Results 1 to 8 of 8
  1. #1

    Short slings or fabric loops to clip into inside van

    So I've sorted some good, strong fixing points in my L2H2 Mk8 Transit van for a diagonal hang - using TRS harness bolt eyelets with large back plate in triple thickness sheet steel above the rear doors and some climbing hangers on M10 bolts with large washer on the back through a support beam at the front.

    I had clipped directly onto these with carabiners, but it's clear these are going to wear through too quickly. I need a fabric section between the metal of the bolts/eyelets and the metal of the carabiner. I thought of climbing slings but the minimum length available is 30cm which would make my hammock far too low even if doubled up to give 15cm. I tried these nylon climbing daisy-chains I happened to have, which shows me that the length I need at each end is a maximum of 10cm - these loops are 14cm laying flat but come to around 10cm once looped back on themselves as shown.

    Any thoughts? Should I get some cord - maybe some dyneema? What is thick enough for this purpose? And what woulda suitable knot be? It needs to be something available in the UK and not too expensive since I have 4 attachment points (for options of which direction to hang - including outside the van)

    Don't mind my housemate hiding inside and laying non-diagonally (!) ... thought I'd show a photo of it 'in action and this is the only one I have!

    1FDC28AD-5ECC-46D2-8B1A-5EF03580BB1C_1_105_c.jpeg D1EB8EFE-575B-4FB2-A3EB-A1133AC46275_1_105_c.jpeg 737F43BE-A7BA-41F1-A50C-32998140320C_1_105_c.jpeg


  2. #2
    LowTech's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    Nomadic, US SW at moment
    Hammock
    one wind 11' wide
    Tarp
    one wind 12'
    Insulation
    SLD, UGQ, LL, JRB
    Suspension
    UCR
    Posts
    866
    I suspect you could make up some dyneema soft shackles and/or some dogbones to get the length you want.
    Jeff Myers on YouTube has some good tutorials, like this one for a version of soft shackles,
    https://youtu.be/kOEHtblKZ-I

    TacBlade is another good YouTube source.

  3. #3
    Phantom Grappler's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Denton NC
    Hammock
    WildernessLogics 12x6
    Tarp
    HG cuben 13ridge12
    Insulation
    TopQuiltUnderQuilt
    Suspension
    S and D
    Posts
    4,925

    Short slings or fabric loops to clip into inside van

    You can make loops length you want, with 1/8 amsteel. A diamond knot will hold. After making diamond knot, hand tighten and work out any loose sections. Then “cure” your knot by hanging your body weight on loop and both loose ends.
    This will get your knot tight.
    Some added insurance against knot slipping, is to backsplice or end splice both loose ends.
    A one inch end splice on both loose ends will make those one inch sections twice as thick as your rope.
    Those thick ends will be too fat to travel through diamond knot.

    Ahh GarnaUtees it

    Phantom guessing again

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    MN
    Posts
    2,454
    Why bother with relatively expensive amsteel, even though you don't need much? It's not like you're going to carry the van! Just make a loop of adequate rope (larger diameter than 1/8" amsteel) with an overhand knot that won't slip through the hardware. Or use a washer to increase the stopper if you need to. You can make a very short loop this way.

    OR, if you use inexpensive steel hooks or links you can avoid doing damage to those nice 'biners!

    BTW, the hardware looks terrific!
    Last edited by TominMN; 04-23-2022 at 05:56.

  5. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    old dirt
    Posts
    444
    welcome to the forum.

    i like your setup, and especially the use of glue for the interface i think is smart (nice idea).

    i would use dyneema softshackles, although might seem a bit overkill, it will be a bit hard to get such short lengths with climbing rope for instance. (i did use climbing rope in mine, in a pinch, but mine is an l3, so more room for adjustment). the other advantage with the dyneema softshackles is that it's nice to make some and have around anyway, especially in a van, as they can come in handy for various purposes. if made properly (brian toss button knot, not diamond knot), with 3mm dyneema you will easily get near 2 metric tons of brake strength, this means they might be useful in a pinch for towing even, or other more "serious" tasks.

    the other thing is that i like to be able to quickly disconnect at least one side of the hammock, so that i have all space available to move around, when not using the hammock, softshackles make that easy, even if you do away with the carabinner entirely.

    if you don't want to bother, you can still use climbing slings, and shorten them further by making a knot in the middle, for instance; this will weaken the effective strength of the slings, but climbing slings are rated to at least 20kN, usually, so you don't really care. won't look so pretty though

    if you want to use climbing rope anyway (perhaps because you have it handy?), i would make a buntline hitch on the eyelet, and with the other end i'd probably go for a becket hitch or such, assuming the hammock has loops at the ends. this comes with the bonus that the length will be easily adjustable (for me this is important, because i put the attachement points at different heights, so on one hand i'll have the higher side longer, and on the other hand i can somewhat adjust the height of the hammock, depending on various factors

    btw: you can also do this with the slings: if they are thin enough, you can use one end to make a hitch through the bolt, like a buntline, or even a simple clove hitch, this way you can make the effective length as short as you want. this is nicer i think than making a knot in the middle.

    the only thing that bothered me on mine was that i feel the sheet metal where i attach the bolt might bend in time, perhaps with your setup, and your solution with the backing plate, this won't be such an issue (the construction of the transit might also be different)

    cheers, and enjoy

  6. #6
    Thankyou so much for all these amazing suggestions! I will have a go with the dyneema soft shackles I think - like Nanok said, using some 3mm dyneema means I have some around the van for other uses (and being dinky and multipurpose is important in limited campervan space!)

  7. #7
    brohawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Bethlehem, PA
    Hammock
    Warbonnet RR
    Tarp
    Dutchware Bonded
    Insulation
    Enlightened / HG
    Suspension
    HG Daisy Chain
    Posts
    427
    Images
    4
    I agree with the soft shackles. The overlanding community are using these more and more for witching and they are pretty stout. Go on any 4wd website and you can pick a pair up for reasonable price and they will be overkill for hammock application. I would also take a dremmel with sanding disk or file and try and take some of the edge off the inside of your attachment mounts. A beveled edge will really help the shackles last a long time.
    Some days I can't tell whether I found a rope or lost a horse...

  8. #8
    brohawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Bethlehem, PA
    Hammock
    Warbonnet RR
    Tarp
    Dutchware Bonded
    Insulation
    Enlightened / HG
    Suspension
    HG Daisy Chain
    Posts
    427
    Images
    4
    "Winching".....
    Some days I can't tell whether I found a rope or lost a horse...

  • + New Posts
  • Similar Threads

    1. WL Night Owl Hammock whoopie slings & continuous loops
      By hammer0419 in forum [SOLD/WITHDRAWN] Items no longer available
      Replies: 20
      Last Post: 03-15-2016, 07:48
    2. Dutch tree strap clip vs end loops.
      By sdveirs in forum Suspension Systems, Ridgelines, & Bug Nets
      Replies: 5
      Last Post: 06-07-2014, 18:57
    3. Looking for a specific website on how to make whoopie slings (description inside)
      By OhNein in forum Suspension Systems, Ridgelines, & Bug Nets
      Replies: 2
      Last Post: 08-08-2013, 21:34
    4. Slings with rings and loops
      By SmokeBait in forum Whoopie Slings
      Replies: 0
      Last Post: 12-21-2012, 22:45

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •