General Questions + Need Opinions On My Hanging Plan

[AgonizedWaterfall%$]

Hi all, first time poster after viewing for a couple months so apologies if anythings repetitive as I don't have the search function yet.

Firstly I want to thank this site and members as it's been comforting hearing many stories from people who feel similarly and having a place to discuss without judgement. With all the knowledge I've gained here and elsewhere, I still have a few questions and am interested in opinions. As per the rules of this site - I am in charge of my decisions, opinions will not be taken as encouragement. I feel like my SI will be too strong anyways when the time comes. I read a post where someone said that once they have everything lined up and are certain it will work, it reduces the anxiety because they can do it whenever and that's the place I'm at right now hence these questions just for peace of mind.

I've chosen hanging as my method simply for the reason of convenience. Like many I live where SN and guns are hard to come by, OD's rarely work and I wouldn't be able to get anything anyways, I don't have the knowledge or equipment for gasses, CO poisoning in the garage isn't certain to work in my scenario, anything else seems impossible.

I've read megathreads and many stories on hanging, I think I'm knowledgeable enough on the basic technical aspects/risks to do it right, so here's my questions that I haven't come across yet:

-The rope I have is 3/8" braided nylon. Is this too thick/thin? What are the pros/cons of a rope too thick/thin? I believe it's 50 feet, is there a way to tie either the anchor or noose end with the excess or would I have to cut it to length.

-I would like to go in my home but there are no anchor points. I live near many forests but don't trust that I won't pick the wrong tree plus am unsure of the privacy. The only place I can think of with good anchor points is at my workplace where I can get in after hours. My concerns are that I don't want to traumatize coworkers when found. I planned on putting signs on doors that say "deceased inside, do not enter, call emergency services" but the problem is they would need employee keys to gain access to the couple options of rooms I'm thinking of. I'm also worried that someone will see the sign before enough time has passed, as well as sometimes there's a night cleaning crew - but I'm sure there's one room they never enter. My best options are structural ceiling beams or a welded ladder to a wall, pros/cons to either?

-Are there pros/cons if the anchor point isn't too high up but just enough to be off the ground? More risks or same situation no matter how far apart the anchor and noose is?

-What are things you should do in daily life leading up to it to make the process easier for family. I plan on leaving notes to eliminate as much grief as possible, send money to some friends and leave the rest to family and tell them to use it for my funeral, give instructions on where to give possessions. I plan on leaving passwords and other info they might need but I feel like I'm missing some big things when it comes to this.

-My big question is making sure someone gets to me after the right amount of time so my family has my body and I'm not MIA for long. I can't call emergency services on my own beforehand for timing, my only idea is scheduling a text to a friend hours after the fact telling them to call, I just don't want to traumatize a friend like that. Other option is a coworker seeing the signs on the door the next day, same concern.

Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for the piece of mind.

 

[cinnamonsticks]

I think maybe you can schedule an e-mail to the police/emergency services. Good luck on whatever you decide!

 

[JesiBel]

The thickness of the rope is fine, between 10 and 14 mm are the most used. Thinner ropes are not recommended as they have less area to apply pressure and would penetrate too deeply into the neck, making the experience somewhat less comfortable.

Always test your rope and anchor point (when you find one), that both are strong and sturdy enough to support your entire weight.

You can test everything, tying the rope to your anchor point and hanging with both hands and applying all your weight. You can swing a little from side to side simulating the convulsion/spasm phase.

As for choosing a place, remember to always be alone without anyone interrupting you.

In the work place you'll need to consider if they have surveillance cameras, security guards, or people working all shifts.
If only you and no one else have a key to the room you choose, that would be best. As long as you're completely alone, with no one lurking around, because if they hear suspicious noises, you'd be in trouble.

Between structural ceiling beams or a welded ladder to a wall..
If they're tall enough to let you suspended off the ground, they'll be fine. Always remember to test everything, as I wrote above. You have to be sure that everything is strong and sturdy, that nothing will break.
As a first option I would choose the ceiling beams, since they are part of the structure of the building.

In the forest, you'll need to consider whether it's crowded or not, and at what times. Or if it's frequented for sports or other activities where people gather. You'll need to make a few visits to explore the area.

In Full Suspension as long as you don't touch the ground with your body it will be fine. But remember that: the rope may stretch a little when you apply your full weight, so you'll need to take that into account.

As for the distance between the ligature (noose) and your anchor point, it will depend on the space available. It is important that you can be comfortable and able to maneuver easily to do the procedure well.

For example, if you don't have too much space (the place is not that high), the ligature and anchor point will be closer together.

If the anchor point is too high, the ligature will be further away from it.
(This would be my case, for example: my anchor point is too high for me, and I'll have to tie the rope to the anchor point with the help of a ladder first. Then I'll move to a chair to tie the ligature more comfortably and place it correctly on the neck and then take "the step into the void".)

Maybe to avoid traumatizing the person who finds you, it would be good if you could cover your face with something.

 

[AgonizedWaterfall%$]

Thanks, I'll look into this. My main worry is that my attempt doesn't work and then I can't unschedule the text, weather that be to emergency services or a friend.

I think maybe you can schedule an e-mail to the police/emergency services. Good luck on whatever you decide!

How do I take into account the rope stretching/reduced working load limit as I know this gets reduced with knots. Not sure I can get a ladder to the ceiling beam but isn't there a knot you can use for out of reach places I read somewhere?

The thickness of the rope is fine, between 10 and 14 mm are the most used. Thinner ropes are not recommended as they have less area to apply pressure and would penetrate too deeply into the neck, making the experience somewhat less comfortable.

Always test your rope and anchor point (when you find one), that both are strong and sturdy enough to support your entire weight.

You can test everything, tying the rope to your anchor point and hanging with both hands and applying all your weight. You can swing a little from side to side simulating the convulsion/spasm phase.

As for choosing a place, remember to always be alone without anyone interrupting you.

In the work place you'll need to consider if they have surveillance cameras, security guards, or people working all shifts.
If only you and no one else have a key to the room you choose, that would be best. As long as you're completely alone, with no one lurking around, because if they hear suspicious noises, you'd be in trouble.

Between structural ceiling beams or a welded ladder to a wall..
If they're tall enough to let you suspended off the ground, they'll be fine. Always remember to test everything, as I wrote above. You have to be sure that everything is strong and sturdy, that nothing will break.
As a first option I would choose the ceiling beams, since they are part of the structure of the building.

In the forest, you'll need to consider whether it's crowded or not, and at what times. Or if it's frequented for sports or other activities where people gather. You'll need to make a few visits to explore the area.

In Full Suspension as long as you don't touch the ground with your body it will be fine. But remember that: the rope may stretch a little when you apply your full weight, so you'll need to take that into account.

As for the distance between the ligature (noose) and your anchor point, it will depend on the space available. It is important that you can be comfortable and able to maneuver easily to do the procedure well.

For example, if you don't have too much space (the place is not that high), the ligature and anchor point will be closer together.

If the anchor point is too high, the ligature will be further away from it.
(This would be my case, for example: my anchor point is too high for me, and I'll have to tie the rope to the anchor point with the help of a ladder first. Then I'll move to a chair to tie the ligature more comfortably and place it correctly on the neck and then take "the step into the void".)

Maybe to avoid traumatizing the person who finds you, it would be good if you could cover your face with something.

 

[Realgar]

Considering Partial: Does it make sense to practice with slip knot then use a noose knot when it is finally time? Can I use slip knot for the final act or it too weak of a knot?

 

[AgonizedWaterfall%$]

Considering Partial: Does it make sense to practice with slip knot then use a noose knot when it is finally time? Can I use slip knot for the final act or it too weak of a knot?

I'm considering full but have read lots on partial. I would personally assume you'd want to practice with your exact setup? Can't remember the exact knot for the ligature end but there's a megathread here somewhere with how to videos.

 

[JesiBel]

How do I take into account the rope stretching/reduced working load limit as I know this gets reduced with knots. Not sure I can get a ladder to the ceiling beam but isn't there a knot you can use for out of reach places I read somewhere?

(to test rope stretching/elasticity) You can tie the rope to a high place and hang from it with your hands and see if it stretches too much under your full weight (if it has too much elasticity or not).
Maybe you can make reference marks somewhere. For example, where you initially place your hands (put a mark), and then see if they went down much or not once you applied your weight.

I think it is important to do because if you have little height (between your feet and the ground) it would be a problem and you could end up touching the ground if the rope stretched too much.

Although it might be good to choose an anchor point first and do all the testings on it.

For the anchor point I will use one of these knots (Bowline knot, Anchor hitch knot, Overhand loop knot), using the ladder to reach the beam. I'm sorry I can't help you with that, I don't know any others.

Considering Partial: Does it make sense to practice with slip knot then use a noose knot when it is finally time? Can I use slip knot for the final act or it too weak of a knot?

How to practice safely

Partial Hanging, brief summary: losing consciousness, postures, reviewing common problems

"For the final act" you should use a knot that tightens itself when weight is applied (ligature/neck). For example: Noose knot with stopper knot (also known as Arbor knot)

 

[Gustav Hartmann]

How do I take into account the rope stretching/reduced working load limit as I know this gets reduced with knots. Not sure I can get a ladder to the ceiling beam but isn't there a knot you can use for out of reach places I read somewhere?

The working load of your rope is so much higher than your weight, that you don´t have to care about it´s reduction with knots.
If the horizontal beam is out of reach, throw the rope over the beam, tie a knot that forms a noose around the beam and pull it tight. You can also tie a loop/eyelet at one end of your rope, throw it over the beam, thread the other end of your rope through the eyelet and pull it tight. Basically the beam on one end of the rope is what your neck is on the other end, so you don´t have to learn an additional knot.

 

[AreWeWinning]

How do I take into account the rope stretching/reduced working load limit as I know this gets reduced with knots.

You might be confusing the safe working load limit and the tensile strength. The two are not the same. The working load limit usually already takes into account that knots might reduce the rope's strength, and various other factors as well. The working load limit is about 15-25% of the tensile strength. In other words, the tensile strength is about 4-7x the working load limit. The working load limit should be higher than your body weight. If you want to be on the safe side, you can use a rope with a higher working load limit.

You can look up how much certain knots reduce a rope's strength, but that calculation is based on the tensile strength, and it's not something you need to calculate. If you have to, that rope is already too weak to begin with.

Not sure I can get a ladder to the ceiling beam but isn't there a knot you can use for out of reach places I read somewhere?

Others already explained how to do this with a noose. If you want to take the rope down afterward (for example, because you're only practicing), then leave a very long tail on the free end of whatever knot you're using to create the noose. You can use that tail to pull the rope down. This should be doable with a Running Bowline, or if you use an Overhand Loop Knot to form the noose. It might be harder with a Noose Knot + stopper knot combo, because the Noose Knot might lock in slightly once tightened.

Another option is to just tie a large Bowline Knot around the beam, at a height you can reach. A Bowline Knot is a fixed loop, not a noose (unlike the Running Bowline). You can untie it easily afterward because it won't be pulled up when you put load on the rope. It's one of the simplest options. You can put a stopper knot on the tail end of the Bowline Knot as well for extra safety. (You can and should put a stopper knot on the tail end of any knot for extra safety, by the way.)

These should give you some ideas to start with. :)

 

[AgonizedWaterfall%$]

Appreciate it, I think I understand a bit better. Just for a little more context, I'm around 150lbs and the Working load limit is I think 575lbs. Shouldn't be an issue?

You might be confusing the safe working load limit and the tensile strength. The two are not the same. The working load limit usually already takes into account that knots might reduce the rope's strength, and various other factors as well. The working load limit is about 15-25% of the tensile strength. In other words, the tensile strength is about 4-7x the working load limit. The working load limit should be higher than your body weight. If you want to be on the safe side, you can use a rope with a higher working load limit.

You can look up how much certain knots reduce a rope's strength, but that calculation is based on the tensile strength, and it's not something you need to calculate. If you have to, that rope is already too weak to begin with.



Others already explained how to do this with a noose. If you want to take the rope down afterward (for example, because you're only practicing), then leave a very long tail on the free end of whatever knot you're using to create the noose. You can use that tail to pull the rope down. This should be doable with a Running Bowline, or if you use an Overhand Loop Knot to form the noose. It might be harder with a Noose Knot + stopper knot combo, because the Noose Knot might lock in slightly once tightened.

Another option is to just tie a large Bowline Knot around the beam, at a height you can reach. A Bowline Knot is a fixed loop, not a noose (unlike the Running Bowline). You can untie it easily afterward because it won't be pulled up when you put load on the rope. It's one of the simplest options. You can put a stopper knot on the tail end of the Bowline Knot as well for extra safety. (You can and should put a stopper knot on the tail end of any knot for extra safety, by the way.)

These should give you some ideas to start with. :)

 

[AreWeWinning]

I'm around 150lbs and the Working load limit is I think 575lbs. Shouldn't be an issue?

That's definitely strong enough. As long as the working load limit is higher than your body weight, it should be fine. Any polypropylene (PP), polyester (PES), or nylon rope in diameter 3/8" (or about 10 mm) and above is usually way stronger than what we need (which is a good thing).

One other thing that comes to mind is that the descriptions don't always use the correct terminology and might say working load when they mean tensile strength, and vice versa. This is one reason why it's important to buy a quality rope from a reputable source. You can also look up strength tables, like this one for example, to give you an idea of what to expect.