Length and Strength of Lines

**m_huber** · 01-22-2013, 09:41

Hi All,

I am trying to figure out what kind and how much cord I need for my hammock. I have a GTP Nano 7, which is 9' long, and I have a ridgeline on it that is 8' long. My tarp is 9' long. I am trying to find appropriate cord for the hammock, but I am uncertain how long I should make the lines. To connect to the trees, I am using some straps with a Marlin Spike hitch, and I am using a trucker's hitch on the cord to suspend it.

What I would like to know is:
1) How long should the cords be on each side of the hammock?
2) What strength of cord should I use (I am in Europe, and everything I see in shops has the weight rating listed in kN, and I have no idea what to do with that).

I am also interested in the length people use for the ridgeline for the tarp.

I appreciate any help!

Cheers,
M

**dragon360** · 01-22-2013, 09:51

1 kN is equal to about 225 pounds (of force). As I have understood it, most people hang on cordage that has about 1000pds to 1600 pds of strength making the kN you are looking for above 4.

As for connecting to the trees - I use an about 25-30 foot ridgeline for my tarps most of the time. And with the hammock, I tend to use whoopies (5-6 ft) and currently giving UCRs a go.

**craige** · 01-22-2013, 10:52

Most folk use amsteel, dynaglide or similar for hammock suspension because they are easy to splice into whoopie slings or UCR. Sources... Amsteel, Dynaglide (bottom of page), Similar. Some people like just using 1" Polyester webbing with descender rings instead of rope, but it weighs more... 6ft is the standard length most people use for suspension + whatever length tree straps you want.

I have a little over 30ft (10m) for my tarp ridgeline, here is a decent source for rope for guylines and tarp rl in Europe.

Hope this all helps

Craig