Tether Redundancy

[KYhunter66]

Yep. I run 2. I don’t care what anyone says or makes fun of redundancy. It’s my ass up there. With the exception of the second bridge, I’m carrying nothing extra. 100% unobtrusive and gives me backup. I’ll apologize to no one.

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How do you like hunting with a long bow out of a saddle any problems with shots ?I have 2 on my Tactisaddle and like having back up!

 

[GTel]

I also have concerns about wearing a second harness, while I love my RCH compared to a traditional harness the downside to me was it always falling down when I walked into the woods, constantly have to pull up my drawers so to say.

I wear my backup RCH under my top layer and it prevents this. It does look a bit funny with a carabiner hanging out of my fly but the deer don't seem to mind.

Sent from up in a tree

 

[Ontariofarmer]

I think we are overdoing redundancy. One tether one bridge and one lineman’s belt properly used.
If all the backups were necessary the saddle company lawyers would be pushing everything triple back upped.
I know nuclear plants have tons of redundancy. Me. I do use an auto block when repelling and that is just enough redundancy

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[emrah.oruc.7]

How do you like hunting with a long bow out of a saddle any problems with shots ?I have 2 on my Tactisaddle and like having back up!

I practiced a lot out of it this past season but no shots on game. Like anything, it takes planning and trial and error.

Emrah


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[LoadedLimbs]

Anybody have experience using the "Treestand Wingman" as a backup system while saddle hunting? Looks like you could store the tail of the webbing in a dump pouch on your saddle, and keep the Wingman attachment carabiner clipped to the front of your saddle (to the load-bearing belt), rather than your bridge. That would provide backups for both tether AND bridge. It also gives you a foolproof method to lower yourself in a controlled descent if you fall or get injured while on stand. It's something that I'm considering, but I'd love to hear thoughts from others if you have experience saddle hunting with it:

Link: Treestand Wingman

 

[KYhunter66]

I practiced a lot out of it this past season but no shots on game. Like anything, it takes planning and trial and error.

Emrah


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This was my first year saddle hunting with Tactisaddle Thanks to John Tucker and Jason at TBWPODCAST. I killed 2 deer a buck and a doe but shot from my LW stand with long bow. Still practicing with saddle.

 

[robstewart]

I think we are overdoing redundancy. One tether one bridge and one lineman’s belt properly used.
If all the backups were necessary the saddle company lawyers would be pushing everything triple back upped.
I know nuclear plants have tons of redundancy. Me. I do use an auto block when repelling and that is just enough redundancy

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I switched to the safeguard so I don’t feel the need to autoblock. I was doing it at first with my figure 8 and my ATC


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[mattsteg]

Safety is more about managing your process to ensure you don't screw up setting up or packing up, and inspecting any knots before and during every use.

If when people fall, it's either during the climb, trusting a tether that isn't set properly (i.e. misclipping in the dark), a faulty, uninspected, unbacked up knot, or gear misused out of spec.

I fell safer reducing complexity, clutter, and task loading (and religiously inspecting all ropes, cords, knots) than I would hooking up 2 of everything. The benefit of a backup tether isn't against tether failure - it's against you not clipping in properly. You could get the same benefit keeping a long tether and clipping in (to a secondsry/short bridge, or anywhere load rated) a second prusik on the same line, or just clipping to a fig 8 on a bight at the end of the tether.

 

[boyne bowhunter]

Safety is more about managing your process to ensure you don't screw up setting up or packing up, and inspecting any knots before and during every use.

If when people fall, it's either during the climb, trusting a tether that isn't set properly (i.e. misclipping in the dark), a faulty, uninspected, unbacked up knot, or gear misused out of spec.

I fell safer reducing complexity, clutter, and task loading (and religiously inspecting all ropes, cords, knots) than I would hooking up 2 of everything. The benefit of a backup tether isn't against tether failure - it's against you not clipping in properly. You could get the same benefit keeping a long tether and clipping in (to a secondsry/short bridge, or anywhere load rated) a second prusik on the same line, or just clipping to a fig 8 on a bight at the end of the tether.

I agree with this 100%. Sometimes simpler is better. The more connections you perform the more opportunities there are to get one wrong. in addition its human nature to try to hurry through them or get complacent about them when there's many repetitions. Also , the more complex the sequence of your normal process the more likely you are to forget one. If the one you forget or mess up on is the secondary, no big deal but if its a critical step the consequences can be severe.

I have a personal example. When I started single stick climbing I was concerned about the stick coming off the tree while I was advancing my tether (there's slack line at that time). I was religiously connecting my lineman's belt around the tree each time before advancing the tether then disconnecting one side when I hung off to the side to move the stick. What I found was that by adding the steps of wrapping the linesman's around the tree (takes both hands at the same time) and reconnecting into the saddle (takes verification in the dark and still leaves only one hand holding onto the tree to do it) and then trusting the connection by going hands free on the tree to advance the tether, I was actually creating more opportunities to fall. In fact I did have a situation on a tree once where I almost lost my grip passing the lineman's around tree. I found that if I just maintained three points of contact, both feet and a stationary hand around behind the tree, while I advanced the tether with my free hand, and alternated which hand I was holding the tree with I actually felt much safer. I still carry the linesman's attached to my saddle every climb and if I feel uncomfortable gripping the tree while advancing the tether then I'll use it. For me this typically happens on large diameter trees where it is hard to reach a hand behind the tree, or rough bark trees where advancing the tether really takes two hands.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating shortcuts on safety. We all need to do everything we can to make sure we come out of the woods every day. I'm just trying to point out that it is possible that we can actually over complicate things to the point of creating additional unnecessary risks.

 

[Ontariofarmer]

Safety is more about managing your process to ensure you don't screw up setting up or packing up, and inspecting any knots before and during every use.

If when people fall, it's either during the climb, trusting a tether that isn't set properly (i.e. misclipping in the dark), a faulty, uninspected, unbacked up knot, or gear misused out of spec.

I fell safer reducing complexity, clutter, and task loading (and religiously inspecting all ropes, cords, knots) than I would hooking up 2 of everything. The benefit of a backup tether isn't against tether failure - it's against you not clipping in properly. You could get the same benefit keeping a long tether and clipping in (to a secondsry/short bridge, or anywhere load rated) a second prusik on the same line, or just clipping to a fig 8 on a bight at the end of the tether.

Amen. Slow down, check your equipment and keep it simple.
Just trust your equipment.
The only time I had a safety issue and fell but did not get hurt - was a carabiner was not engaged properly. So I slow down and double check my equipment - this is my redundancy.


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[dalton916]

I use a secondary tether since I sometimes use it to hang from when I move my rope further up the tree. Since I have it with me anyway, I put it to use. It does me no good in my pouch if I might have an unforseen accident. The same as not wearing your seatbelt while driving, when it is there anyway.

This picture man......it shows up all over my Tapatalk feed.....wearing me out. You got a parachute stuffed in you pack too?

P.S. You could run a 3rd tether and connect it to your chute so it would auto deploy

 

[dlist777]

Anybody have experience using the "Treestand Wingman" as a backup system while saddle hunting? Looks like you could store the tail of the webbing in a dump pouch on your saddle, and keep the Wingman attachment carabiner clipped to the front of your saddle (to the load-bearing belt), rather than your bridge. That would provide backups for both tether AND bridge. It also gives you a foolproof method to lower yourself in a controlled descent if you fall or get injured while on stand. It's something that I'm considering, but I'd love to hear thoughts from others if you have experience saddle hunting with it:

Link: Treestand Wingman

View attachment 24398

I used it when I used to hunt from treestands. It works great, but it's real bulky. I'm not sure it would fit in a dump pouch. It comes in a fanny pack and it's pretty full.

 

[BudgetBuck1]

I believe that most guys carry a lineman's belt up the tree with them....why not use it as a back up? You already have it up there with you and if you use it as a back up then it doesn't take up much needed storage space in your bag or pouches. Rather be safe than sorry.....a friend of mine fell from a treestand and crawled around 20 feet from the tree before he expired from punctured lungs....didn't sound like a fun way to die....not that there is one.

 

[boyne bowhunter]

Here's a potential situation I'm wondering if anyone has considered. Suppose the tree your tethered into uproots or breaks off. What are your options?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hunting in dead or damaged trees but in the late season I hunt a lot of marshland where trees routinely uproot. I also had done some summer observation sits in a pretty large (+20in diameter) healthy maple this past year and intended to hunt out of it once or twice this last season. Well the morning I walked in there to hunt it I was surprised to find it snapped off like a twig about 6 feet up.

Either of those instances would create a dangerous ride down while firmly tethered to the tree. When I hunted out of the climber I always figured I could at least try to bail out at the last minute if the unthinkable happened. That's not an option with the saddle. I realize this is a long shot problem but I was wondering if anyone had any considerations around this possibility.

Probably a more prevalent risk is the possibility of nearby tree falling and trying to wipe you off the side of the tree. At least in that instance I think I may be able to move around to the safe side of the tree in the saddle, not something I could do in a tree stand. I actually had two instances this year where branches above me broke off and blindsided me on their way out of the tree. Again, good thing I'm tethered in as I'm sure in one of those instances I was stunned enough it could possibly have knocked me out of the tree.

 

[bj139]

This picture man......it shows up all over my Tapatalk feed.....wearing me out. You got a parachute stuffed in you pack too?

P.S. You could run a 3rd tether and connect it to your chute so it would auto deploy

I shot a doe rigged up just like that in October. I could have shot in all directions with my crossbow. With a regular bow, I don't know.
A parachute. I like it. How could I get it open before I hit the ground? Never mind. How could I hit the ground with all those ropes holding me up?
I am also not carrying a single stick so what you see is my complete climbing system

 

[dalton916]

 

[BTaylor]

Here's a potential situation I'm wondering if anyone has considered. Suppose the tree your tethered into uproots or breaks off. What are your options?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hunting in dead or damaged trees but in the late season I hunt a lot of marshland where trees routinely uproot. I also had done some summer observation sits in a pretty large (+20in diameter) healthy maple this past year and intended to hunt out of it once or twice this last season. Well the morning I walked in there to hunt it I was surprised to find it snapped off like a twig about 6 feet up.

Either of those instances would create a dangerous ride down while firmly tethered to the tree. When I hunted out of the climber I always figured I could at least try to bail out at the last minute if the unthinkable happened. That's not an option with the saddle. I realize this is a long shot problem but I was wondering if anyone had any considerations around this possibility.

Probably a more prevalent risk is the possibility of nearby tree falling and trying to wipe you off the side of the tree. At least in that instance I think I may be able to move around to the safe side of the tree in the saddle, not something I could do in a tree stand. I actually had two instances this year where branches above me broke off and blindsided me on their way out of the tree. Again, good thing I'm tethered in as I'm sure in one of those instances I was stunned enough it could possibly have knocked me out of the tree.

I went back to hunt a tree I had climbed 3 times the prior season only to discover it snapped off about 15' high. I had been climbing to about 25' because the tree was down in the edge of a slough. It was a little unnerving to walk up to that one.

 

[Jeff F.]

I put suspenders on my saddle and that was life changing on the walk in and walk out. Walking is tough in a saddle with a pack for guys who have no butt!

I do the same thing but my bridge is luckily the right length so I use that.

 

[Jeff F.]

I think we are overdoing redundancy. One tether one bridge and one lineman’s belt properly used.
If all the backups were necessary the saddle company lawyers would be pushing everything triple back upped.
I know nuclear plants have tons of redundancy. Me. I do use an auto block when repelling and that is just enough redundancy

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I don't think you are wrong but again I am more concerned with ME failing than the saddle. As I've mentioned hunting takes place in adverse conditions. I'm waking up early after probably not sleeping enough, hiking up to an hour out to a spot in the dark, I'm tired, climbing a tree in the dark, and my hands are potentially freezing. I'm dummy proofing it to save me from me.

If I was climbing familiar trees in 40-60 degree weather in the light I may not want the redundancy.

 

[mattsteg]

I don't think you are wrong but again I am more concerned with ME failing than the saddle. As I've mentioned hunting takes place in adverse conditions.

The setup you described (climbing while tethered, then hooking up a second tether at height) is a real backup covering likely failure modes (you...) without introducing any complexity or adding to what you do at height. As long as it's out of the way when hunting it's a really good sounding system that protects against plausible failures and doesn't seem to add new hazards