Marlin spike hitch do's and don'ts?

[Mouseskowitz]

I'm almost done making my new hammock and I'm thinking of giving the whoopie suspension a try. I believe I understand how things are supposed to work at the marlin spike hitch, whoolie over the knot not the toggle. But in reading some other threads I got the impression that it can be an issue getting the rope to stay in the correct place on the knot. More than likely I would be sleeping three nights or so in the same spot and thus getting in and out multiple times. So, is this an issue? If so what is the best way to make things work correctly?

[rip waverly]

my exp. has seen the whoopie loop possibly falling off the knot during setup adjustments...

however,, once the hammock is loaded and the loops 'sets' on the knot/toggle, it doesn't really budge

[DemostiX]

The hitch isn't magic. I'm sure there are some who wished they had not followed the suggestion to just use a stick, any stick. Not if you want to break down the hitch easily after use. Any stick as toggle does not pull out easily. Neither will a short toggle. One with circumfrencial ribbing, like a hose connector, is guaranteed to neither slip out or be easily pushed out.

[GrizzlyAdams]

when you're first setting up and the whoopie sling isn't taking any load, it can be joggled off the knot on the toggle when you're setting up on the other end. An easy way to deal with this is to tie a knot loosely around both strands of the adjustable loop, and slide it up close to the toggle. When you adjust the length of the whoopie sling you may need to slide it around by hand to get both strands the same length again.

The kind of slider I'm talking about plays a featured role in this video of mine.

[gmcttr]

Give it a try before you start worrying about it. I don't find it to be a problem at all.

[SlowBro]

Use a smooth dowel or piece of smooth tubing for the toggle to make it easier to get the toggle out of the marlin knot at the end of your stay. Once you set up the hammock and finish with the adjustments the whoopies will stay put. Getting in and out of your hammock should not be any problem. The only time the whoopies can flop off the toggle is when you are adjusting the loop at set up in my experience. Grizz's slide knot will help with that, but I have had only rare trouble with whoopies jumping off so I don't use a slider. Oh, and I use a 3 inch long piece of 1/2 inch dowel for a toggle. I think folks get into trouble using short toggles so 3-4 inches has worked best for me. YMMV
-Mark

[Macca81]

I use a rated carabiner instead of a toggle... No risk of the sling coming off that

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

[Mouseskowitz]

I'm not really all that worried about using a whoopie. I'm just trying to be aware of any pitfalls of the system.

I stopped by Gander Mountain on my way home today and managed to get some arrow shaft scraps for free (my favorite price). They might be aluminum but I really don't know.

I really like Grizz's idea for cinching up the end of the loop so it's less likely to move. Now I just need to figure out if I want to figure out the whipping knot or the Solomon Bar.

[Shnick]

Now I just need to figure out if I want to figure out the whipping knot or the Solomon Bar.

Go for the Soloman Bar... that'd be cool, post a pic!

Shnick

[paperairplane]

Get a stick - ideally > 1/2" diameter and > 3" in length. The marlin spike is very easy to set, I almost cannot imagine someone having issues with this setup.