Suspension Questions

[maf_jr]

Hi Folks,

Newbie here with two (maybe dumb) questions about Dutch suspensions.

First what is the benefit of the dutch clip when it seems to be just as easy to feed one end of your tree strap through the other?

Second what is the benefit of connecting the whoopie sling to the strap using a Marlin Spike, in Dutch's videos he is just using a Lark's head?

Sorry if these are self explanatory, I'm pretty set on my hammock but now am trying to sort out what suspension I'm going with!

Thanks

[novasquid]

on your first question, as a fellow noob, i spent a lot of time on this board trying to figure it out too. using the built-in loops is perfectly fine, but it seems a lot of folks like using a clip or carabiner because it's more convenient. to me, that convenience is lost by having extra hardware to carry around. knowing what i know now, i would just stick with the strap loops. you can buy clips/carabiners later if you feel the need to save a few seconds from setting up your rig.

[silentorpheus]

Welcome to the forums!

1.) The only real benefit is speed and ease of use. I personally use a whoopie hook suspension, so my whoopie sling is attached to the opposite end of the strap. With 5-6 foot straps linked to 6 foot whoopies, that's at least 10 feet of strap/line that I'd need to pull through the loop every time - and more than once lately I've set up only to decide that I need to give the strap another wrap around the tree, meaning I'd need to pull that all out and do it again. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme, but for a few grams it eliminates the need to have to feed the whole thing through the end loop and it's worth it for me.

2.) I'm not sure which video of Dutch's you're referring to, but it sounds to me that you saw one where he's using a whoopie hook suspension. In that case, the fixed eye end of the whoopie is larks headed to one end of the tree strap, and the adjustable end of the whoopie has a hook that clips onto a loop at the end of the hammock. In the more traditional whoopie sling suspension setup, the fixed end of the whoopie sling is larks headed to the hammock. The adjustable end of the Whoopie then needs to attach to the tree strap, and that's where the marlin spike hitch comes in.

[gmcttr]

The convenience of using the clips or binners is greater for those using a cinch buckle suspension as they don't have to remove the strap from the cinch buckle to feed it through the loop. It can also be of benefit to have a little weight on the end of the strap as you try to throw it around a large tree.

Using the MSH and toggle allows you to connect the whoopie sling at any point on the strap providing a wider range of adjustability.

[Phantom Grappler]

Any suspension that is modular but can work like an all-in-one in the field can help prevent loss or misplacing of small straps and whoopie slings. No one wants to leave a strap on a tree or search 15 minutes through their pack during a setup with rain and sundown approaching. Enter carabiners and great hardware, and my no knot no hardware suspension Phantom Grappler Suspension.

[Boston]

For what it's worth, I switched to using a G-Clip (now Adutchable Clips) instead of a Dutch Clip and toggle. It let's me have the adjustable loop of my whoopie spliced to the tree strap loop, and adjust the tree strap size to the tree without having to worry about multiple wraps.

Does take slightly longer to set up, but worth it IMO.

[Bubba]

Another thing about your first question. It's nicer to leave you suspension attached to the hammock, adjust the length a little and then attach it to the tree. If you have an all strap suspension then you end up feeding anywhere 12 to 15 feet of strap through the loop and then connecting it to the hammock. Not a huge deal but some prefer the ease of just putting the strap around the tree and connecting it.

[MAD777]

Using a Dutch clip allows you to quickly move your strap up & down the tree to adjust the height. If there are no lower limbs in the way, the clip has no benefit. But, if you need to move the strap past a limb, you will have to un-thread the strap from the loop and start over.

The use of the Marlin Spike gives you total adjustability throughout the strap length. I hardly ever hang off the full length of the strap because the trees are just too close together.