Suspending your Blackbird ?

I've just tried out my new Blackbird in the back garden, I have a couple of ring buckles on webbing set up diagonally across my carport, surprisingly the amsteel on the Blackbird slipped ! I presume its something to do with its flat cross section, I had to put a slip knot in to hold it.

I dug out my hitchcraft gadgets to try, and they were as bad, couldnt take any load at all before they slipped :( . I normally have these on my DD hammock, but I use 9mm no stretch rope. It may be that the amsteel rope is to small for that size, unfortunately the smaller hitchcrafts have too small a load rating to use safely to hang from.

So what do you guys use ? I'm not (no pun intended :shades:) going back to knots if I can help it.

Brandon at my request added 2 sets of his triangle type buckles so I may give them a go.

Merry Christmas by the way and hope you have a happy New Year

Regards

Stephen

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Originally Posted by Gailainne

I dug out my hitchcraft gadgets to try, and they were as bad, couldnt take any load at all before they slipped :( . I normally have these on my DD hammock, but I use 9mm no stretch rope. It may be that the amsteel rope is to small for that size, unfortunately the smaller hitchcrafts have too small a load rating to use safely to hang from.

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I'm using the smaller hitchcrafts with my BB, and the Amsteel will slip even through them. What I do is after going around the circular post, I make another hitch around the hitchcraft "cleat" with the slack rope, and it holds fine. You could do the same thing with the large hitchcrafts, but the diameter of the amsteel is below the recommended diameter for the large hitchcraft device.

I have the tri-rings, attached with larksheads to the hammock with the flat side towards the trees, and I use the 1" webbing he sent with mine (although any non-stretch 1" webbing will do) and I always back up the webbing through the tri-rings with a safety slip knot. If this is anywhere near your setup, I don't understand where the Amsteel is slipping...

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Originally Posted by Shadowmoss

I have the tri-rings, attached with larksheads to the hammock with the flat side towards the trees, and I use the 1" webbing he sent with mine (although any non-stretch 1" webbing will do) and I always back up the webbing through the tri-rings with a safety slip knot. If this is anywhere near your setup, I don't understand where the Amsteel is slipping...

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He's saying that he doesn't have the same suspension as you...and that even though he has a set of tri-rings, they aren't on the suspension at present. Brandon offers a couple of different suspension options.

It sounds like he was using *just* amsteel and trying to connect to rings ala a Garda hitch that was slipping?

Indeed, the tri rings are still in the package. I may just add bines to the loops left at the hammock ends and attach my 9mm rope to that. That would mean I have a system I know works. I'm going out for 5-8 days over new year, I need a system I can depend on.

Hmmm To many new things perhaps ? a new hammock, with new suspension system. New tarp (superfly) I normally only change one thing at a time.

Oh well its a car camp so I'll take back up :laugh:

Keep them coming

Stephen

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Originally Posted by angrysparrow

He's saying that he doesn't have the same suspension as you...and that even though he has a set of tri-rings, they aren't on the suspension at present. Brandon offers a couple of different suspension options.

It sounds like he was using *just* amsteel and trying to connect to rings ala a Garda hitch that was slipping?

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It sounds like he ordered/has the same suspension I have - 8' of Amsteel from each end of the hammock, and two 6' tree straps with a sewn loop on one end and a triangle ring on the other, although it sounds like he was trying to connect to some pre-existing straps/buckles, rather than using the webbing supplied by WBG, just like you are thinking, AS. The Amsteel is some slippery stuff, especially on polished metal rings.

The hitchcraft will work, it just requires one more "hitch" to keep it from slipping.

the amsteel won't work well with a friction hitch like the garda, you would need something stiff with a cover like spyderline or something similar . you ordered some of the tri-rings with your rope suspension. the tri-rings are for a webbing suspension, you would have to get some 1" webbing and switch to a webbing only suspension, those tri rings would work well to adjust webbing(still probably need a backup slipped half hitch).

the best way to use your line/tree strap suspension is to girth-hitch/larkshead the strap around the tree/post/whatever and tie the amsteel to the fixed/sewn-in tri ring in the end of your tree strap with a slipped buntline hitch. you'll have to learn to tie the knot of course, but once you do, you can tie it in a few seconds, it needs no back-up, won't slip, and can simply be untied by a hard yank on the free end.