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Knaider swaider pros cons?

bcsportsman

bcsportsman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2017
Messages
216
I got a lot of the pros but what’s the cons of knaider swaider?


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Climbing down for me is a con to it I struggle with descending on one but also might be because I space my sticks as far as I can get them. For me the leg strap isn’t long enough to go around my leg with any warm clothes on I also wear hip boots a lot too and I can’t get the leg strap tight so the j hook moves around to the side of my knee a lot.
 
I don't see a lot of cons for the knaider. It's the swaider that increases the risk factor for me.

1) encourages longer lineman belt usage, which decreases effectiveness of said LB.

2) its longer length leads to bigger foot swing in a kickout situation. Granted, most don't experience these, but when they happen, they suck bad. Ask me how I know.

3) Mechanically, there's a lot of lower body adjustment (hips, knees, e.t.c) taking place as you transfer your weight from one step to another. Using a double aider system means that this adjustment takes place on a wobbly system. A single aider system has alternating firm footing (stick or step) so that lower body adjustment has less opportunity to cause a problem. Just my 2 cents here. Not sure if this makes sense.

Above all, climbing is dangerous and I'm not a climbing expert. I'm just some dude on the internet.
 
Both work and can be effective. I prefer using the knaider with sticks or an amsteel aider I made.
 
I'd say the number one con for me is having a branch in a spot that catches you half way in your linesman flip or unable to fully extend your leg. It can leave you with the linesman low as you advance and because the K/S requires the linesman to be long enough to clear your knees it puts you in a risky situation. Standing on the knaider with the knaider hooked and then be unable to advance your linesman, and step up on to the stepp with your swaider foot. Not the best place to be to be as you start to pass the branch. If I think I'm going to get into that situation I'll use the Cain method to set up on a step where I can be stable enough to pass the limb, or I'll bust out my tether and secure myself above the branch before I start to pass the limb. I'll lose a little height on the climb but it's better than passing with a low linesman while standing on the K/S. Then you have to do it again coming down. Of course you can mitigate these things by being aware of the space you need to safely move the linesman by placing your steps accordingly. Just because you can take a 5 foot step with the K/S doesn't mean you always should. Climbing is like playing chess.... you have to be thinking steps ahead. I love climbing with the K/S I find it packs easy and it's light enough to pack in if you have some distance to your hunting grounds. I would consider it a moderately advanced form of climbing with the WE steps and also a moderately risky form of climbing compared to some other methods. I manage that risk with the safety equipment I carry on me; my tether, a second linesman, and that gooey stuff between my ears.
 
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I’ve used WE, sticks, spurs, screw ins, and aiders. I can’t seem to get rid of any of them either. I’m just debating if it’s worth me trying. I love to try new things but don’t always have the extra resources to do so. And it’s a cheaper option. Just wanted peoples thoughts on these tools.


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For me, the knaider can be hard to ensure I get the hook over the step in the dark. I one stick and currently use a swaider and one step aider (loop).

Putting the carabiner over the lower step is easy and then just toe to tree and the step aider is then close enough to my stick that it is solid.

I might re-vamp my system in the off season with EWO stand offs and a two or three step aider, but with my current set up, I don't really care for step aiders that hang too close to the tree.
 
I tried them and the issue I have is you have to get a thigh length plus the step distance away from the tree. Takes more flexibility than I comfortably have and seemed like a recipe for a painful slam against the tree if something happened mid 'knaidering.' My current set up consists of two steps with rope ladders, which gets my feet about 12 feet off the ground, which is about high as you want to be in most situations where I'm hunting.
 
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