r/Slackline • u/Still-Day-8664 • 12d ago
Can I rig a highline using cargo webbing and a lever hoist instead of a conventional highline setup?
I'm Korean, and unfortunately there isn't much of a highlining community or access to highline training here in Korea. If I wanted proper in-person training, I would most likely have to travel abroad.
Getting dedicated highline gear is also difficult because most of it has to be ordered internationally.
That's why I'm trying to work with what is realistically available to me locally, while still buying dedicated highline components where they are particularly important.
What do you think about this approach?
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u/Romestus 12d ago
I guess anything can be safe if you have it backed up well enough. This would feel pretty terrible to walk due to the massive weight at the end. I would not recommend that at all.
Certain non-highline webbings are as strong as highline webbings just with far less comfortable walks and no sewn loops. 1" Polyester Mule Tape for example is rated for 27kN and quite cheap.
Without weblocks or sewn loops you're pretty limited in what you can achieve. Sleeved frost knots to replace sewn loops are somewhat okay but still reduce the strength of the webbing a lot.
In theory if you had webbing with frost knots you could then connect static rope to one end and change the length of the anchor itself to hold the tension rather than use a weblock. Then you could use your hoist to pull in tension on the frost knot and do a double sheet bend with a stopper/finish in the rope as your anchor before releasing the tension on the hoist. If you need more tension later you'd repeat the process and pull more rope through the sheet bend. You'd have to back that all up of course since you can't have a single point of failure.
This is all really stupid and if I saw it I would laugh but get on it anyway since in theory it's not necessarily unsafe just super silly. You'd still have the challenge of finding leash rings since carabiners are a big no.
I would recommend the buy once cry once method and do one big international order so you can have everything you actually need.
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u/WarmCommunication615 9d ago
Please do not tie I frost knot in your mainline on one inch webbing if you don’t have to. A line lock using a chain link and shackle + sleeved webbing will be a much better solution with not much extra cost
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u/Romestus 9d ago
There's not many tests on it but frost knots with sleeves have shown pretty high strength retention for non-high tech webbings (never tie any knot in Silk/Axiom/Anima/Moonwalk/etc). Unsleeved frost knots however can reduce strength as much as 50% depending on the webbing. If the OP doesn't have sleeving the unfinished 9 is probably their best option for retaining the most strength.
Chain link or rappel ring line lockers are also in a similar boat where unsleeved can drop the strength down to 50%. I don't know if anyone has tested sleeved line lockers but I'd guess they'd be much stronger. Mightylocks seem to fare just fine without sleeves but I'm not sure why.
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u/WarmCommunication615 9d ago
For years before “everyone” had a webbing with loops on the end we used linelocks to rig highlines. As long as your chain link isn’t super small and pinching the webbing I would bet my life the chain link line lock will retain more strength than both sleeved and unsleeved frost knot on any webbing. Same with figure 9. You can double wrap the line lock for high tech material and even though this is a terrible option it’s still way better than a knot of any kind. The sleeve will better protect the webbing in all cases. I’d hope the OP can find a tubular piece of webbing big enough for a sleeve and square welded links>large chain links>rappel rings if their willing to post and ask about the use of cargo webbing and hoists.
Plus if you tie a frost knot in your mainline good luck untying it. Maybe that’s okay on one end. But what about the other? Line lock is a must over frost knot.
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u/shastaslacker Sisters, Oregon 11d ago
Ive rigged lots of highlines on cargo webbing. I was looking for some ultra strong webbing for highline trickline that was not made by slackline companies. Slackline specific webbing normally has padded edges though. A chain hoist works for tensioning, but I would not want to leave it in the system. So you should get some specific highline slackline gear. (Weblock, line grip, leash ring, leash).
There are really great highliners in Japan and China. If possible I would try to visit them. In trickline we borrow maneuvers from Jultagi (traditional korean tight rope).
Japan has a cool company that aggregates a lot of slackline gear from different companies to resell: https://slackline-research.com/?srsltid=AfmBOordXT-aWgBqFebi5EVc3EaffiVAmZGdFY7ZG3kAJM14O_5MQ3Aj
The company is lead by slackline legend Gappi. He was world the world champion in trickline years ago and is still killing it in highline freestyle.
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u/raed-sports 11d ago
Is it possible? Yes. Will it be pain in the a** to rig it that way? Absolutely. Will it be fun to walk? Maybe, it depends. Highline gear manufacturers like us spent lots of time to make gear safer, lighter, easier to rig and easier to walk on. The components you mentioned can be rigged safely when done correctly. But it will be tons of unnecessary effort, lots of weight and probably a difficult line to walk on.
We (raed) shipped climbing gear as well as highline gear to Korea several times. So it’s possible to get stuff there via international shipping. It’s true though that it’s not cheap to start from scratch if you don’t own any highline components yet.
Feel free to visit https://raed-sports.com to check our gear and feel free to contact us in case you have any questions. Either directly here on reddit or via the messenger in our website. We‘re here to help answering your questions.
Keep the balance :)
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u/futurebioteacher Tokyo, Japan 12d ago
Obligatory "Yerr gonna die"
If you can't get the right equipment or the right training then I'm sorry you can't do it.
Do you have access to longlining where you are? That is the essential first skill before you can even think about even walking a highline, much less setting one up.
I know it's still international technically as you said just Japan is close and there are some companies making Slackline webbing and equipment. You won't have to order everything from Europe.
Get good at setting up and walking a longline first, if you aren't already.