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I'm getting into making my own hammocks, not all of which will be used for backpacking - just for hanging out in parks, gifts for friends, etc. I'm wondering just what the title says - what's the cheapest form of suspension if weight is not important? Also, it should be pretty simple to use for the aforementioned gift recipients who may not want to learn all about whoopie slings or complicated knots...what are your ideas?
Ratchet straps from your local hardware or sporting goods store. If weight doesn't matter.
We like to encourage webbing for tree-hugger use, no matter what kind of suspension. It's arguably better for the trees, and certainly better for 'perception' of hammockers. So I'd recommend just using a full webbing suspension to keep it simple.
Polyester webbing and old style cinch buckles are cheap, easy to get, and work very well. That setup is so simple that almost anyone 'gets it' after seeing it the first time.
+1 ratchet strapsActually cam buckle straps.
Cheapest, lightest and tree friendliest approach is a couple 10-12 ft lengths of 1 inch poly pro webbing and Speer 4 wrap or HH fifgure 8 wrap lashings...If you want to eliminate the lashing JRB Tri-glides are a light, simple, no moving parts approach...
Shameless plug...It is hard to beat the Hammock strap and tri glide set found here... http://www.jacksrbetter.com/Strap%20Set.htm
Pan
http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...aps-67386.html
If you cut the bar on the clamp with a hacksaw, you can save the loop on the strap. No load rating on these straps but they're beefy enough for our use.
(I usually see these at the store for $2.99)
ya, i would say simplest to use for a noob would be straps with loops sewn in and carabiners. much like the vid on here for the roo.
They have a working load of 330 lbs. Ample as long as you're not swinging.Quote:
Originally Posted by cardo
Maybe not so. "Ample" would be a rated working load of 5-to-10 times your actual total weight. Several threads on HF discuss the physics of hanging dynamic weights at angles.Quote:
Originally Posted by injun51
Rain Man
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working load is usually a fraction of breaking strength, most stuff has a breaking strength of 10 or so times bodyweight... 1000lbs or so. something with a working load of 300# probably has a breaking strength over 1000
Have to be careful about nylon vs. polyester/polypro. If you don't mind stretch then it's not a concern, however there's no surefire way to tell with those tow straps.
Can you get simpler than whoopie slings that don't have knots? And Dutch has those thingies that allow you to avoid marlin spike hitches, even though I don't really understand why some folks are paranoid about the marlin spike hitch.
This could be the simplest and least expensive hammock suspension there is!
Actually...my suggestion would be to watch the PIF thread for whoopie slings and web straps.
They come up pretty regularly, and you can PIF back whatever extra gear you have, or things that you can DIY if you've got the DIY bug.
My wonderful HHED has been recently upgraded to whoopies (test hang still pending) thanks to the generosity of those fine PIF folks!
Cheap method, very lightweight, and nowhere near as complicated as it might seem.
So the first gift hammock is going to go to my uncle, whose name I drew in the family gift exchange. He's a birdwatcher, so I figure what better way to lounge while looking for some rare species? (I guess you can lounge while looking for birds. Never did see the appeal of it though...)
I'm thinking of doing the following: Nano 23 carabiner (or any carabiner, really, but that's what I have around right now) attached directly through the hammock end channel, and it clips on either to a loop in the end of the tree hugger, or further up the tree hugger with a marlinspike hitch. Can anybody see a problem with this? The only thing that seems a bit sketchy to me is having the end channel all bunched around the carabiner. I know that you have to distribute the weight on biners in certain ways for them to hold up and I'm sort of concerned that this might not be the right way. Anybody know if this is safe?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbphilly
why not tie a short length of rope into a loop and do a larks head and clip the biner onto that?
This is also a good idea.
Related question: Let's say I have a foot-long length of paracord and want to tie it into a loop to be able to larkshead it. What knot should I use to tie the ends together that will hold under weight and never slip or come undone?
Also, it hit me that a cheap solution for making numerous hammocks would be to get a hundred feet of paracord and do loops like that, then attach them to steel S-hooks like the ones that come with Grand Trunk hammocks. I have a spare pair of those already from my hammock that I put whoopie slings on, but I was wondering where to get more. Or, more specifically, where to get more that I know will be strong enough to hold weight.
I'd go with a double (or triple) fisherman's bend. They've been the standard for making loops for a long time. It will even work with slippery line, so it will be no issue at all in paracord.
I'd advise against using paracord in any load-bearing capacity. Certainly not as part of the hammock suspension. It will be fine for prusik loops for the tarp though.
Not 550 paracord? The fact that it's rated to 550 pounds made me think it would be ok for holding a hammock up...
The general rule of thumb is to use line with a minimum breaking strain of three to seven (usually five) times the maximum force you intend to exert. With a 30 degree angle on the suspension, each end will have your entire weight in tension pulling on it. So for me, at about 200lb, I need line which won't break below about 1000lb to be safe.
You might get away with it, but I like to listen to the wisdom and play it safe.
What would be some good rope then? And any idea where to get strong enough steel hooks?
Amsteel Blue (Dynaglide) is preferred it seems. Despite the name it comes in lots of colours. :) 7/64" thick line has the required breaking strength, beleive it or not.
I don't know about the hooks. You could save some weight with climbing carabiners though (again, make sure they can take the weight, with lots of safety margin).