Amsteel tension / tautness

[samjaynes]

A few weeks ago, someone recommended using Amsteel as a CRL for a tarp. Although it has great merits, my use of amsteel is limited to whoopie slings, soft shackles, and nacrobiners.... where the force is place by weight. If using amsteel, how is the tension placed on the ridgeline without using figure-nines, truckers hitch, etc that may damage the amsteel?

[foxfyre841]

I forgot where I saw it, but amsteel loses a lot of it's strength when pinched (ie: in a knot). It's why whoopie slings are so popular: they don't have knots just buries and loop-locks. I've even been a bit leery of the figure 9's i've seen because of that fact.

No knots for amsteel.

J~

PS: (if that's not what is going on, disregard the post. Just didn't want to leave you hanging.)

PPS: (reading back through and: the puns are unintentional.)

[shlabbo]

I wouldn't worry about it. The forces acting on your tarp ridge line are orders of magnitude less than your hammock suspension. There is no way you are going to break amsteel using it as a tarp ridge line.

[Knotty]

I wouldn't worry about it. The forces acting on your tarp ridge line are orders of magnitude less than your hammock suspension. There is no way you are going to break amsteel using it as a tarp ridge line.

Agreed. Protecting the amsteel's integrity is important for hammock suspensions but for tarps you could lose 90+% of the line's strength and still be good to go.

[nacra533]

I forgot where I saw it, but amsteel loses a lot of it's strength when pinched (ie: in a knot). It's why whoopie slings are so popular: they don't have knots just buries and loop-locks. I've even been a bit leery of the figure 9's i've seen because of that fact.

No knots for amsteel.

J~

PS: (if that's not what is going on, disregard the post. Just didn't want to leave you hanging.)

PPS: (reading back through and: the puns are unintentional.)

Knots derate any line. It doesn't derate amsteel any worse than any other line. Amsteel is not covered, so chafe can be a problem for long term usage when compared to a covered line. Chafe is also magnified by the thin diameter. Amsteel is slippery, so it does not hold knots as well as other lines. Knotting it is OK, not preferred, but OK. I don't hesitate to knot it when I need to. I will usually add a safety knot, a figure 8 or something to reduce the liklihood of failue if it were to slip if the loading is critical.

[kobold]

something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GQFu...re=fvwp#t=6m1s
or a soft shackle prusik or even a knot bone would eliminate pinching

[SwampSloth]

there seems to be no real benefit to using amsteel as a crl.

[Highbinder]

I could see the merits of a spliced tarp line, maybe not amsteel, if you really dislike knots.

Imagine a long cord, with a fixed eye on either end and a prussic knot on the line. You put one end around the first tree, feed the cord through the loop then across to the other tree, around that one, and attach that loop to the prussic with a shackle or biner.

Ofcourse no real benefit over normal cord!

[Knotty]

there seems to be no real benefit to using amsteel as a crl.

I use it because I have it, it doesn't stretch and doesn't absorb water. But yes, it is OVERKILL.

[Apollo2112]

If you want something less overkill but still spiceable, go with lash it or zing it