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  1. #1
    Member commanderkeen's Avatar
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    Sanity Check needed re: inverted Amsteel/strap setup

    Will it blend?

    Context: I’m in a position to be more frugal in coming months, and I’m looking to shed some weight from my typical Spider-Poly/Beetle Buckle suspension. And I had an idea..

    Why couldn’t I flip the most common uses of Amsteel and ultralight webbing, and use the Amsteel as the “straps” (with short huggers around tree), and use some UHMWPE/Spider/Dyneema/MuleTape as continuous loops? Will a Beckett Hitch hold?

    It seems like it would be about as light as a suspension could possibly be, and it seems like it would be reasonably straightforward to put together. I don't have any UL webbing yet, so if it’s not going to work, I won't even bother spending cash and risking my fragile tailbone to test it.

    Has this been tried? I’ve dug a little, but haven’t seen anything, but surely, I’m not the first to propose this type of setup (?).
    Last edited by commanderkeen; 07-16-2020 at 15:03.

  2. #2
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    At least where I camp, the benefit of having strap on the tree end is that I never know how big of a tree I’m going to be hanging from. It might be 6” on one end and 36” on the other. If I pack a 12’ strap, I’m good for either scenario. Your environment might be different.

    If you like amsteel as the main component, then whoopie slings are for you. You can attach them directly to the hammock, and the other end connects to a short tree strap by whatever means you like.

    That doesnt solve the above tree size difficulties however, so I just take off the shelf poly webbing and tie onto amsteel loops. Is it sexy? No. Does it always work? Yes. Do I care about carrying an extra 0.0007 ounces? No. I also don’t care if it gets old, dirty, sappy, or lost. It’s easy to replace.

  3. #3
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    As described, I'm all but certain that a Becket hitch would not hold without some extra wraps or stopper knot somewhere. Neither would my beloved slipped Lapp hitch.

    J-bend would definitely work... it's the "Mikey" of suspension knots — it works with everything.

    But I agree completely with leiavoia that plain ol' webbing is hard to beat. 3.3g/ft Kevlar is pretty much my standard after fooling around with several other suspension techniques and materials. Various flavors of UHMWPE webbing are dazzling uber-light and compact but also super annoying to actually use... they bunch up like cord and are very difficult to flatten.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  4. #4
    Senior Member 1-Hung-Low's Avatar
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    Have you thought about tree huggers, your choice of length 2’-7’ +.
    12’ of 7/64” amsteel with brummel locked loop on one end girth hitched to loop of tree hugger
    Amsteel continuous loops on hammock ends and then your choice of Large Ti AlienLoops, or Turtle Ties by Fugal Innovations
    Or 12’ of mule tape w/loop girth hitched to tree hugger then Becket hitch to hammock CL’s
    Livin’ Large ~ Horizontally

  5. #5
    Member commanderkeen's Avatar
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    Sanity Check needed re: inverted Amsteel/strap setup

    Quote Originally Posted by leiavoia View Post
    If I pack a 12’ strap, I’m good....
    Yes, a lightweight webbing is probably the best way forward for flexibility, weight, etc. I just hadn’t invested in any yet, and was trying to think outside the box in an effort to use something I already have on hand.

    Quote Originally Posted by cmoulder View Post
    As described, I'm all but certain that a Becket hitch would not hold without some extra wraps or stopper knot somewhere. Neither would my beloved slipped Lapp hitch.

    J-bend would definitely work... it's the "Mikey" of suspension knots — it works with everything.

    But I agree completely with leiavoia that plain ol' webbing is hard to beat. 3.3g/ft Kevlar is pretty much my standard after fooling around with several other suspension techniques and materials. Various flavors of UHMWPE webbing are dazzling uber-light and compact but also super annoying to actually use... they bunch up like cord and are very difficult to flatten.
    Pity. I thought that webbing CLs might give it a little something to bite, but I was definitely doubtful. (Want to just try it, but circumstances prevent it at the moment.)

    I’ll play around with the J Bend when I can.

    Probably going to at least *try* some type of UHMWPE to see if it’s annoying for me. I can see why you'd say it is.

    Quote Originally Posted by 1-Hung-Low View Post
    Have you thought about ...
    Huggers plus Amsteel is what I had in mind. Not too familiar with larger Ti hardware for use in hammock suspension, so I hadn’t considered that. Glad you brought it up, but I don’t think it saves me $$ in any way. Have some MuleTape which I use sometimes, but liked the idea of Amsteel since it's lighter, and would be nice to handle, and not a loose weave (prone to snagging).


    Thanks for the input, all.

  6. #6
    Senior Member jeff-oh's Avatar
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    The system you propose is the one I use (though with whoopies). Commercially it is the Hummingbird Suspension (Link) TreeStraps_Nav_400x.png

    I like have a 5' kevlar strap attached to 18" to 6' whoopies. As for tying the Becket hitch with amsteel around a webbing CL. Not good idea. The Amsteel will slip and let you down. I was experimenting with it a few weeks ago. See this thread:Total-let-down

  7. #7
    Member commanderkeen's Avatar
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    Sanity Check needed re: inverted Amsteel/strap setup

    Quote Originally Posted by jeff-oh View Post
    The system you propose is the one I use (though with whoopies). Commercially it is the Hummingbird Suspension (Link) TreeStraps_Nav_400x.png

    I like have a 5' kevlar strap attached to 18" to 6' whoopies. As for tying the Becket hitch with amsteel around a webbing CL. Not good idea. The Amsteel will slip and let you down. I was experimenting with it a few weeks ago. See this thread:Total-let-down
    Whoa! Thanks! I missed thjs. I’m glad you tried and tested it, and took one for the team. It’s disappointing that it doesn’t work, though. It’s a suspension I could get behind despite its limitations.

    I was hoping to avoid a spending UL strap purchase, but it looks like that’s the way forward for a UL suspension.

    Thanks for coming in!

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