5/8" Whoopie Sling

The 5/8 in whoopie sling is an adjustable arborist rigging sling: a hollow-braid rope with a fixed eye and an adjustable eye, sized for the everyday rigging most crews do. One sling fits stems from small to large, so you carry fewer slings and set blocks faster.

Why crews carry whoopie slings

A fixed-length sling either fits the trunk or it does not. Too long and you are taking wraps to use up the extra; too short and it will not go round. A whoopie sling adjusts. Pull the adjustable eye open, wrap the stem, choke or connect it, then slide it tight. Under load the braid grips itself and holds.

That flexibility is why the whoopie sling is one of the most common arborist slings. It handles block anchors high in the tree, base anchors for lowering devices, and redirects, all with one piece.

Compared with steel chain or webbing, rope slings are lighter, easier on bark and simpler to inspect by hand. A couple of 5/8 in whoopies in the bag handle most of what a typical residential crew rigs in a day.

Setting it on the trunk

Wrap the sling around the stem above a branch collar or crotch that will stop it sliding down, then pass the eye through or connect the eyes with a carabiner or shackle rated for the load. Slide the adjustable eye down until it is snug. Choked around the trunk, it bites tighter as load comes on.

Hang the block so the rigging line runs cleanly without rubbing the sling. When removing, slack the sling fully before trying to slide the eye open.

See other adjustable slings in the adjustable slings section, including the heavier 3/4 in version.

On a tree you are pruning rather than removing, set the sling over a protective layer or choose a spot where the bark is thick, and avoid sawing the sling around under load, which scuffs bark and wears the sling. On removals, set it where the stem is sound and large enough for the forces the block will see.

Some climbers like to pre-set the whoopie on the ground at roughly the right size, then fine-tune it once it is around the stem, saving time aloft.

Keeping the adjustment working

A whoopie needs its minimum bury to hold. Never adjust the sling so short that the buried section is less than the maker's minimum. Some slings mark the limit; respect it.

Dirt and sap inside the braid make adjustment stiff and can wear fibers from the inside. Wash slings in clean water when they get filthy and let them dry out of the sun.

Store slings coiled loosely in a bag away from fuel, bar oil and battery acid. Chemicals can weaken synthetic fibers without much visible sign, and the truck bed is where that kind of damage happens.

Inspection and retirement

Before each job, run the sling through your hands and look for cuts, pulled strands, glazing from friction, stiff or flattened spots and discoloration from chemicals. Check the eyes and the adjustable section closely, since that is where wear concentrates.

Retire a sling that has been shock loaded beyond its rating or shows damage. Rigging slings are not life support. Size every component for the load, and train crews to ANSI Z133.

Keep a simple log of each sling's purchase date and any heavy loads it has caught. When in doubt, retire it; a new sling costs far less than a failure.