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Ameristeps w/ knaider swaider

iamcorey said:
Dude. Good work.

Btw babies can sense when you are trying to focus on things that are not them.

Anyone tried it with Squirrel steps and an OCB?

Where did you get the sling? Is it the $10 one on amazon?

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Click to expand...

Yes, I'm not paying attention to her and she lets me know it!

Thanks. It's really efficient and I LOVE that I don't have to set my pack down. I just set my bow down so I can tie on my hoist, throw on the k/s and up I go.

Rappelling down will make this a killer setup.

This is where I got mine.
rover.ebay.com

Sterling Rope 12mm Dyneema Sewn Sling | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Sterling Rope 12mm Dyneema Sewn Sling at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
rover.ebay.com
 
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I haven't tried with squirrel steps on an ocb as I don't have any to try. I will say this, the ocb gets the Ameristeps TIGHT. I'm torn on them though. They aren't as quick and easy to install as the cam buckles, but they don't move at ALL. So far, the less fiddle factor with the cam buckle has me leaning towards them. I actually really like the original straps. I plan on tacking my steps to the straps that aren't already.
 
I’m thinking of trying this with my squirrels do you think a 6” sling would work? I found some 6” 13cm slings on amazon for 8$
 
smcchevy said:
Wonder how bad this method would be with Cranfords?
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I've never used Cranfords so I'm not sure how they act on a tree. If the get nice and tight, don't see why it wouldn't work. Can't think of the name at the moment, but there are new steps out there that good up that are steel that look like would work well too
 
This is the step that I was referring to. I didn't realize that it was actually a Cranford step. Might be heavier than an Ameristep, but it'll pack down better. They would definitely need vet wrapped. Only issue I could see would be less surface area on your boot. Standing on an a single Ameristep is manageable, but these look skinny.

Screenshot_20191028-132217_Chrome.jpg
 
i have a couple of slings on order to try out:
I'll return to amazon if they don't work out.
10mm 30cm (~12in)
18mm 30cm
 
Got my slings from moose jaw today. https://www.moosejaw.com/product/metolius-11mm-open-sling_10245815

Went up two steps and chaotic is putting it mildly. I think my spacing and tether management needs work. Thinking about adding the LB for stability.

The thing that was killing me was the jingle jangle from my trophyline belt. Putting Slack in that bridge allowed the slider to make all kinds of noise. I’ll continue to practice but unless I can silence that belt I’ll be returning the saddle or changing climbing method.


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iamcorey said:
Got my slings from moose jaw today. https://www.moosejaw.com/product/metolius-11mm-open-sling_10245815

Went up two steps and chaotic is putting it mildly. I think my spacing and tether management needs work. Thinking about adding the LB for stability.

The thing that was killing me was the jingle jangle from my trophyline belt. Putting Slack in that bridge allowed the slider to make all kinds of noise. I’ll continue to practice but unless I can silence that belt I’ll be returning the saddle or changing climbing method.


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Dang, I've never used a trophyline so I have no experience to help with there. My Kestrel is quiet. What part of the belt is jangling? The waist belt?

As far as stability goes, it was crazy at the beginning for me as well. Once you get the right step and tether spacing, it really shores that up. You'll get more and more comfortable each time. Hope you can get it figured out!
 
rakbowhunter said:
Dang, I've never used a trophyline so I have no experience to help with there. My Kestrel is quiet. What part of the belt is jangling? The waist belt?

As far as stability goes, it was crazy at the beginning for me as well. Once you get the right step and tether spacing, it really shores that up. You'll get more and more comfortable each time. Hope you can get it figured out!
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the bridge has two 2" webbing with a metal slider for adjustments. when there is slack in the bridge the slider jingles. i stealth stripped it and it seemed to help, but i couldn't get past the limitation that a 2" bridge caused me in terms of carabiners.

I had a question about your video that I think contributed to my instability. when you are attaching a new step and have your left foot on the step below, what is keeping your right foot stable? are you resting it on the cam buckle/strap or do you have it pushed into the tree for stability? when you make your next swaider move is your knaider foot on the tree or part of the strap? I think I was off center a little and didn't have the foothold on my right to move swaider easily.
 
It may look like I'm using the cam buckle for my right foot, but I try to avoid that. If your toe hits that in some way, your strap will loosen.

I'm pushing off the tree with my right leg. And keeping my left foot on the step. This keeps me stable to attach the next step. For me, this is probably the least stable moment I encounter while ascending. At that point, the tether should be head high with a majority of the slack out. I also make sure the tether girth hitch is aligned properly. If tree is leaning slightly left and wants to throw me to the left, I will align the hitch farther to the right. This will keep me from swinging as far.

When making the move from step to swaider, all my weight is in the saddle and my right leg and hand is pushing off from the tree for stabilization since I am leaning towards the right side to grab the swaider loop. I hope to fix the leaning down to grab the swaider by attaching it via stretch cord in the future.

What might be a good idea is to keep your step distance even shorter until you get a system down that works for you. Every tree is going to have different obstacles so getting familiar with your key moves will help out when something new is thrown at you.

If you're in a bad part of the tree, place the step 2' lower and just navigate that part with a knaider instead of both. That's another reason why I like to keep an extra step handy.
 
rakbowhunter said:
It may look like I'm using the cam buckle for my right foot, but I try to avoid that. .
Click to expand...

Me too. I’m afraid that OCB wouldn’t like my boot on it.

Other than that I’m going to keep at it. The swinging is what got me. Thanks for advice. I’ll report back with results.



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I have a few that are original Ameristep can buckle straps and a few cam buckle straps that I bought from DanO. I preferred the cam buckle straps over the OCB because they are easier to use.
 
So tried it again. Success. A couple of things as mentioned by OP is to keep your tether close. Switching from prusik to distel helped with adjustments ALOT. Ditched the kong duck in this mix due to noise and slack management.

I added a LB to the mix. Kong duck worked well in this application and the PB further stabilizes when needed.

Made it 3 steps up and it was plenty high for first successful ascent.

Another first is I deployed my rappel line and descended. ATC with sterling hollow autoblock on 9mm HTP. Worked well even retrieval was easy. Will see how she does in the deer woods.

Only question is the trip down was a little jerky. I think it was because of the length of my tether and where it put the ATC. Anyone run a separate sling or something to shorten the distance between you and the ATC? Feel like I could better adjust descent with a different angle to control main line.


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iamcorey said:
So tried it again. Success. A couple of things as mentioned by OP is to keep your tether close. Switching from prusik to distel helped with adjustments ALOT. Ditched the kong duck in this mix due to noise and slack management.

I added a LB to the mix. Kong duck worked well in this application and the PB further stabilizes when needed.

Made it 3 steps up and it was plenty high for first successful ascent.

Another first is I deployed my rappel line and descended. ATC with sterling hollow autoblock on 9mm HTP. Worked well even retrieval was easy. Will see how she does in the deer woods.

Only question is the trip down was a little jerky. I think it was because of the length of my tether and where it put the ATC. Anyone run a separate sling or something to shorten the distance between you and the ATC? Feel like I could better adjust descent with a different angle to control main line.


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Click to expand...
Great to hear!
I have just used my bridge with the hollowblock on my right lb loop. Haven't encountered any jerking so far.
 
So anyone else using or still using this method with their strap on steps? Each time I climb it gets easier.


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