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Rappel girth hitch/triangle

arm breaker

arm breaker

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2019
Messages
637
Location
Arkansas
When rappelling, do most folks use a girth hitch around the tree trunk itself or just around a limb? I think I prefer the trunk but some some folks on YouTube using limbs and I wasn’t sure why.

Also, is there a good reason to use a triangle link on the girth hitch for the tag end to pass through instead of the other rope?

Finally, until I get something sewn, does the figure 8 on a bight make the most sense for the loop?

Thanks as always my friends.
 
I wrap around which ever one is more comfortable. Prefer the trunk though.

I use the triangle so that when im climbing I can quickly disconnect to get around branches. It sucks pulling all of that rope through girth hitch, then pulling it back through once past the limb.

I will yield to the knot experts, but I believe a figure 8 is good with a knot on the tag end of the line.
 
In this case are we talking about the tag end leftover from the not? Also, for proper lingo, what would the long end be called (the part going through the girth hitch)?
 
arm breaker said:
In this case are we talking about the tag end leftover from the not? Also, for proper lingo, what would the long end be called (the part going through the girth hitch)?
Click to expand...
Sorry, the stopper should be on the short end coming out of the figure 8.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 
I always girth hitch my rope around the trunk. It’s the strongest point to attach to—not saying that a limb won’t hold. I just prefer to be overly cautious. I have not had an issue yet where I was not able to get the rope down and around limbs. I use a figure eight loop, as well. I have 30’ of 550 paracord that has a carabiner affixed to it. I clip the carabiner onto the loop of my rappel rope. I always drop the paracord to my left because I have the tag end of the rappel rope affixed to my right side via an autoblock along with an ATC attached to my bridge. Don’t want those getting mixed together!

I usually take two steps back once I’m at the base of the tree and then pull on the paracord while “snapping” the rappel line and it all comes down.
 
5Oh12 said:
I always girth hitch my rope around the trunk. It’s the strongest point to attach to—not saying that a limb won’t hold. I just prefer to be overly cautious. I have not had an issue yet where I was not able to get the rope down and around limbs. I use a figure eight loop, as well. I have 30’ of 550 paracord that has a carabiner affixed to it. I clip the carabiner onto the loop of my rappel rope. I always drop the paracord to my left because I have the tag end of the rappel rope affixed to my right side via an autoblock along with an ATC attached to my bridge. Don’t want those getting mixed together!

I usually take two steps back once I’m at the base of the tree and then pull on the paracord while “snapping” the rappel line and it all comes down.
Click to expand...

Awesome, this answers a few more of my questions. Thanks!
 
arm breaker said:
When rappelling, do most folks use a girth hitch around the tree trunk itself or just around a limb? I think I prefer the trunk but some some folks on YouTube using limbs and I wasn’t sure why.

Also, is there a good reason to use a triangle link on the girth hitch for the tag end to pass through instead of the other rope?

Finally, until I get something sewn, does the figure 8 on a bight make the most sense for the loop?

Thanks as always my friends.
Click to expand...

I’m using the trunk every time. I’m sure there’s a possible scenario that would drive me towards using a branch over the trunk but it would have to be a very large branch on a very healthy tree!

You can use a link but a loop works fine.

Yes, figure eight on a bight with stopper.

Figure eight:


Stopper:



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
arm breaker said:
So both ends in this case are the tag end? Just one short one from the knot and one long one for the climbing part?
Click to expand...
One end is the eye. The other side is the tag end. To girth hitch something, run the tag end around an object and through the eye.
 
Red Beard said:
One end is the eye. The other side is the tag end. To girth hitch something, run the tag end around an object and through the eye.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I think I understood that much but they were talking about the tag end of the leftover from the figure 8 on a bight to make the eye. If that is the tag end, I was wondering what you call the other end (you call it tag and I defaulted to that as well). Maybe they are both tags and I am being too obtuse about it :joycat:.
 
arm breaker said:
In this case are we talking about the tag end leftover from the not? Also, for proper lingo, what would the long end be called (the part going through the girth hitch)?
Click to expand...
I am always interested in the etymology of words. On a price tag there is a girth hitched end and a tag end. Should be apparent.
 
5Oh12 said:
I always girth hitch my rope around the trunk. It’s the strongest point to attach to—not saying that a limb won’t hold. I just prefer to be overly cautious. I have not had an issue yet where I was not able to get the rope down and around limbs. I use a figure eight loop, as well. I have 30’ of 550 paracord that has a carabiner affixed to it. I clip the carabiner onto the loop of my rappel rope. I always drop the paracord to my left because I have the tag end of the rappel rope affixed to my right side via an autoblock along with an ATC attached to my bridge. Don’t want those getting mixed together!

I usually take two steps back once I’m at the base of the tree and then pull on the paracord while “snapping” the rappel line and it all comes down.
Click to expand...
The only time I got my rope stuck was when I had it girth hitched over a crotch. Around a tree trunk has always worked for me no matter where I clipped my pull down line.
 
bj139 said:
The only time I got my rope stuck was when I had it girth hitched over a crotch. Around a tree trunk has always worked for me no matter where I clipped my pull down line.
Click to expand...

I could definitely see the struggle there. I have not setup my rappel line in that type of situation. Thanks for the insight should that situation ever occur!
 
arm breaker said:
Thanks, I think I understood that much but they were talking about the tag end of the leftover from the figure 8 on a bight to make the eye. If that is the tag end, I was wondering what you call the other end (you call it tag and I defaulted to that as well). Maybe they are both tags and I am being too obtuse about it :joycat:.
Click to expand...
The working end is the end you tie the knot in The tag end is the end that's left over from the knot. That's the end to tie one of the the stopper knots in. The long end, the climby rappely end is called the standing part. The end of that part is the standing end, which you should also tie a stopper knot in, even if it reaches the ground. That's the end you "run" through the loop caused by your end line knot to create the girth hitch.
 
Last edited:
Kurt said:
The working end is the end you tie the knot in The tag end is the end that's left over from the knot. That's the end to tie one of the the stopper knots in. The long end, the climby rappely end is called the standing part. The end of that part is the standing end, which you should also tie a stopper knot in, even if it reaches the ground. That's the end you "run" through the loop caused by your end line knot to create the girth hitch.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I was wondering. Thanks so much, it should be a sticky post explaining to us newbs how to discuss this stuff properly.
 
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