Biggin beware of the toggle!!!!!

**talksfast99** · 11-01-2012, 21:22

So today I decided to really put the test to my 1/8 whoopie slings. They held great, the aluminum toggle that I cut from an old Everest arrow, lets just say it didn't make it. So Biggin, if you are over 300 lbs use a solid toggle and save yourself a rump shaking.
FYI I'm 360 lbs and really test my equipment to the fullest. I try to break it just so I know how reliable it is. If its tuff, ill get another. if it sucks, I try something different. Today I jumped straight up and when I landed I centered all my weight on the hammock. Before I jumped I tried to come up with a hypotheses and I was thinking the fabric was going to give first, but I was wrong. The toggle buckled and snapped out of the webbing and took off flying. Still haven't found it. Ha. I think I could have killed a horse if it was struck by it. If your new to hammocking here's what I recommend.

1/8 whoopie slings with 18 inch lock

Tubular webbing 3/4 inch with a solid toggle

1.9 nylon or canvas with no channel, gather the ends and use a whipping knot then larks head your whoopie below the whipping knot. Trust me this is way stronger than a channeled end. If you do this, you could pretty much jump off a building land in your hammock and the tree trunks would snap before your hammock does. Don't try it. I want to first.

**Gresh** · 11-01-2012, 21:46

Weighing in at 360 myself, I busted a carbon-fiber toggle in half last night hanging out with the other hammockers at Sesqi.

I use spent brass casings.

**Bubba** · 11-01-2012, 21:54

Are you guys putting the whoopie on the knot? The whoopies should not be resting on the toggle. The toggle only needs to be strong enough to resist compression since the whoopie is exerting force on the knot. I've read someone even used a Bic pen as a toggle. Just curious.

**Gresh** · 11-01-2012, 21:58

Originally Posted by Bubba

Are you guys putting the whoopie on the knot? The whoopies should not be resting on the toggle. The toggle only needs to be strong enough to resist compression since the whoopie is exerting force on the knot. I've read someone even used a Bic pen as a toggle. Just curious.

My whoopie was on the knot, but I didn't have my strap flat against the toggle so it put more pressure on it in one place than it would have had the flat distributed it.

**talksfast99** · 11-01-2012, 21:59

It was on the knot. The other toggle I still have and it was bent as well

**JohnSawyer** · 11-02-2012, 06:23

Originally Posted by talksfast99

It was on the knot. The other toggle I still have and it was bent as well

I could see it being crushed, but bent means that the whoopie was on the toggle, not the knot...

Watch Shug's video...

**Floridahanger** · 11-01-2012, 22:09

Originally Posted by Bubba

Are you guys putting the whoopie on the knot? The whoopies should not be resting on the toggle. The toggle only needs to be strong enough to resist compression since the whoopie is exerting force on the knot. I've read someone even used a Bic pen as a toggle. Just curious.

+1
I use old twigs in rope in my backyard(always there over a year). I'm not as big(200lbs), but me and my 6yo have been in the hammock with no problem.
A couple of days ago, both ropes snapped at the toggle area a few minutes apart, but not the twigs as toggles. They're still good.

**gmcttr** · 11-01-2012, 23:30

Originally Posted by Floridahanger

...A couple of days ago, both ropes snapped at the toggle area a few minutes apart, but not the twigs as toggles. They're still good.

Let me see if I have this right...one end snaps and the hammock stays suspended for a few minutes until the other end snaps....that's some really impressive "hang time" ya got goin' on there.

**shrineclown** · 11-01-2012, 23:35

315# and I use a 7/16" solid dowel. No issues so far with that. But I have heeded Shug's words at all times. And keep the fish in the flounder perspective.

**Floridahanger** · 11-02-2012, 14:56

Originally Posted by gmcttr

Let me see if I have this right...one end snaps and the hammock stays suspended for a few minutes until the other end snaps....that's some really impressive "hang time" ya got goin' on there.

You should see the grown dwellers eyes light up when I hang from 1 tree

After my intimate meeting with the bugs below, I set up again, thought to myself how the other side would manage and saw myself in slow motion, ala Shug replay, as the 2nd half of the bug meeting would soon come to order.