I agree shipping is the pitts. I was looking at a pair of Treklight biners, almost $7 to ship two small biners that could be mailed for one or two stamps at most. This almost doubles the total cost of the item.
I agree shipping is the pitts. I was looking at a pair of Treklight biners, almost $7 to ship two small biners that could be mailed for one or two stamps at most. This almost doubles the total cost of the item.
My knife is so sharp it cut the sixth finger off my right hand! On the plus side, Inigo Montoya no longer hunts me.
This is exactly my point. If you going to pay that much for shipping then chances are you can get it for that price or cheaper locally. $5 for shipping for items like this are outrageous. People brag about the prices they pay on the internet and then they pay the shipping an it ends up be more then what you could have bought it locally.
Firstly, I wanted to use the tensioners for more than just one particular shelter so I made it 12" rather than have it attached to a line. I gave the TheraBand tubing strength a lot of thought before I ordered it. At first I thought that the Green might be slightly too "weak", but it turned out to be exactly what I needed. I chose a length of approximately 12" when finished, but that was from the end of one Spectra line loop to the end of the other. Since the TheraBand is turned back about an inch at each end, it meant cutting it 12" long. I mistyped earlier that I used 3mm Spectra line, it should have read 2mm. I doubt that 3mm would be thin enough to work. The amount of stretch you wish to give the TheraBand before it reaches the extended length of the Spectra is quite easy. After threading the line through, stretch the TB allowing the excess line to go inside the TB. When the desired tension is reached simply let the TB retreat with the line inside. Tying off the TB about an inch from the end can be done with either a very strong thread or even with a tiny zip-tie before turning back the TB.
After the initial one, I found that hooking one loop over the knob of my desk drawer to turning back the 1" of TB, and also using the end of a titanium tent stake too help some processes made the job very easy. Other than that, just follow JustJeff's instructions. Hope this helps.
I ♥ my Warbonnet
I used the green Theraband tubing with 2mm Lash-it and followed the instructions at Just Jeff's site. They work great on mine and my daughter's Macats.
This is what I have found also. Shipping is actually Shipping and Handling, S&H. Even if the cost for the shipper is only $xx.xx, the seller still has to pay the shipping department personnel, the cost of their materials and the cost of heating/cooling their area. i.e., the cost of doing business. A lot of small, one man businesses don't charge for this part of the S&H, but once you get past that size and start paying others to do the packaging, labeling, etc, the you have to figure those costs into the S&H. And to be competitive on the internet, they have to quote the lowest price possible to get your eyeballs, so the Handling part cannot always be figured into the advertised price.
Having said that I have found that some sellers make their profit on the S&H. I bought 50 yards of polyester grosgrain off ebay. The grosgrain cost $0.10 (not a typo) and S&H cost $10.00 - the seller was upfront on the S&H. At that price it was still cheaper by far than locally, if I could have found it locally.
There's a tire store here that sell tires at invoice...if you pay for balance and mount. Same deal - cheaper product price but you're paying for the labor. Still cheaper than paying full price plus balance and mount.
In the end, pay for what's cheapest and fits your needs best. If that's getting JRB tensioners or DIY hammock materials off the internet, do it - or go to your store and pay for gas, tax, etc.
Btw - You can get several different strengths at Army-Navy Surplus stores. They're sold in little ziplock bags with a plastic spiral notebook titles something like "Deployed Fitness" that shows soldiers how to exercise with it while traveling. I think I got ~8' of green and black for ~$2 each.
“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story
- My site: http://www.tothewoods.net/
- Designer, Jeff's Gear Hammock / Pack Cover by JRB
IMPOSSIBLE JUST TAKES LONGER
That's an awesome deal - you could make a few bucks buying it at that price and selling it at $1/ft.. I paid $1.39/ft. for 1/4 OD surgical tubing to make mine, which I thought was a steal. It was $2.99 at the local hardware store. I love American Science and Surplus!
BTW, I bought some 3/8 ID surgical tubing just for fun. I'm gonna make some MONSTER tensioners, just to humour myself.
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