Why don't yall 2TC?

[gcr0003]

Why don’t I try 2TC? Not enough time to read all 46 pages and 900+ posts! (TLDNR). Can you point me to the right / best posts to save me from wading through everything?

2 tethers. Now you’re all set lol

 

[phatkaw]

Why don’t I try 2TC? Not enough time to read all 46 pages and 900+ posts! (TLDNR). Can you point me to the right / best posts to save me from wading through everything?

Page 39 post #765 !

 

[krub6b]

This thread has definitely ballooned slightly lol. That being said, I'd start with this video and then see what questions you have from there.

Without having some pointed questions it's gonna be hard to help you find the direction you want to start heading with 2TC.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

 

[Plebe]

Yes good feedback. When one stick climbing, I could be at 21 feet in about 3 moves, but there would be much more slack in each move (a dangerous amount), and I’m contorting on each of those to reach the stick. In this scenario I think I’m averaging 40-48 inches per move. But no contorting, just grab the bottom tether and move it up. I think at worst my tether gets to my waist height on this climb. That wouldn’t be a fun fall, but not the same kind of danger as one sticking. I think I’m actually more worried about my fingers though, because on a one stick you have more sure footing when advancing tether. That is my main concern..

On the way down I found it efficient to move the tether from above my head height to my knees each time (probably 40” each move). Going down was easier than expected.

Note: this was only my second climb. I did one test before it and it went well so I figured I’d throw up the camera and get input. With a bit more practice there may be ways to be a bit more safe and efficient.

He used a girth hitched webbing aider.

I think it'd be easier to fish for your rigid steps, but an unstructured loop might be more stable to stand in due to collapsing around the boot?

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Yes good feedback. When one stick climbing, I could be at 21 feet in about 3 moves, but there would be much more slack in each move (a dangerous amount), and I’m contorting on each of those to reach the stick. In this scenario I think I’m averaging 40-48 inches per move. But no contorting, just grab the bottom tether and move it up. I think at worst my tether gets to my waist height on this climb. That wouldn’t be a fun fall, but not the same kind of danger as one sticking. I think I’m actually more worried about my fingers though, because on a one stick you have more sure footing when advancing tether. That is my main concern..

On the way down I found it efficient to move the tether from above my head height to my knees each time (probably 40” each move). Going down was easier than expected.

Note: this was only my second climb. I did one test before it and it went well so I figured I’d throw up the camera and get input. With a bit more practice there may be ways to be a bit more safe and efficient.

Adding a couple of tether handles to the top tether could mitigate the danger of having your fingers between the tether and the tree, There are a couple of good options here, 3D printed, AMsteel, or Webbing.

 

[Maverick1]

Adding a couple of tether handles to the top tether could mitigate the danger of having your fingers between the tether and the tree, There are a couple of good options here, 3D printed, AMsteel, or Webbing.

What about Paracord loops?

 

[krub6b]

What about Paracord loops?

Those will work, I use the tag end of the loop on my tether which has a stopper knot on it and a niteize plastic s-biner to keep my fingers safe

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[TDubbs12]

Those will work, I use the tag end of the loop on my tether which has a stopper knot on it and a niteize plastic s-biner to keep my fingers safe

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I use these for now.....

 

[NMSbowhunter]

What about Paracord loops?

That should work fine. I think zip ties have been mentioned as well. Anything that you can grasp and use to advance the tether without having to put your fingers under the rope.

 

[Samcirrus]

Why don’t I try 2TC? Not enough time to read all 46 pages and 900+ posts! (TLDNR). Can you point me to the right / best posts to save me from wading through everything?

What else are you gonna do that's as interesting as this thread is?

 

[Plebe]

That should work fine. I think zip ties have been mentioned as well. Anything that you can grasp and use to advance the tether without having to put your fingers under the rope.

Yep, back on page 2...carry a spare juice box just in case, lol.

You certainly bring up good points! I fully believe everyone should be using something on the outside of their girth hitch any time they move their tether up or down, regardlessof the climbing method. You'd be in a precarious position if caught with your body weight on your fingers. Tether handles can be made out of just about anything though... zip ties, 550, a juicebox straw.

And I'll second that the thigh loop and leg hook is key to one's stability.

As far as rigidity, I cut some flexible hose and put it over my rope in two places when I was using a thicker rope. It worked out really well to flip the rope up the back of the tree.
View attachment 45603View attachment 45604

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I did another practice climb this morning and practiced the advance around limb. The limb bypass went smoothly. I seemed to be off a bit on my timing today and the climb seemed a little more uncoordinated, but that was just me. I was past the limb at 16 feet with my top tether in 5 minutes. That's not too bad. The more I do it the more I think that by sticking to the 18 inch moves and going slow and steady and getting the rhythm of things engrained is going to be my best bet. If by hunting season I can get this down to 7 minutes set up to hunt at 20+ feet I will be a happy camper.

I see this as a replacement for my 4 Lone Wolf Sticks and a stand in for my Lone Wolf Assault II hand climber.

I do have some 3/16 Amsteel/Dynema on the way to make an ultra lite setup to play around with. I'm making the one below.

(215) 2TC ( Two Tether Climbing) System Build - YouTube

 

[phatkaw]

Adding a couple of tether handles to the top tether could mitigate the danger of having your fingers between the tether and the tree, There are a couple of good options here, 3D printed, AMsteel, or Webbing.

These work great for ropes 10mm and under!!!

Prusik Tender / Keychain / Gear Clip

Double-ended accessory clip with triangle carabiners attached to 1″ webbing. Multiple uses including keychains, gear hangers, or prusik tender. Size: 4.75″ x 1″ x .25″ Color…

doublesteps.com

 

[NMSbowhunter]

OK, this was my first attempt at splicing Amsteel/Dynema so some of the splices may not be as polished as those made by someone who is an old hand at this, but I do believe they are correct. This is the main tether for the ultralite 2TC rig I am building based off the video above. Take a look at the pictures below and see if there are any issues that you Amsteel Smiths can see. I put it on a tree out back and weighted it and it didn't budge. That Prussik bites down plenty hard considering it is the same 3/16 line as the main tether. If I get some time, I will start working on the foot tether this evening. In the 4th picture you can see that the splice of the prussik loop falls on the carabiner. Is that OK?

 

[NMSbowhunter]

OK, finished the bottom tether. One thing I figured out was in order to install the locked Brummel on the bottom tether loop I had to pull the whoopie sling and tubing set up out, thread it through, then rethread the foot loop and whoopie. No big deal. Maybe I was missing something, but I could not figure out how to get the locked Brummel on the loop any other way.

I made my fish tape for threading out of 1 of 4 copper wires inside Romex cable, the type used in residential houses. It is plenty stiff, and I was too cheap to shell out for an electrician's fish tape, lol.

I tried it out on the ground and then I made about 4 moves up and came back down. I have to say the foot loop tubing was more comfortable than I thought, and I was wearing soft soled tennis shoes too. This set up is light weight. It also moves up and down the tree easier than I thought. The full bury makes the rope sort of stiff. This may change with use. I can see just shoving this in a cargo pocket to take when setting out cameras.

 

[sureshot]

I tried 2TC two summers ago and thought it would work well for me after trying it out over the summer. Once hunting season came and I started climbing in the woods with my full hunting gear I noticed that the my bib overalls really made it a lot more work to get my feet up and in the foot loop. If I left my foot in the loop, it was a lot of work to hold my leg up to get the tether up. I would end up a sweaty mess. I've still kept the 2TC in my gear and have used it a couple times when going to a new tree with no branches to SRT and once when I got my throw ball stuck trying to SRT a tree with a bunch of limbs last year.

Anyway, I've been noticing that now that I'm in my mid 40's, I'm not as flexible, and it's actually hard to just left my leg up high to put my shoes on. I've always lifted and worked out, but I'll admit I've always skimped on stretching/flexibility. I think part of (possibly the main reason) 2TC hasn't been for me is because I'm too tight/inflexible. This thread has got me wanting to try some of the changes discussed with 2TC. I also plan to start working more on stretching/flexibility for quality of life, but hopefully that will also transfer over into easier 2TC. Not sure if anyone else has gone through any of this or not, but it's something I noticed and am going to work on.

 

[gcr0003]

I tried 2TC two summers ago and thought it would work well for me after trying it out over the summer. Once hunting season came and I started climbing in the woods with my full hunting gear I noticed that the my bib overalls really made it a lot more work to get my feet up and in the foot loop. If I left my foot in the loop, it was a lot of work to hold my leg up to get the tether up. I would end up a sweaty mess. I've still kept the 2TC in my gear and have used it a couple times when going to a new tree with no branches to SRT and once when I got my throw ball stuck trying to SRT a tree with a bunch of limbs last year.

Anyway, I've been noticing that now that I'm in my mid 40's, I'm not as flexible, and it's actually hard to just left my leg up high to put my shoes on. I've always lifted and worked out, but I'll admit I've always skimped on stretching/flexibility. I think part of (possibly the main reason) 2TC hasn't been for me is because I'm too tight/inflexible. This thread has got me wanting to try some of the changes discussed with 2TC. I also plan to start working more on stretching/flexibility for quality of life, but hopefully that will also transfer over into easier 2TC. Not sure if anyone else has gone through any of this or not, but it's something I noticed and am going to work on.

I’m a younger buck but not youngest buck and so when I was doing interval training (sprint jog sprint) in the fall I pulled my hamstring. It took me a long time to nurse that sucker back where I didn’t feel any pain while running or climbing. When I tried 2tc I couldn’t wrap my leg around the tree with my heel because it uses the hamstring and hurt so bad. So that kept me from playing around with 2tc for a while. The whole part of my recovery of that muscle was stretching and rest. My wife is almost a PT so stretching can’t be emphasized enough.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I tried 2TC two summers ago and thought it would work well for me after trying it out over the summer. Once hunting season came and I started climbing in the woods with my full hunting gear I noticed that the my bib overalls really made it a lot more work to get my feet up and in the foot loop. If I left my foot in the loop, it was a lot of work to hold my leg up to get the tether up. I would end up a sweaty mess. I've still kept the 2TC in my gear and have used it a couple times when going to a new tree with no branches to SRT and once when I got my throw ball stuck trying to SRT a tree with a bunch of limbs last year.

Anyway, I've been noticing that now that I'm in my mid 40's, I'm not as flexible, and it's actually hard to just left my leg up high to put my shoes on. I've always lifted and worked out, but I'll admit I've always skimped on stretching/flexibility. I think part of (possibly the main reason) 2TC hasn't been for me is because I'm too tight/inflexible. This thread has got me wanting to try some of the changes discussed with 2TC. I also plan to start working more on stretching/flexibility for quality of life, but hopefully that will also transfer over into easier 2TC. Not sure if anyone else has gone through any of this or not, but it's something I noticed and am going to work on.

Good input from actual use in the field. I can see where a set of Bibs would make it hard to lift up your leg to get into the foot loop.

I feel you on the flexibility issue. Lately this has been a concern of mine. I have worked out for decades and in the past several years I have incorporated a lot of stretching and flexibility exercises into not just my workouts but also my everyday morning wake up routine. I am in my late 40's and aside from more aches and pains from accumulated injuries I am in pretty good shape. I do a lot of stretching, and also a lot of exercises to maintain and increase my balance. My opinion is that age is more of a physical state than a calendar designation. I have friends who are in their 30's and haven't take care of themselves and they are physically much older than their age would suggest. I have a friend who is in his early 80's and does whatever he wants. He took care of himself. I'm hoping with hard work I can stay in the game for many more years to come, knock on wood. I think it is a great idea that you want to start incorporating flexibility into your workouts. I has helped me a lot.

For me, the 2TC has been less of a struggle than using sticks. I found myself fumbling more and straining to make things work. Also, I think it's fine to use others methods to hunt. I hunt off the ground some each season and I still use my little climber some. To me it's about choosing the best tool for the job.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I did a half climb this morning on the new Amsteel/Dynema setup I made the other day. I'm still working on my trust issues with Amsteel, lol. I wore the Lacross boots this morning that I did most of my hunting out of last season. I used my Recon sling saddle as usual.

I videoed myself again to get some ideas regarding time. I did 6 moves in 2:33 minutes for 25.5 seconds per move average. I would guess I was doing my normal 18 inch moves so I got 10 to 12 feet up. Let's just say 10 since this was a half climb. My initial impressions from the other day were reinforced. It really is not any harder for me to climb with than the thicker ropes. However, if I were suggesting this method to others I would say learn on the heavier ropes and when you are comfortable then try these spider webs. There is a mental hurdle to get over using something so light and thin. I'm not 100% there myself but I feel like this will come pretty fast with use.

As far as a bare minimalist climbing method this will be hard to beat. Picture below is the 2TC Amsteel/Dynema set, a set of 7 Pioneer steps on an OCB strap, a Recon 2 panel saddle, a bow pullup rope and a HME bow/gear hanger. Add my bow and that is basically it.

 

[CooterBrown]

I did a half climb this morning on the new Amsteel/Dynema setup I made the other day. I'm still working on my trust issues with Amsteel, lol. I wore the Lacross boots this morning that I did most of my hunting out of last season. I used my Recon sling saddle as usual.

I videoed myself again to get some ideas regarding time. I did 6 moves in 2:33 minutes for 25.5 seconds per move average. I would guess I was doing my normal 18 inch moves so I got 10 to 12 feet up. Let's just say 10 since this was a half climb. My initial impressions from the other day were reinforced. It really is not any harder for me to climb with than the thicker ropes. However, if I were suggesting this method to others I would say learn on the heavier ropes and when you are comfortable then try these spider webs. There is a mental hurdle to get over using something so light and thin. I'm not 100% there myself but I feel like this will come pretty fast with use.

As far as a bare minimalist climbing method this will be hard to beat. Picture below is the 2TC Amsteel/Dynema set, a set of 7 Pioneer steps on an OCB strap, a Recon 2 panel saddle, a bow pullup rope and a HME bow/gear hanger. Add my bow and that is basically it.

Just so i understand. What size amsteel are you using and did you say it was a full bury?