Suspension suggestion

[ATGIRL2028]

I am buying two hammocks in the spring. I'm a newbie that has a plan to hike the AT in 2028, so I'm playing with gear now, trying to piece something together. My plan for now is to get a Darien with whoopie slings b/c they are super easy and super light. But I worry a/b the capability to hang in trees less than 15 feet apart with this suspension system. So my other hammock will be a Chameleon, but I'm not sure about the suspension. Dutch has so much to offer and I don't quite understand them all. I need something simple like the whoopies but light weight as well. Any suggestions?

[Unknowing outdoorsman]

It really depends on what you consider to be lightweight, but I personally use daisy chain straps, even for long distance backpacking trips. In my opinion they are not that heavy (as previously stated,even for backpacking) and they let me hang with many different distances. Also, I don’t know where you are, but there are not many places in the US I can think of where there wouldn’t be two trees within 15’ of each other (especially on the AT).


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[Unknowing outdoorsman]

And good luck with your thru hike. I am planning to thru hike the AT as well as soon as I graduate college (class of 2028 as well, actually).


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[ATGIRL2028]

And good luck with your thru hike. I am planning to thru hike the AT as well as soon as I graduate college (class of 2028 as well, actually).


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Awesome! If I'm not too old and feeble, I'll try to remember to look for you! We are doing it in 2028 when our sons graduate high school. It's gonna be a good year!!

[cmc4free]

If you did want to use daisy chains, per above, check out Dutch's mantis hardware to go with them - definitely lighter than a carabiner. His Spider daisy chains are about as light as that style of webbing gets.
https://dutchwaregear.com/product/mantis-pair/
https://dutchwaregear.com/product/sp...chain-webbing/

Lightest option is to tie your tree strap directly to the CL of the hammock using a Becket hitch, J-bend, or Lapp hitch. You have plenty of time to learn these and become comfortable with them.

Not lightest, but another of the simplest options is Dutch's Beetle Buckles on his Spider/Poly straps. These adjust very easily and can be tightened all the way back to the trees, unlike whoopies. They also have the advantage of easily detaching from the hammock CLs so you can pack your straps separately from the hammock if you wish.
https://dutchwaregear.com/product/be...uckle-hardware

There are loads of other options too. And who knows what innovations the next 8 years will bring.

[professrh]

Lightest option is to tie your tree strap directly to the CL of the hammock using a Becket hitch, J-bend, or Lapp hitch. You have plenty of time to learn these and become comfortable with them.

I'm a big fan of the Lapp hitch. Currently using it (in my indoor rig) with repurposed ratchet straps from Harbor Freight. To be fair, I also have a short whoopie at the foot end for fine tuning in cases where the trees are farther apart than the wall hooks in the "hammock lab."

Here's a link to a video on the Lapp hitch, in case it should prove useful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfdZkrWw1ro

Whatever you choose for your suspension, good luck with your thru hike. 2028? I hope I can still walk then!

[ATGIRL2028]

If you did want to use daisy chains, per above, check out Dutch's mantis hardware to go with them - definitely lighter than a carabiner. His Spider daisy chains are about as light as that style of webbing gets.
https://dutchwaregear.com/product/mantis-pair/
https://dutchwaregear.com/product/sp...chain-webbing/

Lightest option is to tie your tree strap directly to the CL of the hammock using a Becket hitch, J-bend, or Lapp hitch. You have plenty of time to learn these and become comfortable with them.

Not lightest, but another of the simplest options is Dutch's Beetle Buckles on his Spider/Poly straps. These adjust very easily and can be tightened all the way back to the trees, unlike whoopies. They also have the advantage of easily detaching from the hammock CLs so you can pack your straps separately from the hammock if you wish.
https://dutchwaregear.com/product/be...uckle-hardware

There are loads of other options too. And who knows what innovations the next 8 years will bring.

Thanks for your help! I actually have a daisy chain now with my Hennessey and it works ok, but it's not my favorite. It's a lot of hooking and unhooking each side to get it right. I'm 'lazy' and would rather just pull instead of unhook everytime. I have been working on those knots actually, funny you mentioned them. I'm just not quite comfortable in my ability to do them in pouring down rain or freezing cold weather or when it got dark. However, I know with 6 months on the trail, tying these knots everyday, I'd become a pro at it. But until then, I need something I can put my confidence in while still practicing these knots (in case I lose my hardware on the trail). So I poked around Dutch's site and I think I landed on beetle buckles. A little heavy, but I just need the security blanket of simplicity and ease right now as a newbie Thanks for your help!

[gooless]

Continuous loops/whoopies > MSH > tree straps. Dutch's spider 1.5 is spendy but super light.

You can string the fixed end of whoopies directly to the hammock along with the continuous loops giving you the most flexibility at minor weight penalty of a a few grams when using the whoopies. The loops can be attached directly when space is tight and provide a handy way to hold the hammock to relieve tension with one hand while adjusting the whoopies. Add webbing tree straps suitable for your area with a marlin spike hitch for a simple and fully adjustable system.

[ATGIRL2028]

Continuous loops/whoopies > MSH > tree straps. Dutch's spider 1.5 is spendy but super light.

You can string the fixed end of whoopies directly to the hammock along with the continuous loops giving you the most flexibility at minor weight penalty of a a few grams when using the whoopies. The loops can be attached directly when space is tight and provide a handy way to hold the hammock to relieve tension with one hand while adjusting the whoopies. Add webbing tree straps suitable for your area with a marlin spike hitch for a simple and fully adjustable system.

I just watched shug's video on this and saw what you were talking about. Perfect! This is a plan! Thank you!

[Tikker]

But I worry a/b the capability to hang in trees less than 15 feet apart with this suspension system.

why?

if the spacing is closer, you can use whoopie at one end, and just use your continuous loop to the tree strap on the other side

you don't HAVE To use whoopies on both sides ever, if you don't want to