Whoopie Sling Tarp lines

[TeeDee]

Since I have converted my SLS to Whoopie Sling ends following caboyer's lead in this post on another thread , I thought: "why not do the same with my tarp guy lines??"

Looked around and couldn't find anything small enough to splice the 1.75 mm Lash-It I use for guy lines, so I stopped at JoAnne Fabrics today and looked over their selection of needles. Picked up a pack of Doll Needles by Dritz (#157). The largest needle is just right. The hole is big enough to get the guy line through and the needle fits nicely down the center of the 1.75 mm Lash-It.

When I got home, I immediately used the bench top grinder and knocked the sharp point off the end and used a diamond stone to polish it.

Took out a scrap of 1.75 mm Lash-It and tried to bury a length to form the adjustable eye of the Whoopie Sling.

First lesson learned: Getting the doubled over guy line into the center of the guy line along with the needle is impossible. So approximately 1" from the end, I pulled 3 of the strands out and cut them off. This thinned the guy line down enough that the doubled over end and needle pushed into the guy line easily. So, taper the end if doing this. With the tapered end, it is easily doable. Note: the Lash-It is a 12 strand single braid.

So here is an image of the completed Whoopie Sling using the 1.75 mm Lash-It along with the needle I used. Actually this is the test line and has adjustable eyes on both ends. Note that I buried the ends which makes a much nicer end than simply tying an overhand knot.



I'm currently experimenting to learn the best length to bury so that I don't have to bury too much. In the test scrap above I wasn't really interested in the length buried, only in whether it is doable to splice the guy line and how hard or easy it is. Very easy

Using the Whoppie Sling as a tarp guy line makes adjusting the guy line trivially easy - no knots, no Figure 9s, nothing extra to get lost, nothing except the guy line itself - well probably some shock cord .

The only disadvantage I know about is the amount of guy line cord needed. Since the Whoopie Sling is essentially doubled, you will need double the length of guy line cord so that will double the weight of the tarp guy lines. I've never really weighed my tarp guy lines since the weight is so small anyway. The 1.75 mm Lash-It only weighs 0.019 oz/foot and the 2.2 mm Lash-It only weights 0.026 oz/foot, so another 100' of 1.75 mm Lash-it is only 1.9 oz and only 2.6 oz for the 2.2 mm. Other guy line cords probably weigh about the same. The small weight increase is more than offset by the Figure 9s if you use them. If you use friction knots, this is even easier to use, especially with mittens of gloves in the winter - you can use the Whoopie Sling with your mittens/gloves on.

If you arrange the Whoopie sling properly with the buried section near the tarp tie out, adjusting the guy line from under the tarp will be trivially easy.

The needle is small and light enough that I am making it a standard part of my gear along with the extra guy line cord I carry. That way I can splice any extra line lengths I need in the field. Using the needle and a sharp knife, I can splice together a Whoopie Sling in less than 10 minutes, probably about 5 minutes - not counting the time to dig stuff out of the pack .

I assume that any braided guy line cord could probably be used. I know that the Zing-It could be used since it is the same stuff as the Lash-It, just a different color.

If anybody cares to try this with braided mason line, please report back if it works.

If anybody tries any other braided guy line cord, please report back also so others may learn.

I hope that others find this useful.

[Frawg]

Great idea, TeeDee!

I'm currently experimenting to learn the best length to bury so that I don't have to bury too much.

You probably noticed in nacra533's post that the recommended bury for an eye splice was 72 diameters. That's the length I serendipitously used in my first trial with the whoopie sling suspension, so that's probably what I'll stick with until educated otherwise.

If anybody cares to try this with braided mason line, please report back if it works.

Already did. ... it worked fine.

If anybody tries any other braided guy line cord, please report back also so others may learn.

Only did an eye splice with the braided sheath of some paracord from which I'd removed the inner strands, but it held okay so I'm guessing one could make a whoopie sling with the stuff.

I hope that others find this useful.

Very useful, thanks!

Side note, I'm experimenting with looping my tarp ridge line from the tree hugger toggles (marlinspike hitch in your setup) so I can get by with just a single strap and hitch point on each tree. Since I keep the toggle so close to the trunk, the deflection of the hitch point when I climb in the hammock seems manageable. Lots of variables to play with in this approach - mainly line lengths & tensioning - and it's my next area of research.

Thanks again for all the detailed work you do!

Chuck

[Frawg]

On a related note, one other thing I've done is make one end of the sling a sliding eye splice that isn't a 'whoopie' bury. It lets me insert a toggle in the eye, which tightens considerably under tension and grips the toggle fairly securely.

I've done this with my suspension lines and will do the same with my mason line guy lines. Next step is to put a smooth groove in each toggle, making it more likely to stay in place at the fixed end of the whoopie sling.

This approach gives me a quick (dis)connect system for both hammock suspension and tarp guys, as I'm now using paracord sheath loops for the tie points on my tarps.

I really like this modular approach, which lets me mix 'n match things as I feel moved.

Best,
Chuck

[TeeDee]

I was thinking of trying to use a splice for the toggles on my SLS, but have decided against it for 2 reasons:

1. In my SLS, the toggles are not on the end of the line and so using a splice is not as straight-forward.
2. Also, I do not want the ridge line length varying from set-up to set-up. The marlin spike hitches I currently use work very well and are easy and quick to tie. Using a buried splice, the length has too much of a chance of changing.

On a related note, one other thing I've done is make one end of the sling a sliding eye splice that isn't a 'whoopie' bury. It lets me insert a toggle in the eye, which tightens considerably under tension and grips the toggle fairly securely.

I've done this with my suspension lines and will do the same with my mason line guy lines. Next step is to put a smooth groove in each toggle, making it more likely to stay in place at the fixed end of the whoopie sling.

This approach gives me a quick (dis)connect system for both hammock suspension and tarp guys, as I'm now using paracord sheath loops for the tie points on my tarps.

I really like this modular approach, which lets me mix 'n match things as I feel moved.

Best,
Chuck

[Frawg]

I was thinking of trying to use a splice for the toggles on my SLS, but have decided against it for 2 reasons:

1. In my SLS, the toggles are not on the end of the line and so using a splice is not as straight-forward.
2. Also, I do not want the ridge line length varying from set-up to set-up. The marlin spike hitches I currently use work very well and are easy and quick to tie. Using a buried splice, the length has too much of a chance of changing.

I like your system a lot. My motivation for diverging from it was that I wanted a removable ridge line. I like using the hammock as a lounge chair and, at 6' 2", I don't like dodging the ridge line with my head.

I'll make it a point to see how much the length of my ridge liine changes between setups, but I'll probably just make some marks on the line to facilitate replicating certain lengths.

My only concern is that my toggles could easily get lost, so I need to secure them in some way. (TBD) Might also use some of my pink duct tape on 'em.

Good show!

Chuck

[TeeDee]

I like your system a lot. My motivation for diverging from it was that I wanted a removable ridge line. I like using the hammock as a lounge chair and, at 6' 2", I don't like dodging the ridge line with my head.....

I hear you on that. I'm not that tall and now even shorter than I used to be (getting older is the pits ), but one reason I had a hard time liking the Hennessy ULBA was the fact that the ridge line is so darn close and low.

In my Bridges I keep the ridge line as high as possible and it is way out of my way now. When I'm laying down and reach up, the ridge line is about the middle of my hand or a little higher. I like it up there since it also keeps the bug netting and over cover up high and out of the way.

[TeeDee]

I like your system a lot. My motivation for diverging from it was that I wanted a removable ridge line. I like using the hammock as a lounge chair and, at 6' 2", I don't like dodging the ridge line with my head.

I'll make it a point to see how much the length of my ridge liine changes between setups, but I'll probably just make some marks on the line to facilitate replicating certain lengths.

My only concern is that my toggles could easily get lost, so I need to secure them in some way. (TBD) Might also use some of my pink duct tape on 'em.

Good show!

Chuck

The thought of making the ridge line portion adjustable has been nagging at me all day. I like your idea of using a Whoopie Sling to do that. I think that I may have thought of a means of making the SLS into actually a 3LS, 3 Line System, with the ridge line portion a Whoopie Sling.

I think that I'll use your idea of making all 3 sections Whoopie Slings. The 2 end sections will have the fixed eyes pulled down tight on the toggles. The middle Whoopie Sling, which is really the ridge line, will then simply capture the toggles with the bury of the toggle fixed eye in the Whoopie Sling eyes.

By using a permanent marker Sharpie, I can mark the ridge line Whoopie Sling like I do the end Whoopie Slings for the desired ridge line length. Adjusting the ridge line length then becomes a simple matter of adjusting the Whoopie Sling.

If I interpret your picture correctly, I think this is actually what you do.

[TeeDee]

Great idea, TeeDee!



You probably noticed in nacra533's post that the recommended bury for an eye splice was 72 diameters. That's the length I serendipitously used in my first trial with the whoopie sling suspension, so that's probably what I'll stick with until educated otherwise.

Yes, I saw that. All of the references I have read recommend 3.5 fid lengths and they define a fid length as 7 times the circumference which comes out to slightly over 21 times the diameter. That's one reason I decided to use a 10" bury on my SLS even though 5" held fine. On my SLS I'm using 3 mm (approximately 1/8") rope, so 3.5 * 21 * 1/8 == 9.2" approximately.

For my 1.75 mm Lash-It, the 3.5 fid lengths works out to approximately 1.5". I've found that 1" holds fine, but I'll probably use 1.5".

Good to know that it works on the braided mason line - it will probably work on any braided guy line.

[nacra533]

Yes, I saw that. All of the references I have read recommend 3.5 fid lengths and they define a fid length as 7 times the circumference which comes out to slightly over 21 times the diameter. That's one reason I decided to use a 10" bury on my SLS even though 5" held fine. On my SLS I'm using 3 mm (approximately 1/8") rope, so 3.5 * 21 * 1/8 == 9.2" approximately.

For my 1.75 mm Lash-It, the 3.5 fid lengths works out to approximately 1.5". I've found that 1" holds fine, but I'll probably use 1.5".

Good to know that it works on the braided mason line - it will probably work on any braided guy line.

3.5 fid lengths is a good number. You could likely go much shorter since you are not supporting weight/life with it. A whoopie sling is used for adjustable overhead lifting slings and by arborists and usually is only adjustable on one side. I think the 72 or maybe 76?? diameters comes from that application. 3.5 fids is what I would use if I were lifting something heavy, but for tarp lines, you could probably cut it down to possibly as low as 1.5 or 2 fid lengths if line length is a concern. I frequently "cheat" fid lengths for compactness if making something for a NON CRITICAL LOAD application.

I love that you folks are getting knitting needles and making your own fids. I love the look of the checkout lady at w/mart when I buy them. Another couple of "tools" are mig welding wire and round BBQ skewers and flatten the end. If you get really into the little stuff, there is spectra braid fishing line and some tiny splicing needles available for it. There are also some pretty neat spliced applications that an experienced hammocker could find a use for.

http://www.getbentsportfishing.com/f...e-spectra.html

Also check out the kite surfing and kite fishing arena, they use some pretty small spectra braid and probably sell some splicing needles there as well. I have never considered going UL, but it could earn you a couple a cool points to be hanging a tarp from fishing line so small you can barely see it.

[TeeDee]

Modular Suspension Line System.

Okay - I put together my new 3LS, now called a Modular Suspension Line System or MSLS.

In making the system today, I realized that I couldn't use a simple Whoopie Sling for the ridge line. In my method for using the system, I need to know the center point of the ridge line. In hanging, I pace off the tree span, divide by 2 and use that distance to set the length of the suspension to one tree. In order not to have to measure that length on the suspension line all the time, I use Sharpie marks on the suspension. If I used a simple Whoopie Sling for the Ridge line, then the center point would change every time I changed the ridge line length - no good.

So the middle ridge line section is a modified Whoopie Sling. Instead of an adjustable eye on one end and a fixed eye on the other end, I use adjustable eyes on both ends. The center of the sling where the two adjustable eyes meet is also the center of the ridge line. When changing the ridge line length, I change both adjustable eyes an equal amount and the center of the sling remains the center of the ridge line.

Took my last SLS with the adjustable eyes on both ends, pulled the steel toggles out of the marlin spike hitches and untied the hitches. Then I cut the rope in half and spliced fixed eyes on the newly cut ends with the fixed eyes pulled down tight on the 1" steel toggles. That gave me 2 Whoopie Slings with steel toggles in the fixed eyes.

Took some new 3 mm rope and made the modified sling. Set the 2 adjustable ends to the same size to give me a 118" ridge line. Hung the loops on the toggles in the fixed eyes and adjusted one end of the new suspension for the desired slack and hung the Bridge Hammock on the toggles.

Works great.

So my SLS has now evolved into the MSLS. The MSLS enables me to adjust the slack by simply sliding the buried splices and also readily change the ridge line length by again simply sliding the buried splices.

The MSLS is even more adaptable since the ridge line can be removed and left off if desired. Removing the ridge line is done by simply unhooking the adjustable eyes from the steel toggles. The hammock can be hung from the steel toggles with or without the ridge line modified Whoopie Sling.