Yes, most or all of the time.
Sometimes.
No, but I used to.
No, but I would consider it.
Never have, never will.
Marlinspikes. I first saw the idea of a marlinspike presented on GrizzlyAdams videos. That seemed to me like a very logical and practical way to hitch the suspension to the tree slings. But I did some searches and found almost very few thread even mentioning using marlinspikes and (wood) toggles (maybe I just did the search wrong, but regardless there were few hits).
So what are the pros and cons of using a marlinspike to join these parts? Who does and does not and why (or why not)?
“Indian builds small fire and stays warm, white man builds big fire and stays warm collecting firewood”—unknown
“The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea”—Karen Blixen
Pro, being able to get a better hang angle by adjusting the length of your tree strap (meaning you can tie the marlin spike on the strap where you want it to be)
Con: your suspension (in theory) could slip off.
Sometimes I like to hike and think, And sometimes I just like to hike.
Hiking is'ent about waiting for the storm to pass its about learning to hike in the rain.
Pro - makes it very easy to attach whoopie slings.
i use it and its great. if you do, it will be too.
...in it for pics.
I use them exclusively. Simple, adjustable, solid.
The cons..
You need to carry them, but I permanently tethered the toggles to my straps, so I don't loose them. A six piece of string at the end of my strap keeps them handy.
If your a "trail-stick toggle" guy/gal, finding a suitable stick can sometimes be a issue. I have had a trail stick break, even tho I tested it and it seemed sturdy.
I cut up an old carbon fiber golf shaft for my permanent toggles. Arrow shafts (carbon or aluminum) work fine.
Occasionally, the whoopie can fall off during adjustment if your not paying attention.
Ambulo tua ambulo.
Thanks for the good information so far.
For those of you who use toggles, how long a toggle do you use? 4", 5", longer?
For those of you who do not, what are your reasons? I am not trying to change your minds; I am just trying to see both sides of this.
“Indian builds small fire and stays warm, white man builds big fire and stays warm collecting firewood”—unknown
“The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea”—Karen Blixen
I use a cheap large key chain type biner for my toggles. I then clip stuff sacks and other paraphenalia to them. Works for me.
“Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
I can't think of any disadvantage other than losing the toggle. My toggles came from an Easton tent stake that I cut in half with a pipe cutter--about 3.5" each. I imagine this is the same material as an Easton arrow shaft.
Toggles yep, use them all the time now, used to use carabiners on the ends of the straps but ran into trees that were to close together for the straps to work well like that, even looping the strap around and around. Toggles are light and simple, 3 inches is more than enough for most folks. Most problems have been covered, slips off when setting up if you are not careful. Other than that a good simple light weight solution.
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i use 3" pieces of an old curtain rod- never had slippage issues but im pretty methodical with my setup
...in it for pics.
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