POLL: What type of suspension do you tie to trees with?

**blackbishop351** · 11-04-2006, 15:51

Originally Posted by ShakeyLeggs

I use the stock tree huggers but have been looking real hard at the slap straps. I am thinking slap straps with biners. Prolly will buy a set and give am a try.

I'd probly GIVE you mine, once I get my system down...

**ShakeyLeggs** · 11-04-2006, 16:28

Originally Posted by blackbishop351

I'd probly GIVE you mine, once I get my system down...

Kool I am thinking with the slap straps extra loops I would be able to tie my HH to it by way of a biner. It looks in my mind it would be a bit better on the tree and give me more adjustability in the tree diameter. We'll see. Thanks for the offer.

**slowhike** · 11-04-2006, 22:09

Originally Posted by attroll

Just wanted to quote thsi Slowhike so you would know I fine tuned it am did some changes to the gallery.

thanks attroll... i`m a little behind on computer skills (bb codes & all that <G>).
i appreciate your & jeff`s patients & help. ...tim

**Certain** · 11-05-2006, 00:15

Hey Blackbishop, didn't I see at Hot Springs that you did not actually cut the spectra, but just wound up the excess after tying it onto a biner about 1 1/2 feet from the end of the hammock? Then you were using your homemade slap straps right?

Is this a whole lot faster to set up then the tree hugger/spectra HH method?

I'm thinking about converting to some type of strap, but don't really want to cut my spectra.

Would you recommend (if I bought some of the webbing from Ed Speer) just sewing a loop into the end and tying the spectra to that, or using the biner to connect the spectra....or does it not matter? Part of the thing I don't like about tree huggers is that I just know I'll lose one, and if I tie a strap to my spectra, it's all together all the time, no loose parts.

Also, between using straps and the Speer 4-way wrap or using buckles like crazy creek, which one do you think (or anyone else w/experience w/both of them) is the absolute easiest/fastest/most versatille?

I went out today to put my snakeskins on for the first time, and I'm just convinced there's got to be a more efficient way to hang.

**blackbishop351** · 11-05-2006, 01:10

I did cut my Spectra, actually. I tied a figure 8 follow through into it. The loops themselves are about 3" long, and I left 4" of slack past the knot before I made the cut.

The straps I used at Hot Springs weren't my homemade ones, they were the ENO straps (regular heavy version) I bought a couple of months ago.

I haven't opened the ends of my HH yet, but from what people have posted, I don't really see any advantage in doing that. The Spectra I left on the ends doesn't weigh much, and I'll have more options if I leave it. Other than that, the Spectra will be tied directly into the end loop on both straps. I'll use biners on the tree ends.

I like the daisy chain setup for speed, but it's not very adjustable. This is working pretty well on my homemade Speer, but I don't have a ridgeline on that one yet. Ridgelines require a lot of tension - hence the reason I'll be using a buckle (CC-type or otherwise) on the other end.

I'm not as worried about weight as some people. I'm looking for the quickest, easiest hang I can get. Obviously I don't want it TOO heavy - I'm not gonna convert to ratchet tie-downs or anything - but shaving ounces isn't my primary concern.

I went away from the snakeskins on my hammock for the same reason. I originally tried the stuff sack idea just to test it out. I didn't like the idea of pythons for my hammock/quilt combo (when I get a quilt). Seemed like it would be too fat to pack easily, especially since packing my tarp in its skins is already a bit of a pain. I figured the stuff sack would take longer to pack up, but it doesn't. I think it's actually quicker, and it's a LOT easier to get into my pack. I keep the skins on my tarp because it makes for a really quick deployment in case I get caught in a downpour. It also lets me leave the tarp skinned on clear nights, for stargazing and whatnot.

**Aramis** · 11-05-2006, 04:39

I think that once around the tree and a couple of half hitches (or twice and a clove hitch) is all you need. Apart from that it just comes down to neatness. If you have some strap left over then keep going around the tree until you run out, or if you're tying off to poles or beams in a structure and have lots left over, just chuck the leftovers into the ends of the hammock. Actually carrying enough strap to do a 4-wrap thingy on large, widely spaced trees is just silly, imo. If you can't tie up to a pair of trees with 10 metres (33') of strap and hammock from end to end then you're in a field.

The Hennessy and Speer websites are couched in that peculiarly evangelical style that implies that they're trying for mass-market appeal, and in doing so, they have to come up with methods that even the most dedicated litigous idiots will have trouble injuring themselves with.

It's funny that hammocks lend themselved to overcomplication. They're as simple as can be, but being the incredibly 'clever' westerners that we are, we can't help but try to reinvent the wheel - preferably a silnylon and titanium catenary curved one with lots of pockets.

**Just Jeff** · 11-05-2006, 08:54

I think the quickest would probably be slap straps with biners. But they're not very adjustable.

The most adjustable is spectra/huggers or straps.

The best mix of the two I've found so far is the homemade ones using the Crazy Creek buckles. Some folks have used double D-rings to get the same effect. One difficulty I've had with my homemade method is that when it's pulled really tight, it's a few seconds hassle to loosen. I just have to twist the buckle for a second and push some webbing through - seriously it's only a few seconds - but it's not exactly tug and loosen. I think the D-rings might be the same way.

Aramis, I've been in situations where the stock huggers, and even my longer homemade ones, weren't long enough. So I improvised - no big deal. Re: straps, I don't think I've been any place on the east coast where the straps weren't long enough, but here on the west coast I've been places where I couldn't get the best hang b/c the trees were too thick. We have Redwoods and Sequoias out here, though - that makes a big difference. I still found a place to hang, it just wasn't the best site around.

But I agree that tinkerers like to fix things that aren't broken. Guilty. And if you find one of those wheels, let me know...

**Certain** · 11-05-2006, 10:48

Jeff, so your homemade straps w/crazy creek buckles, do you tie the spectra right to the straps? How much more weight do you think you homemade straps w/buckles are than the stock HH tree huggers?

**Just Jeff** · 11-05-2006, 12:28

I use the buckles with my homemade hammocks. But if I were to put them on the HH, I'd tie the webbing to the Spectra an inch or two from the hammock.

**chazmo** · 11-06-2006, 08:24

I use a set of homemade slapstraps with ultralight biners. I sewed enough loops on my straps so that I have a connnection point every three inches--that solves the adjustability problem.