What size tree straps for thru hike?

[Scout620]

Planning SOBO AT thru hike/hang this year

I am presently using whoopie slings and 4' tree straps.

Would like to hear from any past thru hikers/hangers what you would recommend.

[Slo-go'en]

Humm, allowing for some slack, you need a tree 12" or less in diameter. That's a pretty good sized tree, but I think I'd want to be able to go a little bigger, maybe up to 18".

[Monkeywrench]

I thru'ed using my Hennessy hammock with their stock straps, which are 42" I believe. I do recall a small handful of times when I hung on trees too big for the strap to fit all the way around. My suspension was such that I could accommodate that scenario so only a minor annoyance.

[Stir Fry]

I use a 6 ft and a 12 ft It seems like I always end up witha tree thats to big for the six ft. but thers one close enough to use the six ft on .

[Country Roads]

I saw some huge trees in GA! I expect you could find smaller trees if needed. You could use a 6 foot strap and pick up a couple of amsteel tree strap extender for those times you need one. They would be lighter than using longer tree straps.

[Wise Old Owl]

I thru'ed using my Hennessy hammock with their stock straps, which are 42" I believe. I do recall a small handful of times when I hung on trees too big for the strap to fit all the way around. My suspension was such that I could accommodate that scenario so only a minor annoyance.

I would pass the ring of the strap thru the other... haven hit the floor yet.

[zukiguy]

Since you're using whoopies, are you using a marlin spike hitch and a toggle setup or some other piece of hardware? In FL and also on the AT I carry some 10' straps. They're overkill most of the time but really handy when I need them. For small trees I double up the strap and larks head it around the tree. For big trees I try and alternate and feed the free end through the loop in either end just to even out the wear on the straps. It works fine for me.

[Nutbrown]

I carry a 4 and a 6 ft strap. The longer comes in handy more times that not.

[SOBO_Pace]

I carried 12' and used every inch of them a few times plus 6' whoopies.

[JaxHiker]

My take is that the weight of longer straps is negligible but the benefits can be huge (no pun intended). If you find yourself facing either large trees or further distances the extra length will be a godsend. I follow the adage that it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. While it wasn't on the AT I almost couldn't get a 12' strap around a monster oak on Cumberland Island, GA. I've also found myself using everything possible to get a little more length (like daisy-chaining amsteel dogbones to my straps).