Rope on Tree ?

[SlowBro]

Correction - it used to be used to cushion a person, before climbers started carrying nylon webbing. Now that webbing is a part of every climber's rack, it's both easier and safer to tie a harness from webbing, and far more comfortable to boot. Seeing any parallels here?

Touché

-SlowBro

[SlowBro]

Ramblinrev, Nest, and Youngblood,

Thanks for the input. Yeah, Youngblood is right. I'm kinda trying to reduce the clutter with my suspension rigging, but I don't want to add wt. I was hoping to get rid of the webbing and simplify, but I'm kind of getting the idea that that may not be possible. They don't call me Slow for nothing.:-) But as Nest mentioned I'm going to try to lose the webbing from the hammock to the tree and replace it with rope. Can someone point me to the best way to tie the rope to a Speer type hammock with knotted ends?

Thanks again, you folks are great.

-SlowBro

[Ramblinrev]

http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery...amp2_thumb.jpg

SlowBro.. thought you might be interested in this all rope solution. I found this in Green Therapy's gallery while checking out some other pics there.

edit: arg... that just shows the thumbnail... well you can probly find it or the mods can fix it. I give up for now. :O

[fin]

Here's the pic RamblinRev was pointing out:

[Youngblood]

Ramblinrev, Nest, and Youngblood,

Thanks for the input. Yeah, Youngblood is right. I'm kinda trying to reduce the clutter with my suspension rigging, but I don't want to add wt. I was hoping to get rid of the webbing and simplify, but I'm kind of getting the idea that that may not be possible. They don't call me Slow for nothing.:-) But as Nest mentioned I'm going to try to lose the webbing from the hammock to the tree and replace it with rope. Can someone point me to the best way to tie the rope to a Speer type hammock with knotted ends?

Thanks again, you folks are great.

-SlowBro

I don't know that there is one best way to attach the rope to the knotted ends of the hammock. I used a cinching knot with mine figuring that would reduce the movement that could result in a troublesome sawing action with small diameter rope. With the rope I used, 3 half hitches worked okay.

But the more I mess with knots the more I realize that what knots work well is often very specific to the type of rope you are using. I played around with SpyderLine and AmSteel Blue this year and their 'knotting characteristics' in terms of how they hold and then release as part of hammock suspensions was as different as night and day. SpyderLine has a polyester sheath and is a hard, solid type rope while AmSteel Blue doesn't and has a weave that tends to flatten and slides very easily (makes a super bear line since it glides over limbs like they are greased). Those two types of ropes are what are often mentioned on this site and are very strong for their weight with very little stretch. Very strong for the weight and very little stretch are two characteristics not to be taken lightly... that will spoil you such that you will not want to use other types of rope that are heavier, bulkier, and stretch more.

The AmSteel Blue's slickness and superior strength has caught my attention. That slickness has been somewhat of a double edged sword-- it figures to be less abrasive and have less issues with the 'sawing' type failures with the loops on tree huggers, etc, but it takes a new class of knots to keep them from slipping. I have figured out a few knots but still have some concerns about the knot I need to hold well and then release. I don't have that one figured out to my satisfaction yet.

[Nails]

I asked an arborist working in my local park what effect hammock hanging might have; this is as close to any scientific investigation as I'm aware of. Here's a link, I think (I'm no good with computers):

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...6159#post26159

Aren't there any forestry (or botany, I guess) grad students in need of a thesis topic we can bribe to do this study? Grad students are pretty poor; it wouldn't take much more than a sandwich as a bribe.

[SlowBro]

Wow,

Thanks! This is very valuable information, at least to me. Thanks for the pic. and the link to the arborist's info. Also thanks for your insight on the AmSteel and Spyderline, Youngblood. I've been eyeing them both. I've been using BPL AirCore Dyneema cord for my bear bag for a couple of years due to the slickness, but knots are indeed problem. I need to do a search on knots for AmSteel.

Also, I appreciate the collective wisdom here. Thanks again.

-SlowBro

[warbonnetguy]

youngblood, what knots are slipping on you? is it only when you are attaching line to hammock fabric or are line to line knots slipping as well with the amsteel? i remember you saying the sheetbend to raw fabric had slipped. what are you using now, or did you just switch ropes? i find a simple larkshead is extremely secure, comes untied easily, can't slip loose ect. even with the amsteel. it probably wouldn't work on an un-knotted speer type, but as long as you finish the end of the hammock so it's larkshead friendly it's works great with any rope.

[Youngblood]

youngblood, what knots are slipping on you? is it only when you are attaching line to hammock fabric or are line to line knots slipping as well with the amsteel? i remember you saying the sheetbend to raw fabric had slipped. what are you using now, or did you just switch ropes? i find a simple larkshead is extremely secure, comes untied easily, can't slip loose ect. even with the amsteel. it probably wouldn't work on an un-knotted speer type, but as long as you finish the end of the hammock so it's larkshead friendly it's works great with any rope.

I posted how I was attaching it to gathered end hammocks a while back with photos on a thread. That works fine. http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...knot#post76895

I have been using a variation of a slippery bow line to tie the suspension line to the tree huggers. I've always gotten it to release but occasionally it is more of a challenge than I like. Basically I put a safety loop into the slippery loop and cinch the slippery loop onto it. That has held and usually releases without too much trouble, but sometimes it takes some serious tugging.

[warbonnetguy]

ive used the same backup knot to tie line to straps using a single sheetbend. haven't tried the slippery bowline before. i've found the slipped buntline seems to hold very well.