Anybody else struggle with the minimum distance using whoopie hooks?

[BroChaos]

I have whoopie hooks built in to the adjustable end of my whoopie slings. However, after adding up the length of an 11' hammock, plus the tree straps, plus the continuous loops that are larks headed onto the sewn end of the tree strap, and my whoopies set as small is they can go, my minimum distance is still too long 95% of the time.
.83*11' = 9ft + min whoopie 1.5' (x2) + CL 8" (x2) = 13' 4". And my tree straps usually add a foot or 2 on each end. So unless I have fat trees, I need 15-17ft between trees, which seems like just too much. So most of the time I just end up putting a toggle in my tree strap higher up, and using the WS with your standard MSH. Which isn't a big deal, but I didn't buy the hooks just for decoration.

Any ideas on how to add more adjustability to my current setup? Or please share your any other methods that you think work better. I know there's been some new options lately with cinch bugs, anchors, etc.

Thanks!

[Tendertoe]

The "standard" length between trees is usually 15 feet. You're doing everything right.

Some additional methods to accommodate short hang distances.

[geneaut]

Two systems I use:

1. Cinch buckles on short loops. Simple, inexpensive, and very adjustable. You can spring for the titanium ones if you feel the weight of the buckles is a factor.

2. Replace all the cordage on your hammock end with muletape. Then tie a Beckett Hitch from the muletape to your tree straps. Not as easily adjustable, but it only took me a few hangs to start figuring out how to tie the hitch exactly where I wanted it. No hardware required.

[BroChaos]

thanks for the vid. i guess i've been doing more mixed camping lately, where my wife and kids are in a tent, and i'm in a hammock, so my tree choices have been limited. some good tips to think about, and there's definitely always a solution if you have all the pieces, which i do.

The "standard" length between trees is usually 15 feet. You're doing everything right.

Some additional methods to accommodate short hang distances.

[OCDave]

Simply eliminate the whoopie slings. If you use a continuous loop, larkshead hitched to each end of your hammock, you could hang this loop from a MarlinSpike Hitch directly on your tree strap. I found that longer straps and shorter Whoopie Slings give me the greatest versatility.

My Whoopie Slings are equipped with Whoopie hooks. When necessary, the Whoopies are hung from the tree strap w/MSH by the non-adjustable end. The adjustable end hooked to the continuous loop hitched to the hammock.

Hope that makes sense.

Good Luck

Sorry; the video above makes my post redundant.

[jamaulwall]

Tendertoe's video is a good demonstration of what I do using the CL's to hang directly from the tree strap with a Marlin Spike Hitch when necessary but I find I don't need it very often. As stated above, 15' is an ideal distance to hang from. If you need a little more adjustability than the CL's can provide, I always carry a couple of dogbones as well. They are extremely versatile and I can usually add a few inches to one end or the other to accommodate the extremely rare case when directly attaching the CL's and/or using the whoopies as designed doesn't work. Since there is some adjustability in the MSH itself, this usually doesn't come into play very often. Again, I rarely run into this issue since if I'm getting into distances that short it also makes it tough to hang my tarp properly so I typically find other trees instead. It's always nice to have the option to be flexible though.

Also, you can wrap your tree straps multiple times and/or leave them hanging from the side/back of the tree to shorten up that extra couple of feet you included in your calculations. And, if your CL's are anything like mine, they are 8" before putting them on the hammock. Once I larkshead them through the end channel of the hammock there are only about 3-4" left beyond the hammock. Combining these two things would shorten your minimum hang distance to closer to 12-13 ft.

[printgeek]

2. Replace all the cordage on your hammock end with muletape. Then tie a Beckett Hitch from the muletape to your tree straps. Not as easily adjustable, but it only took me a few hangs to start figuring out how to tie the hitch exactly where I wanted it. No hardware required.

+1 for the muletape. I scoffed at using such a rudimentary system before, instead using whoopies and then dutch speedhooks with kevlar straps, but after reading the pro's and con's on Derek Hansen's site (http://theultimatehang.com/2015/04/l...nsion-systems/) I gave them a try and I'm pretty happy. Simplicity isn't such a bad thing afterall.

[MAD777]

This is the reason I put small continuous loops on the ends of a hammock. They are just big enough to fit over a 3 inch long Marlinspike. That way, I can put a spike in the tree strap and hook directly to my continuous loops, eliminating the whoopie sling completely. All the adjudgments are made by where the spike is in the tree strap.

[Boston]

Ways you can adjust your current system:

1) Add an additional wrap, or two, or three of the continuous loop around the whipping of the hammock, or shorten the CL.

2) Change to a marlin spike system for hanging your whoopies from your tree straps, or use something like an Adutchable clip to adjust tree straps to the tree size.

3) What is the CL on the tree strap for? Get rid of it, and larks head the whoopie directly to the strap. Or see below.

4a) How long is the bury on your whoopie slings? Possibly it could be shortened. Recommended length is 8".

4b) If you're of the lighter variety, make whoopies from Dynaglide or 5/64 HTS-75 (http://www.westmarine.com/buy/new-en...ne--P012357679). This size cord doesn't need as large of a bury (6").



For what it's worth, I put the hook either on the hammock CL, or the fixed eye of the whoopie. I then run the adjustable loop of the whoopie through the fixed eye of the strap. I use Adutchable clip's to adjust the strap to the tree.

[TominMN]

Ways you can adjust your current system:

3) What is the CL on the tree strap for? Get rid of it, and larks head the whoopie directly to the strap. Or see below.


For what it's worth, I put the hook either on the hammock CL, or the fixed eye of the whoopie. I then run the adjustable loop of the whoopie through the fixed eye of the strap. I use Adutchable clip's to adjust the strap to the tree.

I think he's set up the opposite of you (and most)... CL on the hugger (at least it sounds like a hugger) and the WS LHed to the hammock. Sounds that way because he wrote that the CL is LHed to the sewn end of the tree strap.

I REALLY like the idea of using the Adutchable to keep the business end of a hugger close to the tree (as well as being pretty sure the hugger is always going to get all the way around.)