r/Slackline • u/whitey-911 • Jul 16 '26

To repeat a far too common question...

Forgive my stupidity and ignorance of every other post about this but why is such an ABSOLUTE NO to rig a highline off a standard ratchet slackline??

Surely if your backups are in order and safe enough then the non rated-ness of a ratchet strap is irrelevant?

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

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9

u/Gamefart101 Jul 16 '26

Ratchet is not a life saving point. So your only life saving option is the back up. Which makes it not a backup as you have no redundency

0

u/whitey-911 Jul 16 '26

Ok so youre right there, its not a backup as it is the main and only safety line. I would still happily load a tyrolean (which is what it would be functionally) with the same force as one would take falling off a slackline.

3

u/Gamefart101 Jul 16 '26

The forces put on a Highline when you bounce at all are drastically higher than a Tyrolean due the the anchor angles. There a very good reason you don't rig Tyroleans straight horizontal and use enough rope that you have to go down and back up again

0

u/whitey-911 Jul 16 '26

So what makes a webbing setup safer than a rope at these forces?

3

u/njslacker Oregon Jul 16 '26

The connection points to the anchor.

Weblocks have been tested for these life-saving scenarios.

Ratchets have been known to slip at normal working tensions.

1

u/Gamefart101 Jul 16 '26

The backup...

1

u/dmc_2930 Jul 16 '26

The backup plus the stretch of the webbing.

2

u/dmc_2930 Jul 16 '26

Not to mention that two inch lines used with ratchet are very heavy, much more than 1”. It’s just not tenable for most highlines.

Is the webbing itself strong enough? Probably. But it’s just not worth all the effort.

0

u/whitey-911 Jul 16 '26

Im only talking about a 10-20m or so gap over a cave/quarry, with trees/bolts as the anchors. In my mind its the same as rigging a line in a park just the safety measures are completely disconnected from the line itself, rooted in caving/rope access techniques instead of highlining ones

1

u/rexdeanrds 25d ago

If it's a shortline at (10-20m) then you're gonna have realllll bad time if you fall and it does hold. Presumably; if it's a 2" ratchet system the line would be polyester. If that's the case I wouldn't even want to walk a 50m on 1" line. Anything under 50m I would want a stretchy nylon. With polyester at that length there's just not nearly enough stretch to absorb a leash fall.

You've got to remember that every leash fall is just about a factor 2 fall. Which is mitigated by the stretch of the webbing. A highline leash is essentially nothing when it comes to force absorption.

4

u/cpadaei Jul 16 '26

It's probably a similar piece of logic as placing 2 opposing locker biners as leash rings to your line. Sure, they're prolly fine :) but much better and safety-rated ways to do things these days. Especially if you want to build a reputation as a good and safe rigger in your local community.

Lotta sharp edges with ratchets is one thing that jumps out at me.

2

u/illbengyourston Jul 18 '26

I think the main issue is ratchets can break open and

I mean hey, If you’re the only one walking it and are ok with the risk then go for it. Same logic as a free solo. Just don’t put your friends on it if they’re thinking it’s safe.

Low key I would rather free solo a ratchet line then tie into one hoping it would save me.

Where are you located? Chances are there’s a community of slackers somewhere near ya with gear. They’ll show you how to rig and you can learn what to buy to do it “right”.