This thread is not meant to be a controversial, ranting, bashing, name calling, finger pointing or anything like that. This is someone posting a thread whom would like answers to a question.
So onto the question--------
Why do we hammock hangers abide by the same principals that climbers do?
Most hangers are only a foot off the ground, some slightly less (like me) and some slightly more. We have a choice as too what we hang over, many times I have hung over a soft bed of pine needles, and there have been times when I have chosen to hang over rocks. Yet a climber may be hundreds of feet off the ground, some very, very much more, and some less. But the choice of where to hit the ground should they fall may be a factor of how hard the wind blows, or what they hit during the decent.
Which leads me to the difference is if they were to fall, death is almost a certainty! The safety ratings that are implemented in the climbing world are there for this very reason, to protect them should their line be adversely loaded, shock loaded, or become compromised (I am sure there are many more as well)! The ropes and hardware that climbers use are rated much higher than what we are using, aside from biners, which some hangers use instead of a dutch biner or dutch clip, to each their own.
But they are using these ropes and all this stuff with that safety factor in mind. That is why they have ropes rated to 10,000#'s and higher. Then you have the other end of the spectrum (where I work) when life safety plays another factor, there have been times I have been hanging off a cliff and working with others to get a sick or injured person into a litter/basket/whatever and our gear and hardware has to account for their safety as well as mine.
If we as hammock hangers were to fall due too our suspension breaking in most cases it's only our pride that got hurt, or a bruised butt.
I have seen the many, many threads with many making the claim that some shouldn't use dynaglide because it's not safe, or due to their weight, or for whatever else meaning that the weight applied to the hammock when loaded will exceed the rating of the line. Or a simple statement that Dynaglide should not be used as a hammocks suspension.
So my next question is HOW and WHY? How is it that a hammock hanging at a starting angle (unloaded hammock) of 30* when loaded will impart the exact weight (or extremely close too)/or be equal too the weight of the person (and gear)! So if this is the case, and we all know that Dynaglide is rated to 1000#'s, that is the point at which the line breaks as in it can't hold any more, 1000#'s, why is it that a person whom weighs 220 cannot hang from this line? 205? 250? And why can't they hang from it?
How was it that the safety rating of 5/1, 10/1, 12/1, or 200000000/1 just randomly given and applied to hanging a hammock in correlation to the suspension used to keep us suspended (or something like that).... When that line won't break till it reaches 1000#'s (or darn close to it), but it's still not safe. Why wouldn't it be safe, or why couldn't someone weighing 500#'s hang from it, thats a safety factor of 2/1, hey it's a safety factor right?
If the safe number of Dynaglide is 200#, then could someone explain to me why it is that I have seen a 300#er being suspended without issue? Did this person get a different kind of Dynaglide than I did? Or different from the next person that ordered from the same company? Or is it that it will hold 300#?
I know there was a vendor that either stopped selling dynaglide suspension for a short time, or stopped selling it all together due to someone making the call that it wasn't safe, and bashing others that were using it, or selling it with the intent to be used as a hammocks suspension. The vendors have to put in safety quotes, liability waivers, and all kinds of other legal mumbojumbo to protect themselves against those who use something in a manner it wasn't meant to be used based on a system that has no standards because there are those whom have to have that standard applied, but don't know what it is....
man I just confused myself
My point is in all this is why? and how? did we transferee the safety rating system used in the climbing industry, isn't this is the hammocking industry....Yes I understand we impart some of the same loads they do/will, and our application is pretty darn close to theirs, but again we are not hanging as high up as they are. Ok maybe some do and they should think about applying the climbers methods. But I think that this type of application is truly the minority, within a minority.....
There are many whom push the limits on what they use in a quest to go lighter, I am one of those people. Also with the new additions of lighter weight fabrics being used as hammock material's, what is the safety factor there? Just going by the responses on suspension types that should be used "NO ONE" should be using anything lighter than 2.2oz rs fabric, unless you weigh less than 40# (this is an exaggeration as I did not do the math, but I am sure there are many that could)! Yet the fabric used in my new hammock should by all accounts not hold me up if one were to go by the suspension safety hoopla, yet it is the most comfy hammock and holds me just fine.
As I said before, this is only meant to be a discussion, and provide some information/insight.....
Below I have inserted the hammock physics 101 chart so you can see the ratings, forces, n all that but if for some reason you cannot view it here is a link:
https://www.hammockforums.net/galler...l_original.jpg
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Originally Posted by Cranky Bear
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