2TC and 1 stick: best upper tether setup for smooth advance?

[TommyDee]

This is a specific question for optimizing 2TC, but may also help 1 stickers

2TC ninjas, please share details/photos of your upper tether setup. I think a smooth upward tether advance is really the barrier for people adopting this, especially on bigger trees.

I’ll start with what NOT to use: I’m using canyon IV rappel rope with Delta link, and various rappelling gear (grigri, mammut, now ATC w/ mich hitch), i can say my upper tether is NOT optimal for smooth advancing and holding In place (without slipping down) for the next move. I’ve tried some of the 3d tether holders, some homemade webbing straps, I’ve put webbed tubing around my rappel rope, zip ties, using a Celtic knot to cinch…nothing works smoothly, except for me to grab both sides from inside. Eventually I’m gonna smash my fingers.

Bonus points for an optimal rappel rope/quick link setup (this helps everyone, including 1 stickers), but at this stage I’m willing to switch to use a dedicated larger rope upper tether For 2TC, then i can set up a rappel rope once I’m set up hunting. (i insist on having a fast way down, that‘s just me)

Might be as simple as a specific stiffer, fatter tether rope i can buy. Keep it simple is better (Please also specify best hitch cord/ascender device for larger ropes, anything larger than 9 mm is foreign to me)

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Samcirrus]

Will do...

 

[NMSbowhunter]

My go to for the top tether is 11.5mm Blue Water Assault line. It is pretty stiff and works great for the top tether since the stiffness makes its it easy to advance up and down the tree. Incidentally, I like the bottom tether to be soft. I use 11.4mm Sampson Predator for that with a Blakes hitch for the foot loop.

On my top tether I use a Rope man 1 and back it up by tying a small loop in the tail of the tether and clip it in to my carabiner. That way, if the Rope man failed, I am still attached.

I also made a lighter weight setup with 9mm HTP static as the top tether and an Amsteel foot loop. The HTP static is also stiff, like the Bluewater assault line. The kit on the right in the second photo is the HTP static kit.

Here is where I got the 9mm HTP static.

Sterling HTP Static Rope – Eastern Woods Outdoors (doublesteps.com)

 

[Brocky]

Has anyone posted this way?

 

[TommyDee]

Brocky, that seems a little risky, but maybe I’m missing something. If I’m advancing the tehther and there’s enough slack, isnt’ it possible for the bight to slip off the figure 8? Then i think I’d be going straight to the bottom of the tree.

 

[Brocky]

You take out the bight to advance it, no chance of finger pinching.

 

[TommyDee]

You take out the bight to advance it, no chance of finger pinching.

I might be missing something. I don’t hook into my foot tether when advancing upper. 2TC climbing relies on a solid upper tether attachment at all times, so this wouldn’t be a safe solution at all….said differently, I’d rather crush a finger than plummet 20 ft…and i don’t know about you guys, but my best spots always have horrific things at the base of the tree…usually a boulder, a sapling ready to impale me, etc.

 

[Islandshooter]

I just push my tether up with a trekking pole. Keeps tension just fine as i climb. Got tired of fighting slack in linesman and tether, especially climbing aiders. One stick or multiple sticks. Rappel down

 

[Scott F]

I just push my tether up with a trekking pole. Keeps tension just fine as i climb. Got tired of fighting slack in linesman and tether, especially climbing aiders. One stick or multiple sticks. Rappel down

I hunted the deep south for years, where straight and tall trees were the norm. I always imagined a telescopic pole to advance my tether really high (like 4 times what a trekking pole can do) would help someone fly up a tree quietly.

I now live in central TN where I finally have the chance to advance around limbs...

Sent from my SM-S102DL using Tapatalk

 

[Iron_llama]

Is there an advantage to not using hooks or loops or other gizmos when advancing your tether? It seems like the 1-stickers found a bunch of ways do do this that would translate pretty easily to 2TC.

 

[phatkaw]

Quit being a Panzie and use a seperate tether!


If you use a couple of prusik loops or whatever for handles then your tether can become your bow and pack holder once you hook into your rappel rope..

 

[phatkaw]

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Is there an advantage to not using hooks or loops or other gizmos when advancing your tether? It seems like the 1-stickers found a bunch of ways do do this that would translate pretty easily to 2TC.

I find that using a stiff rope for a top tether negates the need, in my personal experience, to having to have tether handles of any sort. I tried them and they were in the way. With a stiff top tether you can grasp the rope just ahead of the loop where it girth hitches the tree and let off a little slack and use your other hand to work the rope up the tree. It is very smooth and easy.

I think the more stuff you have to fiddle with while trying to advance the tether just puts you on the foot loop longer. The longer you are on the foot loop the more pressure it puts on your foot and the more time you spend in some sort of slack situation (albeit very little slack).

This is 9mm HTP static.

 

[Horn]

View attachment 87603View attachment 87604

You might have too much gear when you're using canyon elite with a birdie for clothes lines

Good idea though! I might have to try that! Does G3D make hooks like the gear strap for rope? I'll have to check

 

[phatkaw]

You might have too much gear when you're using canyon elite with a birdie for clothes lines

Elite is too bulky to carry in and out of the woods and a Figure eight is waayyy nicer to rappel from than a Birdie or a Madrock! I bought them, I might as well use them for something...

Does G3D make hooks like the gear strap for rope?

I like using the Niteyes S-biners for hooks.
If you put a castration band in the middle of it you can roll that to either keeper if you want to have one side, or both
Opened...

 

[Horn]

Elite is too bulky to carry in and out of the woods and a Figure eight is waayyy nicer to rappel from than a Birdie or a Madrock! I bought them, I might as well use them for something...



I like using the Niteyes S-biners for hooks.
If you put a castration band in the middle of it you can roll that to either keeper if you want to have one side, or both
Opened...


View attachment 87635

I agree on bulk, what did you switch too? Also probably switching to the figure 8. Sorry to be off topic

 

[phatkaw]

Sorry to be off topic

I don't mind. (It's not my thread)


Ultra-Tech or C-IV or Rescue-Tech mostly...
I have a bunch of different ropes.

 

[Brocky]

But I‘m guessing not nearly enough!!

 

[TommyDee]

Quit being a Panzie and use a seperate tether!


If you use a couple of prusik loops or whatever for handles then your tether can become your bow and pack holder once you hook into your rappel rope..

This is what I’ve basically told myself, just get up the tree, then i can hook up the rappel rope and use it as a gear hanger. I actually do this on most SRT’s, hook into a dedicated tether, always quieter and easy to adjust. i have a ropeman lying around that is in spec for 10 mm above, so i might find someone that will sell me 10 ft of the 11.5 bluewater assault, unless anyone has other favorite stiff ropes, tie a tether, and see if i can get myself up some bigger trees. Can i get that rope in small qty’s? @Brocky do you have any you want to sell me?

 

[BuckYeah]

getting my foot loop from cgm in a few days just shipped. 2TC looks a lot easier than one sticking. I will be using that figure 8 to advance my top tether looks extremely convenient!!!!