Whoopie report and caution!

[BillyBob58]

So I used my Whoopies this weekend. They held just fine and are easily adjustable. My MSH with 1" webbing and a tent stake went much easier than my afternoon trial the other day with fat trail sticks and 1.5" webbing. I can see that I will soon be very efficient at this. And it all came apart super quick this time.

But I need to get this warning out before any of you Whoopie kids have this mishap. Although I do wonder if I missed a step in making the things? Because if I didn't, I am surprised this has not already happened to any one else. Then again, I operate under BB58's variation on Murphy's law, which states Murphy was an optimist.

I had been hanging my whoopie /hammock on my hammock stand. This resulted in some pretty small loops. I remember having a brief thought of: could this be a problem, but then forgot about it. Then when getting ready for a camp out this week end, I stuffed my BMBH with MWUQ attached, as well as both WS and stock suspension, into my pack.

So I go to set up camp, and quick as a wink I have my webbing and MSH wrapped around some fairly large trees. The I reach in to pull out a suspension loop to wrap around the toggle. I pull and I pull, but I can't fine any loop. Then the same thing on the other end. Where the heck are my loops? I finally figure it out: They are GONE, that's where. Some how, while putting in and taking out, during ONE pack up, the loops have been pulled all the way into the bury and are now history as far as usefulness.

I worked quite a while trying to get them out. But no luck so far. Thank goodness my paranoid self did not yet cut the stock webbing, so I just tied that to the tree for the night. And I also happened to have some extra Amsteel with me, so it didn't take long for me to whip up 2 more and replace the others. Right after the weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So unless I missed a step that serves to prevent this( like burying the taper prevents it from pulling through), I suggest you guys watch out for this. Either leave some good sized loops to decrease likelihood of a full pull through. Or, what I am doing now is tying an overhand knot in the loop to prevent it from pulling through during packing. So here I am back to a stopper knot, like the 1/2 hitch on the BB triangle thingy. Or at least be aware of how easy tis can happen and be on guard to prevent it!

Maybe now that I am home with good light and better tools, I can figure out a way of recovering those loops with out just having to cut the Amsteel to salvage some of it. And if I had nothing else, I probably still could have found a way to hang from what I had.

Another thought: no biner used, just some extra long 1" HH tree huggers with a MSH. It worked real smooth and easy and quick. BUT, when I loosened it to move further up the tree, I noticed part of the webbing was stuck to the other. When I pulled it apart, there was a shiny looking area that looks suspicious. This was repeated in a different spot on the webbing every time I moved things around while experimenting. It appears the webbing melted a little bit or something.

Is this a concern? Is this a reason to use a biner through the loop and the rest of the webbing through the biner instead of through the loop? Seems like there has been some discussion of this in the past. That is, discussion of excess webbing wear which is reduced by using a biner.

[clearskyblue]

Hi Billy bob I just made my first whoopie and guess what that happened to me the loop just vanished before my very eyes,I think it was shy rope and it ran underground..I guess we need to incorporate a brummel or something in there.

Some whoopie expert will be along soon to tell us where we went wrong.Fortunately my effort was only a small scale practice attempt.Make yourself another and lock this next loop down.

I'd be interested to know how you will install the whoopie to your BMBH.

[opie]

I dont think you guys did anything wrong in making them. I think its just something that can happen with the sling. I store mine pulled all the way out. As long as possible. With the biner on it.

You could tie a stopper knot right at the throat of the adjustable loop. It would have to be done prior to the bury though.

[clearskyblue]

Good advice I will add a stopper knot or probably put a micro biner in there somewhere.Thanks Opie ,hoping that my whoopies are half as good as yours soon.

[opie]

Microbiner would be a better solution. Tying a knot in the line will significantly derate the rope. That would negate one of the benefits of using the whoopie sling..... no knots.

[optimator]

Microbiner would be a better solution. Tying a knot in the line will significantly derate the rope. That would negate one of the benefits of using the whoopie sling..... no knots.

What about a small piece of zip tie around it?

[opie]

What about a small piece of zip tie around it?

Dont see why it wouldnt work. If you have a piece of thera-band, or some other type of tubing, you can cut a short piece, say 1" give or take and slide it on prior to burying the adjustable loop.

[optimator]

Dont see why it wouldnt work. If you have a piece of thera-band, or some other type of tubing, you can cut a short piece, say 1" give or take and slide it on prior to burying the adjustable loop.

Plus the zip tie would work on slings that are already made up

[opie]

there ya go!!

I just had a brain fart...

When I first started making these, I used a large needle and tape. A couple times the tape would pull off and stay in the rope. You could always bury a small section of rope right at the throat of the adjustable loop. Pull in an inch or 2. No ziptie, nothing visible.

[TeeDee]

BillyBob - Thanks, this would never have occurred to me and hasn't happened yet. Without your warning, it was only a matter of time though.

Along the same lines, I have had to undo more than one end bury splice. With patience and pushing the spliced section together to loosen the braiding, the buried part can be retrieved. But after undoing 3 end buries, I starting taking a short section of guy line cord and tying a small loop around the buried part before finishing the bury. When I want to undo the bury, loosen the braiding by pushing it together and pulling on the looped guy line. Undone.

Now to keep the Whoopie Sling loop from becoming an end bury, I'm adding the small guy line loop to all our Whoopie Slings.

Thanks again.