Alright, West Marine only had Amsteel instock. Will that work, or hold out for some 3.8 spideline? They had some that had a breaking strength of 1900lbs, and some that was 3800lbs. Will this be ok on the hammock? Oneof the West Marines can order the 3.8 spiderline and have it by Friday if I can get there in the AM which I cannot. I will hold out till after I get back from hiking this weekend if its not advisable. So please advise on what to do. Thanks in advance
1900 lb test Amsteel will be just fine.
In terms of strength per unit weight, Amsteel is stronger than Spyderline because some of Spyderline's weight is in the sheathing. The flip side (and there always is a flip side---no free lunch here) is that Amsteel is slippery and won't hold some knots that Spyderline will.
The knots you're likely to use for hammocking are fine though : buntline hitch, bowline, full turn with half hitches, figure-8.
Grizz
Grizz, Thanks for the quick response. I hope to mirror the Hennessy knot. Do you think the Amsteel will be able to hold a knot for that? I believe it was Gargoyle who posted your link with some air core. That looks like my config in the HH and I was hoping to mirror that. I have never worked with Amsteel, but when I walked in West Marine, my eyes lit up, I have never seen a wall of rope. It was like looking for electrcal wire at a HD or Lowes. Thanks
yes. That setup is just the cord looped through holes and around the stem 2-3 times, finished off in a bowline...the part of the rope that is leaving the hammock heading towards the tree is where you put the "hole" in the bowline's rabbit-round-the-tree story, the working end coming off the wraps is the rabbit. Be sure to first put a stopper knot like an overhead or figure-8 at the end of the working end, as insurance against being pulled through the loop in the bowline. Probably you'll want to do this after putting the cord through the holes though...leave enough room on the cord for the stopper!Originally Posted by spinkid
Grizz
Grizz, thanks again and I will be stopping a West Marine tomorrow after work.
I made the start, one side support is removed and ready for finishing, but I want to be sure on how to attach the 2 ends of the Amsteel. Will a Double fishermans knot work if I use only one piece of Amsteel to make the wraps and then come back to meet the shorter piece for the knot? I won't pull both pieces at once like Griz did here:
Or is the above way preferred (I think is the way Griz described in the post above).
Man, Only my second backpacking hang this coming weekend and this addiction will knot (pun intended) stop.... Thanks again and I will post the final product.
So I made the swap today while waiting for some software to load today at work. The first side took quite some time as I wanted to be sure I got it correct. I actually took it apart earlier and sat on it for a while to be sure I would get it right. Not nearly as difficult as I imagined. I absolutely love this and can't wait to use it this weekend along with my brand spankin' new KAQ (will review and photo after hike).
I can't for the life of me get my pictures to show up where I want them in this post, so please forgive me on that. They should be attached below though.
The first is what whas behind the HH covers. Then the final product which I believe is close to a figure 8 with a stopper on it. I did not trim the ends yet because I wanted to make sure that this would not slip and was how I like it. Then there is the last photo with the straps in the rings. The prusik really holds the rings tight. I don't even think the half-hitch on the straps is necessary other than a backup.
One minor issue was that the Hammock settled into the knots more than expected and I had to re-tie them a bit shorter so the rings were closer to the hammock.
Sorry, I should of took a shot of the entire setup of my from trailer hitch over truck to fence post hang for your enjoyment but I didn't even think about it. At least I got some quality time in it before I had to take it down. Gotta love slow software loads......
Thanks again to everyone for the help and I will post my special KAQ when I get back from the Catskills.
looks great, congrats!
I still remember my sense of trepidation when I tore mine apart, and sense of accomplishment when I got it put back together again and it worked!
Not so much of a sense of accomplishment though when I did it the second time, made necessary by my neglecting to slip the knot cover back over the rope before finishing it off. Once the rings and prussik are on there and the cover isn't, well, I had what might be described as a topology problem
Grizz
Nice work Spinkid. Thanks for including pics.
My Amsteel hasn't arrived yet but I can't wait to start. My plan is to go with an all line suspension using Grizz's single sliding descender ring method .
Knotty
"Don't speak unless it improves the silence." -proverb
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When I did this swap I left the knot covers off since I realized they were fairly heavy for what they were. I've had maybe 8 nights in the hammock this way with no trouble. It may not be as pretty, but it works. Two things the knot cover might slightly affect: 1) the zip tie bunches the fabric about an inch closer to the center of the hammock than the rope passing through the hole does 2) If you're using the stock rain fly attached to the hammock suspension, the knot cover may play some part in reducing the amount of water that runs down the line to the hammock body. Neither one of these were a drawback for me.
.. truly to enjoy bodily warmth, some small part of you must be cold, for there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself. If you flatter yourself that you are all over comfortable, and have been so a long time, then you cannot be said to be comfortable any more. - Herman Melville
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