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Climbing spikes

huck72412 said:
If you are allowed to use them then you should do it. Unequivocally the best climbing option. These other climbing applications are cumbersome and weighty at best. Once you learn how to use them then there are no comfort issues. I have gotten efficient enough to never stop during my ascent, even when advancing my flipline. It becomes as easy as literally walking up the tree. Try it out!!!
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This is true.

If you go back and read some of the threads from last summer, you'll see that I went through the complete range of emotions about spurs.

Before purchase: "Spurs look awesome, I need to try these".
After purchase: "These are so LIGHT! It's going to revolutionize my hunting!!!"
After first use: "Holy sh!t these things suck! I'm going to kill myself. People that use them are NUTS! Who wants to buy my spurs?"
After 4,5,6 uses: "Wow these are really nice and work pretty well once you get the hang of it."
Now: "I love my spurs and will ALWAYS use them unless it's illegal. And even then, I may use them if there's a low likelihood of getting caught." jknr
 
Pxt said:
Are the tree spikes when climbing tough on the knees?
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Only if you bury the freshly sharpened spike into your knee. It's amazing how little pressure that actually takes or how deep and how much that wound bleeds.....



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Erniepower said:
Only if you bury the freshly sharpened spike into your knee. It's amazing how little pressure that actually takes or how deep and how much that wound bleeds.....



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Lol!!!
 
g2outdoors said:
This is true.

If you go back and read some of the threads from last summer, you'll see that I went through the complete range of emotions about spurs.

Before purchase: "Spurs look awesome, I need to try these".
After purchase: "These are so LIGHT! It's going to revolutionize my hunting!!!"
After first use: "Holy sh!t these things suck! I'm going to kill myself. People that use them are NUTS! Who wants to buy my spurs?"
After 4,5,6 uses: "Wow these are really nice and work pretty well once you get the hang of it."
Now: "I love my spurs and will ALWAYS use them unless it's illegal. And even then, I may use them if there's a low likelihood of getting caught." jknr
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This is spot on my experience with them. First time I tried them I thought for sure I was going down LOL. After a season with them I'll use them from now on if I can!


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Erniepower said:
Only if you bury the freshly sharpened spike into your knee. It's amazing how little pressure that actually takes or how deep and how much that wound bleeds.....



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That is honestly my only fear using spikes. I don't see it happening but I am really mindful of where those spikes are going while climbing!


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flinginairos said:
That is honestly my only fear using spikes. I don't see it happening but I am really mindful of where those spikes are going while climbing!


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In 20 years of climbing, it's only happened to me once, but it sucked. I was climbing down and my foot got stuck in a crotch with the other foot below it. I jerked my leg out and hit the other leg with the follow through. It all happened really fast. Kind of like pulling a stuck arrow out of a target and burying the nock in your leg. I'm a slow learner......

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Erniepower said:
In 20 years of climbing, it's only happened to me once, but it sucked. I was climbing down and my foot got stuck in a crotch with the other foot below it. I jerked my leg out and hit the other leg with the follow through. It all happened really fast. Kind of like pulling a stuck arrow out of a target and burying the nock in your leg. I'm a slow learner......

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Yikes!! I tend to go a little slower and make sure my foot is set good and far enough away from my other foot that if I do slip it's not gonna hit flesh lol. It's so much faster than any other method of climbing so I figure a little slower pace is safer but still faster than anything else. It still only takes me about 2-3 minutes to climb.


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It takes me more time to put my spurs on and take them off than it does to actually climb.
 
Has anybody slipped and had the lineman belt catch them? The ones I tried as a kid were for telephone poles(short spikes) and no lineman belt. I was trying to climb a big oak I couldnt get my arms around. Id get about 3 steps up and slide to the ground. My dad could run up a tree like it was nothing. He ended up getting a real tree pair with big old spikes, I never tried them.
 
Good discussion. As I was freezing my tail off this morning in the tree stand, I was looking around and imagining myself climbing various trees with spurs and hanging from a Sit Drag. Do you think there is any way we can get more deer to see since I'm going to all this expense? Lol
 
kenn1320 said:
Has anybody slipped and had the lineman belt catch them? The ones I tried as a kid were for telephone poles(short spikes) and no lineman belt. I was trying to climb a big oak I couldnt get my arms around. Id get about 3 steps up and slide to the ground. My dad could run up a tree like it was nothing. He ended up getting a real tree pair with big old spikes, I never tried them.
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Once at around 10' off the ground. Was climbing a big oak and my left spike was in a soft spot on the tree and it kicked out when I put my weight on it and it caused my other to kick out. The belt caught me no problem and I didn't go anywhere. Talk about a scary feeling tho! Other than that i've had one other gaff out and that was my last hunt. Was a maple tree and when I leaned forward to advance my flipline the spike popped out. The other held just fine so no loss of control.
 
So, from what I've read, the way to use them is to put them on at the bottom of the tree, then take them off to hunt, then what? Are you guys repelling down or are you putting the spikes back on to go down?
 
kenn1320 said:
Has anybody slipped and had the lineman belt catch them? The ones I tried as a kid were for telephone poles(short spikes) and no lineman belt. I was trying to climb a big oak I couldnt get my arms around. Id get about 3 steps up and slide to the ground. My dad could run up a tree like it was nothing. He ended up getting a real tree pair with big old spikes, I never tried them.
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I have had 1 leg gaff out. Like flingin said at one point, I am just careful as I climb and it rarely happens. I try to make sure that I put solid pressure on the foot I'm about to put all my weight on before I remove the one I've been on to make sure its solid before I move on to it. I really hope I never have both give out, I don't want to find out what its like.
 
redsquirrel said:
I have had 1 leg gaff out. Like flingin said at one point, I am just careful as I climb and it rarely happens. I try to make sure that I put solid pressure on the foot I'm about to put all my weight on before I remove the one I've been on to make sure its solid before I move on to it. I really hope I never have both give out, I don't want to find out what its like.
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Not a good feeling at all lol. I find that I really have to be careful on the maples I climb. The bark is thin and the wood is really hard so it seems gaff outs could happen on those the most. If I climb a poplar I can fly because the wood is soft and the spikes go in a decent ways.


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PJC said:
So, from what I've read, the way to use them is to put them on at the bottom of the tree, then take them off to hunt, then what? Are you guys repelling down or are you putting the spikes back on to go down?
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I'm rappelling down. I started off putting the spikes back on and climbing down. It's definitely doable, but rappelling down is way faster and sooooooo much cooler.

Here's my rappelling setup:
Samson ultratech 9mm rope (35 ft)
Samson Zing-it 1.75mm dyneema line for retrieval (35 feet)
1 Delta Screw Link
Rock Exotica mini-8 descender
Rock Exotica auto locking carabiner
 
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Where do you guys like to get your climbing spurs? Is there a preferred vendor?
 
g2outdoors said:
I'm rappelling down. I started off putting the spikes back on and climbing down. It's definitely doable, but rappelling down is way faster and sooooooo much cooler.

Here's my rappelling setup:
Samson ultratech 9mm rope (35 ft)
Samson Zing-it 1.75mm dyneema line for retrieval (35 feet)
1 Delta Screw Link
Rock Exotica mini-8 descender
Rock Exotica auto locking carabiner
Click to expand...
I was going to ask how much extra gear you tote around to rappel but now I see. How much does all that weigh?
 
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