Whoopie slings ... HELP !!!

[Elen Sentier]

I succumbed ... bought a set of whoopie slings, karabiners and tree-huggers from DD. I think I'd do better with a rubic cube :aargh4::aargh4:

I spent half the afternoon slogging round youtube trying to find a useful vid on how to use the B---- things, to no avail! Can anyone point me to a simple, cat-sat-on-the-mat set of instructions. All the ones I found so far had learned about doing instructions from MFI!

I have put up a hammock twice in my life. Both times were last week. Both times I used the cordage that came with the DD - it was really easy and simple! The whoopies are a brain-plague (so far)!!!
Can anyone help me ??? :sadwavey:

 

[Retired Member southey]

Youtube, search for "Shug" sit back and watch, look for his hammock for beginners.

 

[Elen Sentier]

Ummmm ... not for me, he drove me quite mad ... I did manage not to sling the laptop out the window though

 

[Retired Member southey]

Okay, whoopee goes through end of hammock, tree strap goes round tree, carabiner links them together.

Whoppee, fixed loop attaches to hammock(google larks head) adjustable end clips to beener.

Tree strap, google "marlin hitch) if you dint want to use the beener. Wrap strap round tree a coupl of times.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Forgot to say remove the standard tapes the hammock came with.

 

[Elen Sentier]

OK, found this eventually http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4QLN9Xf86Y After 3 or 4 goes I'm getting the picture. Am so far assuming that I need to re-thread the tarp with something to attatch the karabiner to - a bit of the original cordage, I think. Should I keep the neck(s) tight or allow for them to sretsh right out for airing? Question answered, I suspect ... keep on trucking ...

 

[Teepee]

I'd recommend not using the carabiners at the hammock end, use them to attach the whoopie slings to the tree huggers loops, as Southey posted too.

You can just pass the fixed and spliced eye of the whoopie sling through the channel in the end of the hammock, then pass the adjustable loop of the whoopie through the fixed loop. Job done. Pull tight, clip whoopie to strap with the carabiner and hang..

If you want to open the channel up to air it, its easy set up like this and is simpler, more compact and lighter.


The tail of the whoopie sling acts as a drip stop, the carabiner will stop water from running off the tree onto the whoopie. The only water running down to the hammock will be collected by the whoopie which is a tiny area and won't collect much water.

 

[NS40]

Elen

Not sure whether you've got the whoopie slings in the hammock yet so if not here's a video that shows you how. Only thing to watch out for is that you've got the whoopie sling the right way round...

[video=youtube_share;MSch3xvRKWI]http://youtu.be/MSch3xvRKWI[/video]

I tried to find a youtube video that would explain it but the only ones I found were more complex setups with toggles, roll-pin buckles and such.

So, once your whoopies are attached to the hammock, wrap your tree huggers around your chosen trees passing one loop through the other then tighten (if you're using skinny trees, you may need to wrap more than once).

Take the 'free loop' and clip your karabiner into it.

Take the 'adjustable loop ends' of your whoopie slings and clip them into the karabiners.

Pull the 'free end' of the whoopie sling to tighten to your preference (you may need to tinker a bit as some folks like a slack hang, others prefer a more horizontal hang...it's mostly about personal preference)

The image below will hopefully explain it (it's Option 1 although ignore the ridgeline bit for the moment)

http://www.hammockforums.net is also a good resource and has a few sections that go through basic suspension systems. There's many different methods but the whoopie sling - karibiner - tree hugger is quick, easy and straightforward (which is why I use it)

Hope this give you a starter for 10 but come back and ask more questions if it helps.

Cheers

NS40

 

[Hog On Ice]

OK, found this eventually http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4QLN9Xf86Y After 3 or 4 goes I'm getting the picture. Am so far assuming that I need to re-thread the tarp with something to attatch the karabiner to - a bit of the original cordage, I think. Should I keep the neck(s) tight or allow for them to sretsh right out for airing? Question answered, I suspect ... keep on trucking ...

not a bad introduction video but one item not mentioned is milking the bury after adjusting the whoopie sling - after an adjustment it is a good idea to make sure that the constriction section is spread out to the maximum so as to avoid any slipping when first loading the WS - not a big deal but it just feels better not to have that initial small slip when getting into the hammock

 

[Retired Member southey]

Dont look too close but this is my kit, no carabinas

then attached to the loop line via a marlin hitch

 

[Elen Sentier]

Southey & Teepee - Right, that makes sense, ta. I'd wondered what the tail was for . Not raining this morning so hope to hang the hammock in garden as test.

 

[Elen Sentier]

NS40 - now I understand what the darn thing does it all makes more sense! None of the vids except the one I found did this - the all seem to assume you know! I found the diagram - makes sense now AFTER I know how to work it, not before. I'm on the hammock forum so it was the first place I looked and no good at all for me (I'm a bear of very little brain , but I love honey). The vid I found is hidden deep in DD's site, chatting with Penny on DD I suggested they stick links to it all over for the more dense hangers like me . He's got an adjustment to use the whoopie direct into the hammock which, interestingly, is what I tried to do first off ... may well give that a go later. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRIs8NjpDww&feature=g-all-c

 

[Elen Sentier]

not a bad introduction video but one item not mentioned is milking the bury after adjusting the whoopie sling - after an adjustment it is a good idea to make sure that the constriction section is spread out to the maximum so as to avoid any slipping when first loading the WS - not a big deal but it just feels better not to have that initial small slip when getting into the hammock

Arrrggghhh !!! I need a full translation of all the jargon pse

 

[Elen Sentier]

Ta everyone for all the help ... This is so new to me, all the things that are "normal" to you guys are gawps-ville for me ... I know nutttting . Steep learning curve but getting there

 

[Teepee]

Arrrggghhh !!! I need a full translation of all the jargon pse

"Milking the bury" , thats a great confuser where the amsteel passes through the inside of itself (the bury/ the constriction section), you stroke this section as in milking a teat to tighten it up and stop it slipping (initial small slip)

They won't really make sense probably until you get in it and start playing around with it, it should then all make sense in a eureka moment.

 

[Hog On Ice]

yeah I guess I could have explained that a little better - thanks Teepee

 

[Filterhoose]

Forgot to say remove the standard tapes the hammock came with.

I didn't do this bit. I shortened them (quite dramatically) and tied off a loop with couple of double fisherman's.

So I iow have hammock ===> crab 1 ===> crab 2 (provides a wee drip drip drip bit) ===> whoopee sling (I only use 1 at one end) ==> tree hugger

Windy

 

[Elen Sentier]

Ta TeePee, it still doesn't make a lot fo sense - but the whoopies do now thanks to the video. Looking fwd to it being dry enough to get out and work it all, hopefully tomorrow, today was no good.

 

[Hog On Ice]

probably best to just play with it for now but I'll try again to explain

The constriction section is that part of the whoopie sling where one part of the line goes through the center of another part of the line - these lines are hollow in the center and consist of twelve strands braided in such a way that when the line is under tension the twelve strands on the outside will squeeze in on the line going through the center and this squeezing of the line in the middle is what holds the whoopie sling at the desired length provided the constriction section is long enough and that all parts of the constriction section are actively squeezing. An adjustment in the length of the whoopie sling is done by removing the tension on the outer part of the constriction section by holding one end of the constriction section while pulling the part of the line that is going into the center of the constriction section toward the end being held - because the outer part of the constriction section is being held the outer part loosens up as the inner part pulls the rest of the outer constriction section into the part being held. After a short pull the entire constriction section has loosened up and the length of the whoopie sling can then be set as desired. If as is shown in the video the whoopie sling is just released (unhanded?) it will start to tighten up the outer section but only until there is enough force to hold the unloaded hammock - at this point only part of the outer line is tightened down on the inner line and one can see that the constriction section is not completely tight. If at this point the hammock is loaded the part that had been holding the empty hammock constriction section will slip a small amount until the entire (or enough) outer section of the constriction section is tightened down on inner part to hold the force being placed on the whoopie sling. To avoid this small slip which one can manually run their hand over the constriction section from the part that is tight to the part that is loose gripping the constriction section relatively firmly - this will cause the part that is loose to stretch out and tighten down and as a result the constriction section is ready to hold the greater weight when the hammock is loaded.

feel free to ignore the above babble and just play with the suspension

 

[Whittler Kev]

Another thanks from me dudes