I was just getting everything out to screw it it since I haven't been camping in a little while. I'm going to try this out.
Thanks
我宁愿在山上。
I was just getting everything out to screw it it since I haven't been camping in a little while. I'm going to try this out.
Thanks
我宁愿在山上。
Have to report a note-so-good experience with this setup and 2mm glo-wire. The outer jacket of cord completely shredded through on the butterfly loop for one of my guy lines in a relatively short period of time. The other guy lines were showing wear as well. I changed back. It was quite satisfying to be able to tension one handed though...
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
thanks for the field report, possum daddy. this was one of my main concerns, when i first presented the VT variant, and it was also discussed when i showed the blake hitch variant -- namely cmoulder pointed it out as something to watch out for. I didn't have problems with it myself, but i think it depends a lot on the type of line you use, and although i didn't yet get my hands on this legendary lawson stuff, my understanding is it is quite abrasive (or, should i say, grippy?), which makes it so good at holding knots.
however, i did mention i was worried about it, so i did think of ways to solve it, and tested some. this is hammock forums, if you liked the one handed operation and everything else except the line damage, you won't get away so easily, you gotta go back and try again
here are a few options (i'll take some pics later when i get a chance):
- the easiest, and probably my most recommended right now: get some epoxy from any hardware store these days (it can really be even the 5 minute glue type, not necessarily the fancy casting quality one), mix a bit of it, and cover the butterfly loop with a coating of it, until it's uniformly coated; you don't need to reach the actual knot, just the loop is what you want; let it cure for 24h (yes, even if it says "5 minute epoxy"); try to make sure the loop is in an "open" shape, before applying the epoxy, as close to a circle as possible. this will create a tiny piece of semi-rigid, slippery hardware there where you need it, so the guyline will slide freely through it
i also tried this with superglue (acrylic based glues), i think it can work too, but i just didn't like the result, and honestly superglue is also quite a bit more expensive, and not much more available than epoxy these days
the only disadvantage with this is you cannot adjust the position of the butterfly after doing this (but i find that irrelevant, just make sure you're happy with where it is, before "commiting")
other options:
- splice the butterfly loop into a piece of dyneema , before tying it. dyneema is very slippery, quite hard wearing, and many here have it laying around
- run the butterfly loop through a piece of plastic tubing of "suitable size", or even heat shrink insulation (i haven't yet tried that to see how i like the friction coefficient, but i think it would be fine)
- if you have a heat gun laying around, you can carefully try to melt just the jacket just on the butterfly loop, or rather just on the middle of the loop, where the guyline will run. if you do it without burining it, and let it re-solidify undisturbed, it should result in a more slippery, less textured surface (at least with nylon and polyesther); this method is interesting, as it requires no extra materials (assuming you have the heatgun), but it requires the most attention/precision.
btw: do consider using the uni-shackle to make the "blake and butterfly" tensioner, this way you'll avoid tangles, and will have it easily detachable/movable to another tarp or tieout, as if you had an integrated carabinner. it also makes experimenting with epoxy and such less "stressful"
Last edited by nanok; 04-20-2022 at 03:30.
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