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  1. #1
    LowTech's Avatar
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    CL larksheaded vers installed and hammock lay

    I've been looking at how my larksheaded CL causes the hammock to twist and started wondering if it would lay better if I just spliced a CL in the end channels.

    I'm sure this is not a new concept but didn't find any threads about it.
    Who has experience w/ changing the CLs and noticing a difference?

    Of course I'm tempted to do it just to have more things to splice up.

  2. #2
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    I have them both ways and definitely understand what you mean. The spliced just looks much cleaner, but I see no difference functionally. Items to make it so that it ‘twists’ in the direction of the lay.

  3. #3
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    Most hammocks iv built are larks head. 2 very important reasons
    1. Its infinity adjustable. I like experimenting and my preferred whip isn't straight across like a sewn in would be.
    2. This one is important. Super important. I'm lazy.

    Never had one slip, even on hammocks with close to 400 pounds in them. But you do need to make sure they are set proper before heaving that weight in there.

  4. #4
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    i guess you're talking about whiped versus using the channels, but i'm not sure this is what the OP meant.

    LowTech could you clarify if you meant a larkshead through a channel vs spliced continuous loop through a channel, or did you mean whipped vs through channel?

    in any case, i also make them all without using channels (i don't even sew the channels anymore), main reasons being adjustability of lay and length, and better load distribution and wear. i basically only see advantages. however it might be offtopic here

  5. #5
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    Nanok, you are correct, I did mean w/ them both through the sewn channels.

  6. #6
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    ok, if you're going through the channels in both cases, there will be no difference basically (except the load distribution on the dyneema loop, but that's not what you're interested in i guess). in short, they will both gather the ends of the hammock right there at the sewn channel, so the lay will be the same.

    if you want to play with something fun/useful, consider 1. changing the continuous loops to some soft shackles (gives you more options to attach the suspension to the hammock, and means you have some soft shackles handy in case of need when you're not using the hammock (made properly out of 3mm uhmwpe, such shackles could suspend a small car with no issues, so not too bad to have around). it's also fun to learn how to make them (much more interesting than continuous loops).
    2. the other thing you can do is try to use a sheet bend to gather the hammock ends, instead of the channels, this will allow you to adjust the lay by loosening the sheet bend, and differentially pulling in (for instance) more of the edges and less of the middle of the hammock, or whatever other configuration you can imagine, which is something you cannot do with sewn channels. you can also adjust the length of the hammock as desired, in a reversible manner, which can be a handy trick to be familiar with (maybe to isolate a damaged part of the hammock in the field, before you can fix it properly, or maybe to have a hammock chair in a pinch, etc)

    i personally use some type of softshackle and sheet bend for all the hammocks i make, as i find it the best overall solution for gathering the ends, and i have yet to find a way in which sewn channels are superior (which is not to say they have no advantages, but just that i was not able to identify them so far -- except maybe for a minor advantage in terms of length of material used)

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by nanok View Post
    ok, if you're going through the channels in both cases, there will be no difference basically (except the load distribution on the dyneema loop, but that's not what you're interested in i guess). in short, they will both gather the ends of the hammock right there at the sewn channel, so the lay will be the same.

    if you want to play with something fun/useful, consider 1. changing the continuous loops to some soft shackles (gives you more options to attach the suspension to the hammock, and means you have some soft shackles handy in case of need when you're not using the hammock (made properly out of 3mm uhmwpe, such shackles could suspend a small car with no issues, so not too bad to have around). it's also fun to learn how to make them (much more interesting than continuous loops).
    2. the other thing you can do is try to use a sheet bend to gather the hammock ends, instead of the channels, this will allow you to adjust the lay by loosening the sheet bend, and differentially pulling in (for instance) more of the edges and less of the middle of the hammock, or whatever other configuration you can imagine, which is something you cannot do with sewn channels. you can also adjust the length of the hammock as desired, in a reversible manner, which can be a handy trick to be familiar with (maybe to isolate a damaged part of the hammock in the field, before you can fix it properly, or maybe to have a hammock chair in a pinch, etc)

    i personally use some type of softshackle and sheet bend for all the hammocks i make, as i find it the best overall solution for gathering the ends, and i have yet to find a way in which sewn channels are superior (which is not to say they have no advantages, but just that i was not able to identify them so far -- except maybe for a minor advantage in terms of length of material used)
    Nanak, I’m really curious to hear more about your SS with sheet bend setup.

    I can visualize the adjustability that the bend provides, but I’m curious about whether you’ve noticed any tendency for the hammock fabric to creep out of the bend after repeatedly loading and unloading the hammock. Since the bend works best under tension, I’d almost expect to see the hammock slowly works it’s way loose as the tension is relaxed Or am I missing the point of how the soft shackle contributes to the setup?


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  8. #8
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    that's the beautiful thing about the sheet bend: it was actually meant to be used to bend a rope to a sheet (so a piece of canvas or such), i was doubtful at first too, but once it's set, it won't budge. at first i took all sorts of precautions, marked fabric and rope to make sure there's no slip, even these days i check regularly to be sure, but it's very reliable it seems, even with 3mm dyneema softshackle on relatively light rypstop fabric. in fact, once it is set you might think there's no way you're going to undo the knot anymore, but especially with dyneema, it just needs a bit of massaging, and it comes right out; without this little bit of negotiation, though, in my experience it won't move.

    i'll take a picture to show you how it looks on one of my hammocks, but in short what i do is use the end of the hammock as the "U" part of the bend, and the closed, doubled up soft shackle as the "cross" part. i put the button knot off center, so the "gate" of this soft carabiner is on one side, not where the load is (that's just my ergonomic preference, btw, some load testing i've seen shows there's not much difference in strength); i prefer the soft shackle to be closed like this as in my opinion 3mm dyneema on its own is too thin and doesn't distribute the load well enough, especially on such thin fabric as we like to use, so i prefer to have multiple strands in contact with the fabric.

    a few notes:

    - first time i did this, i made a double sheet bend, just to be sure (and used some cotton fabric and some 4-6mm nylon rope); it was solid indeed, but when i wanted to separate the fabric from the rope, the only way was with a sharp knife. might not be such big problem with dyneema and lighter ripstop, but double sheet bend is overkill in my experience
    - first time i did this, i followed some instructions i found with a "modified" sheet bend, which the author thought to be more secure; thorough experimentation with the sheet bend and becket hitch will show that such modification will actually make the sheet bend less secure, as it will put some load on the free tail which in the sheet bend must never be loaded (the one with the cross must be free, only the "u" can be symetrically loaded, thus making a becket hitch, if one will load the "cross" part symetrically, the sheet bend will fail without much ceremony)
    - i use normal, fully closed softshackles, but if i would make a hammock for an "innocent customer", i would probably cut the softshackle at the tail end of the sheet bend, to prevent the temptation of attaching something there (as i noted, that part must stay unloaded); for my personal use i like that i have a pair of additional very strong softshackles on my hammock, which i can detach in a pinch and use for some other task, if i want to, but for a normal user it might constitute a safety risk through confusing ergonomics, so beware of that if you want to try it.

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