Also, for anyone who wants some darker, more stealthy Kevlar webbing, you can dye it with a Rit dye that gives it a more subdued color. I colored mine some time back and have used them a bunch and the color has endured fairly well.
Also, for anyone who wants some darker, more stealthy Kevlar webbing, you can dye it with a Rit dye that gives it a more subdued color. I colored mine some time back and have used them a bunch and the color has endured fairly well.
Last edited by cmoulder; 04-26-2021 at 12:24.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
I have some UHWMPE 1 inch straps and as soon as some different color ones become available at Dutch I think I'll go back to polystraps.
They rope up so much, its not a big deal on day trips but when Im setting up camp after a long day of hiking flattening them all out is a pain in the rear.
Myerstech recently had some straps that were UHMWPE in the middle with poly just on the edges, and those apparently stay flat. However, I haven't been able to find them on his eBay or Etsy sites.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
From what I understand you can message Jeff and he will hook you up on the hybrid UHMWPE and Poly straps. I thought about it but I already have so many strap alternatives I think I sticking with the lightweight poly for now.
interesting. do you find it happens only in the places where you becket hitch (or starts there), or does it seem unrelated to that, and after a while the entire strap becomes ropey regardless of where it was knotted and where not? i'm asking as i've been experimenting quite extensively with new strap designs, and this is one of the issues which (hopefully) my experiments would fix, but i might be missing something. unfortunately i haven't been using the (snow white, very skinny, ultralight) straps i made out of uhmwpe webbing that much, i tend to use the much heavier, but bullet proof ones i made out of climbing rated tubular webbing (yeah, i know. i like climbing rated material, what can i say), obviously, those not only tend to be more stable, but would probably never get ropey no matter what material they were made of (as their construction is somewhat similar to de-cored double braid rope, which means the forces they are submitted to will always tend to bring them to some flat state which amounts to where they started, or you might say they can't get any ropier than they started, only flatter). in other words, i feel i'm missing out on the challenges and terrors of ultralightness in this respect.
i'm really interested, as it would give me some insight regarding where to focus my testing
I find the UHMWPE bunches mostly where it's knotted, and also where it passes through the end loop. I always take care to put it flat against the tree, so it stays flat at that end. It seems the straps are getting harder to straighten out after each use. They take "creases" at the knotted area. The mixed PE/poly straps are interesting, and I'd take a little weight penalty if they stay straight. I'll also keep a lookout for Kevlar to catch some in stock.
I tried the Fugal Innovations 2" 2.7 Kevlar Straps on a trip recently.
Super light and worked like a charm.
Seems they are in stock.
Update on my 2" dyneema straps from Myerstech (post #3) - the 4' strap on a large tree does curl in the middle a bit, while the ends are held flat by the bamboo battens. I will add a batten or two to the center section. I am much more likely to be hanging from trees 6 to 12 inches in diameter, so the shorter straps work better, anyway. The battens also make the straps stay flat for storage when rolled up and secured with the small bungees. I'll stick with this design.
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