Voodoo Gold Trickline Review
Our Verdict
Our Analysis and Test Results
The VooDoo 82' Gold Trickline is exactly what it claims to be; a gold-star trickline. It has excellent webbing with enough bounce for big-air and gymnastic-like tricks. With an 82-foot line and an extra-long ratchet, it's easy to achieve the perfect tension and take your slacking to new dimensions. It also comes with tree protectors, so you can grab your kit, rig it up, and get to flipping in no time.
Performance Comparison
Ease of Set-up
The extra stretchy webbing of a trickline can prove to be tricky to tension, but this model comes with a 13-inch ratchet instead of the standard 8.5-inches. This added length provides enough leverage to easily tension all 82-feet of this line without the help of your friends.
The anchor line was the shortest of all of the competitors at 6-feet 5-inches, which limits the circumference of appropriate tree anchors. Fortunately, most parks come with stable trees less than six feet around, so while this short anchor-line was a bit annoying when trying to set it up in an old growth forest, most of the time it isn't too much of a hindrance. Plus, when using a tree with smaller girth, the shorter anchor line lands the ratchet closer to the tree then would a longer line. This helps limit the effect of the ratchet on the stability of the line and minimizes wobbles when you approach that end.
Versatility
What makes this line a great trickline, unfortunately, makes this line a tough choice for beginners. The trampoline-like webbing makes walking more challenging than the more standard lines found in beginner-friendly kits. Stiffer webbing has less play, providing a more stable surface that is easier to learn to balance on. If you're new to slacklining but still want the option to progress into tricks, check out our Editors' Choice, the Flybold Kit.
Quality
This model boasts high-quality webbing that packs a bounce and is resistant to fraying. The ratchet also contains all of the typical high-quality components now standard in slacklining ratchets, but it is modified for extra-length.
Something in this modification process left the ratchet handle a tiny bit lose when it sits in lock mode. We had no problems with keeping the safety lock engaged, but the handle rattled in the wind which was grating on the ears during long sessions. Although it took some creativity, the rattling noise was easy to remedy with a homemade ratchet cover. We cut the toe off an old tube-sock and slid it onto the anchor line behind the ratchet before rigging. Once tensioned and locked, we pulled the sock over the ratchet and viola, no more noise.
Disassembly
We were afraid the big ratchet would bring an extra big POP when we released the tension, but our fears turned out to be unwarranted, and this model was as easy to disassemble as any other slacklining ratchet.
Release the safety lever and pull the handle to 180-degrees and bang, you have a de-tensioned line.
Features
The best feature of this model is the oversized ratchet. The ratchets used to tension slacklines are all modified versions of the traditional rigging ratchet like those used for truck-tie downs.
This line took the modifications one step further and increased the length of the ratchet from 8.5-inches to 13-inches. The extra 4.5-inches provides the rigger with significantly better leverage. This makes a huge difference when trying to tension 82-feet of very stretchy webbing. While getting a trickline tight enough to provide sufficient spring has proven to be a challenge with other products, we had no such problems with this line.
While we prefer longer tree protectors than the 40-inch versions that come with this product, between these and a short anchor line, you are generally just limited in the trees you can use to set up this line. In Yosemite and South Lake Tahoe, where most of our testing was done, this proved problematic due to the number of old growth trees, but most public parks have plenty of appropriately sized trees.
This model also comes with a drawstring carrying bag that neatly fits all of the components even when the line is wrapped in a butterfly coil. While we prefer packing any slacklining kit into a backpack for superior comfort and added space, this bag can be worn like a backpack and was both the most durable and most comfortable of any of the bags from the models we tested.
Best Applications
This line is meant for tricklining and for that specialty it really excels. Whether a professional trickliner or just looking to take your aerial game up a notch, this line has the spring and the durability you'll need to master this dynamic event. If you are newer to slacklining and looking to start exploring tricks, a more beginner-intermediate friendly line, like our Editors' Choice winner the Flybold Kit, may be more appropriate. Its overhead hand line helps you catch air without the fear of missing the line on your way back down. But, for the dedicated and/or advanced trickster, the Voodoo 82' Gold Trickline is hands down, the line for you.
Value
While it's one of the most expensive lines we tested, if you are serious about tricklining, it's worth the investment. In the art of tricklining, you won't outgrow this line's capabilities. Its high-quality construction, combined with proper care, such as ensuring the webbing nestles into the ratchet without any folds and storing the line out of the sun when not in use, will also keep you bouncing away on this line for years to come.
Conclusion
This line was designed with the trickster in mind. The trampoline-like webbing provides a great bounce, and the oversized ratchet makes it easy to set-up even by yourself. While it's not ideal for beginners, the 2-inch wide stretchy webbing is more than reasonable to learn on for those that like a challenge and will satisfy anyone psyched on tricks. The only real drawback we found with this setup was the noisy ratchet, but a homemade ratchet cover is a simple fix and worth the effort for the many pros this trickline presents. This line is for any slacker with a love for tricks from novice to professional, and its prowess in this discipline earned it our Top Pick for Tricklining.