How to set up a 2" slackline

You might have seen someone slacklining at your local park or come across a video of it online and thought to yourself “That’s awesome!”. But then quickly discovered that there’s more to walking a slackline, you first need to learn the basics of how to set up a slackline yourself.

Well I’ve got good news for you, you’ve come to the right place!

We have a post about most of the different types of slacklines you’ll encounter as well as this guide on how to set them up or “rig” them as it’s known in slackline lingo.

How to rig a 2″/50mm ratchet slackline

This is the most common type of slackline you can find online and is catered towards beginner to intermediate slackliners. Ratchet slackline kits such as this one from Viper Slacklines in South Africa are extremely easy to rig and are recommended for anyone looking to get into this hobby.

1. Slackline Anchors and tree protection

The most common way to rig a slackline is between two sturdy trees. When rigging on trees it is vital that you use tree protectors to not only protect the trees but your slackline equipment as well.

Tree protectors are all very similar in principal and are generally made of a long strip of durable fabric. Simply wrap the tree protectors around your trees at the height you will set your line up and secure it with velcro or string.

2. Connecting your slackline ratchet to the tree

The next step is to connect your slackline to the tree. With most beginner kits you receive a ratchet with webbing and a sewn eye on the end.

To attach the ratchet to the tree, wrap the sewn eye around the tree where you previously placed the tree protector and pass the ratchet through the sewn eye. Ensure that the ratchet has the handle facing towards the floor. You might need to twist it 180 degree to get it like that.

Pro tip: It is possible to wrap the ratchet around the tree multiple times before passing it through the sewn eye to shorten it.

3. Attach the webbing to the Tree

In your kit you should also receive a length of 50mm/2″ slackline webbing with a sewn eye on one end. You will attach it to your second tree in the same way as the ratchet side.

Sewn eye around the tree, pass the rest of the webbing through it and pull tight.

You can now walk the webbing towards the tree with the ratchet removing any twists or knots as you go.

Pro tip: Once you have all the webbing pulled through you can fold (Taco) the webbing in the sewn eye to ensure that it comes out flat. This also works on the ratchet side.

3. Tensioning a 2″/50mm slackline

Stick the end of your webbing through the slot in the ratchet from the top down and pull through all the excess.

Hold the webbing tight and start moving the ratchet handle back and forth to start tensioning your slackline.