considering whoopie slings for 230lb guy with HH Explorer Deluxe...

[XSrcing]

I've had 315 lbs in my hammock with 7/64 whoopies.

[Peter_pan]

You will not have any problem at that weight... Stretch is not an issue, less minor stretch potential for the tree saver straps.

Pan

[kayak karl]

as far as the hammock for you, no problem. i use amsteel 7/64 whoopies for my DIY with me 210# and w/Kaia 80# never had a problem or concern.

[pgibson]

I have had myself, wife and all 3 kiddos in a hammock...I got attached in the middle of my rest time ...and never thought twice about it. All together we were pushing 500 and change.

[Rain Man]

I used whoopie slings back when I was 300 lbs. Weight is one factor but so is the angle of suspension. At 30 degrees each end is supporting your entire body weight, not half your weight as some new hangers may think, but the closer your suspension gets to parallel, the more weight is exponetially applied to the suspension. Also there are dynamic forces to consider caused by getting in and out as well as repositioning yourself while in it.

I'll "second" what Bubba says. It's not simply a matter of the laboratory test strength of the line. It's also the angle of the hang, whether the line has a knot, splice, lashing, or is bent over any sharp angles, and the fact that the laboratory test is with "static" and not "dynamic" weight.

Thus the reason professional riggers use rules of thumb of anywhere from 5-to-1 to 10-to-1 for a margin of safety when human life is involved.

I'm over 200lbs and make my own whoopie slings and have used both 1/8th inch and 7/64ths inch successfully and with no stretch after the initial adjustments.

Don't forget, even if the suspension system holds, trees and other attachment structures have been known to fail. YIKES!

Rain Man

.