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What is the quickest, lightest, and most affordable climbing method?

Emurray2197 said:
To each their one .. every climbing method is going to fit everyone different.. the best advice anyone could give is get together with a few buddies who all climb different and try for yourself .. then Practice practice practice .. not one method is going to be the end all be all for everyone
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If you only care about quickness, yes. To be honest I am not a huge fan of 2tc, but I think that's because I suck at it and just girth hitched my foot loop and that created problems.

The lightness and affordability (I already have a tether, linesman belt, and rappel rope, so no purchase needed unless I buy a better foot loop) are what make me keep trying to like it.
 
60' rope: 90$ (civ) 40' : 70
15' foot tether: @25$
6mm hitch cord (5' ×5 hitches-2 JRB, 1 main bridge, 1 secondary bridge, 1 footloop) : 35$
CGM or other wide footloop: @25-30$ (single or double)
Diy footloop: free but nowhere as comfortable as a wide one!
Pull down line: unecessary if using a 60' rope, otherwise 10$ max.
3 carabiners: @25 -30$
A couple s clips for SRT or JRB: 5$
Throwball and line: 10$ or tennis ball jack ball: free. 50$ for 1000' of paracord.
SADDLE: up to you
Platform or ROS: up to you
Tree bolts (good to have for when opportunity arises!): 90$
Total minus saddle and ros/platform: $175 to $255
 
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All climbing methods are closer together than farther apart when you consider weight, packability, cost, and total time spent focusing on it(researching for hours on forums and gear websites to purchase, practice, packing it up, carrying it, unpacking it, putting it on or setting it up, climbing up, preparing to climb down, climbing down, packing it to leave, carrying it out, storing it).

No matter what anyone tells you, when you add all of these factors together, they’re all very close to each other. The only way to tease them apart are personal limitations (fitness, weight, risk aversion, available time to hunt, private/public, etc.) by the time you build a matrix of your personal factors amd make a judgement on what’s best for you, you could’ve invented a totally new climbing method and perfected it. Or bought any one of the fifty available.


Example: climbing sticks are super fast to climb with. Bolts are super slow to climb with.

Sticks: Add up how much time you spent deciding on them, doing whatever modifications you thought were necessary, packing them, buying 7 different packs to make them not annoying to pack, unpacking them at a tree, getting you and them up the tree, climbing and taking them down, packing them up to leave, packing them out, not destroying everything in your vehicle and tote with them.

Do this for five seasons, 30 times each season.

Bolts: Buy only drill available. Buy grade 8 bolts. Spend 30 minutes arguing and debating whether to get 6 or 6.5” bolts, put them in your pocket, climb tree, climb down and put them back in your pocket, throw them in cubby in back door of truck or bottom of pack.


Yes, you can climb up a tree with sticks in about half the time it takes to drill your way up with bolts. Maybe even 1/3. You’ll make almost ALL that time up on the climb down. You’ll make up the rest not having to pack and unpack and repack it. This is not considering the countless time spent figuring out the BEST sticks.

Once you’ve done this simple math, someone will chime in that you can’t use bolts on public land.

Revert to first two paragraphs.


Weeeeeeeeee
 
kyler1945 said:
All climbing methods are closer together than farther apart when you consider weight, packability, cost, and total time spent focusing on it(researching for hours on forums and gear websites to purchase, practice, packing it up, carrying it, unpacking it, putting it on or setting it up, climbing up, preparing to climb down, climbing down, packing it to leave, carrying it out, storing it).

No matter what anyone tells you, when you add all of these factors together, they’re all very close to each other. The only way to tease them apart are personal limitations (fitness, weight, risk aversion, available time to hunt, private/public, etc.) by the time you build a matrix of your personal factors amd make a judgement on what’s best for you, you could’ve invented a totally new climbing method and perfected it. Or bought any one of the fifty available.


Example: climbing sticks are super fast to climb with. Bolts are super slow to climb with.

Sticks: Add up how much time you spent deciding on them, doing whatever modifications you thought were necessary, packing them, buying 7 different packs to make them not annoying to pack, unpacking them at a tree, getting you and them up the tree, climbing and taking them down, packing them up to leave, packing them out, not destroying everything in your vehicle and tote with them.

Do this for five seasons, 30 times each season.

Bolts: Buy only drill available. Buy grade 8 bolts. Spend 30 minutes arguing and debating whether to get 6 or 6.5” bolts, put them in your pocket, climb tree, climb down and put them back in your pocket, throw them in cubby in back door of truck or bottom of pack.


Yes, you can climb up a tree with sticks in about half the time it takes to drill your way up with bolts. Maybe even 1/3. You’ll make almost ALL that time up on the climb down. You’ll make up the rest not having to pack and unpack and repack it. This is not considering the countless time spent figuring out the BEST sticks.

Once you’ve done this simple math, someone will chime in that you can’t use bolts on public land.

Revert to first two paragraphs.


Weeeeeeeeee
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Where's that thread with the vid of bolts with movable amsteel aider? Something like 6 bolts for 20' or so of climbing height.

I got into one stick so I haven't set bolts in a few seasons for climbing. I did though have two bolts and my drill for setting additional steps at 4 and 8 o'clock positions at platform height.
 
Somebody else’s ladder stand…perfect!! Lol!! Tried 2tc not sure it’s my thing. Tree gaffs and LB I would be the fastest ….was a lineman for a few decades. I prefer 1 stick and rappelling.I can do that with the least fiddling around but, it’s probably the most expensive method. I’m always learning so I never say never to try something new. I have learned a lot from everyone here…thanks!!
 
raisins said:
If I wasn't set on using strap on steps, I'd get 3 or 4 Novix mini sticks (probably single step) and use a 2 step aider on the bottom and 1 step aider on every other stick.
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this is what I do, from the time I s my
Climb to the top stick is under 6 min. Took some time to get quiet but I have it down and no sweat whatsoever

packing up is slow though.
 
John 35 said:
View attachment 69505

We typically call these “hedge trees” where I’m at. Some call them Osage trees.
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I hunted out of Hedge Apples just like that one in Indiana. I just monkeyed myself to where I wanted to go.

Same with Willows in a swamp I hunt locally, except that with the willows I normally have to put the stick on the tree once somewhere along the climb to navigate an area.
 
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C4CA9020-9BCE-4837-994A-7E2C5E8A36D7.jpeg
kyler1945 said:
As a ratio to your climb time, what is your unpack and pack up time? 1:1? 1:2?1:3?

I bet if folks timed this portion they’d surprise themselves.

I do every morning I try to climb with sticks. My watch fast forwards like 20 minutes!
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I haven’t timed my setup since I got suspenders for my saddle and now wear it in the walk in.

on my walk I have my leg straps on the outside(I don’t like walking with them in or even loose). I get to the tree hook up my leg straps and pull out my tow rope, tie off my bow and clip it to my back loops.

Put down my pack, take the sticks off, and hang my 3 uppers in my saddle and set my first stick (has a two step aider) on the ground. Put my pack back on, throw my LB around the tree, and start my climb.

I’d say probably about 5 minutes doing that, but that’s me being methodical in my movements and keeping quiet. So I’d say from the time I get to a tree, 10-12 min until I’m up at hunting height.

After that I’ll spend another 5 or so minutes getting my self situated and everything where I want it.

pack up seems to be way slower though. I rappel down so I have to stop at each of my upper sticks to take them off, then get down and pack it all up on my pack and roll up my rope. To walk out.
 
kyler1945 said:
As a ratio to your climb time, what is your unpack and pack up time? 1:1? 1:2?1:3?

I bet if folks timed this portion they’d surprise themselves.

I do every morning I try to climb with sticks. My watch fast forwards like 20 minutes!
Click to expand...
This is what I found using sticks last season. I was killing myself with the unpack and pack up and it took about 15 minutes of actual climb time in the middle. That's not even mentioning the weight and bulk and clanking around. That's what I am so excited about with 2TC. I have about 1 pound of climbing gear (the 2 lightweight sets) and it takes me less than 2 minutes to unpack it and begin the climb. Same for the pack up. From videoed practice climbs I've taken five to seven minutes to be at hunting height of about 20 feet, and about a 2 minute pack up afterward. I'm really hoping 2tc works as well in the woods this fall as it has worked for me during the off season.

As to ladders, the only bad thing about the other persons ladder stand in all of this is safety. One fell out from under a friend of mine one time and luckily he was just bruised up and not seriously hurt. It could have been bad.
 
I keep coming back to my cinched trunk srt with Roperunner and foot ascender. Don't need a branch to throw over and getting around branches is a piece of cake. In 3 or 4 movements I am at hunting height. I have been using a single ( a 2 piece pvc pole) and am waiting for a set of Push Stix's to complete the setup. I use my platform as my resting place on the way up and have no need for any additional steps etc. Bow is pulled up using tail of climbing rope and lowered the same way. When I am moving my climbing line upward I am secured to the tree with a Tenex whoopie sling so I don't introduce slack into the system. Works for this 65 yr old - different flavors for different folks.
 
Assuming public, no preset, it totally depends on the trees where you hunt. Also, you should be interested in quiet, too.

1 limb pass or less, basketball-ish or smaller - 2TC
1 limb pass or less, bigger diameter/slight lean - 1 stick, or maybe LWHC + tether if no limbs?
2 or more limbs - 4 sticks w/ cable aider, 3 sticks with movable aider, or wild edge steps w/ w/out knaider/swaider.

I’ve been thinking for relatively Large, limbless trees with no crotch for preset, should i be looking at tether + LWHC more seriously? Because this is mostly what i have where i hunt…..every year i promise to commit to a climbing method, and mid season i find a reason to goof with it….


In all of these cases, if there is a crotch and you plan to hunt again, leave a Paracord then JRB or SRT on the next hunt.
Based on my scouting i have 3 spots to choose from opening day, 1 is An SRT preset paracord in a giant oak, one is a 2TC tree, and another is a big limbless leaner that i failed to 2TC, so I’ll need to use 3 hawks heliums w/ movable aider (only because i don’t have a good one-stick….yet).

i will choose the spot based on wind. Wish i had a one-stick game, but will add that or LWHC method next year.
 
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It's all relative, other than possibly cost... It's how and what you practice, and practice, and practice... I'm a SRT and WEI Stepps guy (currently) and have myself (mostly) convinced that I need to try a "modified" 2TC! Any method that I use, it's 15 to 20 minutes to being ready, huntable, and relaxed. I do place an extreme emphasis on silence and no rushing, I'm also very organized with my pack/unpack.

As a side note, unless I have a preset, I won't throwball an unknown tree in the dark (and it's not because I physically can't) lol.
 
This is something that everyone will need to figure out for themselves. It's all about perspective, and mentality. . . For me, it's 5 wild edge steps with and aider. I amd quick, and effective with it, quiet too. And that are ~ 20$ a step. . . . Roughly
 
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