Suspension - Hangers

This is a more detailed, close-up look at applying hangers.  To see them in action and understand how they are used, see "your first suspension"

Hangers are methods to quickly attach load-bearing suspension support lines to a harness in such a way as to not make ropes of a harness bunch together in an undesired way, potentially pinching your partner or is some other way making it less comfortable.

This method works for attaching to any reasonable number of points. I show how to attach to a single point, 2 points and 3 points, but the 3 point technique can easily be extended to 4 (and after that most riggers just add another support line instead of adding more attachment points to a single line...)Pros - This is fast, not bulky and can easily extend to multiple points of connection

Cons - If the bight of your rope breaks, this will immediately release.  Of course that is true of most techniques.  That is why you need to check the condition of your rope before each session and replace it when it starts to wear.  One way to reduce this risk is to attach the bight to your carabiner with a lark's head or two half hitches.

Notes - I learned this from Topologist years ago at a conference .  It seems it is a evolution of a technique originally described by Tatu, so it is sometimes referred to as the half-Tatu hitchFor this tie, I used one 30' (10m) piece of Natural 6mm (1/4") hemp provided by my affiliate Twisted Monk.  Check them out for some amazing hemp rope!

The techniques on this page show an approach where the carabineer is run directly through the bight.  This technique introduces a single point of failure, especially if the rope is worn or is being overloaded.  Some riggers are scrupulous about inspecting their rope and retiring a rope from use as an up line when it shows any wear, this reduces the risk.  However others prefer to always have backups to their backups.

If the idea of connecting directly to the bight makes you uncomfortable for any reason, that is entirely OK!  There are a variety of ways to connect so that you are always using two strands.  Here is one using Two Half-Hitches: