Biner Failures?

**Gordzilla** · 02-27-2009, 00:26

Has anyone who has used the Strap/cord, and caribiner method had a biner fail yet?
I am just curious is all.
If one did fail where and why do you think it did?

**Rushthezeppelin** · 02-27-2009, 00:49

If it's a climbing rated biner and you are not using it with the gate open I'd imagine only a defective biner would give way. Especially considering once the load reaches the biner it's already been spread on the strap hugging the tree so from what I understand there's much less stress on them than the direct weight of the hammock. At least that's the idea I have gotten from some past threads.

**FanaticFringer** · 02-27-2009, 18:01

My Camp USAs Nanos have never let me down.

**Cannibal** · 02-27-2009, 18:03

I've had a ring break, but never a hanging biner.

**Mustardman** · 02-27-2009, 18:52

Originally Posted by Cannibal

I've had a ring break, but never a hanging biner.

Which rings? I don't want to fall on my butt from a broken ring

**Cannibal** · 02-27-2009, 18:58

Welded rings from Home Depot or Lowes; don't remember which. To be completely honest, Genuine Draft and I were double hanging that night. I had used the very same rings without problem for almost a year prior to that. Still, I'm leery now.

**Take-a-knee** · 02-27-2009, 19:06

Climbing rated stuff is only slightly loaded in a hammock, no worries. Get the heaviest person you dare to occupy your hammock, then get out and push on the wire gate on a Nano carabiner. I'll bet you it'll open with no resistance. When a carabiner is overloaded the gate won't open. This would be a good test of those treklights to see if they are really as strong as they say they are.

**Carolinahammockhanger** · 02-27-2009, 20:01

True Climbing biners are rated by this method. Biner is placed in a hydraulic device that tries to seperate the binner. The force at which the biner fails is recorded and then divided by 2. So another words a biner rated at 6,000lbs took 12,000 lbs to break. I think we're save as long as we stick to rated climbing biners and not cheapos.

**Mustardman** · 02-27-2009, 20:11

Originally Posted by Carolinahammockhanger

True Climbing biners are rated by this method. Biner is placed in a hydraulic device that tries to seperate the binner. The force at which the biner fails is recorded and then divided by 2. So another words a biner rated at 6,000lbs took 12,000 lbs to break. I think we're save as long as we stick to rated climbing biners and not cheapos.

Not exactly. The breaking strength on biners is rated using several different systems, but none of them that I'm aware of are based on dividing by two. Some go with a simple 10% rule, others use more sophisticated statistical techniques (look up 3-sigma, popularized by Black Diamond Equipment).

Either way, the breaking strengths of climbing 'biners are HUGE compared to what we're subjecting them to. I've seen one break in climbing, but doubt I'll ever see one break in hammocking.

**Carolinahammockhanger** · 02-27-2009, 20:23

Darn Mustardman, your right. I just looked up the sigma 3 thing. Thats cool stuff. Now if I could only get my hands on the Omega Pacific rep. that told me other wise. Thanks for pointing that out.