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Stirrup Climb good setup!

1saddleguy said:
It's hard to see in the pictures what you have going on but it sounds like you are doing a version of the Texas system or Frog system where you stand in the stirrups creating slack in your upper connection. Then you move your upper ascension device up the rope and then sit back. Then you reach down and move the lower device up the rope and then stand back up in the stirrups and repeat.
Maybe I am not seeing your pictures right.
If this is the method you are using, do you think it has more metal than it needs? Like if you use cord to make a triple crown then you create stirrups and use a prusik wrap to attach to the rope. You can go up and come down on a blakes hitch.
I like that you are exploring climbing options. I made a quick drawing of what I am talking about.
View attachment 2603
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1saddleguy said:
I'm not sure that you need a fatter rope for a blakes. Still wondering why all the metal. Here is a mock up that is better than my drawing.
Works like DRT but with a single rope. Like I said, I might be missing something but I would like to know what as I have always been seeking a rope climbing method that would work for you guys.
View attachment 2610
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I appreciate the suggestions. I am always fooling around with SRT. I don't use it much for hunting because I have found it much harder when I'm hunting than in the backyard, but I have a blast doing it in the backyard. Next time I give it a shot I'll rig up something like what you showed and give it a shot.
 
Red,
Have you ever tried Double rope where you just attach the tail to your harness and then use the rest of the tail as your Blake's Hitch? That is dead simple...and you descend using the Blake's. But it requires double length rope and it has to be fat
 
justsomedude said:
Red,
Have you ever tried Double rope where you just attach the tail to your harness and then use the rest of the tail as your Blake's Hitch? That is dead simple...and you descend using the Blake's. But it requires double length rope and it has to be fat
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I haven't. Only ever fooled around with SRT. The double rope of DRT turned me off.
 
justsomedude said:
Slow and Steady. No throw bags, no long rope. Very little weight and bulk.
Most of us are hunting lower than 20 feet.
Click to expand...
Sounds like an easy lob with out a throw bag. I think most who would climb rope would be best to use a preset line anyway.
 
justsomedude said:
Red,
Have you ever tried Double rope where you just attach the tail to your harness and then use the rest of the tail as your Blake's Hitch? That is dead simple...and you descend using the Blake's. But it requires double length rope and it has to be fat
Click to expand...
I'm talking about a single rope choked off and using a hitch to climb it. No need to double.
 
There are plenty of SRT threads here.
I have the gear to do it but don't think it is worth the trouble.
But if I DID....my same Ropeman/Harness and Foot Loop works great for that too. Just need rope.

When I am looking for a tree, I never have a hard time finding an easy climb. But I do have trouble finding a large enough branch that isn't too high for an easy throw.

I don't want to be in the dark at 4:00am 100 yards from a bedding area throwing a line up a tree. I am hunting in the edge of young growth most of the time. And I am up and ready to hunt in 5 minutes easy.
 
justsomedude said:
OK. The Cliff's notes....comfortable harness+Linesman's Belt + Stirrups is good. With this setup, it doesn't require a lot of strength. No worse than a climber stand. If you aren't relaxed, you're doing it wrong. This is less hazardous than hanging climbing sticks. The downside is that you can't just climb up and down. You an however leave your tether in place and rappel down for a break and then your climb back up is faster

The only extra gear is a tether, webbing, sling, rope man, carabiner. My foot tether rig weighs 23oz using Yale Bandit. Might switch it to 9mm.

You can pass branches safely with this setup. Rope retrieval gets more complicated though.

GEAR: Metolius Safe Tech Deluxe (love), two 12" Slings, Hollowblock, Linesman's Belt with Ropeman 1, Sterling HTP 9mm long rope with GriGri2, Yale Bandit short tether with Ropeman 1, tied webbing stirrups.
View attachment 2464

Here's the connections. That big tan web in the middle is too long. It runs from the harness to the Foot Stirrups Tether as a backup. Replacing with a short sling. There is a Ropeman 1 on the foot tether. Stirrups and backup sling attached to same carabiner. Black foot loops bottom right.

Above that is a black sling that runs from harness to GriGri2 to the Sterling HTP 9mm. Replacing it with a 12" sling as well. Having your device raised up ("Extended Rappel") is easier to tend than having it directly on your harness.
The yellow sling is Hollowblock attached to the leg loop as an auto block. I'm a chicken with Rappel. I like an Autoblock. DON'T USE THE AUTOBLOCK WHILE CLIMBING. It's just in the way and you have other backups.
The Ropeman on the bottom left is attached to 9mm rope as a Linesman's belt. This harness has strong gear loops. I am using it for my linesman's belt connection at least for this type of climb. I am a chicken...so the LB connections are using TWO loops on each side. But there isn't much weight on your LB in this setup.
View attachment 2465

Stopper knots with a tail make the tether easier to advanceView attachment 2466

Stirrups are tubular webbing, 3' long after knots. Probably safe to start with 12' (I tied them a few years ago...) The connection point is an overhand on a bight tied in the middle. Then halfway down from that I tied another overhand knot on a bight connecting the two sides to keep them from spreading when you stand. I put pieces of 9mm rope inside the webbing to keep the foot loops open and more comfortable. Then overhand on a bight for the foot loops. Overhand knot by rethread is easier to keep the loops the same. YOU REALLY WANT THEM THE SAME AND YOU WANT THEM TO HANG DOWN THE SAME DISTANCE FROM THE MIDDLE.
View attachment 2467

Run the tails of your harness tether and foot tether outside of your Linesman's belt rope.
View attachment 2472


Set your harness tether as high as you can reach. Set your foot tether just below that. Tighten up the grigri and hang. Step into the stirrups ALL THE WAY. Your feet stay in for the whole climb. Now you adjust your foot rope man as you lift your knees as high as you can. ATTACH YOUR LINESMAN'S BELT around the tree and stand up and tighten the LB to keep you steady.

You are well balanced on the even stirrups and LB plus you are backed up from your harness to the foot tether. SAFE. Now take out the slack on the harness tether as high as you can and hang again....loosen your linesman's belt, adjust the foot rope man and lift your knees......REPEAT.

You'll take two or 3 'steps' before having to move your tethers up the tree.

DON'T LET THE GRIGRI get too close to the top of the tether. It can get stuck against the tree and you can't descend without freeing it.

To Descend, attach retrieval line (more below). If I am hanging from a GriGri while hunting, I run an Autoblock. I might switch to a sewn Prusik while hunting though. Here's the Autoblock connection. The Autoblock also serves as a backup connection to your GriGri.
View attachment 2473

I have a gear haul line with a small knot tied every 10' so I can check my height. It has clips large enough to fit on my tether and one end has a NiteIze twist with an Eye attached to it. You an cinch the line together with it and can attach items quickly for hauling. I hang it off the stopper knot on my tether for retrieval after rappel.
View attachment 2468 View attachment 2469 View attachment 2470 View attachment 2471
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Do you like climbing with an aider better or stirrups. Which is harder. Obviously stirrups are safer.
 
I'm planning to use the Aider for now because it seems faster. I'm going to try Stirrups again now that I have three of the Ropeman 1.

Keep in mind that with stirrups you do a lot of the advancing using an ascender so it is not easy with a Prusik. Maybe a Blake's Hitch with large rope, but a Ropeman is stupidly easy.

With Aider, you climb to the top and then you pull the whole assembly up. Ropeman is easier still, but not essential.

Stirrups pack down smaller and are nice to stand on while setting up and tearing down. I also plan to reinforce my stirrup loops more. If your feet fall out, it is a nuisance putting them back on while hanging.

Ontariofarmer said:
Do you like climbing with an aider better or stirrups. Which is harder. Obviously stirrups are safer.
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TIP!
Not immediately obvious (to me)....

When you set your stirrup tether, lower the foot ascender down where the stirrups are touching the ground. You can just stand on the ground with both feet in the stirrups and start taking up the slack. EASY

If you try to climb up into the stirrups, it's a little clumsy as you try to get your feet set in the loops. Way less work to set your feet at ground level
 
I have two black diamond aiders... What do you think about using a daisy chain and biner tree hook up for the first one and using the second to climb like you do.
 
Have just a little extension of some kind at the top of the first Aider (even just a carbiner).

I threaded an aider straight onto a cam strap. Works great, but the top step is a little too crowded against the tree like that

Cam strap is good because it can't fall down and is compact.
 
I already had 9mm rope stuffed inside my stirrup loops. But I just wrapped the bottoms with rubber hose and duct tape. Will keep them open better

If I keep climbing like this a lot, it might be worth picking up a nice Double Foot Loop. Cavers and Rescue climbers use them
 
OK.....I timed it.Stirrups are slower.

8 minutes to get up 15' (foot height) and about as long to get down.
Then I climbed with the Aider and it was less than 4 minutes and a little faster coming down.
 
I did a more simple version today. Girth hitched both tethers through carabiners to make it easier to advance.

Didn’t adjust the Ropeman, just grabbed the carabiner/ rope and advance up one step at a time.
Simple, pretty easy and not scary.
I use a long tether and rappel down
 
The minimalist setup works great. No use of the Linesman's belt, no adjusting. More like the native palm tree climbers :)

Stiff thicker rope with a Screw Link Girth Hitch moves easier.
I'm using Bluewater 11mm Assault

Simple Prusiks on both tethers (Klemheist at the moment).
Backup sling from foot tether to harness (about 18" long)

Climbing down is faster than climbing up.
You just stand in the stirrups, left hand on the tree and grab the top tether with you right hand and lift up a little. Unless you are on a crazy tree, the tether will fall down against your left arm. Just sit down/lean back in the harness and do the same for the foot tether.
 
It's different. I prefer no stick and just an Aider. An Aider Tether just locks in when you load it. And it CAN'T fall off the tree. But Stirrups is safer because you are moving your tether in smaller increments.

Starting out, a lot of people feel more confident with one stick because they get to stand on a firm surface as part of the process. I find it be more sketchy...transitioning from aider to stick.

The safety factor is way different and people tend to ignore that a lot. If you watched the DIY Sportsman video...he is setting his tether up as high as he can reach...4' at least. Then he is climbing above his tether.
With your climbing experience, you are probably familiar with "Fall Factor".

4' rope, 4' above your tether is a fall factor 2. If you are 200# and using Static rope...it's going to HURT if you fall.

Then beyond safety, I look at bulk. Carrying ONE stick is still a major bulk difference as opposed to just rope and webbing. I you want to use a double step stick as part of your platform, it might start to seem worth it.

If you compare my setup at the beginning of THIS thread using hardware and moving using ascenders to always keep slack out...and then look at my "Simple Stirrup climb" setup http://www.saddlehunter.com/community/index.php?threads/simple-stirrups-climb-video.4317/
The simple stirrup doesn't require any hardware at all. You don't need to use a Linesman's belt unless you are passing a branch and use it as a second tether. The simple stirrup takes a little more core strength but will be easy for you with climbing experience.

The stirrups also come in handy when setting up, while hunting, for self rescue if you get jammed on rappel, to stand on while setting up to pass a branch.

Then the version where you use one Aider...You use a Linesman's belt to balance as you climb to the top of the aider. Then move your tether up as high as you can reach. But be aware of the Fall Factor.
 
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Awesome thank you.. Yeah fall factor 2 = hurt & probably broken body parts... Im not comfortable taking a factor 2 whip on a dynamic line let alone a static line. Ill keep the tether above me.
 
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