the purpose of whoopie slings?

[bkautzman89]

alright, probably a dumb question, but i gotta ask. what exactly is the purpose of whoopie slings? i've just recently switched to carabiner and webbing straps(gonna pick up some descender rings soon), and my GTUL has the the crappy S hooks and cordage still attached. so is the whoopie sling to replace the original cord? and if so, how long of a whoopie sling do i need? also, will the whoopie sling be adjustable(instead of using descender rings.) my plan is to use a carabiner for at the tree, and then attach another carabiner to the whoopie that's at the hammock and then to the webbing, so it's just a simple clip and hang. is whoopie a good idea for that? more or less is my set up a good idea? sorry for all the questions

[bloomgorge]

the main purpose of the whoopie in my opinion is the added adjustment with your set up and also a little bit of weight savings. you could just stick with the little bit of rope on your GT and just use a really long tree strap. everyone will have their own opinion of why or why not to use it. i like long tree straps, i use the stock WB or sometimes some shorter 6' straps if i know i'm going somewhere i've been before. i also like a large span between trees, around 23-25ft between them. many would say that's too far but i find i get a flatter lay.
most whoopies that are sold are a finished length of 6-7' but you can make of have them made to any length you want. the only thing you should concern yourself with is making sure the major loop of the whoopie has something in there that doesn't allow you to pull the loop into the bury, a bead or plastic ring will do that and i believe most sell them with something there.
in all practicality, it's a light weight feature that allows for a fair amount of adjustability with a shorter tree strap and it's fun to watch tenters freak out you're hanging from what looks like a string to them.

smokebait @ www.whoopieslings.com could probably chat your ear off about it if you really want to know the inns and outs

[thekalimist]

modular fine tuned suspension adjustment. rather than fully disconnecting your hammock to re-position your suspension and you lift, slide, and milk you suspension to perfect level and flat lay

[GrayDog]

Yes, they do save weight,

Yes, they add to adjustability,

but the real reason I use whoopie slings is... THEY'RE COOL!!!

The trick toy factor is hard to beat!

[Bubba]

Advantages of the whoopie slings are the reduced bulk and weight, ease of adjustment and strength. Webbing and descender rings are great and I have that set up on some of my hammock but if weight bulk reduction is a way of life, you can't beat whoopie slings for strength to weight ratio and packability. It's also possible to easily and quickly adjust the slings in very small increments and since they are made by splicing vs knotting, they retain a very large percentage of their breaking strength.

The common thing to do is attach whoopie slings to the hammock and use them in conjunction with webbing to protect the trees from damage and to foster our tree friendly philosophy with park rangers. The lengths you use are personal preference. 6 foot whoopie sling and 6 foot webbing would probably do for most woods but if you are in an area with really large or sparse trees you may need to change the lengths you take accordingly. Attaching the whoopies to the webbing is again a thing of personal preference. You can use a variety of methods. For the weight conscious, carabiners are not generally used but there are others that use them all the time.

[bkautzman89]

alright. i'll buy some whoopies and mess around then. i'm not to worried about the weight, since i mostly use it for relaxing at the park or wherever. would removing the S hook, and replacing it with a carabiner be fine? so the only length adjustments to be made would be with the descender rings on the webbing?

[bloomgorge]

you would just get ride of the s hook. the whoopie will have a fixed eye at the the short end which you can run through the sewn channel in your GT. feed that short end all the way through the channel, run the large loop and entire line through the 1" small fixed eye loop or so and pull tight until it forms the gather end again. when you lay on it everything will tighten down nicely.

use the carabiner at the tree strap at the tree and pick out some hardware or do a marlin spike with an arrow shaft or doll rod, 1/2" or so or whatever would be appropriate for your weight.

[bkautzman89]

alright. i'll give those a try. i'm always up for trying new things and seeing what works and what doesn't

[Bubba]

What's really cool about hanging from whoopie slings is laying in your hammock and looking a something 7/64 of an inch carrying your weight.

[tncamper]

Here's one of Shug's vids on using whoopie slings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7NZVqpBUV0