Which knot do I use to attach a carabiner to a tarp?

[cougarmeat]

ATPringles, when I first got my Hennessey, I saw the recommended knot and, having some experience with knots, and not being a young man (meaning I don’t have enough time left on this earth to tie and untie that knot - remember it might not be positioned right on the tree the first time), I opted for the “two-rings” lock I saw on a YouTube. Problem was, with the climbers webbing around the tree, a carabiner, and two descending rings - per side - that’s a lot of hardware. I solved that problem by forgetting it and left about $20 worth of hardware on two trees at Pirate’s Cove (Gulf Island area east of Vancouver Island).

These last years I’ve used daisy chain with a carabiner to the hammock. I didn’t have the continuous adjustment that webbing or Whoopie slings give, but it was usually close enough. I started out with Python Straps and carried an amsteel loop I could use the make a “half-step” between the sewn loops of the daisy chain. Worked great; clip and go.

But these days, just for a change, I’m going to go back to webbing/buckles - at least for one or two hammocks. With a structural ridgeline, I can slide the buckle up to give the right tension as almost as easy as clipping into the daisy chain loop - especially if I have to fiddle with my half-step.

I do believe knots are important to to lean - like driving a stick shift car and being able to change a tire. But I can’t remember the last time I had a flat and with the stop/go (mostly stop) traffic these days, an automatic makes more sense to me.

If you like to play around in the colder temperatures, you might find using some hardware is more convenient - after you learn knots you can subsitute, like say if you leave your hardware on a tree.

[ATPringles]

I felt guilty when I thought about my last response. I didn’t mean to be rude. I appreciate everyone’s help. It’s more that I’m overwhelmed. You know about dyslexia? I have knot-lexia. I think I got the line attached with the figure of eight knot, which I thought was pretty. Hopefully, it will hold and all will be well. I’m not opposed to learning to tie knots. I have sat in front of the tv in the winter, fussing my way through knots. Then, in the spring, I grab a bit of line and things turn into granny knots. I did like that lashing with the Hennessy. I had to use the diagram to tie it, every time, but I could make it neat and symmetrical. I liked it. Now I’m getting excited about testing the hammock in the real world, or at least not at the neighborhood park. Thanks again. Pringles

[nanok]

i thought i'd let this thread pass, but maybe better not :).

your figure eight will hold just fine, don't worry, might not be the most effective knot in terms of size etc, but it's secure. you're good, no need to worry about it.

but about "knot-dyslexia" (interesting term you coined there): don't worry, there's no such thing, but that's only because we all have it. knots are a strange thing, their topology is 3D, and the material they are made of claims it's a 1D structure. you could say knots are the first attempt or encounter of the human mind with bending space "beyond it's dimensions" (in this case, from 1 dimension to 3, so no small task), we invented mathemathics to be able to handle this kind of task, because our brains are just not equipped to "intuitively" operate with such abstractions. I think it's very common that people don't acknowledge this, assume knots should be easy, or that they are easy "for knot people", and get frustrated when it doesn't "come naturally" or they forget a knot they haven't used etc. This is not easy, and it's not about learning some motoric skill, or learning by rote, it is about mapping the topology of this kind fo structure, somehow, in your mind, and the more knots you try to do it with, the more the brain learns methods to do it. it's a complicated and strange game, for the brain, and i think it's very enriching, but yes, it is _hard_. i also think this is the main reason why there's people that are "crazy about" knots, and study them and try to rationalize using them everywhere (they get addicted to the game) and people who hate them very much (they get frustrated), along with the people who are in the "middle".

the point is: don't worry about it, knots are for playing with, it's just a game, maybe a beautiful one, but definitely quite a unique one. your life doesn't depend on it, your livelihood doesn't either. just play with it.

a few things, in my experience, often don't work:

- learning a list of knots as "homework", and then not using them until "they are needed". (the learning will be frustrating, for most people, as there's no immediate application, so hard to motivate the effort, and the lack of usage will make it fade away, by the time the opportunity arises to use it, so more frustration)

- learning by rote: this will "get you started" with a knot, but won't give you the opportunity to "map it". think of this as having a quick diagram in your pocket to refer to when you forget something you newly learned: you don't use it all the time, and the more you use the knowledge, the less you refer to it. same with these "knot poems", maybe helpful at first, but if you use them every time you tie the particular knot, it impairs your ability to learn (because, as i described above, knots are not something so simple that they can be grasped "verbally", when some understanding/mapping happens, usually it has to do with other areas in the brain, in my experience, which have a lot more "power" than the language one, the visual cortex being only one of them involved)

- making knots (or a particular knot) a matter of necessity, so that you're "forced" to learn it: often, this will cause more frustration, and block learning (might be mildly traumatic even), and will create "knot-fobics"; make it fun, if it's not, just do something else that day or that hour, it's alright, there's time for everything.

so, anyway, i guess the message is: if you're overwhelmed, that's because it's indeed a broad topic, we're all overwhelmed. the good news is there's no pressure, and it can be fun, so enjoy. rope is (still) everywhere, and knowing how to use it, and understanding how it "works" is always handy, and knots are a large part of that: no matter how much hardware you are using, as long as you're using rope, and you bend it in any way, away from "straight", knowledge of how knots work becomes useful, or essential. Does it really matter? honestly, for most people these days, i guess not. But it's fun and probably something worthwhile for your brain to play with.

did i just wrote a whole essay preaching: "don't worry, knots are hard, enjoy, it will get even harder, but maybe it doesn't matter"? hmm. well, i ...hope it helps? :P

[ATPringles]

Thank you, nanok. That feels better. I'll be the one out there with the chords almost all tied by the manufacturer, you'll know me because I'll be having fun, and most of my gear will be Moroccan Blue. Pringles

[Cockyhammock]

I know this thread is old, but did you figure out which knot to use? I came across this thread because I was in the exact same boat. I think I figured out how they attach the carabiner. I think they tie an overhand loop knot then attach the loop to the eye of the carabiner with a girth hitch.
https://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/overhand-loop-knot
https://www.animatedknots.com/girth-hitch-knot