We recently purchased a slackline to take on family camping trips. Does anyone have a good do it yourself indoor solution for the winter? How can I tell if the poles in my basement can support a slackline?
-
2Don't use the poles in your basement! They're holding up your house, they're not designed to take lateral forces, I've seen videos of people pulling down columns holding up their roofs with slacklines.– ShemSegerDec 16, 2014 at 18:09
-
1I have too, but those were brick columns meant to just support a porch, not concrete ones meant to keep a whole house in place.– DakatineDec 16, 2014 at 18:15
-
1If you've got massive concrete columns then you should be ok, but if you're talking about the steel posts that hold up the main support of your house then I would advise against it without first consulting a structural engineer.– ShemSegerDec 16, 2014 at 18:20
-
2Of course you could just dress the kids up in their snowsuits and let them play on it outside still, they'll have fun falling off into the snow.– ShemSegerDec 16, 2014 at 21:34
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
There are lots of options for buying indoor slack line setups, or if you're confident in your engineering abilities, you can build one yourself, I would NOT recommend trying to anchor a slack line to anything in your house, unless you are willing to drill holes in the concrete foundation in your basement to make fixed anchors.
DIY Indoor Slackline
Manufactured Indoor Slacklines
answered Dec 16, 2014 at 18:18
-
I saw these online, but was looking for a cheaper DIY alternative just for the winter. Dec 16, 2014 at 18:34
-
1If you went into the corner of your basement you might be able to get away with fixing some anchors into the wall of your foundation (supposing the walls in your basement aren't finished). If you put anchors across the room your slackline could just pull them out with enough force, but if you anchored two adjacent walls you would have at least a 135° angle on the pull of the anchor. That would be the cheapest safe solution I think. Granted you can afford yourself some more risky setups if it's only a child's weight that's going on the slackline. Dec 16, 2014 at 18:53
-
"just for winter" A very relative term. Winter lasts the better part of a year where I'm from. Dec 16, 2014 at 22:16
-
If your basement columns are made out of reinforced concrete as I suppose, get a metal stud finder to be sure not to drill the steel and just go for it.
Use a chemical bolt (see here: http://www.fischer.de/en/Home/Product-Range/Product-Selector.aspx/cpage-category/pcategory-1001076852/ for an example) by following its instructions and then happily go for it.
Source: I hung a hammock that very way, and bolted a 'rock climbing' anchor indoor to practice with ropes and knots as well.
Of course this is only true in case you have a concrete basement.
