Long tree straps better than whoopie slings! Bring it on!

**goober** · 09-19-2014, 13:05

I know that all hell might break lose upon me for this, but: last time I hammocked, along with a buddy, we had to look long and hard to find the best spot(It was in yellowstone, but I think it's a typical scenario.)
My friend found a great spot with trees about 12 feet apart. But, because he had whoopies and a strap system from Warbonnet, his 58" strap couldn't fit around the trees, which weren't that massive.
Mathematically, a tree with a diameter of two feet yields a diameter of 3.14 (pi) times 2 equals: 6.28 feet. Too long for his straps.

My system consisted of lightweight but strong enough 12' straps, which I quickly and greedily connected to a carabiner on the end of my hammock. So I was quickly installed with trees in the great spot, and my friend was still looking for skinny trees.

I think this is a common scenario: you have to look around for the best spot, and you don't want to be limited by short straps.
But if you need long straps, why even bother with the whoopies? I can adjust where my carabiner connects as easy as pie with some sort of hitch that I don't even know the name of. I can use some extra paracord if I need to reach for the straps in the case of a really big tree.

Am I mistaken? Let the comments rain down on my heresy!

**mad goat** · 09-19-2014, 13:20

Whoopies do add a bit to your minimum hang distance between trees, but as long as you are using a typical 10' gathered end hammock, with a typical 11' tarp, they work just fine together.

I switched to straps with dutch cinch buckles when I got my Warbonnet Ridgerunner bridge hammock. When properly hung, the minimum hang distance between trees is something like 13+ feet. With whoopies, that gets even more ungainly. If you aren't forced into fixed campsites, it will work because you can just keep looking for trees that fit. But if you are forced to stay in fixed campsites, it can get a bit hard when you are looking for the perfect pair of trees.

**99Star** · 09-19-2014, 13:28

Twice the length double the bulk, depend on how you weight what's important to you.
If big trees are anticipated then bring longer strap. I think he can still hang on that great spot as long as the straps are over 2/3 around the tree.

**OCDave** · 09-19-2014, 13:30

Sometimes I hang with just my tree straps, sometimes tree straps + whoopie slings. Sometimes I don't use my tarp but, I'd never argue that tarpless was superior.

**Bubba** · 09-19-2014, 13:31

Some people carry straps appropriate to the area they are camping in or else carry some amsteel dogbones to use as strap extenders. As the saying goes, HYOH-Hang Your Own Hang. Whatever works for you and whatever you like is the main thing IMO. I use both and like them both.

**ampersand** · 09-19-2014, 13:35

I've wondered this a lot, especially given that the only tree straps I own are 6', and a lot of trees on the West Coast are way bigger than that.

I like whoopies, mostly because I'm used to them but also because they're lighter. I'd rather make a few Amsteel extenders (with a loop on either side) and carry those in case I need to get around a bigger tree. They're still probably lighter than straps, and they may come in handy for other uses. Who knows, though — I'm still waiting on the Amsteel to arrive, and once I try it out, I may decide that there's a better way to go.

**Floridahanger** · 09-19-2014, 13:36

The strap only suspension system works for many so don't worry. It's about what works for you. Especially out west where the trees are massive.

If you take a pair of whoopies with you, you can use your straps as you do, then if the tree is even larger, attach the whoopies to the ends of the straps and you can extend your suspension with only a little extra bulk and weight for the whoopies.

**Nodust** · 09-19-2014, 13:37

Long straps plus whoopies means I can hang almost anywhere. I can forego the whoopies and hang the continuous loops direct to the marlin spike for close trees.

**goober** · 09-19-2014, 13:43

Another thing to add: I was hammocking with two other guys, and when you want to hang out in the same general area, it makes it even harder to find a good spot, and you don't want to eliminate something just because the trees are 2 feet wide. Small straps are a killer for the group hang!