Had a catastrophic suspension fail recently.
Background ... New DIY GE hammock I just completed a few weeks ago. New 7/64" Amsteel CLs I spliced myself at either end. New 1" UHMWPE straps I got from Jeff Myers at the trees. Relatively big guy (6'2"/240lbs). 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip to test out the new rig. First night, I used whoopies from CLs to MSH due to distance. No problem. Second night, I used Beckett hitch straight to CLs. Big problem!
I've used the Beckett hitch many times before on other hammocks using Dutch's UHMWPE straps on Amsteel CLs. Never had an issue. This time, the head-end Beckett slipped as I was (carefully) getting in the hammock. The friction cut clean through the CL. I quickly found myself on the ground (of course) and ripped my brand new 1.6 HyperD XL right where my center of gravity touched earth first (sore bum and major bummer). Dogbone to MSH took care of suspension. Duct tape on both sides of the hammock rip kept things together long enough for me to hang the final night. (Gotta love duct tape!)
Photos of the CL, straps, and duct taped hammock attached for the curious.
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Some quick forum surfing has enlightened me to the extra wrap technique when tying the Beckett which I will now apply religiously in the future. I plan try my hand at some alternative connections too like the J-bend and Lapp hitch to see how those work for me. I also find myself suddenly in possession of a large quantity of scrap material that I guess I'll be turning into stuff sacks or something. And I'll need to get more material for a new wide hammock. Oh well...
I'm not posting to complain though. Slip happens.
I'm mostly just curious ... has anybody experienced similar Amsteel fail with a slipping Beckett hitch when using UHMWPE straps? I haven't seen any other posts that mention it. References to slippage - yes. Cutting the CLs - no.
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