After reading the currently active thread on webbing and tree damage I started thinking and hydrating myself to come up with a better solution. I'm not a DIY when it comes to sewing, but I wanted to get some opinions before I got out the Gorilla Glue. Here is what I pondered:
We must attach something to a tree to suspend a hammock, so we us webbing to distribute the load over a wider area than a thin cord. If I'm correct, the wider strap causes less local pressure than a thin cord, but the same total force. The suspension applies this force on at least 75% of the circumference of the tree, which may cause girdling of the tree. The early airlines faced a similar problem with heavy men and flat shoes versus lighter women in high-heels. The high-heel caused higher forces on the floor and alarmed the engineers who were starting to pressurize aircraft.
There are some threads and photos of trail sticks being inserted between the webbing and the trunk to cause the force of a weighted suspension to be more localized and distributed vertically rather than around the tree. Consensus seems to be that vertical stress is less of a concern than horizontal damage to a trunk. I think is is a good solution, but the local damage could be severe.
What if some CCF padding were glued to tubular webbing that went around the suspension webbing? This would allow three sections of 2 inch CCF to be in contact with the tree versus 75% of the circumference. Obviously, the local pressure could increase, but it would be dampened by the CCF foam which should prevent damage to the softer tissues of the tree? By putting the CCF on tubular webbing, it would allow infinite adjustment and one could use as many pads as desired.
What do you think?
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