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The red squirrel climbing aider

kelly.jayp said:
going to give this a run Wed & Thurs using the aider clipped into a Petzel William on a Ropeman. I made the aider longer - it's about 54" - my thought being trying to get the caribiner as high up the tree as possible and using it as a hand hold to pull myself up instead of grabbing the rope. I'm just a fraction shy of 6'. Did a garage test on my squat rack and I could pull my foot up about 28 inches with the caribiner at the top of the tether. With a chest high stepp (I used the J hook on the squat rack to simulate) it worked great but the real test will be with gear on. I'm going to do a tree test tomorrow before the hunt Wed. Excited about the idea of getting 5 feet per stepp AND tying the stepp on at chest height is a big win. That will really lighten the load - I've carried 10-12 stepps in every time to date and I'm thinking of going to 7 (5 to climb and 2 additional around top stepp for a platform). Now I need to think of a way to re-purpose the Wild Edge Aider for something useful
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Ive used it as a linesman belt. Works good and it's lighter than any of my ropes. You just put the loop that you would put your foot in, in a carabiner attatched to your linesman loop and connect the clip into your other loop. One handed operation. Not as good as ropeman , but better than Prussics
 
did a test run today with winter gear and layers on and it was 65 degrees in Charlotte today. DRENCHED :sweat::sweat: So setting first stepp at nipple height for me is 4 1/2 ft. What I ran into that I didn't account for was after setting the tether as high as I could reach flat footed that the loop would pull down once my body weight was applying pressure to it so the amount of rope I had to slide the ropeman up was about 6 inches shorter than I planned. Standing on my toes and wiggling the rope higher I can just get enough clearance to step up onto that 4 1/2 ft stepp. I had to let a good bit of slack in the LB to do it, then cinch back up tight again to reset the tether up high. I ran 3 stepps a few times today and got to 13 1/2 ft so with 5 I can be at 22 1/2 - add 2 for the platform and I'm still down to 7 stepps. Suffice it to say was that significantly lighter. Even if I drop to 4 ft per stepp I'm still at 20 ft with same # of stepps. Real deal tomorrow and Thursday
 
kelly.jayp said:
did a test run today with winter gear and layers on and it was 65 degrees in Charlotte today. DRENCHED :sweat::sweat: So setting first stepp at nipple height for me is 4 1/2 ft. What I ran into that I didn't account for was after setting the tether as high as I could reach flat footed that the loop would pull down once my body weight was applying pressure to it so the amount of rope I had to slide the ropeman up was about 6 inches shorter than I planned. Standing on my toes and wiggling the rope higher I can just get enough clearance to step up onto that 4 1/2 ft stepp. I had to let a good bit of slack in the LB to do it, then cinch back up tight again to reset the tether up high. I ran 3 stepps a few times today and got to 13 1/2 ft so with 5 I can be at 22 1/2 - add 2 for the platform and I'm still down to 7 stepps. Suffice it to say was that significantly lighter. Even if I drop to 4 ft per stepp I'm still at 20 ft with same # of stepps. Real deal tomorrow and Thursday
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Excellent update. I've got a set of Stepp ladders headed my way. Can't wait to try this. I plan to do 8 steps. Climb 7 high and use the 8th beside #7. Should be able to get 25-30 with that setup.

How long did it take you to get up 3 steps?

Sent from my Galaxy S8.
 
kelly.jayp said:
did a test run today with winter gear and layers on and it was 65 degrees in Charlotte today. DRENCHED :sweat::sweat: So setting first stepp at nipple height for me is 4 1/2 ft. What I ran into that I didn't account for was after setting the tether as high as I could reach flat footed that the loop would pull down once my body weight was applying pressure to it so the amount of rope I had to slide the ropeman up was about 6 inches shorter than I planned. Standing on my toes and wiggling the rope higher I can just get enough clearance to step up onto that 4 1/2 ft stepp. I had to let a good bit of slack in the LB to do it, then cinch back up tight again to reset the tether up high. I ran 3 stepps a few times today and got to 13 1/2 ft so with 5 I can be at 22 1/2 - add 2 for the platform and I'm still down to 7 stepps. Suffice it to say was that significantly lighter. Even if I drop to 4 ft per stepp I'm still at 20 ft with same # of stepps. Real deal tomorrow and Thursday
Click to expand...
try pulling on the tether rope (advancing the ropeman) while grabbing the stepp. It's easy to get more without working up to much of a sweat. This will get you a bit more.

Don't look down on 4-4.5 feet per move. If you have limited mobility and want least amount of effort, 3.75 feet per move is the baseline for the average adult.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
g2outdoors said:
Excellent update. I've got a set of Stepp ladders headed my way. Can't wait to try this. I plan to do 8 steps. Climb 7 high and use the 8th beside #7. Should be able to get 25-30 with that setup.

How long did it take you to get up 3 steps?

Sent from my Galaxy S8.
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Crap I didnt think to time it. I would guess 15 minutes first time going slow and feeling it out. Next run less than 10 prob 3 min per stepp. Definitely can improve that

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BassBoysLLP said:
try pulling on the tether rope (advancing the ropeman) while grabbing the stepp. It's easy to get more without working up to much of a sweat. This will get you a bit more.

Don't look down on 4-4.5 feet per move. If you have limited mobility and want least amount of effort, 3.75 feet per move is the baseline for the average adult.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

It took a cold beer and thinking about it but I finally realized that I need to shorten the aider to compensate for the tether sagging under weight. I am in good shape but have tight hip flexors. need to stretch and I know warm weather with less bulk the 4 1/2 won't be hard at all.

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If Dan ever comes out with 1.4 pound sticks and I put an aiders on them- I do not think that wild edge steps will compete in weight or speed of setup.
I have wild edge steps and intend to try them with Red's aider but multiple knots that need to be attached properly in the dark are not as appealing as three sticks with aiders attached with ropes and cam cleats.
You guys have convinced me to give these wild edge steps another try this winter but I am a skeptic.
 
Ontariofarmer said:
If Dan ever comes out with 1.4 pound sticks and I put an aiders on them- I do not think that wild edge steps will compete in weight or speed of setup.
I have wild edge steps and intend to try them with Red's aider but multiple knots that need to be attached properly in the dark are not as appealing as three sticks with aiders attached with ropes and cam cleats.
You guys have convinced me to give these wild edge steps another try this winter but I am a skeptic.
Click to expand...

What's the skinny on Dan's sticks? This is the second time I've heard someone say something about them.


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Go to Hunting beast .com He has built sticks with dual steps 24 inches long that weigh 1.4 pounds. He says they will be $70 each. Dewey had some to demo this year and loves them. They are not available yet. Seems like DaveTs modified heliums weigh just over 2 pounds each for now.

As far as a platform goes I am very interested in what Cranford claims to be releasing this spring.
 
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Ontariofarmer said:
Go to Hunting beast .com He has built sticks with dual steps 24 inches long that weigh 1.4 pounds. He says they will be $70 each. Dewey had some to demo this year and loves them. They are not available yet. Seems like DaveTs modified heliums weigh just over 2 pounds each for now.

As far as a platform goes I am very interested in what Cranford claims to be releasing this spring.
Click to expand...

Hmm. I'll have to keep my ears and eyes open on here.


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Ontariofarmer said:
If Dan ever comes out with 1.4 pound sticks and I put an aiders on them- I do not think that wild edge steps will compete in weight or speed of setup.
I have wild edge steps and intend to try them with Red's aider but multiple knots that need to be attached properly in the dark are not as appealing as three sticks with aiders attached with ropes and cam cleats.
You guys have convinced me to give these wild edge steps another try this winter but I am a skeptic.
Click to expand...
I don't disagree with you. There are always trade-offs. A big advantage of the stepps is that they pack down compact and are very easy to carry through thick stuff. Using an aider to go from putting up 12 stepps to get to height to using only 6 has made them a viable option.
 
redsquirrel said:
I don't disagree with you. There are always trade-offs. A big advantage of the stepps is that they pack down compact and are very easy to carry through thick stuff. Using an aider to go from putting up 12 stepps to get to height to using only 6 has made them a viable option.
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Lots of trade off, and we are all different. I guess that is why I will give wild edge another try especially because so many others on this site think they rock. I have some but I am perhaps too impatient in the dark when I am late to my spot to put up with the fiddle factor. Maybe I need more practice and I know I need more patience and less sleep to get that big buck

I do think new saddle hunters should visit others and try before they buy if at all possible. It leads to happier wives and fatter wallets.
 
Ontariofarmer said:
Lots of trade off, and we are all different. I guess that is why I will give wild edge another try especially because so many others on this site think they rock. I have some but I am perhaps too impatient in the dark when I am late to my spot to put up with the fiddle factor. Maybe I need more practice and I know I need more patience and less sleep to get that big buck

I do think new saddle hunters should visit others and try before they buy if at all possible. It leads to happier wives and fatter wallets.
Click to expand...
LOTS of patience with the stepps is needed. I did not buy another system so I forced myself to learn it. Still need to get more hunts in with them but you have to be ok with being annoyingly slow in the early stages. It can be frustrating when you just want to be set up and looking for deer. I look at it as an investment that will have huge ROI. I am just glad to be saddle hunting and mobile so whether I am up the tree in 20 minutes or 2 is not a concern for me personally today. I also have intentionally not set up in the dark yet to get proficient. I have gotten down in the dark though and that I can do easily and quickly. Now if next year I am not faster setting up then I only have myself to blame!! :)

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I have no doubts. keep in mind the 1.4 lbs is the stick only. You will need an amsteel rope mod. I have weights on the other thread.

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