WEBBING PRODUCTS

In 1981 Aspiring Enterprises was one of the first manufacturers of sewn webbing slings for climbing in the world. Since then our range has grown as times dictate, and we now offer a complete range of sewn webbing products for climbing, outdoor education, rope rescue, abseiling, caving, etc.

25 mm Sewn Slings

Note:

The length of slings is measured from end to end when the sling is stretched out.

Sling strengths

Unfortunately it is not as easy as it sounds to express the strength of a sling, because the strength which is determined by a test depends on the test method used. Of particular importance is the size and smoothness of the connectors by which the sling is attached to the test equipment.

In most of our sling testing we use shackles with 19 mm pins as connectors, because most smaller connectors can be bent or broken before the sling fails. Also, we are primarily interested in the strength of the stitching rather than the failure point of the webbing, as we can more easily alter the stitching than the webbing. Using larger sized connectors increases the probability of having a stitch failure rather than a webbing failure.

The table below shows some test results for 25 mm Narricot webbing, with ratings for the webbing and the sling compared with the strengths determined by testing with various connectors. These results are the average of two identical tests. Note that with the open sling the bar radius is not relevant because the sling never breaks there.

"Open slings" are a length of webbing with a small loop at each end. "Closed slings" are the standard circular slings with a stitched join.

Test results

	Webbing rating	17.8 kN
	Sling rating	25 kN
	Open sling, 12 mm radiused bar	17.5 kN
	Closed sling, 19 mm shackle	29.2 kN
	Closed sling, 10 mm Maillon Rapide	27.8 kN

Conversely, if the sling is tested around a rough surface, a lower strength than the webbing can be obtained. A square edge or threaded bar, for example, will drastically reduce the webbing strength.

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Spectra® slings

Our Spectra® slings are made from a 15 mm wide webbing, rated at 16 kN. Spectra® is a high-tenacity material, and the strength is less dependent on the detail of the test method than that of nylon.  Our Spectra® slings are rated at 22 kN, in accordance with the European standard, although actual test results can be as high as 30 kN.

The Spectra® sewn slings are available in six sizes: 60 cm, 90 cm, 120 cm, 150 cm, 180 cm, and 240 cm. We use various webbing colours, including purple, blue, and orange.

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Quickdraws

As well as these, we offer standard quickdraws made from 19 mm nylon webbing.

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Cowstails

The use of cowstails among climbers is now becoming widespread, with the advantages of a safe and simple anchor connection being obvious to most. Their use increases efficiency and safety at a sport climbing double anchors, with the cowstail giving a direct connection to one anchor and the rope being clove-hitched to the other.

For cavers, cowstails are an essential part of any SRT rig. Normally there are two, although some people manage with one. We offer a single cowstail of 60 cm length, or a double with arms of different lengths - one 60 cm and the other 30 cm. We also have a safety sling of 80 cm length for use with an ascender. Strengths are over 30 kN.

Cowstails can be fitted to a Triad harness (see Triad Caving Harness), and can have a captive Climbing Technology twistlock karabiner fitted to the anchor end. This ensures that the karabiner is always there when needed, and doesn't end up on the pitch rigging. It also avoids the possibility of cross-loading the karabiner.

Daisychains

Our daisychains all have connection loops along their whole length, with a threading attachment point which is girth-hitched on to the harness.

Daisychains are nowadays commonly used as anchor connections, although their original use was solely in aid climbing. If using them for security on anchors, be aware that the initial strength of a daisychain is quite low - around 5-6 kN before the first bartack tears out. Because of the design of a daisychain, they can't be made stronger than this, although we use three bartacks at each loop to provide plenty of back-up. The strength of the daisychain overall is about 22 kN at the main join in the webbing.

We provide five different lengths of daisychain to suit different preferences and uses. For aid climbing the usual length is 120 cm. The nylon daisychains are available in blue or maroon, while the Spectra® daisychains are made in various colours.

The available lengths are:

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AnchorChain

The AnchorChain is a simple way to equalise two cams that are placed reasonably close together. option without using any other equipment. As long as the cams are within a small angle of each other and one is closer than the other, this is a simple configuration, requiring only a little shifting of the cams to get precise equalisation.

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The Webelet

Made from high quality American webbing, the Webelet has superior handling qualities. The finely-woven webbing is extremely smooth to use. It is tested to 14 kN per strand, and most applications will see this doubled or multiplied.

The Webelet is ideal for use in linking camming devices in anchor systems, where three or four cams are used to form a solid anchor. This requires the load on the anchor being "load-shared", so that all the anchor elements take part of the load. It is also important to take into account the possibility that failure of one anchor causes an extension in the system, with the possibility of shock-loading on the remaining anchors.

The Webelet gives you enough webbing to deal with the trickiest belay situation, yet will live at the back of your harness quietly until required. The standard Webelet length is four metres, with three-metre and six-metre options now available also. At 125 grams for the four-metre length, the Webelet is very light.

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Other webbing products

The standard étrier uses a lightweight pack strap webbing, with reinforced steps, which is suitable for most users, but if a heavy-duty version is required, these can be made at a higher cost. Étriers are available with steps of different colours - blue and red - so that they can be more readily used as a left and right pair.

With a strength rating of 25 kN, the gear sling can also be used as an extension sling or anchor sling if needed. Currently the colour of the gear sling is purple.

sewn strops;

open slings;

long quickdraws;

belay belts;

restraint belts;

custom-length slings;

pick off straps;

climbing gym anchor straps.

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Copyright Aspiring Enterprises, revised 17 July 2005.
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