Whoopie Slings Instead of Tree Straps

[Btdkd]

Anybody ever used whoopie slings around the trees, tied directly to the hammock? I'm looking to rig a fast setup hammock chair as simply as possible.

I'll be making the whoopies out of 7/64 Amsteel. Thoughts?

[SilvrSurfr]

7/64 Amsteel will cut into and damage the bark, which is why we use tree straps in the first place: to protect the trees. Using tree straps is a Leave No Trace principle.

https://lnt.org/blog/hammock-camping

[pgibson]

Please don't. We use tree straps to protect the trees from compressive forces that thin rope can cause damage to the tree. That, in turn, can cause land managers to ban the use of hammocks as they see all hammock users as bad. If you want to make it a little faster just use a carabiner from the tree strap to the whoopie sling. Takes seconds to set up and take down.

[HikerBro]

Cordage directly to the tree has been done, but it damages the trees. Most any managed park will tell you to pad it, whether it's a tree strap or simple cardboard under the amsteel. AFIK you can't really go around the tree with the whoopie itself though as it is spliced in, so you would still need some sort of interface between the tree and the loop. I'm considering switching to web and buckle. I saw how quick my neighbors went up and got super jelly.

Sent from my LG-M322 using Tapatalk

[Btdkd]

7/64 Amsteel will cut into and damage the bark, which is why we use tree straps in the first place: to protect the trees. Using tree straps is a Leave No Trace principle.

https://lnt.org/blog/hammock-camping

Was thinking of threading a section of "padding material" near the fixed loop end of the whoopie sling so that I could feed the floating loop though the fixed loop, and have the "pad" there to protect the tree.... then adjust the loop to the desired length and use a carabiner to clip on to my seat. Just trying to minimize parts & pieces.

Thoughts?

[GreatBigDave]

Was thinking of threading a section of "padding material" near the fixed loop end of the whoopie sling so that I could feed the floating loop though the fixed loop, and have the "pad" there to protect the tree.... then adjust the loop to the desired length and use a carabiner to clip on to my seat. Just trying to minimize parts & pieces.

Thoughts?

A "pad" as in a sleeve of some sort won't spread the force much if at all. Some have used a collection of sticks placed perpendicular to the rope around the tree to keep the rope from girdling the tree. This sounds like a lot more work than tree strap. To simplify, why not ditch the whoopie sling and use a strap to buckle suspension.

[ylnfrt]

How about a strap of choice with a grappler hitch at one end to go around the tree- and becket hitch the strap to the CL on the seat/ sling. No hardware needed and the tree is happy. done.

[SilvrSurfr]

Looking at your other gear, I can't imagine you're a gram weenie. And if you're adding a hammock chair in the first place, you're definitely not a gram weenie! Besides, you're talking about saving very few grams/ounces by skipping the straps.

You could get 3.3 Kevlar 6' straps at 43.5 grams (1.53 ounces) per pair from Dutchware.

https://dutchwaregear.com/product/30...traps-huggers/

Is 1.53 ounces really going to make a difference, when you're toting around a Blackbird XLC and a Superfly? I'd use straps, and forget about going gram weenie on the suspension of your hammock chair.

[Btdkd]

Is 1.53 ounces really going to make a difference, when you're toting around a Blackbird XLC and a Superfly? I'd use straps, and forget about going gram weenie on the suspension of your hammock chair.

Honestly, I’m so new to all of this, I don’t know if I’m a gram weenie or not. I just know I’m gonna try to lug all this stuff for 80 miles in October... and, I also know I’m 60 and I’ve got to be able to get comfortable. Getting comfortable, to me, means having a comfortable place to rest. I ALMOST ordered the Blackbird single.... but, I was afraid it’d tear it up if someone happened to sit next to me (I weigh 240 and, well, add another butt and I’d need that 400 lb rating).

That lil Treklight seat gizmo is really comforble and light. I’m trying to make it as easy and quick to set up as possible. May even use it to take a dump in the woods... cause, that’s gonna be a problem for this old man too! :-)

But, yeah... I’m trying to cut ounces everywhere I can so I can carry luxury stuff like this little chair. But, on this, I’ll probably just use tree straps.

[MikekiM]

Honestly, I’m so new to all of this, I don’t know if I’m a gram weenie or not. I just know I’m gonna try to lug all this stuff for 80 miles in October... and, I also know I’m 60 and I’ve got to be able to get comfortable. Getting comfortable, to me, means having a comfortable place to rest. I ALMOST ordered the Blackbird single.... but, I was afraid it’d tear it up if someone happened to sit next to me (I weigh 240 and, well, add another butt and I’d need that 400 lb rating).

That lil Treklight seat gizmo is really comforble and light. I’m trying to make it as easy and quick to set up as possible. May even use it to take a dump in the woods... cause, that’s gonna be a problem for this old man too! :-)

But, yeah... I’m trying to cut ounces everywhere I can so I can carry luxury stuff like this little chair. But, on this, I’ll probably just use tree straps.

Please... don't let weight be the reason you choose to skip using tree straps. Whether you choose poly, kevlar, dyneema or some other material, you won't take a serious weight penalty. In fact, if you reverse your thinking a bit, you might actually save some weight... ditch the whoopie slings and go with just a light weight strap (my choice is Kevlar, but dyneema from any of our preferred vendors would work just fine) and use a becket hitch or j-bend to attach directly to your hammocks continuous loops. I'll bet both you and the tree are happier with this setup..

Plenty of posts on this kind of setup.. just browse around!!