A few quick suspension questions

[Trapper777]

Hello! I’m upgrading my suspension from (very) heavy and short daisy chains to something better. Before I spend money I thought I’d better ask a few questions here!

So my suspension plan was:

webbing on tree —> Toggle —> whoopie or UCR —> Dutch whoopie hooks —> Continuous loop on hammock.

But after looking at more setups it seems that I’ve misunderstood and the toggle with whoopie hooks is redundant. One end of the suspension appears to just be lark’s-headed on in most setups. Am I right that this is largely redundant?
I wanted the hooks because the option with a hole for a spreader bar is useful; I wanted the toggles because I’ve already bought a 2$ set and they seem to add a lot of flexibility.

More questions:

Do dutch whoopie hooks work on UCRs?

Specifically, since the hook’s pressure point wouldn’t shift on a fixed loop, will the amsteel degrade with time?

What other methods could I use to add double-hammock-ness to my regular suspension system?

I was thinking of adding just a figure 8 washer in lieu of the hooks. Would that work?


Thanks y’all!

[LearnedHat]

I think Shug uses or used this for awhile. The whoopie gives you on the fly length adjustment without having to retire the marling spike hitch. There may be something to not having your CL twist directly on the toggle to - you get more play with the two sections.

You can get a long strap and just Beckett hitch it if you get good at eyeballing the the setup

[Singlespeed]

I think your over complicating it by wanting to use the toggles and also have double suspension.

Set up like this, but with the double hooks
https://dutchwaregear.com/wp-content...oopiehook2.jpg

If you ever get an awkward narrow hang, bring out the toggles to reposition the whoopie fixed loop on the tree strap.... I think your suspension angles between the two hammocks would be unsuitable by the time you require that.

[cmoulder]

Or, webbing on tree —> CL

[MikekiM]

You haven't shared you objective... Are you looking for ease of setup, ease of adjustment, minimum hang distance, lightest option, modular...

You're taking a natural progression for someone new to hammocks and nothing wrong with your setup.

Yes, the whoopie hook (single or double) can be used on the UCR.. just splice it into the end. If your continuous loops show wear replace them. That takes five minutes.

I do think it is redundant... You have an adjustment point at the MSH & toggle and another in the whoopie/ucr. Truth told, you can bypass all of the minutia and do as stated above; Strap to the tree and to the continuous loop. Done.

[cougarmeat]

For double-hammock-ness you don’t need a spreader bar if the trees are large enough. Just run-one hammock off the left side of the tree and the other hammock off the right side. They will be separated by the diameter of the tree. Often that puts them close enough to be “together” yet independent - much more independent than if connected by a spreader bar - of each other (should someone have to get up while the other person is sleeping).

[shichimi]

I have been using straps(becket hitch) -> whoopie -> soft shackle on hammock
For spreader bar you can use dedicated continiouds loop connected to hammock soft shckle (or loop).
Jeff Myers has a video about this metod
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL8eZ6j69aI

[Trapper777]

For spreader bar you can use dedicated continiouds loop connected to hammock soft shckle (or loop).
Jeff Myers has a video about this metod
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL8eZ6j69aI

Thank you for this, that’s a clever method! I will definitely be using it over specialized hardware

For double-hammock-ness you don’t need a spreader bar if the trees are large enough. Just run-one hammock off the left side of the tree and the other hammock off the right side. They will be separated by the diameter of the tree. Often that puts them close enough to be “together” yet independent - much more independent than if connected by a spreader bar - of each other (should someone have to get up while the other person is sleeping).

Thanks; I will keep this in mind. Lots of skinny pines where I am, sadly... though I will definitely use it if the opportunity presents itself, that’s very convenient.

You haven't shared you objective... Are you looking for ease of setup, ease of adjustment, minimum hang distance, lightest option, modular...

You're taking a natural progression for someone new to hammocks and nothing wrong with your setup.

Yes, the whoopie hook (single or double) can be used on the UCR.. just splice it into the end. If your continuous loops show wear replace them. That takes five minutes.

I do think it is redundant... You have an adjustment point at the MSH & toggle and another in the whoopie/ucr. Truth told, you can bypass all of the minutia and do as stated above; Strap to the tree and to the continuous loop. Done.

First of all thank you for this comment, it’s very clarifying. After thinking about it a lot I’ve decided my objectives in order are 1. Hang distance flexibility 2. Saving money (I’m a typical broke college student) 3. Weight.

With that I think I’ll go with spider 1.5 straps -> toggle -> UCR -> (maybe CL attached to) hammock.
Pretty equivalent on (1) & (3) to just straps and a Beckett hitch... but (2) shorter straps save like 15$ and I already have Amsteel!

I know I’ve already said thanks like five times but seriously thank you for all of the advice, everyone.

[MikekiM]

You're quite welcome..

If your priority is distance flexibility and saving money.. Skip the ucr, MSH & toggle. The upside of the ucr is ease in making adjustments. That's where it stops. It will add a decent amount to your minimum hang distance. Take your strap from the tree to your continuous loop. Use a J-Bend, Becket hitch or Lapp Hitch to tie your strap to the hammocks CL. You will have simplified things and shortened the minimum tree distance by a fair amount. Carry one or two Amsteel dog bones to quench your thirst for the Amsteel and to cover you if the combination of tree distance and size require more length.

Just buy some 12-15 foot Spider straps and call it a day. Maybe add an Evo Loop at the tree end to make it easier to connect at the tree.

Or not...

[jeff-oh]

You're quite welcome..

If your priority is distance flexibility and saving money.. Skip the ucr, MSH & toggle. The upside of the ucr is ease in making adjustments. That's where it stops. It will add a decent amount to your minimum hang distance. Take your strap from the tree to your continuous loop. Use a J-Bend, Becket hitch or Lapp Hitch to tie your strap to the hammocks CL. You will have simplified things and shortened the minimum tree distance by a fair amount. Carry one or two Amsteel dog bones to quench your thirst for the Amsteel and to cover you if the combination of tree distance and size require more length.

Just buy some 12-15 foot Spider straps and call it a day. Maybe add an Evo Loop at the tree end to make it easier to connect at the tree.

Or not...

I agree with Mike. Least cost, simplest and most flexibility is 1" strap Becket Hitched to the CL of the hammock.