Looking to possibly add a structural ridgeline to my GT Double for support purposes/just to hold stuff. What's the cheapest, lightweight, strong option (I know, asking too much) for the line, and then what knots should I use? I've seen truckers hitch, figure 9, any other suggestions?
My setup will be biners in the end of the hammock, suspension is whoopies to tree huggers. I'm assuming the ridgeline would tie to the biner that's in the ends of the hammock?
amstell 7/64" is plenty strong and very light weight. Splice it vs knotting it, but in reality, knots will hold on a structural ridgeline just fine. Knot type really doesn't matter.
Mine is a whoopie sling so I can adjust the RL length if I want to. In case of emergency, I have a 12 ish foot piece of strong line I can use for something. If in a real pinch, I can strip the strands and have lots of strong pieces of line.
Zing it is smaller/lighter but you're really pushing the loading limit. If it breaks, who cares, its only a ridgeline. You won't fall.
Zing It - $5.50 for 25 ft at Dutch's store http://www.outdoortrailgear.com/trai...hware-zing-it/ (and you can find it elsewhere also)
Adjustable SRL - $12 at Whoopie Slings store http://shop.whoopieslings.com/Adjust...e-Line-ASR.htm
Paracord will work it you have some laying around. It may stretch a little more than you like, however.
The cheapest ridgeline would probably be "whatever you have on hand." If that's paracord, then go with that for now.
I added an adjustable ridgeline to my hammock using Amsteel Blue. I attached the fixed loop of a whoopie to one end of the hammock. On the other end, I attached an Amsteel soft shackle, then connected the adjustable portion of the whoopie to the shackle.
I will probably make a ridgeline organizer soon, but right now I just attach an Amsteel soft shackle (I've been making a lot of these lately, they're so cool) to the ridgeline and hang stuff off it.
Amsteel is probably overkill for a hammock ridgeline since it's not a weight-bearing component, but that's what I had on hand. With shipping, I figure the Amsteel cost me 26 cents a foot. Samson Rope says the Amsteel is rated at 1500 lbs., and if you make a whoopie that's 60% of the rope strength, or 900 lbs.
In future I'm going to try the same setup using zing-it, which would be about 13 to 15 cents a foot. You could argue that 1.75 mm zing-it, rated at 450 lbs., is also overkill for a ridgeline, but it is lightweight too. And HF members love lightweight!
A structural ridgeline can be under tension, although it is not suspending the hammock from the trees. 1.75mm Zing-it is only really appropriate for users under 200 lbs, otherwise you risk breakage. If you're over 200, Amsteel is generally cheaper than dynaglide. None of these ropes is what I would call "cheap" but they are light, strong, and reliable. You can tie knots in them, but they are slick. I'd pick something that doesn't stretch and has a reasonable break strength whatever you decide.
Last edited by lymphocytosis; 09-16-2011 at 13:01.
Pretty much anything should be able to be used as a SRL. The whole point of it is to measure the sag, not to support any weight. If there isn't enough stretch in the line to be able to turn it sideways--with you in the hammock--with two fingers, you've got it too tight anyway.
That being said, the lightest I'd probably go would be braided mason's line, rated around 150 lbs. The reason for this is that, at some point, you will hang it too tight and not notice. I'd rather have something that can stand up to my own idiocy than not.
Personally, I'd go with a tautline hitch for adjustability, since it shouldn't be bearing much strain in the first place.
All the usual acronyms apply.
You could get away with 2.2mm (580 lb rated) zing-it if you don't stretch your hammock "guitar string tight." I use Spectra 725 (725 lb rated). Last I looked, both AntiGravityGear and GossamerGear sold it. MountainFitter sells 2mm Dyneema (1000 lb rated).
Mike
"Life is a Project!"
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks