This thread has me critiquing my girth hitch a little bit. So I got my saddle out and while I'm watching the very entertaining Leafs vs Bruins game I taped.
I've tugged at the girth, up, down, back and forth and I can get it to slide...good but is it the best way? Yes, a girth is better IMO, than just a loop, but I may have found an even better way.
Its a bit of experimental so take this for what its worth.
This is another... "hard to explain in words, but easy to do" technique.
I'm right handed, so I considered about how I thought the whoopie would work best during rotation. The answer to that will decide on which side gets the locked brummel.
I decided to start on my left saddle loop. Not positive its the better side at this point, but I had to pick a side and go with it.
I tied an overhand knot with the Amsteel around the saddle loop, AND THEN DID THE LOCKED BRUMMEL. As I made the brummel, I kept the overhand knot as tight around the saddle loop as I could. I want that wrap around the bridge loop to remain as tight as possible. The phase of the brummel construction where the opposite tag end gets returned really helps keep the over hand knot wrap tight. Yes, hard to explain.
So, that brummel loop with the overhand wrap is now created and seems the stay tighter on the saddle loop than doing just a girth does.
Now, for the other saddle loop on my right side, instead of just an overhand knot, I did a clove hitch (not sure if an overhand will do as well...just thought a clove may grip better), then ran the tag end all the way over to within 4 inches of the tag end of the 1st bury and made the whoopie.
There are 2 mind sets on where to put the bury for the whoopie. I like to take it all the way over to the other bury...essentually having a double bridge. I have a better range of adjustment with where I place my bury. Some guy form the whoopie right there by the saddle loop. You can do that, but adjustment will be less versatile.
Man, this probably sounds really confusing...sorry.
Basically, my knot-wraps on each bridge loop stay tighter and slip even less than the girth. With the knot-wrap loops, if I pull on the bridge to simulate the tether pulling on the bridge, the bridge loops will not move on the saddle loops...at all. I can push on the knot wrap and adjust their position, but its something that I actively need to do...it isn't sliding on its own and I like that.
There are a few things that I'm sure about this and a few things I need to try for a while.
Things I know...
> Tight bridge loops on the saddle loops is better for fine tuning comfort than loose bridge loops.
> Girth hitches stay tighter than basic loops, but knot-wraps stay tighter than girth hitches.
> This style of attachment to the saddle loops give a tiny bit more available travel across the bridge for the tether...ie, I can rotate slightly farther.
> I love how simple whoopies are to make and how versatile they are.
Things I don't yet know...
> Does the clove-hitch wrap work any better than the simple over-hand wrap?
> Do I want to stay with the whoopie or play with its length and then settle on a fixed length and just do a lock stitch?
> If I do keep the whoopie, is there a better side to form the whoopie? ie. Would it be better, as a right hand shot, to have the whoopie tag on my right rather than on my left? Will the tag end ever interfere with my string if I leave it on the left?
Here are a few pics. Might make it easier to visualize.
Clove hitch side. Amsteel still slides through the zip tie for adjustment. The zip just keeps the rig a little more neat.
The locked Brummell with over-hand wrap. And the exit of the tag end of the whoopie.
The position around the rope where the tag exits is important...it's oriented so the carabiner always rides on the opposite side of the exit. The carabiner doesn't
"know" there is even a whoopie. The carabiner always applies it's pressure 180 degrees opposite if the whoopie exit.
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