Set-Up a Slackline

Slack lining is a very fun and challenging "sport" that requires a lot of skill. However the cheapest slack line "kits" available are around fifty bucks, i made this one for about half of that. This instructable will show you how to set up your own slackline.

Step 1 Supplies

Here is what you will need. I got all of the supplies from REI, but i am sure there are many other places that carry these things.

Materials
1 inch tubular webbing- (at least) 70 feet
carabiners - 5
carpet (1ft. by 3-5ft.)


also needed:
2 trees, poles, or any two VERY sturdy upright objects

Comments

[The Insomniac]

Just for clarification, could you add more photos? This does not look like a figure eight, and the one on the next page looks to me to be more like a girth hitch than a clove hitch. More photos would be excellent, but this looks great, I am definetly going to try it at camp.

[admanrocks]

ok, well, a figure 8 looks funny in webing, but you shouldn't use it. use a water knot in your anchors also, that is a mistake, that is a girth hitch on the next page. they work the same.

[crackHacker]

i am fairly sure that this is a critical load bearing "sport" if that is the case this should be a double figure 8 or figure 8 bend according to the website you referenced. i use them ALOT when repelling.

[CUclimbing]

Whats this? just use a friction knot with two biners. Much easier.

[woody558]

An easier way (but probably not instructables-worthy) is to just buy a ratchet strap and wrap one end around the tree and attach the other end to an anchor around the tree.  It makes it very easy to tighten, too.  They only cost about $15.

[sk3lton]

I use a ratchet for my slackline it is very quick and easy to set up but i don't trust it for long/high lines

[Marsh]

Rather than using 4 carabiners here, use three and thread the piece you currently have going through the 4th biner back underneath the strap at the 2nd biner. Tension alone will hold the line secure and you'll be able to get it a lot tighter.

[kmix]

I use line lockers in my kit, they are rappelling rings, solid cast aluminum rings about 1.5 inch diameter. using these with a carabiner allows you to put 0 knots in your main line and it gives you a perfectly flat surface to walk. They are available from REI.

[woody558]

Will this webbing work? http://www.countrybrookdesign.com/2-Inch-25-YDS-Heavy-Black/Webbing-Polypro-Polyproplene/2-Inch-Heavy/Black-p5129583.html Also, is there an advantage of having the four-carabiner tensioning system versus a two-carabiner system?

[admanrocks]

I wouldn't recommend that webbing. As I said in the instructable, I recommend 1 inch military spec. tubular webbing. You can get this easily at a local climbing or outdoors store.' 4 carabiners will give you a greater mechanical advantage than 2, I find that 2 is enough, but 4 is better for longer lines.

[flamekiller]

A worthwhile consideration on this setup: these carabiners are tri-loaded. In a shorter line as in this Instructable, that's probably not a problem, but consider other methods when rigging a longer line. Carabiners are rated to be loaded axially on their major axis (along the spine from end to end) and a tri-loaded 'biner will fail at a lower load. Again, probably not a problem here.

[adamcgreenberg]

These are loaded in the same way you would rig an anchor for climbing. the biner is only being loaded at two points even though it is connected to three things.

[woody558]

How long did it take before you could walk without help?
It seems like you would need immense concentration and superior balance to walk on one of these.

[admanrocks]

 about 3 weeks of trying every day.
anyone can get good at slacklining, that's why it's so great.

[woody558]

How is this $25?
5 good biners cost $25 (total) + 70 feet of webbing costs $25 =
$50

This costs just as much as a kit.

[admanrocks]

 did I say $25?
haha, well let me say this.
Since making this a few years back i have realized that 5 biners is quit excessive. you really only need 3.
and yeah, webbing would be 25 dollars.
sooooo that's 35.

I really dislike the kits though, like those gibbon lines, those suck, i would not recommend them.

[woody558]

How do you make it with 3 biners?

[admanrocks]

 exactly the same way as i showed except use only one biner where there a two on the tensioning end.
you can also double the webbing through, which allows for better MA and the friction holds the webbing tight, so you don't really need to tie it off or worry about it slipping before you do.

I really like this system.

[woody558]

Will these carabiners work?
www.academy.com/index.php

[admanrocks]

 absolutely not.
you need biners that can carry a load.
I would recommend these one's

www.rei.com/product/662847

[woody558]

What if the anchors slip on the tree?

[admanrocks]

 they won't if you have the line tensioned.

[MKohen]

Hey I'm thinking about going into slacklining, but I've got some questions... Do the carabiners have to be the screw-lock type? Can they just open and close? Also, what type of webbing and carabiners did you get off REI? I don't want to spend too much money...

[admanrocks]

the carabiners do not have to be locking, infact I probably wouldn't reccommed them, they're sort of a pain.

you can set up a line for not a whole lot:
webbing - - 32 cents a foot (1 inch tubular military spec)
carabiners- $9 these

there is a way to set up a line using only 3 or 3 biners, let me know if you want to see how to do that.

but you could probably get it for 30 bucks

[fizil]

I would think the non-pulley side wouldn't need any biners. I would put a bend in the rope and tie a double over hand knot so that there is a nonslipping loop in the end. Put that end around the tree and fee the free standing side through then do the pulley stuff on the other side.

[lasersage]

a knot/bend would actually be better than what is shown in step 5. Crabs should NEVER be 3 way loaded like the picture shows. It should've been girth hitched round the tree then crabbed to the line to keep the crab aligned.

This ible totally takes me back, I bought a load of webbing and did it this way. Used it once or twice and really liked it, then my girlfriend bought me a proper ratcheting line for my birthday. Way more convenient.
Totally try it out this way on the cheap, but buying a decent line makes life so much easier in the longrun.
Just had my first slackline of the year on saturday. Came back pleasingly easily. Can get from one end to the other, turn, bounce, even tried doing some poi whilst walking. Can't do any mad flips yet though  :)

[admanrocks]

 interesting.
I've always preffereed this method to the racheting systems.
A slackline is a simple thing, no need for unneccesary bels and whistles.

I tried one of those Gibbon one's with the 2 inch webbing the other day.
That's funky. I spose I'm a litle bit of a sentimentalist

[lasersage]

I thought I did until I owned a ratchet.
I was convinced I needed the extra pull available through the pulley method, but you don't actually need tree felling power, just nice'n tight.
Hence why I went with the pulley system first, but having owned the ratchet system I wouldn't go back. Quick and easy and definitely less hardware. I had 5 crabs, but the biggest problem with it was I had way too much webbing and didn't want to cut it. Made setting it up tedious. I should've faced facts that I'm not as awesome as I'd like to be, cut it, then had a lot easier time. Bet I would've liked it more then  :)

Each to there own I figure.

[admanrocks]

ya, that would definitely work, but the anchor - biner set up gets the line perfectly flat, but that is a great set up solution on the cheap.

[admanrocks]

 also, unless you're setting up a line that's a lot more than 30 feet, it would be difficult to overload your biner... Just saying

[fizil]

oh yeah, forgot about getting the webbing flat.

[MKohen]

the three carabiner one would be useful. How did you get 5 of the ones on the website for $9? wouldnt it be more like $25?

[admanrocks]

 those were $9 a piece.
I'd reccomend the $5, oval, non locking one's though.

[nbail79]

 Do the carabiners have to be locking?

[admanrocks]

 not at all. That's just what i had.
It's easier and cheaper to use non-locking biners.
Just make sure that you're using legit climbing biners, meant to hold large loads. (climbing one's)

[nbail79]

Awesome, thanks. I went ahead and got some oval non locking biners. Great ible by the way. It came right when i was thinking about buying a kit. Oh how my mind did change.

[wolf123450]

With my slackline, I store it by folding it over 4 times and tying it into a daisychain, and then hooking the carabiners to either end of that, and the same with the anchor loops, and it just slings over the shoulder.  Then you've only got to worry about carrying the carpet pieces in your arms.

Nice instructable.

[greatpanda]

 This appears to be a ringbolt hitch/lark's head/cow hitch, in a clove hitch one of the bights is turned the other way.  It's the right knot for this though, since it's in a sling anyway.

[JoshBittner]

The carabiner system is nice, but it gets hard to tension the line when it is very long. I use the Charger 40 Kit from Freeflow Lines. (http://www.freeflowlines.com) Very nice kit, super easy to set up, and easy to tension.

[viridiscomis]

of course, he could have gotten even this system really tight if he used a travelling pulley (ie another biner hitched onto the pullcord). I just tried one yesterday, the thing was amazing, and then you can add biners like that ad infinitum (if it weren't for friction), there's amazing potential with those things.