Whoopie sling sizing and help

[Snow-Ape]

I picked up a tarp line for my OES Deluxe and my HH Survivor and love them both but I was hoping for some pointers that could be dumbed down, romper room, barney style for me.

For starters, I'm a large farm animal at about 6ft and 265. No issues with the ridgeline except for it not being long enough to suspend over my hammock when I've got it hung all the way out on my 10 ft. whoopies. Which brings me to the root of my problem... I picked up an "all in one system" with 10 foot whoopies. I'm actually limiting the places that I can hang because my whoopies are so long. And when I'm hanging in places where my whoopies aren't completely tightened, I run into the first problem. Now all of that being said, I also get to the point where the whoopies are almost TOO tight... is this because I'm a person in a pig suit, or is it common? I'll push my huggers up the tree 7 feet or so, and tighten and if I hang it at that 30 degree mark, I usually end up on the ground?

I realize this probably is a combination of my not being able to follow simple directions and being a barrel chested (and assed) animal.

Snow-ape

[SilvrSurfr]

Which all-in-one suspension do you have?

[adkphoto]

I'll take a stab at answering your questions and hope that I am understanding them correctly.

First, it sounds like you may not have your hammock ridgeline in the right place. If you have the Dutchware all-in-one system, you should have continuous loops larks-headed around the end of your hammock. Slip the continuous loops through the fixed loops on your ridgeline, and pull the ridgeline toward the gathered end of your hammock. The ridgeline should be right next to the gathered end.

With whoopie slings, how long they are doesn't determine how short they can be. That is determined by the bury length and fixed loop end. Most whoopie slings can be shortened to about 12-14" long. Any extra will just hang to the ground.

How long are your tree straps? If they are too long, wrap them around the tree again, or use a Marlin Spike Hitch to connect your whoopie instead of the loop on the strap.

It sounds like you may also be putting tension on your whoopies. They shouldn't be tight. Try just tightening them to the point where there is no longer sag in your hammock ridgeline (which shouldn't be tight either, just not sagging).

I can't figure out why you would end up on the ground unless it relates back to where you have your ridgeline.

I hope that helps.

David

[adkphoto]

Stu has a video showing how to use all-in-one system here. It's not much different than the Dutchware version.

David

[Snow-Ape]

Stu has a video showing how to use all-in-one system here. It's not much different than the Dutchware version.

David

Thats the exact system I have.

[SilvrSurfr]

Stu has a video showing how to use all-in-one system here. It's not much different than the Dutchware version.

David

After watching that vid, I can see why Snow Ape has a problem. He's not using a marlin spike hitch or anything to shorten the tree straps. Therefore, he's truly got to wrap the webbing around the tree as the only way to shorten the webbing, and even then it's probably too long.

Dutch's all-in-one suspension works differently. You wrap the webbing around the tree, then feed the webbing (and larksheaded whoopie) through the sewn loop at the end of the webbing. Clip Whoopie hook onto your continuous loop, adjust whoopies, and you're done. I've been using his system for a year with 4-ft. tree huggers with no problems.



I can see how 10 ft. tree straps would be a pain in the butt and majorly unwieldy (note: I started with 8 ft. tree straps before deciding that 4 ft. was all I needed in the Northeast). With my 4 ft. straps, if the tree diameter is too great, I just larkshead a continuous loop onto the sewn loop to extend the tree hugger.

Like you, Snow Ape, I thought longer tree huggers had to be better, right? However, that's not necessarily true, as you have discovered. You're cranking your whoopies so tight trying to compensate for overly long tree huggers.

If you were using a marlin spike hitch and toggle (or even a Dutch buckle), you'd have much more flexibility. You could make the tree hugger as short as you want based on where you place the MSH or Dutch buckle.

Here's a vid on the Dutch buckle where you see it placed very close to the tree (same would apply to MSH). Your attachment point for the whoopie sling is probably much further away from the tree with your system.



So consider shorter tree huggers with your system, or get another system.

[Snow-Ape]

I've got a HH Survivor and the All in one whoopie slings that have the huggers running through the stainless eye on the whoopie. I always run the tree straps around as many times as I can and use a light weight biner to clip it back onto (per the instructions).

I guess I just feel like I have to gorilla tighten the whoopies to keep it up off the ground even when I'm wrapping it at 7 feet or so. I feel like there is just a ton of stretch in the lines? I'll play with it tomorrow some behind my work and try and snap some pics.

[adkphoto]

Pics would definitely help.

How far apart are the trees that you're trying to use?

David

[Snow-Ape]

Pics would definitely help.

How far apart are the trees that you're trying to use?

David

Depends... I'm all over the place. I've hung it here in VA and in Panama in the last month so it differs. I had gotten the longest "all in one" through whoopie thinking it would give me the most options, but I'm starting to thing that it actually may limit them? I feel like I need to get too high on the trees when I've got them extended all the way out and crank the whoopies slings tight... so tight its very hard to get them to free up when I break down.

[adkphoto]

Something's not right if you have to crank your whoopies tight like that. I can't visualize why you would need to do that when you are putting your tree straps so high. I can't even reach 7' high It seems to me that your hammock would be too high off the ground.

Try to get it to look like Derek's illustration here.

David