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The red squirrel climbing aider

nature tamer said:
View attachment 2922 I bought the stepp ladder aider and didn't really care for how you have to try to fish it inside the step on your way down. So I tied a single step aider onto each stepp.
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There is a guy on AT who did something like you and had a very bad experience with an aider attached. I think something similar like that. His ID was broken wings or broken something or other. I think BrokenLimbs.

I think Red's aider is safer due to it not being attached to a Stepp. Also, if using an aider attached to a stepp, I would think it better to attach to the V. I played a little with Andrews aider and I attached it to the V. Only tried a couple times, and it did not pull the stepp sideways.
 
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@nature tamer
sojourner said:
There is a guy on AT who did something like you and had a very bad experience with an aider attached. I think something similar like that. His ID was broken wings or broken something or other. I think BrokenLimbs.

I think Red's aider is safer due to it not being attached to a Stepp. Also, if using an aider attached to a stepp, I would think it better to attach to the V. I played a little with Andrews aider and I attached it to the V. Only tried a couple times, and it did not pull the stepp sideways.
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I remember that now. I think Ernie reposted what he wrote somewhere on here too.

I have to agree with @sojourner on this. Part of the thing that turned me off on the wild edge aider was attaching it to the stepp. If your stepp isn't on solid it is going to twist and you might be going down with it. I still do not get my stepps on perfect the first time every time. I have had a couple times where I will get my foot on it and it will move, and I'll lower down and fix it. If you are hanging from it you are not going to have the opportunity to fix it.
 
It will definitely twist the step. If you use the wild edge aider and hook it onto the crossbar and it twists it compounds the problem because the hook slides to the low side making it worse. Andrew recommended in another post explaining this that I should hook it into the V. The way he is promoting it if it does twist it isn't the end of the world because that's not the one you are climbing onto. So you can climb onto the one below the twisted one and straighten it out then tie on the next one.
I'm still going to give Reds aider a shot. May even try it with a two step just to see. The good thing about reds aider is you don't need anything extra but a webbing loop and hook it into your tether.
 
redsquirrel said:
I have to agree with @sojourner on this. Part of the thing that turned me off on the wild edge aider was attaching it to the stepp. If your stepp isn't on solid it is going to twist and you might be going down with it. I still do not get my stepps on perfect the first time every time. I have had a couple times where I will get my foot on it and it will move, and I'll lower down and fix it. If you are hanging from it you are not going to have the opportunity to fix it.
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I have been playing around with the WildEdge aider and I have had good luck with attaching it to the V instead of the cross bar. If the step is loose it's going to move slightly regardless, it's just a question of whether it moves when you step on the aider or when you step on the step. When you attach the aider to the V, if the step slips the only movement is straight down and not side to side.
 
Hi Red,
Any more thoughts on your new climbing system? You’ve really piqued my interest. I like my rapid rails but they are bulky. The compactness of your system is amazing. I want to here more from you and others before purchasing. If this is going to be a jack of all trades, I’d like to here from you and others how it compares to there previous methods, when would you/wouldn’t you use it. Also I’d like to hear from those people who are using the wild edge aider. I know their are some stability concerns. How often have you used it and what were your observations?


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fawnzy said:
Hi Red,
Any more thoughts on your new climbing system? You’ve really piqued my interest. I like my rapid rails but they are bulky. The compactness of your system is amazing. I want to here more from you and others before purchasing. If this is going to be a jack of all trades, I’d like to here from you and others how it compares to there previous methods, when would you/wouldn’t you use it. Also I’d like to hear from those people who are using the wild edge aider. I know their are some stability concerns. How often have you used it and what were your observations?


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So far I like it a lot. I have only hunted with it twice. Most of my stuff is preset so I only use it when I am going mobile. Both times I hunted with it it has worked perfectly. It took me a little longer to set up than usual, but I expect that to get better with more practice. I am sure I will be tweaking it more as I go, but I don't plan to carry sticks in the woods at all this year. I guess I will have more feedback at the end of the season after I've used it more :D.
 
Hmmm. Think, think, think.


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I like the aider + tether idea, but should we worry at all about the extra wear of your tether being used as an aider? I would use my lineman belt when using the aider but once up it's only the tether now also being used as an aider.

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No more wear than using your tether one sticking. I have the stuff sitting here but haven't made one yet. Had my first kick out with the wild edge aider this morning. It was not fun. It is as a tiny tree probably 8 inches at the bottom and 6 inches about 15' up.
 
Just throwing this out there, but if you're young and mobile, you can ditch the aider and climb with spaced out stepps. Stick the first one as high as you can reach. Put the second one at waist level. Then, while hanging from the top step, pull or walk your feet up onto the waist level step. Stand. Repeat.

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Ok red I have it a try this afternoon. Started with a two step aider with the stepp at 6 foot. Dropped it to five foot and could make that work but not something I want to do again. Then started using it as a one step aider and by the time I moved the stepp diwn enough to where I was comfortable I was below where I normally tie my first step using the wild edge aider. I'm top heavy enough that I really need that next step to stabilize me on the way up. I think it will work great for you tree ninjas
 
EricS said:
Ok red I have it a try this afternoon. Started with a two step aider with the stepp at 6 foot. Dropped it to five foot and could make that work but not something I want to do again. Then started using it as a one step aider and by the time I moved the stepp diwn enough to where I was comfortable I was below where I normally tie my first step using the wild edge aider. I'm top heavy enough that I really need that next step to stabilize me on the way up. I think it will work great for you tree ninjas
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I think I follow you. You really need the next stepp above you to pull yourself up?

I use a combination of my lineman's belt and the aider rope to pull me up. If it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work. I don't think you need to be a tree ninja though. Part of my goal with this system was to find something I feel comfortable doing way back in the woods. I could do any of the super light weight climbing methods in my backyard, but when I'm out in the woods I want the lightest method that I feel safe with. So far this is it.
 
I'm liking my stepps. Even needing the next step to pull up with your aider still works. I was just hoping to get more height with each step. I'm going to experiment with it some more but right now I'm limited by how high I can tie on the next step up. I think I will start practicing tying on as high as I can reach.
 
I also use Stepps and am very interested in this approach also. I am currently using an Evo and have the long tether (12’) and am thinking of looping the hanging end up to the carabiner on a ropeman and simply using that as my aider. Haven’t tried it yet, but seems like it could work following Red’s method. Any thoughts?


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I ran a version of your aider Sunday for the first time. Used my tether and a webbing loop. Worked slick. Much better than attaching the aider to the step IMO. I need to make some adjustments to my webbing loop length and prusik length (this is going to make me buy another ropeman). Once those items are better dialed in it will be even better.

This will definitely be my go to system for the time being. Props for finding a better way @redsquirrel
 
Gr33n Arrow said:
I also use Stepps and am very interested in this approach also. I am currently using an Evo and have the long tether (12’) and am thinking of looping the hanging end up to the carabiner on a ropeman and simply using that as my aider. Haven’t tried it yet, but seems like it could work following Red’s method. Any thoughts?


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If you plan to put your foot in and adjust the height, I think a webbing loop would work better. If you try to do that with the rope as you mention, the bottom of the loop changes position on the rope. So the rope will have to slide under your boot. As you raise the ropeman, the bottom of the loop would move up the tether. Opposite lowering. Not sure if that explaination makes sense...but i think you height would be tougher to adjust.
 
I do have an aider on the way... just thought this could be a viable option to cut down on items taken in the field. Thanks skell



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Looking at this, it would also be a viable option for adding height when using climbing sticks as well. This aider could be placed above the next stick and that stick could be placed higher due to the added reach of the aider,
 
@redsquirrel I'm really liking this method....I can average 5ft in between steps! (15ft per 3 steps)! For reference I am almost 6ft tall and am comfortable lifting my leg up 2ft or more to the aider. The only inconvenience I am having is when I get up on each step my aider/tether ends up between my linemans belt and the step.... so moving up the aider means taking it off and then reattaching it again as high as I can reach. Is this how you are raising your aider up or are you leaving at attached to the tree and sliding it up through your linemans belt?
 
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Thedevine said:
@redsquirrel I'm really liking this method....I can average 5ft in between steps! (15ft per 3 steps)! For reference I am almost 6ft tall and am comfortable lifting my leg up 2ft or more to the aider. The only inconvenience I am having is when I get up on each step my aider/tether ends up between my linesmans belt and the step.... so moving up the aider means taking it off and then reattaching it again as high as I can reach. Is this how you are raising your aider up or are you leaving at attached to the tree and sliding it up through your linesman belt?
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Awesome! Glad it is working for you!!!
I just slide the aider up the tree through my lineman's belt. Having the size of the stepp helps with this because its easy to stand on and just put a little slack in my lineman's belt to slide it through.

I am thinking about using a biner or screw link to make it easier to unhook the aider but only on trees with lots of branches.
 
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