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Who Wants Nothing To Do With One Sticking?

Plebe said:
Problem is, there isn't a good purpose built platform for climbing..yet.
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Great post. Agreed on all fronts. I am surprised with all this attention and innovation that there has not been a saddle climber released.

That said, all these new 1-sticks with various platforms on top are effectively the new "climbing platform". You just spend time climbing up to it rather than always standing on it. They are perhaps better at navigating limbs compared to a true climber, but have similar weights (unless traded off for platform size), and identical or greater weights if you choose to rappel down rather than platform/stick climb down.
 
Plebe said:
If you're going to hunt limbless trees anyway, it's hard to beat a climbing platform. Some benefits are: 1. Tether tension is easily managed for safety. 2. You don't need to rappel so you can choose to save on the weight / bulk of that gear. 3. Weight savings can be reinvested in extra platform size. Problem is, there isn't a good purpose built platform for climbing..yet.

The one stick/rappel method provides extra versatility. For guys and gals who like hunting off small platforms, it's really a great option for a lightweight mobile setup that can handle most climbing scenarios. Couple pounds of rope, couple pounds of stick. Not all that complicated. Fast enough to setup, really fast to tear down. To me, the ONLY drawback is tether slack.

But I like a platform so why stick climb and hang a platform when you can no-stick climb using your platform and aider like you'd one stick?
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My thoughts exactly!
 
onestringer said:
I can do that.
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That would be interesting for sure. I noted in the video the guy kept hooking and unhooking his LB to move his tether up. Guess that was for tether slack? He is the first one sticker that I have seen use both and that slowed him down considerably. Although for me it’s not about time at all, it’s about flexibility. Really don’t care if it takes 5 more minutes to get up the tree, I’ll just leave the house 5 min earlier.
 
Ckwilli said:
I’d like to try it but the start up cost is way too much. It’s hard to justify the expense. Especially since I’m kind of funding my kids hunting and fishing also.
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Same, everything I try my wife tries, and sometimes my son also.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk
 
TNSTAAFL said:
Great post. Agreed on all fronts. I am surprised with all this attention and innovation that there has not been a saddle climber released.
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I’m thinking it has something to do with the certification requirements for stands. Either that or greater liability...or both. Be great to have a purpose built climbing platform that weighed in the 5 lb or less range.
 
2Sloe said:
That would be interesting for sure. I noted in the video the guy kept hooking and unhooking his LB to move his tether up. Guess that was for tether slack? He is the first one sticker that I have seen use both and that slowed him down considerably. Although for me it’s not about time at all, it’s about flexibility. Really don’t care if it takes 5 more minutes to get up the tree, I’ll just leave the house 5 min earlier.
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same with squirl steps
 
Admittedly, I haven't really gave one sticking a fair shake, but I just don't want to. I like the ease of going up the tree with sticks. I even like the ease of using the stock buckles on my lone wolf sticks. I just feel like it's tighter, safer, and faster. A couple of times I tried to get a few extra of feet out of my sticks by one sticking and it was a nightmare. Coming down was even worse, granted I wasn't repelling. I also feel like you're significantly increasing your risk of a fall by repelling down. Kind of like when you walk out onto thin ice and fall through. Makes no sense to take a different way out from a safety standpoint. You know the way in is solid and it worked once already. More power to you if you like one sticking. It's fun to try new stuff and if you find something that works, go for it!
Oh, and I have a hard time not constantly advancing up the tree. Two steps forward, one step back. Can't do it.
 
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Still looking at 1 stick vs 2TC. Both are limited by the rappelling rope. Currently using Bullman steps, so they are already on my saddle and super easy to carry in, quiet, and secure. But, the limit is how many steps I carry and that is the problem I have, several trees I need to go another 10' to get into the clear cut to access the natural shooting lanes.

Previously I was trying Helium's, would have needed 5-6 long sticks to get my wife in the zone on those trees. Now, I have had several preset trees where I put Muddy steps up in the upper tree branches and just used my sticks to get to the prehung sticks. But, this was limiting in the same way tree stands were.

So many things to think about.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk
 
I won't be doing any one sticking or platform climbing. For me I just carry 3 or 4 sticks with cable aiders on them. I don't see any point in putting together a quiet and simple system to introduce a bunch of screwing around to save 4-6 lbs. I can swing my body weight that much in a day with just water weight. More power to the guys that want to do it. Not my thing. Plus I have no interest being 30 feet up. 20 is plenty sometimes even 10 is enough.
 
rswink said:
Still looking at 1 stick vs 2TC. Both are limited by the rappelling rope. Currently using Bullman steps, so they are already on my saddle and super easy to carry in, quiet, and secure. But, the limit is how many steps I carry and that is the problem I have, several trees I need to go another 10' to get into the clear cut to access the natural shooting lanes.

Previously I was trying Helium's, would have needed 5-6 long sticks to get my wife in the zone on those trees. Now, I have had several preset trees where I put Muddy steps up in the upper tree branches and just used my sticks to get to the prehung sticks. But, this was limiting in the same way tree stands were.

So many things to think about.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk
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my own preferance would me more bullman steps.there are no limits to what you can climb
 
2Sloe said:
That would be interesting for sure. I noted in the video the guy kept hooking and unhooking his LB to move his tether up. Guess that was for tether slack? He is the first one sticker that I have seen use both and that slowed him down considerably. Although for me it’s not about time at all, it’s about flexibility. Really don’t care if it takes 5 more minutes to get up the tree, I’ll just leave the house 5 min earlier.
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That guy in the video is me. I used the lineman belt because I was climbing on the back side of the lean, the video didn't show the lean well, but its there. One other change I thought about after is, once at height with sticks I need to hook up and unhook my tether, that's a step that has to be considered. I don't onestick to save time, I do it because I am lazy and don't want to carry 4 sticks, plus rappelling is fun.
 
onestringer said:
That guy in the video is me. I used the lineman belt because I was climbing on the back side of the lean, the video didn't show the lean well, but its there. One other change I thought about after is, once at height with sticks I need to hook up and unhook my tether, that's a step that has to be considered. I don't onestick to save time, I do it because I am lazy and don't want to carry 4 sticks, plus rappelling is fun.
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That’s exactly how I feel. I just don’t want to have to carry that weight for a mile or two. Ironically, since I don’t have to carry the weight I can walk in faster and probably arrive at the tree earlier. So In the end it’s probably a wash anyway.
 
It’s about size and east of carrying for me not so much weight, that’s just a bonus. I hated it at first but now don’t see myself climbing another way. It took me several tries to find what was comfortable and efficient for me but it’s easy and just as fast as sticks for me now plus I can go to any height with what I got. If I had I had access to private then maybe I would use bolts but I rarely hunt the same tree so don’t know if I would climb another way even so. I hated having a climber getting caught in thickets and hitting branches. I now have two one sticking set ups, one with a step on top that I use with a predator xl for long sits strapped on my kuiu 1800 pack. The other has a scout on top for short hunts and if I want with this set up I can walk in with my saddle and rope in my dump pouch, bow in one hand, and my stick in the other. Sometimes I supplement this set up with a three step ros.
 
I tried the one stick and rappel and I think it is the cats meow. Now I would not like the one stick method if I had to use it to come back down. But the advantages for carrying one stick and a rappel line is the way to go for me. I like it.
 
Weldabeast said:
No sticks for me
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What have you found is the best way to no stick. Or best combo I should say. I tied some webbing to my predator tonight and it was definitely just as easy to climb that way vs a 1 stick. Is there any strap tricks to make moving of the platform better? And what aiders work the best? Ill be rappelling down.
 
SNIPERBBB said:
I think if you one stick/rappel you might as well have SRT gear to get back up.
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My lineman belt is a tool of many uses, if I drop something or have another reason to rappel, my lineman belt gets fashioned into a foot loop, and I use that to SRT back up, not the most ideal, but it works fine for the few times I might need to get back up.

I agree with everything @boyne bowhunter said. For me it's not just about weight or even bulk of more sticks, it's the ability to get where i need to be whether 25ft up or 10 with what I have on me.

I'm an avid 1 stick fan. I use my s biners for hanging my gear to advance my tether as I climb, which is a ton simpler than trying to advance it by hand. A loose tether is the biggest risk with this method
 
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