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grinninghead
Aug 20, 2004, 1:53 AM
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Registered: Aug 20, 2004
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very general question:
do most of you use the generic webbing/3 caribiner method, or do you drop the 200 bucks for the super webbing and 5 pully ratchets offered at the many slackline eshops? i would much rather use the cheapo setup (first timer) as long as i can feel confident it isn't going to break and a caribiner is going to be fixed to my noggin'. thanks much!!
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slacklinejoe
Aug 20, 2004, 4:44 PM
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Registered: Nov 5, 2003
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"Generic" webbing is a rather odd term to use. Most slacklines are put together with 1" tubular nylon which is amazingly strong - 4,000 lb of tension + or climb spec which gets you up to 4,500 lb test. It's not like we use the webbing off of belts or anything.
A normal sized slackline just doesn't reach near those numbers. Refer to:
http://www.wanderingphotographer.com/...c_analysis_graph.htm
While yes, they get a lot of tension on them with a slacker on it, it is still no where near their breaking point. Don't get me wrong; slackliens DO break, but instead because people keep using the same old line over and over until it is worn out. Even a completely trashy looking line will still hold a lot of weight, usually what kills them are jumps on very tight lines on worn out webbing.
As for "super" webbing, I have to assume your talking about a threaded line from SBI - the threaded section is there for a backup (redundancy) far more than for additional strength. If tested, it would likely have some strength added but it's not as simple as adding the tensile tests of the 9/16 or whatever size + the strength of 1" - it'll be much closer to the difference between climbspec and milspec.
Carabiners are more than strong enough by far, there have only been a few insicdences of biners breaking and I'm fairly certain a good portion of those those were not loaded along their axis correctly, where due to be retired or might have not had their gates completely shut. If your worried about it, it's as easy as slipping another biner in there for redundancy.
As far as purchasing slacklines, that's hard to say. A lot of people use the biner and webbing method and then decided from there if it fit their needs or not. There are some other excellent choices out there in addition to the $200 unit out there, I think the cheapest complete setup starts off around $25, which is one of the units I sell through my company. Either way, you've got lots of choices and products for about any price range.
If your needing more information on the dfferent types of rigging and/or all of the companies selling slacklines see this thread on a slackline FAQ:
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...iewtopic.php?t=62412
For more details on setting up biner&webbing setups see ColdClimb's slackline article:
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...les/index.php?id=189
DISCLAIMERS:
#1 any climbing webbing you use on a slackline should never be used for climbing later - it stresses it out big time.
#2 The carabiner companies I've talked to highly recommended not reusing slackline biners for life saving purposes later - dedicate a couple biners for the cause - it's worth it.
#3 All of those setups out there are not designed for highlining, the act of walking a slackline at great heights where your life is dependant on the line - those lines require an experienced rigger and full redundant setups. Basically, don't venture there until you've got an experienced mentor.
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coldclimb
Aug 20, 2004, 6:00 PM
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Registered: Jan 14, 2002
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Man joe, hats off to you for that post. It answers preactically this entire forum. :shock: :lol:
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overlord
Aug 20, 2004, 6:05 PM
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Registered: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 14120
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yes, this should be a faq.
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