Vertical caving terminology and methods > General hardware
A loop of webbing tape or rope, that is used to attach the main rope to trees or other natural objects, scaffolding bars or stakes. They are normmally passed around a natural, and then clipped to a rope using a carabiner. The material may be stitched into a loop, or tied into a loop using a tape knot, double fisherman's knot or some other knot. Often made from Dyneema, which allows them to be exceptionally thin but much stronger than other types of webbing. The majority of knots should never be tied in Dyneema slings, since Dyneema is very slippery, so the knots slip along it very easily, and knots dramatically weaken it much more than they do with a rope (typically around 70% of the strength is lost for knots that would weaken a static rope by just 50%). Dyneema slings do not help to absorb the impact of a shock load, and are easily damaged by heat. Dyneema should never be used in a situation where it can be shock loaded with any measurable fall factor, since its lack of shock absorbtion means that the shock loading can be extreme if there is nothing else (like a nylon sling or rope) to absorb the shock, so the person falling is likely to be injured, and the sling can snap. Slings are normally sold in a doubled number sequence starting at 15 cm in length, so 15 cm, 30 cm, 60 cm, 120 cm. Longer length slings can be doubled or quadrupled to make the shorter lengths. As well as being used to connect ropes to objects, slings may also be used as an etrier, a handline, a tether, a donkey's dick, or to make a sit harness for improvised rescue. These are very versatile pieces of equipment.
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