I can't believe this hasn't been done before.
does anybody have any insight regarding the ups and downs around making tree straps out of old seat belts?
(Note: this would be using the three-point belt, since there's more material there)
I can't believe this hasn't been done before.
does anybody have any insight regarding the ups and downs around making tree straps out of old seat belts?
(Note: this would be using the three-point belt, since there's more material there)
I recall seeing some threads on here about that...one recently that discussed the downfalls of trying to cut the seatbelts lengthwise. try a search...
Seatbelt webbing has been done lots of times. Some of the webbing vendors even specifically carry it.
It can be hard to cut if you don't have sharp shears, but there's no problem otherwise.
“I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy
Thanks for the insight. Frankly, I'm happy using what I have, but I'm always racking my brain with ideas for replacements (that I don't need), heh. My main concern with using the seatbelts would be that something that wide would be a pain to tie if I had to.
I bought 1.5" seatbelt webbing off the spool at a surplus store.
sewed a 4" loop on either end, glued and sewed with an "X inside a box" stitch pattern and have used them several times with no problems.
Make them longer than you think you will need - mine are only 6' long and if I was doing it again, I'd make them 9 or 10' long with a loop on one end and double d rings on the other for adjustment. (like a rigger's belt)
Seat belt straps were one of my first DIY projects. Wanted long straps for those bigger trees I might come across.
Just make sure it's a polyester belt...not nylon.
--If a cow laughs hard, does milk come out its nose?
I have used a lot of seatbelt material over the years, being a sailor and a tree climber I have had lots of opportunities. I have made mast ladders (a real pain and very time and material consuming), tree savers to attach my single line tie off for climbing trees, and as tow straps around the place to move one parts car to another place. I generally buy in 100 yard rolls from sail suppliers or upostery suppliers.
I make tree savers from the seat belt material and sew in a loop about every 24 inches, creating some fairly large ones since I don't pack them too far. That way I can choose the loop that matches the length I need and don't have to tie anything, just slip a carabiner in. I do that for my Lawson hammock and attach the end of the webbing to the hammock and then find the best available loop and snap in.
Sometimes, I fold the seatbelt material in half and make handles for bags or make stiffer pieces to assist in finding a loop easier.
Got any pics of your tree savers?
Ive got a set for my adj webbing got it from strapworks. The wife and state frowned on me cutting them out of the car.
Bookmarks