Becket hitch versus marlin spike hitch - long term durability

[poorboystooge]

I'm considering two lightweight suspension systems and curious what you guys think would last longer in terms of durability. I've read that knots degrade the line over time but not sure if anyone has any experience with these suspension types.

My plan is to use a line of amsteel with a fixed loop and attatch it to some tree straps. On my hammock I'll have a continuous loop and attach the line of amsteel to the continuous loop using a becket hitch. The alternative suspension system would include attaching the amsteel to the continuous loop using a marlin spike hitch and a trail stick as a toggle.

Would the marlin spike hitch make the line last longer?

[ocnlogan]

Amsteel is fairly slippery, I don't know if that setup will work. If you used mule tape instead you may have better luck, as mule tape holds knots better (lots more friction).

Right now I do a somewhat similar setup though, and its worked for me. I have a whipped hammock, that I've connected 12ft of amsteel to with an anchor hitch(at each end). That amsteel gets tied to my tree hugger with either a slipped larks head, or a variant of the Siberian /evenk hitch. I've not had problems with that slipping/etc, nor do I have any wear that I can tell with it so far.

Admittedly, I've not used the above setup with amsteel too long, bur used the same setup with 1050lb spectra cord for over a year, and not had a problem with that either.

In that setup, I've noticed that the friction from the loop in the end of the 1in tree hugger is essential in this setup. The webbing bunches up, and appears larger than the amsteel (meaning, the bend radius is larger I think). This should mean its easier on the cord than tying around itself.

Its worth saying though, that knots DO wear the rope, and/or lower the "weight rating", when compared to a whoopie or ucr. The larkshead test the best out of the tested knots in amsteel, and it only held 57% of the rating of a single line of amsteel. Depending on your personal level of comfort /"safety ratio" that might mean you're ok with knots, or you might decide to use a ucr/whoopie.

Anyway. If I were you, I'd try some mule tape. Either 5/8in or 1/2in should be lighter than a whoopie of the same length, and can be tied with the slippery becket hitch just how you want.

Good luck .

[poorboystooge]

Amsteel is fairly slippery, I don't know if that setup will work. If you used mule tape instead you may have better luck, as mule tape holds knots better (lots more friction).

Right now I do a somewhat similar setup though, and its worked for me. I have a whipped hammock, that I've connected 12ft of amsteel to with an anchor hitch(at each end). That amsteel gets tied to my tree hugger with either a slipped larks head, or a variant of the Siberian /evenk hitch. I've not had problems with that slipping/etc, nor do I have any wear that I can tell with it so far.

Admittedly, I've not used the above setup with amsteel too long, bur used the same setup with 1050lb spectra cord for over a year, and not had a problem with that either.

In that setup, I've noticed that the friction from the loop in the end of the 1in tree hugger is essential in this setup. The webbing bunches up, and appears larger than the amsteel (meaning, the bend radius is larger I think). This should mean its easier on the cord than tying around itself.

Its worth saying though, that knots DO wear the rope, and/or lower the "weight rating", when compared to a whoopie or ucr. The larkshead test the best out of the tested knots in amsteel, and it only held 57% of the rating of a single line of amsteel. Depending on your personal level of comfort /"safety ratio" that might mean you're ok with knots, or you might decide to use a ucr/whoopie.

Anyway. If I were you, I'd try some mule tape. Either 5/8in or 1/2in should be lighter than a whoopie of the same length, and can be tied with the slippery becket hitch just how you want.

Good luck .

Thanks! Just the sort of opinion I was looking for. I'll give mule tape a try.

[Bubba]

I think splicing is the safest and most durable option. A whoopie sling or UCR will retain more breaking strength and the line will last longer with less bends from line weakening knots. I do love knots and I'm no cordage expert but for suspension I think the popular choice of spliced line is the best choice. YYMV.

Mule tape is a little narrow for tree straps. To be kind to the trees and to portray a consciousness image, 1 inch tree straps are the preferred choice.

[ocnlogan]

To be clear, I'm not recommending mule tape to replace tree straps. The mule tape in my example will perform the same function as a UCR/Whoopie, and still rely on a tree strap/hugger 1in or wider around the tree.

Just wanting to make sure everyone understood .

[poorboystooge]

I think splicing is the safest and most durable option. A whoopie sling or UCR will retain more breaking strength and the line will last longer with less bends from line weakening knots. I do love knots and I'm no cordage expert but for suspension I think the popular choice of spliced line is the best choice. YYMV.

Mule tape is a little narrow for tree straps. To be kind to the trees and to portray a consciousness image, 1 inch tree straps are the preferred choice.

Thanks for the heads up, but I'm planning on using 10 ft kevlar tree straps to wrap around the trees and then attach the mule tape to that.

[kbajg]

You might not even need the mule tape with 10 ft straps. I Becket hitch the straps right to the continuous loop on the hammock & it works just fine.

[Bubba]

To be clear, I'm not recommending mule tape to replace tree straps. The mule tape in my example will perform the same function as a UCR/Whoopie, and still rely on a tree strap/hugger 1in or wider around the tree.

Just wanting to make sure everyone understood .

Thanks for the clarification. As mentioned, the 1 inch straps should hold connected to the amsteel.

[somniferous]

You might not even need the mule tape with 10 ft straps. I Becket hitch the straps right to the continuous loop on the hammock & it works just fine.

I just started hanging this exact way. No issues so far after 3 nights.

[ocnlogan]

The length of the tree straps should really depend on the size of the trees you're dealing with. The OP's info says he's from the PNW, which I believe lends itself to larger trees than the east coast. From some of the things I've read, it seems that sometimes up there it takes 10-15ft just to go around the trees available to you for hanging.

But as you say, if the straps were sufficiently long, you sure can hang from those and the CL by themselves.

Good luck .