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Aider/Loop attached to Rope Steps

justsomedude

justsomedude

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
2,514
Location
Nashville, TN
This was a climbing boost method posted by Drew13.
Hanging a climbing Aider/Etrier from a Cranford Rope Step.
I happened to have an ultralight Etrier made by Trango on hand and a few Cranfords so I just tried it.
I also have a set of 4 short climbing sticks that could use a little boost up.

As Drew said, I would probably only do this at the bottom step to gain height.
If I had a tree STRAP AND Linesmans belt attachment while climbing, I wouldn't be afraid to have a set of 3 of these to go a quick 15 feet up (and a spare incase I dropped one!).

You would be standing on a single step while you rigged your next Step....and you would have to slide your Tree Strap up above your head and then put on the next Cranford.

It wasn't hard to climb this bottom step as long as you aren't in a huge hurry and you have both hands free to hold the tree (as you should!!!).
I was wearing Boots too...haven't tried it with my big LaCrosse Rubber boots yet.
I just girth hitched the attachment loop to the step.
The Cranford steps lean towards the tree so there wasn't any tendency for the Aider to want to slide off.

With a regular sized Etrier it should be easier.
Mine packs up into a small stuff sack.

Anyway...the Step/Aider will get you up the first 6 feet and it fits easily into a pocket.
 

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The Metolius Pocket Aider looks like it would be easier to climb.
BL.jpg

It is $26 at http://www.backcountry.com
Weighs 6oz. and is 60" long.

I hung my step where the bottom loop is at my knee height.
Then each step on the aider is only 12" apart so you can be careful going up.

So you would hang the Step above your head however high you were comfortable setting it.
With a Girth Hitch attachment you would still get 6 1/2' out of one Step/Aider.
 
I have tried an aider like that pocket aider with two lines and steps in between - I found that once I stepped on the bottom step, it pulled the two lines close together so that it was hard to get my foot in the next step. I found that an aider with a single line coming down and steps coming off each side is easier to get your feet into each step of the aider.

It's really easy to tie your own aider - here's a good video:
http://youtu.be/o8AgDrstSbY

-Drew


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
drew13 said:
I have tried an aider like that pocket aider with two lines and steps in between - I found that once I stepped on the bottom step, it pulled the two lines close together so that it was hard to get my foot in the next step. I found that an aider with a single line coming down and steps coming off each side is easier to get your feet into each step of the aider.

It's really easy to tie your own aider - here's a good video:
http://youtu.be/o8AgDrstSbY

-Drew


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Great video!
 
Have any of you guys tried using the etriers as climbing sticks all the way up the tree?

I currently use either woody tree-bolts, or LW climbing sticks, but I've been seriously considering getting/making three or four aiders and using those as sticks for "on the fly" hunts. They would be way lighter, way quieter and way more compact to carry than climbing sticks.

I take it they are a little more difficult to climb?
 
Matty said:
Have any of you guys tried using the etriers as climbing sticks all the way up the tree?

I currently use either woody tree-bolts, or LW climbing sticks, but I've been seriously considering getting/making three or four aiders and using those as sticks for "on the fly" hunts. They would be way lighter, way quieter and way more compact to carry than climbing sticks.

I take it they are a little more difficult to climb?
Click to expand...

I had the same idea Matty. I thought that if you used a cam buck just like on the LW sticks you could climb in the exact same way. Before I knew about the etriers I was thinking of trying a rope ladder with this idea. I also figured they would be a little more difficult to climb, but it could be worth it.

Also, possibly a second cam buckle towards the bottom of the etrier could help keep it from swinging around so much?
 
I was thinking the same thing with the lower strap too.

Except I actually thought about using a rope around the tree with a prussik and carabiner for the top hooking strap but anything along those lines of a cam strap or whatever should work.

Then for the bottom stabilizer strap I was thinking something light like paracord 550 with a small clip and taughtline hitch since it doesn't bear weight, just stabilizes.

I just can't be buying crap right now, even if it is just webbing and rope. lol

Maybe I'll fart around with this after the season ends. If anyone gets to it before then, please post your findings.
 
Now you have me thinking the LW straps might be the better way to do this.

How were you envisioning hooking the strap to the aider?

I have a couple ideas, but until I sit down and actually mess with it, I probably won't know what I will like best.
 
I don't have any to mess with either and I have been buying way too much stuff lately myself, :shock: .

If the etrier had a connection at the top like this pic, you could just run the cam buckle strap through that I think. I was thinking a cam buckle strap cause that seems to be the easiest to adjust. I hate prussic knots!

145885_15972_XL.jpg
 
I have all the stuff needed for this - I will give it a try. I suspect that it will be hard to climb and potentially dangerous (which is why I only use an aider on the bottom step) - but I'll try to disprove my theory...

The two problems that I have encountered with aiders are:
1. When they lay against the tree or twist, they are hard to get your foot into.
2. They like to swing to the side which can you leave you in a horizontal position - not an ideal way to be when you're 20 feet up a tree!!

If you guys have any ideas on how to address these two things, please share...

-Drew


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
drew13 said:
2. They like to swing to the side which can you leave you in a horizontal position - not an ideal way to be when you're 20 feet up a tree!!
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Click to expand...

Do you think having it attached with another cam buckle somewhere near the bottom would help with that?
 
I think that would limit how far to the side it would swing which would help some... Will give it a try.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Ok, so like I said my original idea was a rope ladder. Let us say that this cam buckle idea at the top and bottom of the etrier works. Now what if we made a custom etrier that was say 20-25 foot long? And we just added cam buckles at head height as we climbed up?

Let me know what you think or if I need to explain it better.
 
Wow....this is getting interesting.
Having the top of the etrier offset from the tree even a little makes it easier to climb.

On my rope step setup, using both hands on the tree while climbing made it easy.
Also I think that having a hard step at intervals makes it easier too.

Please let me know.
The idea of a webbing climbing stick sounds very cool
 
Using UCR ropes like the Cranford could be an option.
The messy part is that you would have to stand on the too rung to mount your next strap to the tree

Just an fyi... A Metolius 4 step wider is 60" long and weighs 8 oz

I think a good idea would be to build one of these to use as your bottom climbing stick and go from there
 
My plan is to attach a two step aider to the bottom of my bottom lone wolf step. Then add a single to the next step and if that feel safe might do another single on the third step. I have everything I need coming in the mail to make them up so I will have to see how it goes. I will post pictures of how it turns out.
 
I use a 5 step Etrier connected to a Muddy stick and it keeps it out away from the tree so getting your feet in the loops is not quite so difficult. I tried an experimental climb using my system using the Guidos Web and it is working out well.
 
I run 2 aiders and 2 lw sticks. I use aider on a cranford from the ground and then once on the cranford I set my first stick. Once at the top of that stick I hang the next cranford as high as I can and put on the second aider. Repeat with second stick and then platform on top of the stick. Key with aiders is pointing your toe towards the tree center and getting the aider in your foot arch by the heel. I can get 18-20' normally.
 
Xpedition802 said:
I run 2 aiders and 2 lw sticks. I use aider on a cranford from the ground and then once on the cranford I set my first stick. Once at the top of that stick I hang the next cranford as high as I can and put on the second aider. Repeat with second stick and then platform on top of the stick. Key with aiders is pointing your toe towards the tree center and getting the aider in your foot arch by the heel. I can get 18-20' normally.
Click to expand...
How do you keep the aider from pulling off the cranford step
 
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