UL Sap Sleeves

[Tim (Slowhike) Garner]

I’ve been fortunate enough to avoid pine trees for hammock hanging for the most part, but recently I had little choice but to use a pine tree on one or both ends of my hammock, getting pine sap on my straps.

 

I just made a new set of straps and don’t want to get sap on them.
I know one thing that some people do is have a separate sack to put the sappy straps in, but I wondered if I could avoid getting sap on them in the first place.

I don’t know if anyone has done this before but what I came up with was UL Sap Sleeves.
The pictures show how to add them to one or both straps as needed.

Having them along in case needed will add about 6 grams.
This is in the experimenting stage, but I am starting out with 3′ in length, Dyneema sleeve.

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/QKATed08QsOEQHXKB19Rdg.B7qXA2taq_GsgcPNs3yVX1

 

[Bill Budney]

Cool idea. It will be interesting to hear how easily they clean up.

Polyethylene or polypropylene tubing might also clean up well, not need sewing, and wouldn’t sting so much if you decide to throw it out after it gets sappy. :)

[Tim (Slowhike) Garner]

Yeah, I have not looked into cleaning pine sap off of Dyneema. I’ll check it out.

One thing about these extremely light sleeves is that I have almost been able to hang from hard wood trees, so they would be for “just in case”

The tubbing you linked may be just as light.

[Bill Budney]

True. But dyneema will be more sturdy if it cleans well, which it might. If you have already made them, then you might as well test them for a while.

[Steve B]

Interesting idea, but getting sap on the sleeves just moves it to something else that will get sap on you.  And at the next campsite you’ll have to rethread the sleeves onto your straps, possibly getting the sap onto your hands.  And you’ll still need a separate bag for the sap covered sleeves.

While sap is sticky, and smelly (but it’s not super objectionable smell wise), I just carry and use hand sanitizer to clean it when needed.  It may not get all the smell off the straps, but it does remove the stickyness.  FYI, I only use dyneema straps.

[Tim (Slowhike) Garner]

One point that I will bring back up is that I have rarely had to use a pine tree to hang from.

I just made a new set of white, Dyneema/ poly straps and I wouldn’t mind keeping them sap free.

As far as the cost of Dyneema, I have made a number of things from it, so it’s not hard to find a two-inch-wide strip to use.

 

To have these with me in case of the rare occasion that I need to use a pine tree, cost me a weight penalty of 8 grams in the small Dyneema sack I made for the sleeves.

 

Which brings me to another point.

I recently got to try them out on a backpacking trip. We were in a primarily hardwood forest so I didn’t have a pine tree nearby, but I still was able to try them.

As I had already suspected, they need to be longer, maybe 6′. That’ll add a few more grams but not much.

 

I still have not tested cleaning pine sap from Dyneema, but will do so soon.

[Tim (Slowhike) Garner]

As far as excess length on a smaller tree, it’s easy to push back to the tree and bunch up.

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