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Climbing with aiders and climbing belt

W

Waymore

Active Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Messages
199
Ok I am somewhat inexperienced in this area. I am using muddy 20 inch sticks with a single homemade aider. The issue is it seems very awkward/challenging climbing using a belt as it restricts your mobility unless it is so loose that it is really ineffective. Once I climb a step I am constantly tightening and then have to loosen in order to go further. Using an aider is even more difficult as it really requires both hands.

I finally got out last night and it only took me 18 minutes to climb 3 sticks and set platform but there were a few hairy moments. Any tips?
 
Safest is to have an easily adjustable tether that you set above the stick as you climb.

For the linesmans belt, using it for security as you climb isn't great. Using it to steady yourself as you set a stick is what it is for. When climbing you have to loosen it enough that it doesn't make your climb more dangerous.

You need a LB that is easily adjustable one handed. Treespider Vertical Climbing Belt is a good cheap easily found solution.

I've gone back to using rope with a ropeman as my LB and it doubles as a second tether.
 
Waymore said:
Ok I am somewhat inexperienced in this area. I am using muddy 20 inch sticks with a single homemade aider. The issue is it seems very awkward/challenging climbing using a belt as it restricts your mobility unless it is so loose that it is really ineffective. Once I climb a step I am constantly tightening and then have to loosen in order to go further. Using an aider is even more difficult as it really requires both hands.

I finally got out last night and it only took me 18 minutes to climb 3 sticks and set platform but there were a few hairy moments. Any tips?
Click to expand...
First the lineman's belt. What type are you using? Like JSD said it needs to be easily adjustable. I do tighten and loosen up my LB many times during a climb. I use rope with a ropeman1 on it. It is more there to let me go hands free and keep my from falling than to catch me from a fall.

For the time, 18 minutes to set up isn't horrible ( I would worry more about the hairy moments!). Going out on the fly is never as quick, so you just have to accept that. I bet that once you get comfortable you can shave maybe 5 minutes off of that.

The aiders: Currently I have loop in the webbing on both ends. I pull the webbing through the loop on both sides and put it over the ends of the dual steps. This keeps it out away from the tree and makes it MUCH easier to climb. I can do it without my hands almost every time. The only catch to the way I'm doing this now is that you need to make sure you don't bump the aider off the steps.
 
redsquirrel said:
First the lineman's belt. What type are you using? Like JSD said it needs to be easily adjustable. I do tighten and loosen up my LB many times during a climb. I use rope with a ropeman1 on it. It is more there to let me go hands free and keep my from falling than to catch me from a fall.

For the time, 18 minutes to set up isn't horrible ( I would worry more about the hairy moments!). Going out on the fly is never as quick, so you just have to accept that. I bet that once you get comfortable you can shave maybe 5 minutes off of that.

The aiders: Currently I have loop in the webbing on both ends. I pull the webbing through the loop on both sides and put it over the ends of the dual steps. This keeps it out away from the tree and makes it MUCH easier to climb. I can do it without my hands almost every time. The only catch to the way I'm doing this now is that you need to make sure you don't bump the aider off the steps.
Click to expand...

I am using an hss strap. It can be adjusted with one hand. I choose it because it packs better than the rope I have. I do have a couple ropemans and use one for my tether.
 
Waymore said:
I am using an hss strap. It can be adjusted with one hand. I choose it because it packs better than the rope I have. I do have a couple ropemans and use one for my tether.
Click to expand...
Ok, the type of strap doesn't matter, as long as you an easily adjust it. I just wanted to let you know that I do adjust it a lot during a climb so that it is normal to do so, and you want to make it as easy as possible on yourself :D
 
Yes its very hard to climb if LB is to tight. Your natural hip movement is out and up. A tight LB will limit that motion and its hell to power through it. A LB isn't the best but it helps. The lifeline type is the best, but requires you to pre set it and its not often we hunt the same trees over and over. When I take my son, I climb first and set the lifeline.
 
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