Dyneema for Hammocks
- Thread starter Crafty
- Start date
yes but only a small amount, for example a 15mm hollow webbing sling has a breaking strengh of 2500kg and will only stretch a noticeable amount when you put a large load on it such as 300kg which makes the weight of a man a little insignificant.
why not use polyester then? not very strechy at all, or pre-strech polyester which isn't far behind dyneema in terms of stretch
pete
This kinda sums up my thoughts on the matter...I just do not see the point.....how many pies have you guys been eating!?
im sorry but all this talk of dyneema and spectra for hammocks is an extreme case off over the top!
dyneema and such materials are designed for the most demanding tasks such as replacing wire tow ropes or taking huge shock loads!
imo for a hammock you would only need a rope with a 2:1 safety factor, only twice your weight. this will take into account any loss of strength due to knots, general wear etc. but any more is unnecessary. so really all you need is a cheep rope or webbing with a suitable thickness to grip the tree without causing damage to thin barked trees.
or am i missing something? what is wrong with nylon or polyester?
feel free to get expensive technical ropes but trust me your wasting your time and money
pete
im sorry but all this talk of dyneema and spectra for hammocks is an extreme case off over the top!
dyneema and such materials are designed for the most demanding tasks such as replacing wire tow ropes or taking huge shock loads!
imo for a hammock you would only need a rope with a 2:1 safety factor, only twice your weight. this will take into account any loss of strength due to knots, general wear etc. but any more is unnecessary. so really all you need is a cheep rope or webbing with a suitable thickness to grip the tree without causing damage to thin barked trees.
or am i missing something? what is wrong with nylon or polyester?
feel free to get expensive technical ropes but trust me your wasting your time and money
pete
Because the load on the hammock straps can be greater than just the weight of the body in it. Depending on how tight the straps are pulled to begin with, dynamic movement within the hammock and when loading unloading the hammock.
Straps should not be of less than 700lb strength, according to people from hammock forums. Weaker straps may hold for a while, but why take the risk?
No, that is wrong. The full load will be still on the rope(s) actually carrying the load of the hammock. Not on the extra wraps around the tree. With some creative advanced rope-work you might spread the load, but PLEASE use tapes/treehuggers.
A stretched horisontal hammock excert serious forces on the tree... Easily more than three times you weight if you were hanging vertical in the rope. This can be used to topple trees...
Hi,
Use 1 inch (25mm) webbing. 6mm anything is not a tree hugger. Tree huggers are made of webbing. It isn't a question of what is wise, it is a matter of avoiding damaging the tree, and not giving everyone else who wants to use a hammock a bad name.
If you want to get picky, it is probable that webbing isn't needed to avoid compression damage to large mature trees with thick rugged bark, but it isn't for certain, and it makes no sense to have a suspension system that you can only used on huge oak trees and cannot use on 8" ash without hurting them.
If the bulk or weight of the webbing is a concern, you just need to look for better webbing. For instance, I have used nylon, loose polyester, dense tightly woven polyester and finally settled on a loose weave of Dynema and Polypropylene from Dutchware Gear in the US. Still bulky, but low stretch and low weight. There are Dynema webbing tapes out there (Ripstop By The Roll carry them)
Use 1 inch (25mm) webbing. 6mm anything is not a tree hugger. Tree huggers are made of webbing. It isn't a question of what is wise, it is a matter of avoiding damaging the tree, and not giving everyone else who wants to use a hammock a bad name.
If you want to get picky, it is probable that webbing isn't needed to avoid compression damage to large mature trees with thick rugged bark, but it isn't for certain, and it makes no sense to have a suspension system that you can only used on huge oak trees and cannot use on 8" ash without hurting them.
If the bulk or weight of the webbing is a concern, you just need to look for better webbing. For instance, I have used nylon, loose polyester, dense tightly woven polyester and finally settled on a loose weave of Dynema and Polypropylene from Dutchware Gear in the US. Still bulky, but low stretch and low weight. There are Dynema webbing tapes out there (Ripstop By The Roll carry them)
polypro webbing strength limits
So I am very new to all this hammocking stuff! But I'm very interested in not sleeping on the ground anymore. I really like the simplicity and ease of set-up using webbing. I have found some 2" polypropylene webbing that has an average break strangth of 800 lbs. I weigh about 310 and was...
www.hammockforums.net
This is one of the best places to get hammock gear...or to use as inspiration for shopping for alternatives on this side of the Atlantic.
Webbing
Rip Stop By The Roll has the highest-quality webbing available online. Choose from our 1500 lb. polyester (multi-color), 1/2" Polypro, MIL-SPEC, & Tubular webbing.
ripstopbytheroll.com
Basically any of the high molecular weight linear polyethylenes are stiff and strong and take sunlight well but melt easily, somewhat difficult to tie knots and usually not necessary but can be used. Polyester takes sunlight well and is strong and stiff enough for most practical camping applications. Polyamides (Nylon) have very many different grades but generally expect it not to last in sunlight but it is strong and takes impact loads well. Polypropylene is not in my list of camping materials except short lived secondary applications.
Thank you Claycomb, a simply great answer.
Hi C_Claycomb,
Thank you for your simply great and informative response
Similar threads
