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  1. #1
    Member Meteor's Avatar
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    What is Safe to Use as a Marlin Spike?

    lazy river road and I were asking about marlin spike safety in a DIY marlin spike thread and we didn't want to hijack the thread. At lrr's suggestion, I'll repost our comments here (feel free to jump in here lrr):

    Quote Originally Posted by lazy river road View Post
    Ok I get the marlin spike and what they are used for. But why carry them and not just use sticks off the ground. The marlin spike does not hold the woopie sling the knot does (as Shug points out in his video). So all you need is something to tie the knot around. Just curious? Mabey its easier to use aluminum tubeing instead of sticks and I just dont know it bc I havent yet tried woopie slings but just curious trying to figure out what im missing.
    Quote Originally Posted by Meteor View Post
    I've been wondering this too.

    Can the sling slip off the knot? Does this happen much? I would love to try the whoopie sling with marlin spike hitch, but I would be thinking about that sling popping over the knot and suddenly applying the weight of a fully loaded hammock on the spike itself.

    It doesn't seem that many of the things discussed to use as a spike could handle that kind of a load, so maybe there's another reason folks use something other than sticks?
    It sounds like there have been many miles on the marlin spike knot, so I suspect there isn't much of a risk, but... anyone had issues?
    Last edited by Meteor; 03-02-2010 at 11:56.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Hawk-eye's Avatar
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    Nope ... not a one ...

    WARNING: Will discuss Rhurbarb Strawberry Pie and Livermush at random.


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  3. #3
    Senior Member stoikurt's Avatar
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    Just make sure the whoopie sling loop is securely over the knot and then "set" it by carefully sitting in the hammock. Once done there should be no problems but I did have it slip off once because it wasn't set securely over the knot. It slipped off when I first started to sit in the hammock.
    Stoikurt
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  4. #4
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    I weigh around 250lbs. I use whoopie slings over a marlin spike hitch. Haven't fallen to the ground yet. I carry solid aluminum rod that I got from fastenal for 3 dollars for a 3ft stick, but I've used good, solid sticks from the ground.
    I have heard your confession I know who you blame
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  5. #5
    Member Meteor's Avatar
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    Looks like this is already being discussed here:

    http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=14982

  6. #6
    Senior Member MrToot's Avatar
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    75 cent piece of tent pole repair tube. REI, any camping store or Walmart. About 3 inches is all you need but they sell them at REI in 4 inch sizes. Works great. Very light and since hollow you can easily rig a lightweight line through them to attach wherever you need it.

  7. #7
    Senior Member ikemouser's Avatar
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    trailsticks, for me the point of this setup is NOT having to carry extra weight in toggles. Oh sure it may be negligible, but when you can make these kind of changes to 10-20 places in your gear, it pays. =P my .02

  8. #8
    Senior Member Hawk-eye's Avatar
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    Did just get me a fancy pair of green aluminum stobs from Paul ... just because they were so dang cheap and I was placing an order anyway. Probably eventually lose them ... but they be mighty purty till then!

    WARNING: Will discuss Rhurbarb Strawberry Pie and Livermush at random.


    "A democracy is two wolves and a small lamb voting on what to have for dinner.
    Freedom under a constitutional republic is a well armed lamb contesting the vote." ... B.Franklin


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  9. #9
    Senior Member neo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Meteor View Post
    lazy river road and I were asking about marlin spike safety in a DIY marlin spike thread and we didn't want to hijack the thread. At lrr's suggestion, I'll repost our comments here (feel free to jump in here lrr):





    It sounds like there have been many miles on the marlin spike knot, so I suspect there isn't much of a risk, but... anyone had issues?
    last time i saw a marlin spike was in boot camp in the us navy in the summer of 78neo
    the matrix has you

  10. #10
    New Member Thunder's Avatar
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    Exclamation Marlin Spike Failure

    I went out a couple of days ago to test out some new gear (homemade whoopie slings and new speer 8 by 10 tarp ) and sort of had a marlin spike failure. We have a large amount of snow up here in Houghton MI (about 3-4 ft on the ground in the woods) and its kind of hard to get to the ground to find sticks to use as a toggle so I just snapped a couple of "green" twigs off of a small maple tree sapling. The twigs/sticks were about 3/8" in diameter. When I got every thing set up and laid down in the hammock, after about 5 minutes of relaxing I quickly found myself lying in the snow, thinking "hmm that was weird" . Upon inspection of the stick toggles one of them (one that failed) was squeezed so tight by the knot that it sheared it in half.

    I am not saying that the marlin spike is not safe when using sticks, but you just need to be selective with your toggle sticks. If I were to have a couple of guidelines for toggles I would not choose any thing smaller in diameter than my thumb and choose only dry, not green, not rotting sticks. If you go by that and hook your whoopie sling on the "knot, not the toggle" as Shug says you should be fine.
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