Buying Chameleon - Asym or Sym bugnet?? Strapping questions

[Oquirrh]

I am worried about moving in the night. But I also worry about extra flappy fabric lol. I plan on getting a side car but will not get integrated just to keep things modular. Looking at the beetle buckle and that seems the way to go. Sewn in dutch clip probably just so things don't get lost. Is there any worry about the 8 foot strap not being long enough? My eno has whoopies so it is adjustable. the Chameleon comes with just the continuous loop. Been quite a while since I set up my hammock.

Yeah man, you're gonna love the Beetle Buckles, seriously one of the coolest, easiest ways to get a suspension up... Oh, and the Dutch Clips are an awesome addition, it makes it just that much nicer, I mean as fast as fast gets when you're setting up. I've got a set of sew-ins on my Spider 1.5 setup, but have 2 sets of standalones, personally I think it'd be better to get a standalone set as your first clips, as you may want to swap out your webbing at some point or another. Either way you choose to go there though, the clips are an absolute win.

As for worrying about the extra fabric, I wouldn't stress out too much about it since you do have the option of using the tieouts to sorta stretch that fabric away from your face. I've actually had the fabric get really close to my face even with the asym net, which was a tad annoying at first but eventually I was able to dismiss it... That has only happened once though, and it was my most recent trip with that big hole (like 1.5" diameter!).

Keeping the sidecar modular is definitely a good idea, especially if you consider this: You can have a modular sidecar in your hammock any time, forever if you want. But the integrated sidecar comes off if you ever want to take the bugnet off too... Food for thought, I think you've made the right choice there - coming from a guy who is going to switch over as soon as possible, lol.

[FLTurtle]

Sewn in dutch clip probably just so things don't get lost. Is there any worry about the 8 foot strap not being long enough?

I don't have the Dutch clips, but if I did I wouldn't get the sewn in. If your strap needs to be replaced you'll need to sew it on yourself. I'd rather just move it to another strap. But, I don't use them...I just pass the free end through the loop. Sucks if I need to move my straps up, but not that big of a deal.

8 foot IMO is too short, unless you have nothing but small trees. I have 12 ft straps and that seems to be the sweet spot. However, there have tried to hang on some live oaks that ate up almost all my strap, so I should probably get a set of 15 ft.

[Oquirrh]

8 foot IMO is too short, unless you have nothing but small trees. I have 12 ft straps and that seems to be the sweet spot. However, there have tried to hang on some live oaks that ate up almost all my strap, so I should probably get a set of 15 ft.

I'd definitely agree with this. I have a set of 8' straps and I almost always end up scorning myself asking "Why did you just bring the 12'ers?!" The weight savings isn't worth having to take the extra time to find a better spot. Thicker trees, as FLTurtle said, will totally consume the 8' straps.

EDIT

There's another added bonus to have longer straps, and that is in the situation where someone (me) may forget their suspension system entirely, they can cut the line from their friend's (GF's) 12ft straps down to 5ft & 7ft straps and make a quick beckit hitch to save the day before the thunderstorm comes through... True story.

[Spiffyguy]

The complete suspension does not offer the beetle buckles with a strap longer than 8ft. I can buy spider/poly in 12 or 15 foot with a pair of dutch clips and then the beetles separate. Bit more expensive. Suspect it is arranged that way. Man gotta eat. 15 foot just seems so long lol.

[Oquirrh]

Yeah, 15' is really long hahaha. I think the 12's are the perfect size and can handle pretty much anything you throw at them, the 15's are just overkill.

[Spiffyguy]

Yeah, 15' is really long hahaha. I think the 12's are the perfect size and can handle pretty much anything you throw at them, the 15's are just overkill.

I bought the 12'. Now to wait on the it to ship. The waiting is the hardest part....

[tamedog]

I don't have the Dutch clips, but if I did I wouldn't get the sewn in. If your strap needs to be replaced you'll need to sew it on yourself. I'd rather just move it to another strap. But, I don't use them...I just pass the free end through the loop. Sucks if I need to move my straps up, but not that big of a deal.

This is really good advice! I recently made the switch from eno atlas straps to polyester tree straps with sewn-on dutch clips. I got to use them exactly 2 times before the cinch buckle slipped one night and ate up one of the straps. I replaced the busted polyester strap with 3000 pound webbing, but didn't feel comfortable sewing the dutch clips on myself so I went with carabiners instead. I ended up liking the carabiners better — much easier when you need to raise the strap on the tree.

I went with 15' straps this time around, because weight was not an issue for me and I'd rather have too much than too little.