What's your take on Spyderline?

[Graybeard]

Just wondering.... Why not go with the whoopie sling?

If you like to have a dog by your side, you have to feed one.
If you like chatting on a forum, you have to feed the forum. If everybody agreed that whoopie slings were the one and only best way, there'd be that much less to disagree about here. Then we'd all be disagreeing with our spouses and sweethearts instead. I can think of all sorts of reasons why I'd rather disagree here than with my wife.

So, Why not whoopie slings? 1. They take up room between hammock and tree, decreasing the number of usable hang spots. 2. If you break somethin' you can't just tie a knot and carry on. 3. They weigh more than just a single line from tree to hammock. 4. To make your own you have to learn how to splice braided line. 5. They wind up costing more than simpler systems. 6. Shucks! once you're past the "three score and ten" milestone you're in danger of forgetting how the whole contraption works.

Give up yet?

[SlowBro]

I'm going to as soon as I get my amsteel. I'm going to try both to see which I like most though.

If you follow the tutorial for Whoopie slings you may want to pick up one of THESE Loop Turners at your local sewing/fabric/craft store. It is way easier to use that the Yarn Darner needle I used in the tutorial. The only difference in using a Loop Turner is that you need to start by threading the thing in the OUT spot and emerge at the IN spot. Hook your taper and then just pull the Loop Turner back out, sucking the tapered end through the middle of the line (the bury) and back out. This will also work with a long piece of wire, bent in half, in place of the Loop Turner.

I know this sounds involved but once you look it over it will be easier to follow.

-Mark

P.S. On the other hand Graybeard is right- ask 5 hammock hanger about the best suspension and you'll get 6 different answers. I would encourage you to experiment as you have indicated. Good luck.

[hiker_DC]

That is some very large line, Amsteel 7/64 that I have in my store is rated to 1500 pounds and will be about 1/2 that size. I also have some of the lightest rings around in a variety of colors.

This is what I use and Paul's store is where I bought it too. The rings are awesome. They are very lightweight, strong and they clamp onto your webbing like a vise. I also ordered one length of the amsteel and made one set of continuous loops, and two sets of hammock suspensions with a locked brummel eye on both ends to go between the hammock and the rings (one set ~ 10" long and the other ~ 18").