Stupid idea?

[MNFarmHunter]

I really like my Aero Merlin...except for the bridge. The stock bridge works great, adjusts easily and shifts the load well (for hip pinch) but I hate having a permanently affixed bridge. I had taken it off and used (2) biners attached to a sewn eye prusik rope which met all of my wants but would shift too much load to my lower hips and wasn't that comfortable. I switched back to the webbing bridge but still hate it.

Given that, I'm thinking about making an amsteel continuous loop, attaching it to the saddle bridge loops via a prusik with just enough of a loop to connect the biners to. This would in turn meet all of my needs and wants.

Here's the dilemma. To get a full strength bury (using a locked brummel), I'm limited to either 1/8" or possibly 3/16" amsteel for the length I want. Ideally, I'd want to use 1/4" but I won't get more than an 8" bury which is 50% of the recommended bury for 1/4". So, do I go with the smaller diameter amsteel with a full bury or do I go with 1/4" with the compromised bury?

 

[gcr0003]

Why can’t you take 5 seconds to un thread the webbing from the right side tri-glide? I’m no Amsteel guy so I won’t comment on your other ideas but this seems like a no brainer to me.

 

[philsanchez76]

I’m also not very schooled in amsteel. Aero hunter rates their saddles to a 5000 pound break strength. I’d hate to nullify that by making the bridge the weak point in the saddle. Maybe go oplux and use a Beal jammy prusik on one side to make it fully adjustable?

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Why can’t you take 5 seconds to un thread the webbing from the right side tri-glide? I’m no Amsteel guy so I won’t comment on your other ideas but this seems like a no brainer to me.

This is an option as well. I'd have to shorten my bridge more than I like to have enough of a tag end to put a stopper knot in it when threaded through the buckle. Certainly isn't a deal breaker and fully acknowledge I may have an answer searching for a problem.

 

[MattMan81]

What about prussics type on each end for adjustability. Use two pieces of rope. Each one has an eye on it. You bring the two eyes to your tether.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

What about prussics type on each end for adjustability. Use two pieces of rope. Each one has an eye on it. You bring the two eyes to your tether.

I may be misreading this but if you brought the (2) ropes together at the tether attachment point, you'd lose the load balancing ability of a single piece bridge.

Grc0003 has the stupid simple answer that resolves everything. I'm just not quite ready to accept the stupid simple answer after investing so much brain power to this

 

[GCTerpfan]

Personally, I'd ditch the Amsteel and use 6mm TRC. You don't need to use a prusik either, a simple girth hitch around the bridge loop will do the same thing.

 

[bj139]

It doesn't feel right to use a climbing method that uses the word "bury".

 

[SnakeEater]

I did something similar to this when I had a kestrel. Should work just fine, would be about the reverse set up I used. 3/16th Amsteel for reference.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Here's what I came up with.

Accepting the fact that grc0003's comment made the most sense, I had to figure out a way to wrap and store the long end of the webbing. I tried one of my daughters hair ties but it was either too loose or too tight, both a PITA. I then took a velcro loop off my sling bag and stitched it onto the webbing near the bridge loop. It's now secure, out of the way and should work just fine. Ignore the amateur stitching. It's not load bearing and there's a reason why I'm not a seamstress.

And for the record, I didn't concede to grc0003's idea, I stole it and made it better

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

I’m also not very schooled in amsteel. Aero hunter rates their saddles to a 5000 pound break strength. I’d hate to nullify that by making the bridge the weak point in the saddle. Maybe go oplux and use a Beal jammy prusik on one side to make it fully adjustable?

That’s a 4000 lbs tri glide on the bridge so the bridge is already the “weak point”. 3/16” amsteel is rated to 5400 lbs if he makes it into a continuous loop it’ll support 1.5 times that.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

I really like my Aero Merlin...except for the bridge. The stock bridge works great, adjusts easily and shifts the load well (for hip pinch) but I hate having a permanently affixed bridge. I had taken it off and used (2) biners attached to a sewn eye prusik rope which met all of my wants but would shift too much load to my lower hips and wasn't that comfortable. I switched back to the webbing bridge but still hate it.

Given that, I'm thinking about making an amsteel continuous loop, attaching it to the saddle bridge loops via a prusik with just enough of a loop to connect the biners to. This would in turn meet all of my needs and wants.

Here's the dilemma. To get a full strength bury (using a locked brummel), I'm limited to either 1/8" or possibly 3/16" amsteel for the length I want. Ideally, I'd want to use 1/4" but I won't get more than an 8" bury which is 50% of the recommended bury for 1/4". So, do I go with the smaller diameter amsteel with a full bury or do I go with 1/4" with the compromised bury?

3/16” amsteel in a continuous loop would be more than adequate for this. It’s rated to 5400 lbs if spliced correctly in continuous loop form you’ll get almost 1.5 times that strength. It’ll bite down good on a double wrap to the bridge and hold where ever you position it. I did the same on my aerohunter kite I picked up recently

 

[phatkaw]

I did the same on my aerohunter kite I picked up recently

Was it light?

 

[MNFarmHunter]

On mine, weight was about the same factoring swapping the heavy webbing for the rope+(2) biners. What is nice about doing it this way is that you don't need to step into your saddle and the bridge is non-existent until you start climbing.

 

[phatkaw]

I was just kidding when I asked if it was light.
I was wondering about the saddle he "picked up"...

 

[phatkaw]

All of my bridges are connected.
I don't step through them, I kinda put 'em on like a jacket. Just grab the ropes and swing it around the back of your neck and then it's on. Now you just need to reach for your waist buckles and click them together...

I hang them that way too...

 

[phatkaw]

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

Was it light?

It was pretty light

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

All of my bridges are connected.
I don't step through them, I kinda put 'em on like a jacket. Just grab the ropes and swing it around the back of your neck and then it's on. Now you just need to reach for your waist buckles and click them together...

I hang them that way too...

I was kind of thinking the same thing. I haven’t stepped through a saddle in years but mine aren’t removable. I read on here somewhere that’s the “pro tip”

 

[Dylan9862003]

why 2 carabiners? I have tubular webbing for mine that is girth hitched on one side with a triglide and a carabiner on the other. I unclip one side and put it in my pouch or around my back to get it out of the way.