Whoopie sling ridge line?

**bradclarkston** · 08-03-2011, 10:28

Here's a stupid question ...

How do you tie a whoopiesling as a hammock ridge line?

~

I bought a ridge line from whoopieslings.com not realizing it would be a (you guessed it!) whoppiesling so how would you tie it to a set of d-rings? The small loop end is easy but how to attach the adjustable large loop and still be able to adjust it while it's under tension?

**ganon414** · 08-03-2011, 10:42

I would probably just use a soft shackle or an appropriate weight-bearing carabiner.

--Tim

**hppyfngy** · 08-03-2011, 10:48

I just larkshead the eye around the suspension on one end and pull the suspension through the whoopie loop on the other end, leaving both on top of the suspension.

You can't really adjust the whoopie length while loaded, well I mean I suppose you could, but I don't know why you would need to. Just adjust it, get in it, get out, adjust it, repeat the process until you get it dialed in. At least that works for me...

**gargoyle** · 08-03-2011, 10:55

You wont be able to adjust on the fly. Under tension the whoopie will hold solid.
You will need to exit the hammock to make any adjustments.

Small end, you got figured..a larkshead.
Adjustable side, a rated carabiner or a soft shackle works. Or just slide the hammock suspension thru the adjustable side and set it near the fabric/suspension intersection.

**bradclarkston** · 08-03-2011, 13:18

Doh!~! I just got it thanks guys!

I need to run the continual loop+d-ring through the large whoopie sling loop without any type of larks head or knot it's not like it's a true load-bearing rope .... I'm feeling a bit brain-dead now.

**JPsax** · 08-03-2011, 17:36

just a little off topic, the ridgline will give your hammock SUCH A BETTER LAY. I have the same hammock and after I put on a Ridgline I made it was night and day. Just follow what the others are saying with the larks head on the fixed eye and the use of a soft shackle or carabiner on the other.

**TiredFeet** · 08-03-2011, 18:49

Our experience with whoopie slings for a structural ridge are good while experimenting to find your "optimal" ridge line length. That is usually done in one session, maybe two.

After that the ridge line seldom or never really changes and so the whoopie slings isn't really needed anymore. A line of the proper length with fixed eye spliced on both ends is then better.

The biggest problem we had with using a whoopie sling for a hammock ridge line was that during the time the hammock is being taken down, stored and set up again, the whoopie sling can change length since the adjustable constrictor isn't under tension during those times. Thus unless you know somehow the exact length you want and can verify that length every time you set the hammock up, you may find the hammock feels rather strange until you realize that the whoopie has changed length.

Just our experience.

**raiffnuke** · 08-04-2011, 06:23

Originally Posted by TiredFeet

Our experience with whoopie slings for a structural ridge are good while experimenting to find your "optimal" ridge line length. That is usually done in one session, maybe two.

After that the ridge line seldom or never really changes and so the whoopie slings isn't really needed anymore. A line of the proper length with fixed eye spliced on both ends is then better.

The biggest problem we had with using a whoopie sling for a hammock ridge line was that during the time the hammock is being taken down, stored and set up again, the whoopie sling can change length since the adjustable constrictor isn't under tension during those times. Thus unless you know somehow the exact length you want and can verify that length every time you set the hammock up, you may find the hammock feels rather strange until you realize that the whoopie has changed length.

Just our experience.

You can always mark the tail with a sharpie once you find the optimal position, then just make sure that the whoopie is adjusted to the mark everytime you set it up. just an idea....

**bradclarkston** · 08-04-2011, 09:27

Thanks guys! I was thinking about replacing the whoppiesling with stock 1.75 Zing-It once I figure out the proper length, now I'll go ahead and buy some.

**TiredFeet** · 08-04-2011, 19:13

Originally Posted by raiffnuke

You can always mark the tail with a sharpie once you find the optimal position, then just make sure that the whoopie is adjusted to the mark everytime you set it up. just an idea....

Yeah, we did that. Then found that the whoopie was such a great way to change the ridge line length that we had multiple Sharpie marks and then couldn't remember which one was which. Finally decided on a fixed length ridge line and didn't need the whoopie for that just a fixed length with spliced eyes on each end.

The reasons we finally decided on a fixed length ridge line?

Well, if it is adjustable, then every hang becomes an experiment in finding the optimum ridge line length. Fun, but time consuming.

More important, the dimensions of accessories such as under quilts, bug netting, suspension triangle lengths (for Bridge Hammocks) and over covers are highly dependent on the ridge line length. If you design for the ridge line length which requires the most fabric and fill, then under quilts hang underneath excessively and require more fabric and filling than necessary for other ridge line lengths. Same is true for bug netting and over covers.

So we found it better to find the "optimal" ridge line length and make it fixed and design accessories for that length.