Yep I missed that...interesting thought. Something to tinker with after season!
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The red squirrel climbing aider
- Thread starter redsquirrel
- Start date
Squirrels
Well-Known Member
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- Oct 29, 2017
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your math is correct and now I'm thinking I should have kept my steps......never sell anything
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- Feb 1, 2016
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FYI, I know a lot of you guys are still dealing with heat down South. Where I'm at, we have temps hovering around freezing, which has given a combination of snow, fog, ice, and mist over the past week. That comes with heavier clothes, clunkier boots, and numb fingers. It's felt really sketchy using two step aiders at height on my sticks, to the point where I'm going to swap out to one step. Just a friendly reminder to be safe.
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Be careful. There was a guy on archerytalk who did this and almost killed himself when the stepp rolled. The info was re-posted somewhere on this site too by @Erniepower.
When the stepps are solid they are great. If they come a little loose, they do not handle side to side pressure very well.
Yup! Everything gets harder as it gets colder and we bulk up. If i use stepps I will definitely be taking at least 2 extra so I don't have to step as far between stepps. I might also take my modified heliums with single aiders because I know they're reliable.
Are you talking about like I show in my picture? I will look for the post by @Erniepower. I don't see how it would be any different than the Wild Edge Aider though?
Yeah I’ve thought about that myself, mainly while doing one stick method. But luckily, living in the south, we only have to bundle up about 2 times a year haha
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Yes, like that. I'll see if I can find the post.
http://www.saddlehunter.com/community/index.php?threads/stepp-ladder-reviews.1843/page-4#post-36846
see post #78. FWIW I am also not a fan of how the wild edge aider attaches to a step, so I came up with my own method.
I read Post #78 and also the AT thread but, if I understand it correctly, the issue he had wasn't with the steps, it was that his foot slipped sideways in the aider and he had nothing to hold onto.
"Bottom boot (toe on tree) slipped sideways and the next thing I found myself inverted in tree with left foot caught in an aider on the right side of tree."
I am not following how your method makes this less likely to happen? Regardless of how the aider is attached to the tree if your toe slips off the tree your foot has the potential of swinging sideways. This particular person seems to be saying "don't use aiders without a hand hold" not "don't use aiders on stepps". Am I misunderstanding something?
"Bottom boot (toe on tree) slipped sideways and the next thing I found myself inverted in tree with left foot caught in an aider on the right side of tree."
I am not following how your method makes this less likely to happen? Regardless of how the aider is attached to the tree if your toe slips off the tree your foot has the potential of swinging sideways. This particular person seems to be saying "don't use aiders without a hand hold" not "don't use aiders on stepps". Am I misunderstanding something?
I have read over those posts several times. The danger is climbing above your hand hold. It works better with sticks because your hand hold is 20-32 inches above the aider. Where the guy got inverted had little to do with the stepp. The same dangers apply to aider only climbing.
@GCTerpfan you are right. It could happen with any aider. I had one bad kickoff on a little tree using the wild edge aider. With the wild edge you are using the step above the one your climbing onto to hook the aider. You always have a handhold. The downside to that vs what you are talking about and red is doing is you’re limited by how high you can tie on the second step. For me that’s about 7-7.5 feet. On trees that I look at and decide I need every foot I can get I tie on my s first step at 4.5 feet and the second at 7. Then when I get on top of the first step I move the second up to 4.5’ above my feet and tie on a third. It takes a little extra time but when I need to get higher than 22 feet with six stepps that is how I do it. That’s only when I don’t know ahead of time. I can always bring a platform and use 8 stepps climbing. The redsquirrel aider doesn’t have to limit you to tying on a second step but you could if you needed a handle.
Maybe I was mis-remembering. I knew it was related to the stepps and I thought it had something to do with the stepp kicking out from the aider.
Maybe you guys can convince me otherwise, but I am very leery of hanging anything off the stepps. If I had been climbing an aider loop hanging off the one that slipped due to the soft bark the other day, I don't think it would have been pretty. I'm pretty sure it would have kicked out to the side on me as the stepp shifted.
From what I read the guy was attaching a five step onto a Jim stepp. By the time he gets to the top step the stepp is by his shins. Sounded like the aider kicked out and his linesmans caught him after he slid way down the tree. Just like using aider only. Neither are for me because I’m fat and getting older every day. I also find the ground has gotten a lot harder than it was when I was a kid.
Red there is nothing wrong with the way you are doing it now. I had a few steps turn to the side and the aider slipped to that side. I have yet to have one come off. I don’t think it is possible as long as weight is on it. Andrew recommended hooking into the v and that stopped the twisting. The hook on his aider doesn’t work well for hooking into the v. I only do that on soft trees that the standoffs sink into as I can them over. Also when using the wild edge aider your hooked above the stepp you’re climbing onto. If it moves or twists you are not having to step on it just go ahead and step up onto your step and straighten it out. I want to really stretch out the steps but at 3-4 feet apart I don’t need the aider on the way down. That’s always nice in the dark.
Red there is nothing wrong with the way you are doing it now. I had a few steps turn to the side and the aider slipped to that side. I have yet to have one come off. I don’t think it is possible as long as weight is on it. Andrew recommended hooking into the v and that stopped the twisting. The hook on his aider doesn’t work well for hooking into the v. I only do that on soft trees that the standoffs sink into as I can them over. Also when using the wild edge aider your hooked above the stepp you’re climbing onto. If it moves or twists you are not having to step on it just go ahead and step up onto your step and straighten it out. I want to really stretch out the steps but at 3-4 feet apart I don’t need the aider on the way down. That’s always nice in the dark.
Peterk1234
Well-Known Member
As a person with zero experience with this, but has read this thread way too many times........ I like Red's idea because his aider is fastened to the tree. There is no risk of a stepp failing due to the aider and the tether dangling theoretically gives you something to hold onto or pull you back up if things go a little wrong. I bet you could add a blake hitch with a long enough loop end to the tether/aider setup and hook it to you harness to save you from a fall. Pete
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Well done @redsquirrel Great thread. I’ll be playing with this idea this winter.
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I'm sold! Been trying to think of a way to ditch my climbing sticks since I started using wild edge stepps as my platform.
Thanks guys! It's been working well so far. Next test is how well it works with bulkier clothing. I'm adding a few extra stepps to the system to make sure I can get high enough.
Works fine with bulky clothes. Used this setup Friday with temps in the teens. Lost a little height per stepp (maybe 4-6 inches) but other than that, no problems.
This system will be forcing me to buy another ropeman...I'm currently using my tether w/ prusik knots. My prusik is locking down harder every time I go out. Going to get through this season as is and upgrade for next season.
I want to add that I got this bright idea to use climbing sticks on saturday because I thought it would be easier to climb with my bulkier clothing. Hah! I was hunting about 30 yards from a tree I have prepped but since a new tree fell down they move just out of range. The whole time hiking in and climbing up I was saying to myself "dummy why didn't you just take your stepps".