Your knot setup

I guess you could say this is an off chute of hogan8r's thread he posted about essential knots. What knots do you use to tie off your hammock? I don't know much about knots, and most of the time it seems like I tie my hammock to a tree by wrapping the rope till I can pull on it and it doesn't come down. Then I just put a slip knot in it call it done. However, I would like to put a method to my madness, but with as many knot resources as there are out there (not to mention how many knots exist), it is a little overwhelming figuring out where to start. So, back to the question, what is your method to tying off your hammock?

I use the 1 inch polyester straps from Strapworks - on the tree I use a round turn and two half hitches where the second hitch is slipped - at the hammock end I have a single descender ring that I tie the strap to using a girth hitch.

I use a "figure 8" lashing as per HH. Knots weaken rope. Bights and lashings are a better choice for load bearing applications like a hammock.

single slippery sheetbend, then pull a second bight through the first one. ties faster than anything else ive tried, and comes untied by a yank on the free end.

That would depend on your suspension system I guess.

When I firsts stared I used a HH Exped. and tied the HH Fig 8 lash. I quickly started using the Trucker's Hitch with this set-up and licked it even better.

Pretty soon I was building my own hammocks and using the Four-wrap Knot finished off with a Slipped Half Hitch; very simple and very effective. The only problem is when I encountered trees that were so big I could only get a couple of wraps. I then used the Fig 8 Lash or a Slipped Buntline.

I have experimented with several carabiner combinations and didn't really like any of them. Set up was faster with some of them, but overall everything was more complicated. I started using the double rings a few months ago and I have been happy with them so far. The best thing is being able to adjust the hammock under the tarp. It adds some complication to the set-up, and weight, but overall I think I like it. The only knots I use are a Slipped Half Hitch at the rings.

I use Taught-line Hitches on my tarp guyouts, Highwayman Hitch to hang stuff from my suspension ropes or ridgeline, a Bowline for pretty much any loop needed, a Clove Hitch tied to my hiking poles to raise the tarp corners and a Mooring Hitch to tie up the boat!

What exactly is a slipped half hitch?? Is it when you tie a half hitch with a bight?? Is this what it is?

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Originally Posted by Incacamper

What exactly is a slipped half hitch?? Is it when you tie a half hitch with a bight?? Is this what it is?

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yeah, half hitch w/bight. i have been playing around with tying to a single ring. i think hog was talking about tying a single slipped half hitch as a backup knot for the garda hitch (2 rings). i have found a single slippery half hitch against a single ring alone won't hold, so i have been simply inserting a second bight through the origional, i do the same to secure a single slpiiery sheetbend as noted above. the sheetbend is for line to webbing and the half hitch is for line to a ring or biner. both are about as simple and fast as it gets.

as for using lashings and wraps instead of knots, the strength thing is true, but when the line is rated to 2000# i doubt it matters much. and i don't see how you could avoid using a knot. even if you use a lashing for the webbing/line intersect, you still have to attach the line to the hammock. the only way to do this that i know of is with a knot. just use strong enough line (3mm spectra/dyneema/vectran) very light, plenty strong.

On the Hennessey I use the figure 8 lashing. On the other hammocks, the only knot tied in the field is a lark's head in a loop (pass the loop through itself through a sewed loop in tree hugger webbing), about as easy as falling off a log and all but effortless to "untie."

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Originally Posted by Incacamper

What exactly is a slipped half hitch?? Is it when you tie a half hitch with a bight?? Is this what it is?

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Most knots and hitches can be tied 'slippery'. This means that instead of passing the bitter end through the last catch you pass a bight leaving the end free to be pulled so as to spill the knot easier. Some knots are better at this than others; the Bowline for example can be tied slipped but you still have a slight twist to undo when untying. Other knots are called 'exploding' and are designed from tie-up to be totally untied with one hand, no untwisting or anything required, the exploding Clove Hitch, and Mooring Hitch are examples of this type knot.

Depending on the type of cord a slippery hitch may not hold as well. I find that a slippery Half Hitch in my 550 cord does not hold as well as a slippery Half Hitch in my gutless 550 cord. Dressing the knot properly may help resolve much of this, just know that in critical applications which method is best to use.

Below are images of a half hitch, slipped half hitch and Warbonnet's double slipped half hitch.
Attachment 1312

Attachment 1313