Hammock Suspensions | A pursuit to find the lightest weight suspension | Did I find it?
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- Опубликовано: 26 июл 2024
- Hammock camping is awesome and I love it. But there is a bit of a learning curve in order to have a good experience with hammock camping. It also takes a bit more work at camp to get your shelter setup than a tent. However, I feel like the sleep I get out of a hammock is worth the extra time I spend on setting up my hammock. Plus, I'm one of those guys who likes to fiddle around with my hammock once I'm at camp. I'm always looking for ways to improve my camping experience. If this sounds like you then hammock camping may be right for you.
- timestamps
00:00 - Intro
01:38 - Daisy Chains
07:01 - Cinch Buckles
10:24 - Whoopie Slings
16:29 - Dynaglide Extreme
This video describes the different hammock suspensions that I have used throughout my years of hammock camping. And I have always felt like I am on a never-ending pursuit for the lightest hammock suspension that is easy to use and setup. Well, I think I found it. But first, let's talk a bit of history.
1. Daisy Chains: I think these are by far the easiest to setup and make adjustments to your hammock. This would be a great option for new hammock backpackers and don't want to have too much fuss at the campsite when setting up their hammock. The downside is the weight and how bulky they can be compared to other suspensions. My first set of chains weighed almost a pound but there are lighter options like the Dutch Spider Daisy Chains which weighs around 5-6 ounces.
2. Cinch Buckles: These are a very popular option with hammock backpackers. They are lightweight, easy to setup, compact down nicely into your pack. The only issue that I have had with them is that they slipped on me several times causing me to fall to the ground. This is more of a me issue and not a cinch buckle issue. You just need to be very conscience about ensuring that the cinch is flush to the buckle otherwise it will slip. And I think there are times I came into camp and was just tired when setting it up that I wasn't really focusing on it too much and it slipped on me. But this is a great option, weighs just under 4 ounces and would be a good solution for anyone wanting to step up from daisy chains. But there is lighter...
3. Whoopie Slings: These are my go-to suspensions for backpacking trips. They are lighter than cinch buckles but only by half an ounce, coming in around 3.3 ounces. They do take a bit of getting used to setting them up. Your trees need to be farther apart to get a proper hang and if the trees are thin then you will need to wrap the strap around the tree a few times to make it work. By now, I can easily eye-ball a set of trees that will work best for my whoopie slings and know how to navigate if the trees are not ideal. But that comes with hammock camping regardless of which suspension you select. But there is still lighter...
4. Dynaglide Extremem UL: These seemed too good to be true but they are the real deal. These are a type of whoopie sling but using less material and a soft shackle instead of a carabiner. These come in at a mind-boggling weight of only 1.3 ounces. That is stunning. Dutch's website state that they have a weight limit of 200 lbs, so I guess I will be putting that to the test this summer as I am typically around 200 lbs. This was my first test of hanging them from a tree with my hammock, and if you know how to setup a whoopie sling then this will be no problem. The only difference is that you use a soft shackle instead of a carabiner. I had to learn how to work it at first but that was quick and easy enough.
I can't imagine getting any lighter. The only thing I can think of that might be lighter is that if your both of your webbing straps weighs less than 1.3 ounces and you use a Beckett Hitch knot. But that webbing would still need to be around 8-10 ft each. and strong enough to hold your weight. At that point, I think I would rather use a whoopie sling than making sure I did my knot correctly and not fall in the middle of the night.
Well, that is my evaluation for hammock suspension. There is no right or wrong choice. These are the more popular options and just find which one works for you.
Thanks for watching!
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I believe Dutch sells smaller in length soft shackles. It could save you another gram or two.
Soft shackles have been used for year in vehicle recovery, there is usually a protective sleeve (Kevlar) that can be slid along the strap to the contact points to protect the material from abrasion.
My concern with your/Dutches soft shackle is the two contact points where shackle meets whoopee sling loop, it is very tight. like the straps around the tree, you don't want to crease the DynaGlide or the Whoopee sling...
Anyway, enough of opinion, I'm sure Dutch has done his research and testing. Nicely done on the video. Thanks.
Hey Michael! Thanks for the feedback. Ironically, I am looking up soft shackles as we speak. I looked on Dutch's website but the only soft shackles I found being sold separately there was a note that said they were not weight bearing. I was specifically looking for the diamond shackle and it looks like I can only get that as part of the set. I did a search but didn't find anything on his website. Soooo...
I found some at a site called Hanging High Hammocks. I just bought a pair on their site. I bought them because I was going to try something out. I was going to use it to secure my strap on a tree, like the Dutch Clip, but specifically so that I could loop my other soft shackle on my continuous loop to the button on the soft shackle on the tree. This would allow me to shorten the length between my trees when using the whoopie slings if needed. Not sure it will work but for $9.50 for a pair I thought I would give it a try. Like I've said, I like to fiddle with my gear.
But great point about the connection point with my soft shackle and the whoopie sling. I guess if the whoopie sling creases then it won't fit secure in the sling and tighten properly. Didn't think about that. I'm gonna give it a test run this summer and see how it goes. Again, thanks for your comments.
I didn’t think you were supposed to use Kevlar with cinch buckles due to Kevlar being a smoother/slick material. I think Dutch has that information on the website.
Maybe I'm wrong about the strap material. I bought these off of Dutch's website. I also bought my whoopie slings off of Dutch's website and that webbing feels the exact same as my cinch buckle which I'm pretty sure is kevlar. I remember it being kevlar because of the warning that it deteriorates/weakens over years if exposed to the sun, which I thought was odd.
Interesting though that when I look on his website I'm not finding any kevlar straps. I did buy both of these several years ago and maybe too your point is why Dutch seems to only be selling the spider/poly webbing.
Anyway, thanks for that feedback. I never thought it might be the slickness of the kevlar not holding for the cinch buckles, makes sense. I know for my whoopie slings they have worked like a champ through all kinds of conditions.
Thank you for this video, I currently am using the daisy chain with the carabiner but am already looking at options for a lighter setup. I’m very much a new hammock camper.
We talked a little bit about it In one of your other videos but am happy you showed how each one works. Very interested in seeing how the last one works out for you. Would love to get my weight down on my overall setup.
I'll be testing out the dynalgide on my next backpacking trip in a couple of weeks. I'll be creating a video off that trip and will talk about how it is working out.
Keep in mind, that weight is relative when talking about hammock suspensions. My dutch spider daisy chains are around 5-6 ounces and my go-to whoopie slings are just over 3. So I am only saving 2-3 ounces which is not huge when trying to cut big weight.
In trying to cut major weight, look at your big three (backpack, sleep system, shelter (hammock, tarp)). This is where you will save big weight and really cut your base weight down. Just know, that these are also the costly options for cutting weight but if you love it like I do and do it all the time then I think it is worth the investment. Especially since I'm not a young pup anymore and like to ease my load as much as possible. 🙂
@@crimsonblaze_backpacker I do a fair amount of hiking but would like to get into backpacking more, in the past I have tried several different tents/pads and I just can never get comfortable, so I didn't do as much backpacking as I would like . I got a good deal on the Hammock Gear Wanderlust Complete Set with both an underquilt and top quilt and have had a better sleep in a hammock than I ever had in a tent on the couple of backpacking trips I have done. The total weight for the complete set is a little over 5.5 lbs, as someone who likes to put on the miles in a day, always looking for opportunities to lower the base weight but like you mentioned, getting into that territory of getting a little pricey.
With all that being said, I love the content and the interaction you have with you subscribers, looking forward to the next one!
I've got a pair of the DW beetle-buckle 15ft straps but they seem pretty heavy, definitely interested in checking out those dynaglide daisy chains. I'm going to test out 1strap+1dasiychain as a suspension system to see if I can get a mix of ease of clipping extra stuff on the chain and the infinite adjustment on one end.
Hey! Thanks for your comments. I just wanted to let you know the dynaglide is a whoopie sling, not a daisy chain. And the latest from that video is that I replaced my continuous loop for my Dutch Netless hammock with a soft shackle, and that easily connects to the dynaglide whoopie sling instead of the long soft shackle that came with the dynaglide.
When i first saw this on dutch's website, i was thinking that the soft shackle was used to replace the continuous loop on your hammock, thus lowering the overall weight. Its hard to imagine that the soft shackle would be a huge reduction in weight over a small titanium hook that is usually on the woopie sling. Plus it adds alot more legnth to the suspension if its just an attachment point. Could it work this way, or am i missing something? Is it just the dynaglide that is getting the weight down?
Hey! I never thought about replacing it with the continuous loop on my hammock. I think that would work but it seems like the weight savings would be negligible, but we are talking fractions of an ounce anyway.
I like having the flexibility of using the soft shackle with any of my hammocks, in place of a carabiner, and not switched out for the continuous loops on one specific hammock. The soft shackle weighs .07 ounces and my lightest weight bearing carabiner (Dutch titanium) is .32 ounces, so again there is a slight weight savings. But the dynaglide is thinner and shorter than my original Dutch whoopie sling. I don't recall there being a weight limit with my current whoopie slings but there is a 200 lb. limit for these, so they are not as strong.
I do agree the soft shackle seems a bit long and not sure why. Like I said, this is my first introduction to soft shackles and just experimenting along the way. My thought is that I would get a diamond soft shackle to secure my strap to the tree (in place of my Dutch clip) then I could take the loop at the end of my soft shackle on my continuous loop and secure to that diamond knot. This would allow me to shorten the distance between my continuous loop and tree while still having the whoopie sling tightened. I just recently bought a pair of diamond soft shackles from Hanging High Hammocks. Hope to test out my theory in a few days. Because if I can shorten that length between the tree and my continuous loop then my trees don't have to be so far apart and now the whoopies slings become more flexible in my setup, which would be like the Holy Grail to me.
Sorry for all the rambling. I love to tinker with this stuff and always looking to improve my setup or find a better way to do something as I am continually learning, even after more than a decade of hammock camping.
Thanks for watching and thanks for your comments.