Ridgeline Ropes: Zing It versus Lash It
If you are planning to go hammock camping, one thing that you should heavily consider is the weather as this could ruin everything in an instant. However, there are solutions to every problem and one of which is setting a tarp right above your hammock. You need to have a sturdy roof for you to combat the harsh winds, and this is where ridgeline ropes enter the picture.
A ridgeline is basically a rope that is tied tightly above a hammock in order to support your tarp. It can also be used to tie the ends of your hammock together to create a hammock ridgeline. Today, we will be comparing Zing It and Lash It ropes.
To figure out which is the best, Keep reading…
A Brief Comparison Between Both Ropes
Zing It and Lash It are good choices to consider when it comes to ropes for a ridgeline. They come from the manufacturer called Samson, who claims to be the strongest in this industry. For this article, we would me solely focusing on the overall worth of the two products by weighing their strength, functionality, and of course affordability as well.
The Breaking Strength
Next to its price, the strength of the rope is what most hammock campers consider as this dictates the quality of the product that they are about to purchase. A ridgeline has to be sturdy enough to fight against strong winds and thick snowfall. So having a stronger line would ensure peace of mind to the camper.
For the Zing It rope, the average strength that it can hold is up to a whopping 580lbs. The Lash It rope on the other hand can support up to 500lbs of weight, which is an amazing number despite the thinness of the rope. Both come with a portable container for you to keep your rope after using it. So when it comes to strength, the two of them closely fight alongside each other.
The Overall Length and Thickness
The length of the rope that you are about to purchase is also one thing to consider as it depicts the product’s worth. You could be put on survival situations where you would need to cut the rope that you have, in order for you to use it on other stuff. This is nearly unavoidable so you would want to have a longer rope on hand in case this occurs.
With the Zing It rope, it has a 2.2mm thickness and a length of 180ft which is quite sufficient to have in every adventure. It weighs at 0.02oz per feet or about 1.09oz per 100ft.
The Lash It rope has the same length of 180ft but is thinner at only 1.75mm. If we consider the strength of both products as mentioned earlier, you would get more of your money’s worth with the Lash It rope, especially for ultra-light hikers, since it is thinner and lighter yet it could support up to 500lbs of weight.
The Price Differential
Apart from the two things mentioned above, the price of the product is what people consider the most. Although some individuals consider quality over affordability, the larger chunk of the consumers sticks to the less expensive one. So which one is cheaper? Is it the Zing It rope or the Lash It rope?
The Zing It rope is sold at $31.75, while the Lash It rope costs $46.35 plus shipping. There is a big difference when it comes to the price. It now boils down to the budget of the customer and their willingness to purchase a more expensive type or a less expensive one. Both are very good products and by taking into consideration all of the factors mentioned earlier, it would depend on the individual as to which product he or she would choose.
The Proper Diameter on Setting a Ridgeline
Proper adjustment of the ridgeline is important if you plan to tie a tarp to shelter you and your hammock. It would not be ideal to fix a 10ft line if you also have a 10ft hammock because it would come shorter than expected. You need to have an allowance for the tarp to stay tight on top of you. If you over do it, then it would come loose and you also don’t want that because the wind will make it swing.
Now if you have a 10ft hammock, you need to tie an 8ft .35in ridgeline because it has to be tightened whereas with the hammock that needs to hang a bit for it to support you. Another thing to consider is a sturdy tree that you think could support twice your weight. This is to ensure that you would be safe when you rest on your hammock.
The Stretch Limit
The amount of stretch that a rope could take is crucial when setting up a ridgeline. According to a review that was made by an Arborist, he used these two products and both have never failed despite using the ropes for about fifty nights for more than a year. Aside from using it as ridgelines, he also uses the ropes in setting climbing lines on trees.
The core materials that were used on both Zing It and Lash It ropes are different compared to paracord. Having no amount of stretch is what you need to look for. Paracord would stretch a lot especially when it gets wet so instead of having a well-tightened roofing system above your head, it could easily become a swaying one when caught in the rain.
Safety First
Before you setup camp, make sure there are no dead trees in the area. Choose an alive tree that’s thick enough to support your weight.
The Verdict
Both of the featured products have their own PROs and CONs. If you want to camp on a budget, then you should choose the cheaper one, which is the Zing It rope. It is a lot cheaper compared to the Lash It rope and it could support even more weight because of it being thicker. A lot of people would recommend this product for beginner hammock campers.
However, if you want to get more of your money’s worth, go for the Lash It rope. It has more tensile strength if compared to the same thickness in rope as the materials used in creating this is of higher quality. Throwing in a few more dollars for a better product sounds like a good investment as it would definitely last longer. Nevertheless, both of them are a bang on the buck as they could surely do their job.
Here are the links for those who are interested in buying any of the two ropes:
Trend趨勢 (6)