Where do I buy a slackline?
I get asked this question all the time by many different types of people. They see me slacklining in the park or photographs on facebook.com and want to get in on the action.
The answer to the question is: it depends. What sort of slackline are you after? For beginners there are only two setups I recommend. The primitive kit or the Gibbon Jibline.
The primitive kit is my favourite type of slackline. It’s a classic 1” webbing kit with rappel rings and carabiners that can be setup at short distances between two anchor points.
The Gibbon Jibline is a kit that most new slackliners are attracted to. The Jibline is a 2” trampoline-like webbing with ratchet used to anchor and tension the line. It is great for your standard slackline, or can be tensioned further to allow for huge aerial jumps and tricks. The Jibline can be purchased from http://gibbon-slacklines.com or almost any outdoors store for just under $100 CAD.
The primitive kit is a little more complicated to purchase, but it is well worth it. Here is the shopping list:
- Four Oval Carabiners
(optional 6).
At the bare minimum you will need four oval carabiners, however I recommend you buy six. Tensioning the slackline by yourself will be very difficult with four carabiners, the extra two will allow you to create a 5:1 pully system also known as “the strength of 5 men”. - Two Rappell Rings
(preferably forged rather than welded).
The rappel rings will be used with a carabiner to create line lockers. I recommend a forged ring because a welded ring will have a nick in it that could potentially rip a hole in your webbing at high tensions. - 10m (30ft) of military spec webbing.
Upon receiving this webbing you will cut it in half into two 5m (15ft) components. I recommend searing the cut end with a lighter. Tie a water-knot in each strand to form two slings. These slings will be wrapped around a tree to form an anchor point. - 15-30m (50-100ft) of climbing spec webbing.
This is the webbing for your slackline. I don’t recommend buying over 30m for this setup because at some point the friction brake we create will not be able to support the tension of a long line.
Keep in mind that you can use military spec or climbing spec webbing interchangeable. However, myself and others feel as though the military spec is a bit more rugged, where the climb spec is nice and soft but can easily fray so they are best suited to as anchors and the slackline respectively.
Where to buy?
First and foremost check out the stock at your local outdoors store. If you can’t find any supplies my recommendations are rei.com or mec.ca. You should be able to buy everything for just under $100CAD.
My next guide will be how to set up your brand new primitive slackline.