Rings, straps, and gardahitch for hanging light

[bmike]

here's my setup...
stock HH line to rings + huggers + biner.

when i turn into ultralight man i'll ditch the biners - but they make it nice and easy for adjusting up or down. i'll make up some longer straps with slightly longer loops to pass the rings through. (i'll also have to get a lighter hammock, lose some weight, get a lighter pack, make some quilts, upgrade my tarp... sigh.)



to tie the line i run it through the rings, then do a sort of HH figure eight 1 time round both rings and add a half hitch.

[TreeDweller]

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...?t=1623&page=5
bmike, after I'd posted I decided to add a loop of strong accessory cord to the stock Hennessy strap using a double fisherman's knot. That way that my pair of SMC rings could pass through and the garda hitch could be used to hang my HHUL.

Then I came back and found your post. While my rope might be a little lighter than your biner I think I may just have to go get a pair of those. They only weigh an ounce each right? Your way is certainly faster since you don't have to thread the rings through a loop. Or I may just save the ounces and $ and take the extra couple seconds.

I added shiny threads on my strap in two places to create a measurement line--a park recently required hanging on 12" diameter trees so I added two rows of shiny stitches to mark the required circumference.

Using rope rather than a biner to loop the rings on a stock Hennessy tree strap.

In the picture there is a little shiny line on the tree strap. I added shiny threads to my tree strap in two places to create a pair of measurement lines--a park recently required hanging on 12" diameter trees so I added two rows of shiny stitches to mark the required circumference. I used the same shiny thread and stitched in a zigzag up and down the tarp lines for my HHUL. They show up much better now in a flashlight beam. They used to be a serious night time tripping hazard even when I knew they were there. The thread is simply a decorative one from a fabric store left over from a different project.


Shiny thread sewn along tarp lines to make them visible in a flashlight beam at night.

[headchange4u]

I am going to make a garda hitch system to play around with. Did I read somewhere that line without a sheath/cover, like the Amsteel 12 7/64" that I use a lot, will slip with this hitch. Do I need to get a covered line?

[angrysparrow]

Originally Posted by headchange4u

Did I read somewhere that line without a sheath/cover, like the Amsteel 12 7/64" that I use a lot, will slip with this hitch. Do I need to get a covered line?

I posted in this thread that I couldn't get a Garda Hitch to hold with the 'Lash-It' cording (very similar). YMMV

[GrizzlyAdams]

I told NCPatrick I'd post pictures of making the garda hitch. In doing some searching I rediscovered this thread, which actually is the best place to park the post.

My boys and I are hitting the trail shortly. They both hang in HH Explorers. Last year they used the ring buckles with Strapworks straps, we didn't cut the stock HH rope. This year we'll forgo the straps, but use the SMC rings on the stock rope, using the Garda Hitch.

What makes the method I'll now document different from the others in this thread is the connection at the tree. I've grown fond of the Marlinspike hitch to put a toggle next to the tree. Now what I'll do is hang a pair of rings off that toggle, and put a Garda hitch through the rings with the stock HH line, and we're done.

Here's the webbing with the Marlinspike hitch and toggle


I cut about 2' of Spyderline, made a loop by tying off the ends with an overhand knot, slipped the rings on with a prusik, and just clip the loop onto the toggle.


The first step in the Garda hitch is to loop the cord around the rings.


The second step is to take the free end and slip it between the rings.


When the hammock is under weight the loop around the rings tightens them up to pinch the free end. For the pinching to work the rings have to be well clamped down on the other side, hence the prusik.

My stock HH hanging from this arrangement.


A nice thing about this arrangement is that when tearing down the hammock one can unhook the prusik+rings from the toggle, and leave it threaded onto the cord (with a little more knot tying to ensure the rings don't fall off completely if the Garda hitch loosens up too much).

That makes set-up simple
1. wrap webbing around tree, pass one end through looped end, cinch up.
2. put Marlinspike hitch in
3. Repeat on other tree
4. Hook prusik+rings loop on Marlinspike toggle at each end of the hammock
5. Adjust as needed, if needed

On a completely different note: It has been almost a year since I climbed inside one of these Explorers. Last year it seem so spacious---but that was relative to the HH Desert Rat I previously had. The enclosed hammocks I've been in recently (my DIY dual mode bridge, and Skeeter Beater Pro) are cavernous by comparison with the Explorer. Which probably means they have too much material! On the other hand, the netting on the Explorer seemed pretty close to my face, and having more space there (particularly with the bridge design) is very nice.

Grizz

[headchange4u]

I have meant to try the Gardia hitch system for a while but some have stated that the single braid line doesn't hold very well. I may make something similar to Grizz's setup in the pictures above and try it with the thicker, 3mm Amsteel Blue and see what happens.

[GrizzlyAdams]

Originally Posted by headchange4u

I have meant to try the Gardia hitch system for a while but some have stated that the single braid line doesn't hold very well. I may make something similar to Grizz's setup in the pictures above and try it with the thicker, 3mm Amsteel Blue and see what happens.

I saw AngrySparrow's report that it didn't hold on Lash It. That stuff is really thin.

The GH has been holding very nicely on single braid Vectran 12 I'm using on my DIY bridge. It is a little thinner than 3mm Amsteel Blue. Gets pinched quite flat in the rings---but holds!

I also think it is critical to have the back side of the rings pinched tightly. The cord I'm using to prusik the rings is 3.8mm Spyderline, thicker than I normally use but here I don't need much of it. Multiple wraps, fat line--->well pinched back side.

Grizz

[GrizzlyAdams]

I spoke too soon about Vectran 12 holding in the Garda hitch, at least the stock version. In a pitch that was a bit flatter than usual (owing to shorter suspension lines, on a different hammock than usual, between far away trees), I got dropped. Not far, but still.

I stayed up after a small modification to the Garda hitch. Just one additional full wrap of the cord around the rings before the "pinch". This takes some of the pulling force off the pinched end.

Grizz

[NCPatrick]

Thanks for the demo Grizz... I'll have to look into the marlinspike hitch thingamabob (I think that's the technical term).

I never cut the fairly thick cord of my HH's, so I'll have to see if the rings will hold with the thick cord using the GH. I can't imagine that it wouldn't hold.

Thanks for following up with this. Much appreciated.

[GrizzlyAdams]

Originally Posted by NCPatrick

Thanks for the demo Grizz... I'll have to look into the marlinspike hitch thingamabob (I think that's the technical term).

I never cut the fairly thick cord of my HH's, so I'll have to see if the rings will hold with the thick cord using the GH. I can't imagine that it wouldn't hold.

Thanks for following up with this. Much appreciated.

thingamabob, do-hicky, whatchamacallit are all technical terms for UTOs
(unidentified technical objects).

Grizz