Even though slap-straps don't really have a place in hammocking....
they make EXCELLENT dog leashes!
Even though slap-straps don't really have a place in hammocking....
they make EXCELLENT dog leashes!
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
-Abe Lincoln
"There is no replacement for displacement" - Unknown
Yeah, the Slap Straps aren't so good. Yeah. I don't think I'd use them anymore. Oh and I'm going to need you to work on Saturday. Yeah, that'd be great.
"If you play a Nicleback song backwards, you'll hear messages from the devil. Even worse, if you play it forward, you'll hear Nickleback." - Dave Grohl
I switched to webbing SMS setup and now son uses the slap straps since he is only 40lbs.
What is the best replacement for slap straps? I haven't had trouble with mine at all but I want to lighten my overall load on ENO.
Polyester is the best material to use. It's durable, strong as heck, abrasion resistant and... NO STRETCH. Some folks say get webbing off ratchet strap. I'm not a fan of that idea since some ratchet straps use nylon, but there are options out there. I know a couple of guys who make them and that sell polyester webbing (yes, that's a wink), but no matter what you get, where you get your webbing or straps or what you pay, get polyester. There are a lot of good vendors out there. Just don't buy "straps" and end up getting them in to find out they use weaker polypropylene or (like the ENO Crapstraps) stretchy nylon.
I went camping with my friends GMarc and KYBob. As soon as I saw GMarc's slap straps, I gave him some whoopies and polypropylene tree straps from strapworks.com.
KYBob complained that there was nothing wrong with the slap straps as long as they were pre-stretched, that they didn't need to be replaced. Well, he woke up in the middle of the night on the ground. Turns out he was using nylon tree straps as well. He's too cheap to ever upgrade, so I guess I'm gonna have to make a donation to the KYBob Hammock Hanging Foundation.
There are overlaps in quality, I'm sure. But, assuming good quality of both, polyprop wins for price, but not for strength per wt or for durability.
I've been watching the strands of cheap and cheeful --and bright turquoise -- Samson polyprop single braid 1/2" line break up over 9 months of weather and nightly use. So, I retired it.
But, then, I've seen the polyester seat-belt I've touted fail also, because of the woof ends abrading at the edge, and the fine warp threads coming completely loose and undone.
The last thing you want to experience is the way dyneema and similar fail, just falling apart from fatigue after creeping from long term stress exceeding 30% of breaking strength. -- nothing we have to worry about; just describing a failure mode.
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