Sewing webbing loops?

[ntxkayakr]

Seemingly it's not really the pattern that matters but rather the number of stitches.
As long as you cover at least twice the width in stitching.
Bartacs, zigzag, boxed X, whatever.

I strongly agree with that. Would add that if multiple stitches are tied off independently there is less change that strap will fail if one stitching is torn and starts to unwind, i.e. thread is pulled and you lose entire stitching. This is why i prefer multiple independent bar tacks. Your experience may differ, but mine tells me that everything will eventually fail so i want redundancy and backup. Braiding vines and tree bark in the wilderness is not as much fun as it sounds. I'm there for other activities. ;-)

PS the modified multiple short zigzags perpendicular to length of webbing as show on caves.org article (5th in chart) in comment #9 above is what i prefer to use. This testing by them had a breaking strength of about 2000 pounds using 3/4" tubular webbing. (10X protection factor for an in shape person about 6' tall, under tall folks might want to consider longer hikes with fewer calories, or lower safety factors and frequent suspension inspections etc.) Similar to #3 in chart below but stitches going parallel to long length of strap not simply back and forth, however difference is minimal, Compromise is you add redundancy with multiple small independent stitches (bar tacks), less strength but more security to avoid catastrophic failure, i.e. bruised butt, head and ego.

[ShellHammock]

It would be great if someone would side by side test "X boxes", "Z", "N" and bar tacks etc using the same high quality polyester thread on the same machine.

A good side by side test of bar tacks and box stitch was done on this site http://www.bethandevans.com/load.htm (near the very bottom of the page) look for 'sewing webbing'

The image below is more for making slings, but i think it applies to end loops too. I prefer the bar tacking by just going back and forth on using a straight stitch. 5 of them usually do the trick, and the end result is always neater looking than my box stitches.

loop patterns.jpg

[gmcttr]

A good side by side test of bar tacks and box stitch was done on this site http://www.bethandevans.com/load.htm (near the very bottom of the page) look for 'sewing webbing'...

Thank you! Very good reading so far and I'm only down to the Improved Soft Shackle. I'l get to the webbing later.

While I've seen the "Sewing Webbing Slings" chart many times, I never noticed the "(Only for "end to end" joins, NOT for "end if webbing" loops)" disclaimer before. The usage may change the percentages but I'm guessing the relative strength between patterns remains close.

[FlightMedic]

A good side by side test of bar tacks and box stitch was done on this site http://www.bethandevans.com/load.htm (near the very bottom of the page) look for 'sewing webbing'

The image below is more for making slings, but i think it applies to end loops too. I prefer the bar tacking by just going back and forth on using a straight stitch. 5 of them usually do the trick, and the end result is always neater looking than my box stitches.

loop patterns.jpg

Thanks! There is a lot of good info on that site.

[ShellHammock]

While I've seen the "Sewing Webbing Slings" chart many times, I never noticed the "(Only for "end to end" joins, NOT for "end if webbing" loops)" disclaimer before. The usage may change the percentages but I'm guessing the relative strength between patterns remains close.

I know! I hadn't noticed the disclaimer before either until
I posted that picture! I suspect you are right tho, about the relative strength of the different stitching patterns.

[samjaynes]

I know! I hadn't noticed the disclaimer before either until
I posted that picture! I suspect you are right tho, about the relative strength of the different stitching patterns.

+1 didnt see that disclaimer - I have made several with the Z pattern as noted in '1' and the standard box pattern, which I do two boxes. Haven't had any issues (knock on wood)

[VictoriaGuy]

Would add that if multiple stitches are tied off independently there is less chance that strap will fail if one stitching is torn and starts to unwind, i.e. thread is pulled and you lose entire stitching. This is why i prefer multiple independent bar tacks.

+1
If your sewing machine has 'a bunch of stitch patterns' available, check for a 'stretch' straight stitch. On the Pfaffs, this is a straight stitch that is a '3 forward, 2 reverse' pattern which basically 'locks' every stitch.
Another option is to overstitch a lot, manually, cris-crossing your stitch lines.

[Mountnman]

I use a cheap Brother sewing machine to do mine. It sounds like it's going to explode, but it gets the job done.

+1 My little machine screams when Im doing straps

[Newton]

Does anyone have experience sewing "X boxes" in webbing similar to what is seen in commercial climbing gear or tree straps? I'm interested in making my own tree straps but I'm worried that without an industrial sewing machine they may not hold up. I planned on sewing two side by side "X Box" patterns in each loop. Is there a better option or should I stick to my hand tied and store bought straps.

http://diygearsupply.com/wp-content/...rap-lowres.jpg

It works for me on my home style Singer with no problems.

Newton

[g2outdoors]

I tried sewing straps a couple times. I could never get the machine to work. I'm sure I was doing something wrong...tension, stitch patten, needle...but I gave up and had to get Slowanderer to help me. I need to go take a sewing class to learn my machine. I'd love to be able to sew tarps, but I'm just not comfortable with the machine.