Slackline Brothers Slackline Kit Review

We’ve used the Slackline Brothers Tightening System to tension all types of webbing, including super long two-inch-wide tricklines and up to 340-foot longlines. The price tag is high, but if you’re serious about getting into slacklining, the tightening system in this kit will serve you for many, many years.

Slackline Brothers is one of the first companies to manufacture and sell slackline specific gear. Their tightening system has gone through a couple of iterations but has remained largely unchanged for at least seven years. The Slackline Brothers kit is different from many other kits we reviewed in that the tensioning system is a set of block and tackle (i.e. pulleys and a rope – no ratchet). It provides a 4:1 mechanical advantage, enough to tension almost any line with the help of a force multiplier or a few friends. The kit comes complete with 75 feet of climb spec webbing. However, unless you order tree slings separately, you’ll need to cut tree slings from this length. Everything you need to rig a slackline is included in this kit although, as with many of the kits we reviewed, no tree padding is included.

Likes
One word: versatile. The Slackline Brothers Tightening System can be used for just about every walking style, type of webbing and length of line you could want to rig. We’ve rigged lines from 15 to 340 feet with the Slackline Brothers Tightening System. Of course, this kit only comes with 75 feet of webbing, so that will be the only limiting factor in the beginning.

The Slackline Brothers Tightening System is extremely durable. In a world where the useful life of a product is often calculated to create continuous demand, it’s refreshing to see a company produce a product without regard for the fact that it will basically last forever. The only parts that will wear out over time are the webbing and, with a ton of use, the teeth on the brake. Both of these are replaceable. The pulley sheaves are made of Delrin, an industrial-strength plastic, and the housing for the pulleys are cast in stainless steel. I have personally used this system more than any other, and it has never failed me.

Dislikes
One issue is the potential danger of the abruptness of detensioning the line – especially longer lines. The brake is either on or off - there is no in-between. There is a way around this, though (see hand-drawn image above for way to safely release the Slackline Brothers Tightening System).

The pulleys are also a bit on the heavy side, but if you judge the pull distance correctly you won’t feel the weight, even on short lines.

Another point worth mentioning is that Slackline Brothers, Inc. is not a high-volume outfit. They produce their pulleys in small batches, which means if you place an order sometimes you’ll have to wait a while for it to arrive.

Although the value is good, this is one of the more expensive kits on the market. Slackline Brothers manufactures their pulleys right here in the United States – this means you’ll pay a premium for what you get.