Maybe, just maybe, Tinny was working on a stove and left the alky bottle open. To many fumes in a small, enclosed space, then decided to make a vid? Just a thought.
Maybe, just maybe, Tinny was working on a stove and left the alky bottle open. To many fumes in a small, enclosed space, then decided to make a vid? Just a thought.
I'm a member of PETA!!!!
People
Eating
Tasty
Animals
Trees grow around lots of things. But they stay there long enough to be grown around. The biggest danger, beyond compressing the cambria, is any damage is left open once the culprit are removed. Openings in the bark can serve as doorways for pests and disease to enter.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
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Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
When I first started hanging I thought tree straps were intuitively better. It made sense to me. If I stood barefoot on some rebar vs standing on a 4 inch plank, my feet would hurt a lot more and on the rebar. I don't think there is a valid reason to not take the precaution to protect not only the trees but our ability to use them so that we may continue enjoying our outdoor pursuits.
Even if you are obsessively weight and bulk conscious, is it not worth it to take an extra minute to put some trail sticks under the amsteel so the weight is better distributed on the tree? Just because I have driven for 25 years without getting into a car accident, is that a reason to not wear a seat belt?
Don't let life get in the way of living.
Yup, a tree can take lots of damage, but some trees are thinner skinned then others. I have straps on my Blackbird and was a little concerned with the barking they did to the pine tree I was hanging on last. I'll look at it next summer as where I'm staying there is only 3 trees that are objects but I'm going to look for some extra wide strap to spread the load a little bit more.
Support wise, you won't snap the tree in half, no. But depending on the tree you can do a lot of damage.
And, just in keeping with the season
Many use the amsteel straps in the same way they would webbing straps, but put a small dead trail stick about every 8" or so to disperse the weight away from the line. But I'm sure plenty have used it without doing that as well.
What's a couple ounces for the sake of hammock acceptance? And for the chance that the trees may actually get damamaged.
Personally,,,I carry 2 sets of straps, 6' and 8',,for me and the wife..I like using the straps,,and it definitely saves wear and tear on the trees,,especially if your car camping,,those trees will see alot more abuse on their bark than say,,the ones in the woods when your hiking. As hammock hanging gains more and more supporters and more hangers over time...we must set the example that we are not abusing the trees..Use the straps..no biggie,,use them..they weigh but nothing much,,and work great too.
I abandon tree straps now and then... leave them right on the tree, pack everything else up and walk away! Now I carry extras.
- MacEntyre
"We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
www.MollyMacGear.com
I hang in my back yard between a pair of cabbage palms. Granted, palms aren't "real trees" but the idea is the same. Even using 1" and sometimes 1-1/2" straps I'm still starting to see a groove in the back side of the "bark". This is after maybe a half dozen nights of hanging and a few cat naps.
Now, in a few thousand acre park where stealth camping between your random tree is allowed/promoted the chances of putting the same load on the same spot of two trees is pretty slim.
If you cut that down to a park campground though you'll soon find there are only a few "sweet spots" at each site (right diameter, view, size, etc). These will soon end up with a groove and rub marks in the bark. Just take a look at some more popular state parks that weren't managed so well in the past (clothes lines, huge spikes, burned spots in the bark from lanterns). "You can't fix stupid" so there's nothing we can do about the careless campers before us but we can certainly derail a negative trend before it has a chance to pick up speed.
Now even if I had scientific proof that tying straight to the tree did no damage to the bark I would still us straps. Why??...because I'm cheap. My whoopies are maybe $15 and attached directly to my hammock. The straps cost me about $2 to make (thanks Timberr for the sale tip). Once these start to show some wear or get covered in sap (lots of pines in FL) I just toss them and make a new set.
So, like most things in America.....my decision is driven by the all mighty dollar.
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