Are there any downsides to Whoopie Sling Suspension

[Mustardman]

Another potential downside to whoopies, which I don't think has been mentioned here, is that they can freeze. There was a thread discussing the possibility a while ago, and someone tried it out. It was possible to unfreeze them with body heat and get them to adjust again, but that would kind of suck to have to wrap your hands around your frozen slings if you needed to adjust them during a sleet storm or something.


I switched to an all-in-one whoopie system, and it's a lot more convenient than messing with toggles and whatnot. However, it's still not as convenient as my webbing-and-ring-buckles suspension, which I absolutely loved. I made the switch to whoopies primarily to reduce bulk in the pack, and they certainly worked for that, but I would not be at all surprised if I ended up going back to webbing at some point, especially during the winter.


http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=18440

[RePete]

The only thing holding me back on that is that dutch clips are loose and I would need to be careful not to lose them. Maybe I drill a small hole in the clip and tie it to the hugger.

I think most people sew their clips on. All you have to do is put the clip on the loop and then hand stitch beside the Dutch Clip to prevent it from being able to come off. That is how mine are done. I won the straps with the DC at the Hoosier Hang and love them. No need to drill them unless you are wanting to be able to move them from strap to strap. Otherwise stitching them to the straps you want to use would be the easiest thing.


Kayak Karl I love the triangle you have on the end of your straps. I was never convinced that I would want to attach my straps to my whoopies until I saw your picture. I may want to try key rings as I could remove the straps from the whoopies without tools. Then again the triangle looks way better than a key ring would. Choices choices way to many choices.

[Bubba]

I think most people sew their clips on. All you have to do is put the clip on the loop and then hand stitch beside the Dutch Clip to prevent it from being able to come off..

Yeah I just put a little stitch to snug the loop against the narrow end of the Dutch clip and it is secure enough not to worry about. Before I put a stitch in I used an elastic in a figure 8 to keep them in place. It worked as well.

[BER]

I have never bothered to stitch on the dutch clips and have never had one fall off. With the narrow opening and upturned inner lip they seem surprisingly resistant to slipping off.

[beep]

i don't like any of my suspension separate either. bad enough i leave stakes behind. set mine up as photo. strap is WB. slings are opies and stitched in dutch clip.

The only problem with the strap in this arrangement is that you wind up with the full length of whatever strap is left after going around the tree...or wrapping several times around the tree to shorten the effective length. By using a Marlin Spike Hitch, I generally put the toggle within a few inches of the tree and adjust my whoopie slings for length.

[Doctari]

Yea, what Karl did is my plan, but without he metal bits. I like the key ring idea too, making the straps removable,,,, Hmm.

I have enough to forget without leaving my straps behind. It's one of the reasons my Dutch clips are sewn in place, I KNOW that I would lose them often, with "almost never" being 3 times a day.

Since I have gone "hardcore" with the backpacking thing 4 years ago, I have lost at least 8 tent stakes, a pair of Black diamond trekking poles, & countless brain cells, I don't want to have to go to ground just cause I forgot 2/3 of my suspension at the last campsite.

[RePete]

The only problem with the strap in this arrangement is that you wind up with the full length of whatever strap is left after going around the tree...or wrapping several times around the tree to shorten the effective length. By using a Marlin Spike Hitch, I generally put the toggle within a few inches of the tree and adjust my whoopie slings for length.

Beep you could still use the marlin spike hitch with this set up. The ring would just slide down the loop in the whoopie sling. Ill try to set this up tomorrow and take a pic. I think I can figure out how to post a pic. Maybe.

[Bat]

I wish someone made pink tree straps. Why pink? Because it is a color that doesn't occur in nature. I discovered this from playing disc golf for years. I don't think any of us would miss a pink strap on a tree. I know the laughing and negative posts will come because I said this but I don't care. If I could find some I would pay for them and use them.

[Youngblood]

You folks need to discipline yourself in how you pack your gear and double check that you didn't leave anything before you head out. Sometimes being obsessive compulsive about how you do things is a good thing.

Seriously, after having those issues when I first started backpacking I learned to pack everything the same way everytime (and that includes leaving the house so I wouldn't leave anything at home). Of course it helps that you are backpacking often, otherwise you have to start out learning your routine all over again, but when I was thru hiking or backpacking hundreds of miles every year I would notice every little thing. I took down camp the same way and packed my backpack the same way and it same sequence. If I had departed on some little item, I would notice it in one step or the other and locate it... then I would automatically go back over and double check the area I had camped, cooked, etc in and make sure I didn't leave anything behind before I took off.

Heck, I even learned to make camp in an obsessive compulsive way, down to putting my headlamp around my neck when I set up camp even if there was 2 or 3 hours of daylight left so I would be sure I would have that light when I needed it. All in all, I think that leads to a more enjoyable experience. After a while it becomes second nature and there is not any pressure as you have thought things through and everything takes care of itself. I throw a line for a food bag before I need it so I'm not trying to do it in the dark, etc. You learn that most things are simple if you do them in the right (or same) sequence but can become chaotic and problematic if you don't.

[Canardly]

The only drawback I've personally experienced with whoopies was when I got a bit complacent about how solid my marlin spike sticks were that I picked up at my campsite. I used some slightly rotten ones one day and ended up hitting the ground shortly thereafter.

I hadn't thought the marlin spikes had to be very solid as most of the stress from the whoopies was on the knot of webbing, but I will probably carry some good ones with me on future trips.

Now that I think about it, another small problem is that adjusting the whoopie when I have my hammock set up with all my crap in the Blackbird's storage shelf the total weight of things sometimes makes me wish I had three hands to get things moving.

I love my whoopies.