J-Bend vs Beckett Hitch

**johnspenn** · 01-08-2017, 07:47

I'm still a whoopie man as well. The BH comes in handy from time to time in a "short hang" situation, but my whoopies are still coming with me every time.

**MikekiM** · 01-08-2017, 09:28

Originally Posted by Shug

I have become smitten with the Beckett Hitch. Held in -12º. Easy to pull out. Mule tape.
Using it on one end of hammock.
I am still loyal to whoopies and cannot just turn my back and walk away from them.
Shug

Shug, I don't do the low temps you do.. curious how the whoopies respond to freezing? If they get wet and freeze, can you adjust them?

Originally Posted by johnspenn

I'm still a whoopie man as well. The BH comes in handy from time to time in a "short hang" situation, but my whoopies are still coming with me every time.

I still have my whoopies. I am liking that the BH direct to CL seems to work regardless of the situation. No longer a if/then situation. BH works short hang, or long. Same every time. That's what got my attention. So much so, I've removed my Ti LoopAliens and Dynaglide CL's!!

**Shug** · 01-08-2017, 09:55

Originally Posted by MikekiM

Shug, I don't do the low temps you do.. curious how the whoopies respond to freezing? If they get wet and freeze, can you adjust them?

Never had a problem with them in freeze. Once they were slightly frozen do I just ran my closed hand up and down them a few strokes and all was good.
I switch to straps in deep winter just to save some gloves off time.

**DuctTapeMessiah** · 01-08-2017, 10:44

Whoopies have a special place in my heart but I love Muletape and have used it solely for the last 6 months. I also just bought Warbonnets cinch buckle suspension just to have. Variety is the spice of life!

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**Johnny Gunz** · 01-08-2017, 12:15

We just did a frozen butt hang, 16*, and set up after dark. Becket hitch was perfect and easy with frozen fingers. I love it with mule tape.

**johnspenn** · 01-08-2017, 12:40

Originally Posted by MikekiM

I still have my whoopies. I am liking that the BH direct to CL seems to work regardless of the situation. No longer a if/then situation. BH works short hang, or long. Same every time. That's what got my attention. So much so, I've removed my Ti LoopAliens and Dynaglide CL's!!

I could probably do the same. The whoopies for me are a luxury and I like them for their adjustability. If I tie a BH and I need to make an adjustment, I have to untie and retie. With my whoopies, I just use them to make any adjustment that needs to be made. Since I have to have the straps anyway, the weight penalty for carrying 2 WS and 2 soft shackles is negligible and worth it IMO. HYOH and all that, some people are probably better at getting it right the first time than I am =)

**mountain_man_mike** · 01-09-2017, 13:17

Always nice to pick up some new information here. I like the Beckett, especially in slippery form. I am a loyalist to the marlin spike & whoopie and am trying to see the advantage of the J Bend over that set up. Any pointers?

**Otter1** · 01-09-2017, 14:05

No huge advantages in my experience.

No need for a separate toggle (minor point) and seems to come apart a bit easier than a MSH - neither are major advantages to me. However, it somehow SEEMS more fun, simple, or some other intangible point. I just like it!

Oh, one more thing: the J-bend doesn't have to occasionally fiddly issue of needing precise placement of the loop over the knot, like the MSH has.

**Caminante** · 01-09-2017, 14:29

I realized sometime in the last six months that I was using whoopies for no discernible reason 90% of the time. When I find appropriate trees, my straps are long enough that I can MSH with my 'biner as the toggle. Now looking at this, I could ditch my 'biners and tie a Beckett hitch instead. Continue to carry my whoopies for when my trees are too far apart.

A more sensible solution might be to shorten my straps, though I have hung on trees in the Smokies where I needed most of my strap. Maybe shorten my straps and make some dogbones. Either way, I don't need the 'biners at all.

**sqidmark** · 01-09-2017, 15:27

Over the past year I've tried a lot of the various optons out there. I did back to back comparisons including the jbend and becket using various materials. I spent a night with the jbend on one end and becket on the other. In the morning I had to fight to get the becket untied (I recall some choice incantations being uttered) while the jbend came apart as easy as could be. In all fariness, the jbend was 2.2 kevlar to amsteel cl while the becket (double sheet bend) may have been amsteel to amsteel cl. Not exactly apples to apples. As indictated, I did try the becket with various configurations/materials. I'm pretty sure it was the untying that was the stickler for me. Most of the time ok but once in a while, not so great. On the other hand, I once spent a week or more nightly with the kevlar/jbend combo, afterward it untied as if I tied it 5 minutes ago.

I always view my choices from the worst case scenario - tired, raining, cold, windy, frustrated and cranky, dark with headlight battery going dead etc. The bottom line is that for this application, the jbend won for me.