I'm a total newbie when it comes to slacklining. But I have seen and heard a number of great things about this fun and cheap hobby including that it can improve balance, coordination, breathing and awareness. So far, I have set up my primitive slackline a few times. I made the kit with 1 inch tubular nylon webbing and two carabiners. I also made tree protection sleeves for the webbing anchors.
With my method the only items we need are:
40 to 100+ continuous feet of 1 inch wide tubular nylon webbing, sold by the foot at most outdoor and climbing stores like REI.
2x locking carabiners, most shapes will work fine. I use pear shaped lockers.
Tree protection, like towels, cardboard, foam padding, etc. to protect the tree bark and your gear from excess wear.
That's it! Super simple. So first you identify two trees that are suitable anchors and about 30 feet apart to start with. Any longer than that and you will be quite challenged to stand as a beginner! Anchor both ends of the line to the trees first, then make the line flat and walk with your hand on the line to a location about 4/5 the way to the other tree and make a girth hitch to attach a carabiner. You can also use a rappel ring to make a line stop and the pulley system will be a little straighter and neater but it's not necessary. With the first carabiner attached, girth hitch another locking carabiner on the line closest to the tree. Take the line coming from the first girth hitch and pass it without any turns or kinks through the carabiner near the tree, then back through the carabiner on the line, then back through the carabiner nearest the tree. This time, the new loop goes under the first loop in the carabiner which creates a friction lock. Then pass the line through the carabiner on the line again, making the same friction lock here. Now you can pull the end of the line to tension the pulley. Create your desired tension and then wrap the line around the tensioned line and tie a knot for safety. Lock your carabiners and you're ready to slackline!
I will post an edited video soon about how to set up and walk a primitive slackline for all us beginners looking to improve our ability!
In the video above you can see some of my practice session today where I was able to walk the line more than twice but not without some frustration! Thanks for hanging out with me!
