A Truly Single Line Marlin Spike Suspension

**gargoyle** · 09-05-2010, 06:31

Mule tape.
Search the forums for "mule tape".
There are a few threads dealing with it. I found mine for sale at a flea market, got 140' for $cheap (5-10 dollars IIRC). If you know someone that works in the utlity trades (electricians, cable, etc.) they can often get it for free.
Muletape is used to pull cable thru the conduit. They often throw it away after one use. It may be a little dirty, but for free....

**heyyou** · 09-05-2010, 20:26

My Mule Tape is white, nylon, flat, tubular strap that is used to pull cable through conduit. The electric company has it on a big spool and they use compressed air on a plug to push it through the empty conduit. The utility crew's time is worth far more than the strap so it is single use item for them. Mine is 5/8" wide, 2500# test, is marked as Muletape being a registered trademark of NEPTCO and weighs 7.5 grams per foot, just over a quarter ounce per foot. The softness of the Muletape helps its friction on trees.

Somewhere here there is a post where scouts make inexpensive hammocks using Walmart clearance fabric with Muletape suspensions. The tape is free if you know someone at the electric company.

Edit: Having just read Gargoyle's post, sounds like a phone service uses polyester (not nylon) Muletape that is smaller and still strong enough (1250# vs. 2500#) than what my electric company uses.

**coolkayaker1** · 09-06-2010, 00:26

Lemme get this straight. You're all saying that mule tape, such as that available for 85 dollars for 500 feet (!) would be a primary hammock suspension, and work with the malrin hitch method I describe?

**gargoyle** · 09-06-2010, 05:36

Originally Posted by coolkayaker1

Lemme get this straight. yea.

You're all saying that mule tape,yea

such as that available for 85 dollars for 500 feet (!)uh-huh

would be a primary hammock suspension,yep

and work with the malrin hitch method I describe?

you betcha!

I have some here and I'll test to be sure, but I don't see a reason why not. I'll chime back in after a coffee.....

Some folks say it won't hold a knot?? I have not had that issue. I have a chunk on one of the indoor hammocks with just a fig 8 on it and its held me up for a year of on and off use. No problemo.

**MacEntyre** · 09-06-2010, 08:18

The mule tape that I have seen is white 3/4" or 5/8" polyester webbing with a breaking strength of something like 1800 lbs (telco hearsay), which is as strong as Amsteel 7/64" rope. The only problem is that mule tape is poorly finished, meaning the surface is prone to snag and pull, resulting in pilling. If I had enough for a suspension, I would not care about the pilling, though. Mule tape without any hardware would be the lightest possible suspension. If you get some used, get enough for three suspensions, and replace it if it gets ragged.

I've never heard of nylon mule tape. The stretch would make it a poor choice for pulling stuff through conduit. HeyYou, are you certain yours is nylon?

**muttly** · 09-12-2010, 07:43

Great Thread, Thanks, Cool.

Was just wondering how to modify my stock Speer suspension when, bang!
I used your idea with a round painted dowel from my kid's block set. Works! Plan to get an Easton stake so I can emulate the Great Griz. (Emulations aside, I like the multi-use aspect of the Easton)

**JohnSawyer** · 09-24-2010, 01:49

Just found this thread...

Mule Tape is typically polyester. A stretchable mule tape is really dangerous, as the backlash caused by a break could cause serious injury... especially on a long run.

I have 5/8" mule tape, rated for 1850 lbs... in fact, I just sent off roughly 2000' of the stuff to some scouting minded parents for some hammocks...

The stuff I have is made by A-D Technologies and is called Bull-Tape model WP18. AT&T uses it to pull fiberoptic cable through conduit in San Diego. Once pulled, it goes in the garbage.

If you get some, just wash off the lube... it's water based, but if it stays damp, it rots and stinks like urine. I use the stuff instead of rope. It's easier to handle and doesn't scratch stuff up...

Thanks for the MS Hitch idea!

**coolkayaker1** · 09-25-2010, 06:45

Thx Muttly and JS--I am thrilled that this worked for you, muttly. I can't imagine a simpler system... heck, no hardware at all--just grab a trailstick! No loops in the straps, nothing. It sure seems to me, even after about 4-5 months on this forum, that our fellow hangers sure sometimes find the most complicated methods for setting up a hammock--rings, hardware, fancy lines, constrictors, biners, and on and on. Any novice or nonhammocker would say, "Don't you just put a rope around a tree and tie a knot in it"? This CoolGrizz system is one evolution beyond that--and that's it. No more mods needed.

JS, I don't know much about mule tape, but you have me thinking if some of it is breakable. I thought that was the entire point, that it was so strong. Hmmm.

**JohnSawyer** · 09-27-2010, 02:00

Originally Posted by coolkayaker1

JS, I don't know much about mule tape, but you have me thinking if some of it is breakable. I thought that was the entire point, that it was so strong. Hmmm.

Anything is breakable, given enough force. 5/8" mule tape is rated to 1800lbs breaking strength... Hanging is quite safe with this stuff! (unless it's badly damaged) When you're pulling 2000' of heavy cable in a conduit underground, you use a winch. That winch can, will, and has broken pull-rope and mule tape if something snags, and the operator isn't paying attention.

If you had nylon tape in there, the stretch over 1000' could be considerable. If that line broke, you'd release all that energy tied up in that stretched cable. Things would fly at high-speed, and people could get hurt (or worse.) Thus they make mule-tape out of low to no stretch polyester... for safety.

Personally, I use the stuff because it works, is cheap, won't tangle easily, is cheap, I can sew loops in, it's cheap... did I mention it's cheap?

Heck, as far as I know there's a box's worth in Haiti supporting some hammocks! Can you believe they throw this stuff out?

Thanks for the catch! I had to re-read the post, and watch Grizz's vid again to really get what you were saying... and then try it in the backyard... I'm sold!