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ofblinkingthings
Feb 16, 2009, 5:37 AM
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Registered: Mar 6, 2006
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I am going to buy a slackline and think that I am going to go with gibbons 15m setup. I dont know much about slacklines so is this a good one to get or should I et the longer one or another brand all-together? My slacking history is nil, I've never touched one before.
thanks
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shaun_the_conqueror
Feb 16, 2009, 7:01 AM
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Registered: Nov 28, 2007
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Absolutely the worst choice you could possibly go with. Gibbons slacklines are absolute pieces of shit. You can go to a home depot and buy their exact kit minus their name. They use 2" wide static tow rope and have the heaviest klunkiest ratchet I've ever seen. The only thing I ever found their kit good for, was rigging a gnarly highline anchor.
If you want a slackline, go down to the closest REI and buy 100ft of 1" tubular webbing and 5 aluminum carabiners and make your own line.
If you're lazy and you want someone else to do all of the work for you, then check out the following links for premade kits.
http://slackline.net/
http://www.slacklinebrothers.com/
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hopperhopper
Feb 16, 2009, 7:52 AM
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Registered: Jun 29, 2007
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shaun_the_conqueror wrote: Absolutely the worst choice you could possibly go with. Gibbons slacklines are absolute pieces of shit. You can go to a home depot and buy their exact kit minus their name. They use 2" wide static tow rope and have the heaviest klunkiest ratchet I've ever seen. The only thing I ever found their kit good for, was rigging a gnarly highline anchor. If you want a slackline, go down to the closest REI and buy 100ft of 1" tubular webbing and 5 aluminum carabiners and make your own line. If you're lazy and you want someone else to do all of the work for you, then check out the following links for premade kits. http://slackline.net/ http://www.slacklinebrothers.com/
Agree minus the 100ft part. You'll probably want a shorter, quick-set up line. I would go with 50 or 60ft length because 100ft is a lot to hassle with. A line about 30ft or so (or 50ft of webbing) was great for me to learn on.
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durangotang
Apr 26, 2009, 10:22 PM
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Registered: Apr 26, 2009
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Sorry for the thread jack but I'm in the same boat (although I've been slacklining with friends for about two years now) and I had another question. If I'm primarily going to be slacklining between trees, how long of webbing should I get for each individual anchor???? Should I go a bit longer than normal just in case I want to do something different???? Thanks
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hopperhopper
Apr 27, 2009, 1:41 AM
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Registered: Jun 29, 2007
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durangotang wrote: Sorry for the thread jack but I'm in the same boat (although I've been slacklining with friends for about two years now) and I had another question. If I'm primarily going to be slacklining between trees, how long of webbing should I get for each individual anchor???? Should I go a bit longer than normal just in case I want to do something different???? Thanks
It depends completely on the trees you'll be using. A small difference in diameter translates to a large difference in perimeter (thus, the necessary length of the anchors). Do a little math and come up with a length. 5 feet works well for the trees I use. Keep in mind that you can always tie knots or double them up to make them shorter.
Easy on those question marks, chief.
(This post was edited by hopperhopper on Apr 27, 2009, 1:43 AM)
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durangotang
Apr 27, 2009, 1:55 AM
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Registered: Apr 26, 2009
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hopperhopper wrote: Easy on those question marks, chief.
Sorry but sometimes you have to strongly emphasize just how clueless you really are, ya know?????
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Rudmin
Apr 28, 2009, 4:25 PM
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Registered: Mar 29, 2009
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For the cheapest simple slackline that delivers a roughly 3:1 haul ration, I would recommend the following:
20m of 1" tubular webbing
2 cheap carabiners
total price ~$30
1) Cut off and melt the ends of about 4 or 5 metres of the webbing
2) Tie that short piece into a sling with a water knot
3) Find two trees that you want to use
4) Tie one end of the long piece of webbing around one tree with a double bowline or something that you can untie later. Another option is to leave a permanent figure 8 on a bight at the end and pull the entire length of webbing through that.
5) Toss the sling around the other tree and girth hitch it with a carabiner on the end.
6) Pull the long piece until you are a few feet from the carabiner in the sling and tie the second carabiner there with a clove hitch.
7) Run the free end of the long piece through the carabiner on the sling then back around the carabiner in the clove hitch
8) Run it a second time through the carabiner on the sling UNDERNEATH the first pass of webbing. Do the same thing with the carabiner on the clove hitch.
9) Get some friends and pull on the free end
You now have an autolocking haul system that gives you a theoretical 5:1. The webbing on top cinches down and locks the webbing underneath it from moving so after you pull it tight you can let go and it won't move. Counting all of the friction it is probably closer to a 3:1 haul. To make it more secure, wrap a few half hitches around the tight line.
If you are cheap and want to conserve those precious metres of webbing, you can skip the sling and just run the long piece around the tree and tie another clove hitch.
P.S. loosening a clove hitch on a single biner takes a bit of a trick. Use the webbing as a lever arm to wrench the knot open.
(This post was edited by Rudmin on Apr 28, 2009, 4:30 PM)
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