Easy and light suspension.

**theotherbrady** · 09-24-2016, 11:05

I'm looking for an easy to use and light as possible suspension that can hold 400 pounds or so.
There is some kind of ratio for how light something is to how easy it is to set up.
Atlas straps are super easy. I have them now but they are on the heavy side for backpacking. I have heard that whoopie slings (?) are a good light option but they seem difficult to use.
Any help?

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**sidneyhornblower** · 09-24-2016, 17:01

Why would you believe whoopie slings are difficult to use? If you can learn to tie a marlin spike hitch in your tree straps, then whoopies are extremely easy to use. Marlin spike will take 60 seconds to learn. Look on hammockforums.net home page for the Shug's videos link. Go there and view his video on the whoopies and marlin spike. I'm typing this on my phone lying in a hammock suspended from whoopies on my porch. They're easy to make, easy to use.

**Monkeyboy42** · 09-24-2016, 17:25

Titanium cinch buckles from Dutch. Very light, and one of the simplest suspensions to use. You need a longer tree strap then you need for a whoopie, but a 12' tree strap by Dutch is still much lighter then an atlas strap.

**TrailSlug** · 09-24-2016, 17:30

Originally Posted by Monkeyboy42

Titanium cinch buckles from Dutch. Very light, and one of the simplest suspensions to use. You need a longer tree strap then you need for a whoopie, but a 12' tree strap by Dutch is still much lighter then an atlas strap.

Yes, it doesn't get any easier than this and is semi light and at this weight the whoopies stretch quit a bit.

**SilvrSurfr** · 09-24-2016, 17:36

Where does the 400 lbs. come from? With 7/64 Amsteel, that would be approx. a 4 to 1 safety ratio or less (the splice derates it some), so you would probably want to go with 1/8 Amsteel.

I really like the Dutch Whoopie Hooks and have been using them since they first came out. However, they're rated for 1000 lbs. I'm only 165 lbs., so that gives me a 6-1 safety ratio.

**RufusThomasIV** · 09-24-2016, 23:11

I currently use whoopie slings and 7 ft. web straps. I use a Becket hitch knot to secure the slings to the straps. Holds great, easy to tie, and no hardware to keep track of. Very lightweight, adjustable, and packs well.

**mophead** · 09-24-2016, 23:34

I like a becket hitch suspension.

Quick, just as light as Amsteel whoopies, and no minimum hang distance. Most people use muletape which is cheap. Using dutch's 2.2 Kevlar would be lighter than Amsteel whoopies but extremely expensive.

I would say whoopies are easy to learn, but annoying to use. The minimum hang distance is frequently a problem for me here in the eastern US. I ended up also needing continuous loops on the hammock ends with whoopies. Often, I bypass the whoopies completely. You can make your straps very short, but then they end up not being enough and other issues arise. You can carry dog bones for that. You can come up with solutions for all the whoopie issues, but it's annoying carrying extra doodads and constantly reconfiguring your suspension to accommodate tree spacing.

**FJRpilot** · 09-25-2016, 08:54

Originally Posted by theotherbrady

I'm looking for an easy to use and light as possible suspension that can hold 400 pounds or so.
There is some kind of ratio for how light something is to how easy it is to set up.
Atlas straps are super easy. I have them now but they are on the heavy side for backpacking. I have heard that whoopie slings (?) are a good light option but they seem difficult to use.
Any help?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I use UCR's larks headed onto a continuous loop on my hammock and a marlin spike hitch on my tree straps. I use 3in carbon fiber arrow shafts for the MSH. All in all pretty light. You could use Dutch's spiders or his Buckles to do away with the MSH, but for me the hitch works great and it's one less thing to worry about. A benefit of the MSH is you can always find a stick in the woods to replace the arrow shafts if you lose them...

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**XJ35S** · 09-25-2016, 09:50

Originally Posted by mophead

I like a becket hitch suspension.

Quick, just as light as Amsteel whoopies, and no minimum hang distance. Most people use muletape which is cheap. Using dutch's 2.2 Kevlar would be lighter than Amsteel whoopies but extremely expensive.

I would say whoopies are easy to learn, but annoying to use. The minimum hang distance is frequently a problem for me here in the eastern US. I ended up also needing continuous loops on the hammock ends with whoopies. Often, I bypass the whoopies completely. You can make your straps very short, but then they end up not being enough and other issues arise. You can carry dog bones for that. You can come up with solutions for all the whoopie issues, but it's annoying carrying extra doodads and constantly reconfiguring your suspension to accommodate tree spacing.

Wait, wait, wait, Are you saying that you only carry tree straps and becket hitch them to your hammock? Because I've been using descender rings and a half hitch. It slips. The becket hitch must untie easy when unloading the tree side. This might be my new go to knot.

**Shug** · 09-25-2016, 10:07

There are many ways as you can see so far.
My go-to is the tree strap/marlinspike knot/toggle/whoopie sling. Never found a place I could not hang.....though in real world backpacking there is sometimes challenging hangs no matter what suspension you choose to use.
The becket looks like a fine knot. Been meaning to give it a try sometime but just haven't.
So many ways to hang a hammock. Don't let it hang you up. Hang an' go:::::::
Shug