape successfully, but it needs tree huggers to keep from cutting into bark, so it's easier to use 1 1/2" polypropolene webbing. Strong enough for 6 night-months of field use and 2.5 ounces per 12' line.