How do I attach to seat belts??

[DivaB]

I went to the car dump and was able to get a bunch of seat belts for only $3.

Since some parks are requiring wider straps, I thought I'd just go ahead and change us all over to seat belts, but I'm still using the mule tape on my hammock portion (hammock is too long for my whoopies to work right). I've always attached with a marlins hitch....but going to the width of a seat belt, I don't see that being possible. I would also prefer to not use a heavy duty biner. Suggestions and easy knot possibilities for me to learn would be greatly appreciated.

Also, many times, we are hanging on smooth bark trees.....does the seat belts width cause it slide any, or do you double wrap?

Thanks gang!

[Taliesin96]

I went to the car dump and was able to get a bunch of seat belts for only $3.

Since some parks are requiring wider straps, I thought I'd just go ahead and change us all over to seat belts, but I'm still using the mule tape on my hammock portion (hammock is too long for my whoopies to work right). I've always attached with a marlins hitch....but going to the width of a seat belt, I don't see that being possible. I would also prefer to not use a heavy duty biner. Suggestions and easy knot possibilities for me to learn would be greatly appreciated.

Also, many times, we are hanging on smooth bark trees.....does the seat belts width cause it slide any, or do you double wrap?

Thanks gang!

you can do your marlin on the straps i use 2" and once you start the marlin and place in a toggle it pulls nice and compact and also allows the whoopies the slide under the top of the knot, then i use a whipping knot slide up for added protection.

[FBG]

+1

That's exactly what I do with my 2" straps. Works just great!

I've not yet hung from a smooth bark tree, but would imagine less slippage due to the straps coming in contact with more of the tree. I have very little to no slippage with my straps.

[Mouseskowitz]

I'm not 100% sure what your mule tape set up is, but you could consider using rings. If you don't want to do a permanent mod you could probably larks head, or something like that, to the mule tape. I just picked up 6 pairs of 2" ID rings from slingrings.com for about $20 shipped (the color sample pack). I don't like them as much as my SMC ring but the SMCs only have a 1.5" ID. I looked around and couldn't find any mention of anyone having the stuff from slingrings.com fail on them.

[Redoleary]

+1 to the rings, again w/o knowing how the muletape is on your hammock.

[DivaB]

Some of the seat belts are long enough that I may be able to forgo the muletape entirely and just use my amsteel loops at the end of my hammock.

Wow, I didn't think sticking with my tried and true Marlins would still work with the width of the seat belts.

[Mouseskowitz]

If you have long enough belts you can just put the rings on the amsteel loops. That's how I have my wife's hammock set up. She can usually get her's up faster than I can with my whoopies and MSH.

[DivaB]

If you have long enough belts you can just put the rings on the amsteel loops. That's how I have my wife's hammock set up. She can usually get her's up faster than I can with my whoopies and MSH.

Do you just larkshead them onto the amsteel loops?

To use a hardware method, the rings, I would have to have 2 on each end of every hammock, correct? Or is there some way of using 1 ring, and a special knot that is easily removable to secure the system? Did that make since?

It is the aluminum rings on the site, right? The small?

[DivaB]

Ok...another question. The rings on SlingRings are tested to 250lbs. Do to the angle of our dangle, don't we need about 1000 lb rings minimum....or with two rings that would be about 500lbs each? Am I over thinking the heck out of things again?

[FLRider]

Ok...another question. The rings on SlingRings are tested to 250lbs. Do to the angle of our dangle, don't we need about 1000 lb rings minimum....or with two rings that would be about 500lbs each? Am I over thinking the heck out of things again?

As a rule of thumb, life-rated stuff should be rated to 5x to 10x the user's weight, to deal with dynamic stresses on the suspension. The descender rings sold by DIY Gear Supply are rated to 1,000 lbs break strength; the carabiners are rated to 1,100 lbs, as are the ones sold by Warbonnet.

If the SlingRings are designed for a 250 lbs working load, their break strength should be somewhere around 1,000 lbs. But I'd definitely research it before trusting my life to 'em.

Hope it helps!