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  1. #1
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    UCR vs. Whoopies: Expert Opinions Welcome

    Question for the Brain Trust:

    What are the bottom line pros and cons of UCR's vs. Whoopie-Slings?

    (Lot's of great info in the subthread but almost too much info to dig through!)

    I've been using a Crazy Creek buckle suspension on my Hennessy for a couple of years. Works great but a bit bulky.

    I've been thinking about converting to this set-up:

    tree hugger (looped through itself) => biner => UCR (Amsteel) => hammock <= UCR <= biner <= tree hugger


    Seems like this is simple, short, light, (and if the UCR holds), functional.

    Do the UCR's hold or slip like some of the single line ascender knot rigs seem to?

    The Whoopies seem like a nice solution but a lot of extra rope and the toggle seems like one more step/complication than the UCR idea.

    I look forward to all the expert opinions!

  2. #2
    Senior Member angrysparrow's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheWalkman View Post

    tree hugger (looped through itself) => biner => UCR (Amsteel) => hammock <= UCR <= biner <= tree hugger


    ...seems like one more step/complication than the UCR idea.
    Whoopies usually have toggles instead of the biners listed in your setup, so the hardware/step complication is essentially equal. That being said, UCR's do use less cording than whoopies because they aren't doubled. That yields some bulk/weight savings.

    The drawback for some about UCR's is that bury is only 'loaded' on one end, so that if you bump or move the other end of the splice under load then the splice will slip. That can be remedied in a number of ways (rubber tubing, prussik, hanging something to weight it, etc), so as long as you understand the issue and work around it there's no problem.

    I think it boils down to personal preference. Use the splicing method that suits your situation best.
    “I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy

  3. #3
    The UCR is single loaded. The whoopie sling is double loaded. That means your weight in the hammock will not keep a UCR locked. You have to have some other way to tension the outer line or it will slip and you'll either sink or crash. With a whoopie sling, your weight in the hammock tensions the outer line and locks it in place. Assuming you don't use a ridiculously short bury, it's essentially impossible for the length of a whoopie to change while you're in the hammock.

    Other than that, it's just a difference in the amount of line used.

    On my hammocks, it's
    hugger > biner > whoopie > hammock > hugger
    because I only bother to make one end adjustable.

    Boris

  4. #4
    Dutch's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boris Losdindawoods View Post

    On my hammocks, it's
    hugger > biner > whoopie > hammock > hugger
    because I only bother to make one end adjustable.

    Boris
    So your hammock is attached directly to the hugger? You must have another biner or a Dutch clip in there on that end. How long are your huggers and do you ever find it limiting on site selection.?

    Also what kind of biner do you use on the other end?
    Peace Dutch
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  5. #5
    gunner76's Avatar
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    Dutch Clips are the way to go
    I am still 18 but with 52 years of experience !

  6. #6
    Senior Member TiredFeet's Avatar
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    The "uses less rope" advantage of the UCR is way over blown.

    Do the analysis of the amount of rope in both the UCR and the whoopie for a reasonable tree span and you will find that the UCR uses about 70% to 75% of the rope that a whoopie uses. And the use of "extra" devices to "anchor" the UCR free end and prevent the UCR from slipping adds to the weight so that the UCR isn't really that much lighter and could be just as heavy depending on what "devices" you use.

    TeeDee and I went through it and decided quickly that, for us, the marginal weight savings wasn't worth the finicky nature of the UCR.

    Of course, it is all personal as to which you use anyway.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Dutch View Post
    So your hammock is attached directly to the hugger? You must have another biner or a Dutch clip in there on that end. How long are your huggers and do you ever find it limiting on site selection.?

    Also what kind of biner do you use on the other end?
    Well, yes and no. When I took off the stock Hennessy ropes, I built in a whoopie sling at the foot end and slightly oversized nacrabiner at the head end. My headend attachment depends on tree size. I carry one long hugger and one short hugger so I can do a singlewrap or a doublewrap on the tree and then I either attach the nacrabiner to both hugger loops or I can feed one end of the hugger through a loop and then nacrabiner to that endloop. So, yeah, technically, I have a biner there, but it's built into the whipping of the hammock.

    The foot end gets whichever hugger is left over. Depending on the tree, I might carabiner to both loops, or feed the hugger through one loop and carabiner to the other loop, or it might be a marlin spike hitch in the hugger with the carabiner as the spike. It depends on the size of the tree.

    If I can't find two trees that work for at least one of those permutations it's time to go home because I'm either too drunk, too tired, or too stupid to be out in the woods.

    I don't remember what brand of carabiner I have. I picked up 4 or 5 of them at the local outfitters. They're aluminum and rated around 9kN with the gate open. Strong enough to keep my butt off the ground, but not a huge chunk of metal. I also always have a couple of nacrabiners in different sizes floating around in my pack, so I could use one of them if I ever lost the carabiner. I also have a 20' length of amsteel (configured as a whoopie sling) stashed in my "oh crap" bag.

    I like my head low when hanging. If I tilt the tarp to match the tilt of my hammock, the head end of the tarp is too low to do anything else under it. That's why I started putting the head end of my hammock almost right against the tree. I pull the tarp almost until it touches the tree and that leaves me with a big "porch" of tarp at the foot end of the hammock. That's a relic of the fact that my first hammock was a Hennessy. Now, I just prefer it that way.

    Boris

  8. #8
    Senior Member SGT Rock's Avatar
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    Homemade hammock:
    Tree hugger==>Toggle==>UCR==>Hammock<==UCR<==Toggle<==T ree Hugger

    Nano7:
    Tree hugger==>Toggle==>Whoopie==>Hammock<==Whoopie<==To ggle<==Tree Hugger

    I've done both. I agree with TiredFeet on their analysis. I admit I was out to save grams, so by going with UCRs I think I saved 2 to 4 grams by going with UCRs over Whoopies, but Whoopies are definitely more user friendly.
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  9. #9
    Senior Member Frawg's Avatar
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    tree strap =(hitch)= UCR == DIY hammock == UCR =(hitch)= tree strap.

    Try both and make up your own mind. IMHO, the difference in "user friendliness" matters about as much as the weight difference. Life's full of trade-offs; pick the ones that matter to you and run with 'em.
    - Frawg

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  10. #10
    Senior Member kayak karl's Avatar
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    i use...
    dutchclip=WB tree strap = Whoopie == traveler hammock == Whoopie= WB tree strap=dutchclip.
    that way i can't lose anything.

    [IMG][/IMG]

    it works, but does anyone see the cons to this.

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