justin.dunn.77377
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That’s awesome. Where did you hear about the primal steps being available again?
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Wild edge step platform
- Thread starter justin.dunn.77377
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That’s awesome. Where did you hear about the primal steps being available again?
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justin.dunn.77377
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Where did you get the carbon fiber sheet and how thick is it?
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My 3/4" plywood weighs 2 lbs by itself or 3 lbs when weighed with the Primal step base.
Since you can use the Primal to climb with (and slide in the plywood after) it can be your 4th step so total weight (with Kn/Sw method) is a breezy 6 lbs for four total steps which gets you to 24' for most folks.
If you are willing to use the 5-step aider you could drop to 3 total steps (including Primal platform) for 5 lbs (plus weight of aider). This in theory could get you to 21'ish. I've never tried this method and I'm not sure about the added risk/complexity of the 5-step vs the swaider and the 1 pound tradeoff.
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The Carbon Fiber is right at 3/4” also. It is a scrapped floorboard from a corporate jet. I was able to salvage a piece large enough to try.
As a note I noticed my plywood inert weight is 1lb 12oz! Somehow I lost the 1 in the last post
justin.dunn.77377
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I did a quick search on carbon fiber plate and it’s crazy expensive!!!
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The 5-step is what I switched to late season. It takes effort and concentration and practice, but i like it. 3 Primal's and the insert and I'm at 20-21'. super easy to carry in and out.
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Did you climb with your final step and then insert the platform? That is, three steps total?
If so, I'm curious if you felt like you could get the last step tight enough to handle board leveraging while reaching over your head?
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Probably should have made that clearer. I’m climbing with three and installing the 4th for the platform 18” up and offset from third step. Allows good leverage on the camover for the platform step. I don’t count the platform as a step
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No worries. Just wanted to be sure about the process here. Weighing the pros and cons of the 5-step aider vs Swaider and any weight savings.
I use my platform step as a final climb step (without board installed) and use Kn/Sw and four total steps get to 24'. Sounds like you are using 4 to get to 22-23' with no Swaider.
I'm guessing the 5-step and the Swaider are only marginally different in weight so there are no overall weight differences between these two approaches.
Comes down to a foot or two of height and the ease/safety of using the 5-step over the Swaider and the ease of installing a platform step at your knee vs at your head.
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The largest negative to the 5 step is very narrow trees are about impossible to climb. You can’t get solid toe plant without a roll out and swing!
I made a plywood model that turned out nice but it cause too much leverage on the WE and cannot get it tight enough. Just going to use WE as platform for now.
Has anyone tried an ocb or ratchet strap in addition to the we rope to hold it in place better? My primals have we ropes, so wanted to cam it tight, then tighten the strap as a secondary, then insert the board.
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That is the true advantage that the Primal has over the we. That strap is louder than the rope but it holds the step tight to the tree. I can push off the sides and put all my weight on the outward edge of the plywood and it stays put!
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I tried an OCB, but on a Primal, not a WE. It didn't get the step as consistently tight as the supplied strap.
I'd like to try a WE rope to save bulk and noise of buckle but I'm gathering from others here that it might not work well.
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Sorry, missed your point about using it after. I tried that also, sort of. I don't have WE ropes on my Primal. I just put step against tree in final resting mode and tried the OCB from there. Nowhere near tight enough.
It was better if I set the OCB with the step in the up position and then cammed the step over, but still not as good/consistent as the supplied strap.
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I will try the rope cammed over and then add a strap this weekend and see how it goes in combo mode. I did notice that the step was very solid and would not move with just me on it without the board, but as soon as I put the board in it pulls away. Interestingly, when I take the board back out, it is tight again, so seems like the rope is stretching under the extra torque. I did put out them out on a tree for several days to eliminate that, but maybe I need to do it longer?
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Interesting. Again, I have original Primal straps not ropes, so I dunno.
I was hoping that ropes would work just as good so I could ditch the bulky strap and buckle. Maybe you just can't get the rope tight enough.
Anyone on here successfully use a plywood platform insert with a roped step (Primal or WE)?
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I was hoping that ropes would work just as good so I could ditch the bulky strap and buckle. Maybe you just can't get the rope tight enough.
Anyone on here successfully use a plywood platform insert with a roped step (Primal or WE)?
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DB4x4
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Yes, I bought the Primal steps, cut the straps off and added 6mm accessory cord. The key is setting the step tighter than you normally would and using the board to provide extra leverage and torque to cam it over.
Use one hand to push the V up while camming down the board with the other. Just make sure both step legs are contacting the tree evenly when you do it or you can bend the step.
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Sheldon
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I took the straps off mine and added the WE ropes. Have played around with the plywood insert. Found it seems to snug up best when you set the step below the rope instead of equal or above as you normally would. When doing this the step does not stay crammed over but when you add your weight it locked in. As best I recall...too cold to go mess with it now.
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justin.dunn.77377
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I’m thinking about making a solid aluminum platform plate or a plywood sandwiched by two smaller aluminum plates. Then added two hole to the plate to be able to add an extra strap to it. Maybe a rope mod on the primal and a strap on the plate. You think this would make it more structurally sound? At the end of the day it would still be lighter than a regular saddle platform.
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