Prevent UCR Slippage

[BackcountryBowhunting]

First, let me start by saying that this isn't a tutorial - it's just a "check out what I did and how I did it" post. I've been using UCR's instead of Whoopie Slings (weight savings). As many of you know there can be some issues with UCR's (primarily slippage). Yes, even with using a taut-line hitch to keep things tight I still slipped (once). That was enough for me to come up with an alternative. Enter a Klemheist knot and some 1/16th inch shock cord.

You’ll need:
5″-6″ of 1.0mm braided fishing line
5″ of 1/16th inch shock cord

Using the 1.0mm braided fishing line or whatever line you’d like, tie a finished loop approximately 2″-3″ in diameter. I used braided line because it’s super lightweight, very inexpensive, grabs the Amsteel well and can be used for a host of other things. Tie the loop around the Amsteel with a Klemheist knot. You can use a prusik knot if you'd like but the Klemheist is a one-directional knot and will require less fiddling than a prusik (two-directional) knot.
Loose-UCR.jpg
Next, pass the 1/16th inch shock cord through the tag end of the Amsteel an inch or two beyond the bury.

Tie the shock cord to the Klemheist knot and pull tight. You’re done!
Full-UCR.jpg
Ensuring that the bury remains taught is the key to keeping a UCR from slipping. The pressure from the shock cord should keep the needed pressure on the bury to prevent slippage.

[MikekiM]

I like the ingenuity, but I am curious why the the shock cord? Wouldn't you get the same result by using a tautline hitch or prussiik?

Here's another idea I use on all of my ucr's... Actually, I think my good friend Sqidmark showed me this...

Here is the end of the constrictor on a Dynaglide UCR.. The taut-line hitch is tied close to the exit on the ucr and a few wraps of a whipping knot are added. Just enough to add some bite at the exit point. Also give you something substantial to hold when milking...



Here's the same idea in Amsteel, but without the taut-line hitch.. just a diamond knot to act as a handle

[BackcountryBowhunting]

Mike,
I really like both of your options - functional, simple and clean. Previously I was using a taut-line hitch, about an inch or so away from end of the UCR and was having a hard time keeping it tight. That was the configuration I was using the one time that I fell, that pushed me to find another solution. It seems that the key is keeping whichever tightening approach one uses close to the end of the bury.

I'm pretty new to the hanging crowd (as noted by this being my 3rd post) but one thing I've quickly learned is that many of us like to fiddle around - so, I'll keep fiddling.

[XJ35S]

The shock cord is a god idea for releasing the tension on the K knot. I wish I used that approach when I tried pussics on my tarp ridgeline.

Just out of curiosity, how long a bury on the ucr?

Have you experimented with a becket hitch at all ? That's been my go to.

[BackcountryBowhunting]

XJ
The bury is 9" long. I haven't tried a becket hitch on the UCR yet but I will. However, I do use it to join my UCR to my tree strap.

[Phantom Grappler]

Two more ways to keep UCR from slipping.
If rope that goes on inside of bury is 1/8 amsteel and rope that is on outside of bury is 7/64 amsteel then that fat rope gonna be squeezed like a fat man in tight pants.
Second idea, in addition to inner rope being 1/8 it can also be of a more grainy texture than amsteel. The graininess will give extra friction and resistance to slipping and sliding. There are ropes made with amsteel cores and poly braided sheaths that might do the job.
You might have to shop around different rope makers for some of their sailing ropes for my second idea.
Phantom—so full of ideas—so full of it...

[Phantom Grappler]

And here is another idea to stop UCR slipping.
No cost, no added weight, or additional build, this will work now with UCR you got. At bury exit, tie a slip knot an inch from bury exit. Most of the time it will hang there doing nothing. If UCR slips—it can only slip one inch—then it will stop—it’s to big to be pulled inside bury.
Try and see if it works for you, sometimes my guesses and hairbrained schemes don’t work as they were dreamed to be—YMMV
Good Luck
And you can always make a longer bury, but this works against your minimum hang distance and total grams...

[Phantom Grappler]

I don’t use UCR, friends who have UCR as their suspension say it has never failed or slipped.
Some use a prusik, and some use a klemheist at beginning of UCR to stabilize bury in case it is bumped causing slip.
First you can add one extra coil or wrap
Then you can switch from prusik to klemheist
A klemheist has been known to grip better than prusik when direction of pull is known to be one way. One day when you have time, tie a klemheist with a different color than rope it’s gonna grip. Pull tight before loading—and you will see as you are tightening it the standing line gets sucked into coils of klemheist. This is easy to see with two different colors and fun to watch it happening.

I don’t know if the coils are intermingled when a klemheist is used to stabilize UCR, since standing part is weighted with your body weight. But even if the coils don’t stay intermingled, the forces would be trying to intermingle both klemheist and standing part.

Then carefully dress or tighten UCR bury from klemheist towards hammock. In other words milk your bury. Finish with a hard pull from opposite ends while not touching bury and klemheist.

Then on first entry to hammock, add your weight gradually.
Try to have a 30* angle of hang—flat hang angles can double or triple forces on your suspension.
I don’t measure angle—I just look at suspension from side and if it looks like a smiley face—I have smiley face too

Lastly go to a group hang and there you can talk with others who use UCR and they will give you pointers Phantom has yet to dream of...

Good Luck

[MikekiM]

Two more ways to keep UCR from slipping.
If rope that goes on inside of bury is 1/8 amsteel and rope that is on outside of bury is 7/64 amsteel then that fat rope gonna be squeezed like a fat man in tight pants.

This a great idea.. I have played around with Jerry Brown Hollow Core Braided Spectra line in a mini ucr configuration, as an alternative to Zing It. It's cordage used primarily by deep sea fisherman. The stuff works, but it absorbs water, and is super soft with a tendency to catch on tree bark. That said, I use the 300 lb test line as the primary line and 200 lb test for the ucr body. Works just as you describe above.

Second idea, in addition to inner rope being 1/8 it can also be of a more grainy texture than amsteel. The graininess will give extra friction and resistance to slipping and sliding. There are ropes made with amsteel cores and poly braided sheaths that might do the job.
You might have to shop around different rope makers for some of their sailing ropes for my second idea.
Phantom—so full of ideas—so full of it...

Done this as well, but not for hammock suspension.. so I have no recommendation as to which line to use. I use reflective cord for my tarps and for the doors, I use Zing It mini ucrs around line as small as 1.2 micro cord. You wouldn't expect cord that small to be secure inside 1.75 Zing It, but the texture of the reflective traces help give the mini ucrs enough bite to hold just fine. The tracers also accelerates the degradation of the ucr but that's easily replaced.

And here is another idea to stop UCR slipping.
No cost, no added weight, or additional build, this will work now with UCR you got. At bury exit, tie a slip knot an inch from bury exit. Most of the time it will hang there doing nothing. If UCR slips—it can only slip one inch—then it will stop—it’s to big to be pulled inside bury.
Try and see if it works for you, sometimes my guesses and hairbrained schemes don’t work as they were dreamed to be—YMMV
Good Luck
And you can always make a longer bury, but this works against your minimum hang distance and total grams...

LOL.. been down this route too.. and it was a failure here that led me to using the whipping and taut-line hitch. I had created an Amsteel UCR with a 10.5" bury. Fully milked the UCR. Added a slippery half hitch at the constrictor end for safety. Upon initial weighting the UCR slipped and the half-hitch got sucked into the bury.

Click the Pic for more images

[Phantom Grappler]

MikekiM, thanks for shout out. We think alike in trouble-shooting problems. I think a genuine slip knot as opposed to a half hitch will be more secure and less likely to slip or get pulled into bury. The slip knot will not be tied around anything except itself—a stand alone knot an inch from exit bury.