they make cheap carabeaners that i've used for key chains and misc stuff for years. has anyone used them on ahammock and had them fail, bend, or distort in any way?
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they make cheap carabeaners that i've used for key chains and misc stuff for years. has anyone used them on ahammock and had them fail, bend, or distort in any way?
NO! Don't do it. They almost all say not for climbing and that is a general way of saying not for any kind of load. Most will not hold 20 pounds without issues let alone hundreds of pounds of force in a hammock application. Only use a carabiner made to carry a load that specifically says it can.
do not use cheap CARABINERS on your suspension, its fine to use them on a tarp though. If you want small lightweight high rated carabiners check out dutch clips or the nano-7, those are fine for suspensions.
+1 for what Paul says
Go for climbing rated every time. You can pick up a quick draw set which is two together on a piece of webbing, just cut the webbing off and you're good to go.
'biners come in all different sizes, most are not suitable for hanging hammocks. I've had "cheap" ones bend open. There is a lot of stress on a hammock as the force of your body weight is multiplied... To be safe I'd use ones rated for climbing. The good news is that there are lots of hang options that don't even use 'biners.
i did it this past sunday in my test hang for 10 minutes. no problem for 1o minutes...but many things are labeled as "NOT FOR.." because of liability issues. i certainly would not use one rock climbing! or zip lines... kitesurfing :)
Cheap carabiners are just that..CHEAP. Don't use them for rigging your hammock at all!
I do use them to secure my tarp to the tree and they have done well.
Many have tried them for the hammock ridgeline with bad results.
Use rated biners for the hammock. Or try some amsteel and make soft shackles. Lighter and very effective. And their fun to make.
I still have a few of the 4 or 5 inch aluminum beaners left over from my whitewater days that I can use. But these cheapies are so plentiful (and I have so many) that I ws just wondering if anyone actually uses them without a problem. don't worry, I won't try it at home :)