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Amsteel Second Lineman for Branches Using Utilibridge Concept

W

wildmed

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2019
Messages
100
Looking for some feedback on an idea I had for a compact second lineman rope for bypassing branches.

My primary lineman rope is climbing line with ropeman 1, and I have been using a second lineman rope made from same type of climbing line and prussik to bypass branches. I have been wanting to replace the second lineman rope with something lighter and more compact. I know some guys use their tether as a second lineman to go around limbs but I found this to be a bit tedious because my tether is made from a heavier climbing line that really grips the trees well and I like it long for large trees. I prefer to just leave my tether away until I reach hunting height. So in an attempt to replace the second lineman rope, I had the idea to use amsteel daisy chain and a second carabiner. Seemed good in theory, but after briefly testing it out a few feet off the ground, I can already tell it is a pain to get the carabiner into the right daisy chain loop to get the right amount of tension. So I gave up on using amsteel for a compact second lineman, and I just went back to using the climbing line and prussik again.

Now, after seeing the utilibridge in a few videos and other posts, I am wondering if the utilibridge "amsteel prussik" concept would work to make a second lineman rope out of amsteel that eliminates the annoying daisy chain fiddle factor and could replace the bulky climbing line and prussik as a second lineman rope?

I have not had time to test this idea out yet. Hoping to get some feedback from you all before I sink a bunch of time into it. Please let me know if my explanation is unclear or if you see any potential flaws with this idea!!
 
wildmed said:
Looking for some feedback on an idea I had for a compact second lineman rope for bypassing branches.

My primary lineman rope is climbing line with ropeman 1, and I have been using a second lineman rope made from same type of climbing line and prussik to bypass branches. I have been wanting to replace the second lineman rope with something lighter and more compact. I know some guys use their tether as a second lineman to go around limbs but I found this to be a bit tedious because my tether is made from a heavier climbing line that really grips the trees well and I like it long for large trees. I prefer to just leave my tether away until I reach hunting height. So in an attempt to replace the second lineman rope, I had the idea to use amsteel daisy chain and a second carabiner. Seemed good in theory, but after briefly testing it out a few feet off the ground, I can already tell it is a pain to get the carabiner into the right daisy chain loop to get the right amount of tension. So I gave up on using amsteel for a compact second lineman, and I just went back to using the climbing line and prussik again.

Now, after seeing the utilibridge in a few videos and other posts, I am wondering if the utilibridge "amsteel prussik" concept would work to make a second lineman rope out of amsteel that eliminates the annoying daisy chain fiddle factor and could replace the bulky climbing line and prussik as a second lineman rope?

I have not had time to test this idea out yet. Hoping to get some feedback from you all before I sink a bunch of time into it. Please let me know if my explanation is unclear or if you see any potential flaws with this idea!!
Click to expand...
I used an amsteel whoopie sling for this purpose a few times, but went back to just using my tether.
 
Letemgrowitllshow said:
I'm gunna try making a utilibridge that is 8 ft long and use it for a lineman/backup tether for going over branches
Click to expand...

I haven’t gotten a chance to test it yet. Just been busy with other stuff, but hoping to try this out soon as well. Can you please post back here when you try it out and lmk how it works for you? I’ll do the same if I get around to it sooner


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@wildmed
Had the same thought as well and ordered the stuff to try it this past weekend. Stuff should be here Friday. My only difference is that if it works I plan to use it as my only lineman’s. I o e stick so I climb with a tether (which is actually my rappel line). Been using OpLux as a lineman but this would eliminate knots all together.
 
I made a 7/64 Amsteel whoopie sling with a carabiner on one end and girth hitched same side as my lineman belt and stored in my drop pouch. Works well for me and doesn't take up much room at all.
 
Little bit of show and tell here.....Screenshot_20200125-221817.pngScreenshot_20200125-221830.pngScreenshot_20200125-221836.pngScreenshot_20200125-221841.png

Made a lineman/secondary tether rope. Still need to make the prussic but that'll be tomorrow's project. Started with 16 feet of 1/4 amsteel. Thought I'd get closer to 8 feet. As the picture shows after the stopper not I'm at roughly 6 feet. I made a really small eye because I don't plan to girth hitch this so it can be completely removed. My plan is to get one of them triangle caribiners from DanO so I can use this as a secondary tether. The tight eye should help the caribiner from flopping around.

If I did it again I'd start with 20 feet and make my bury side start maybe a foot shorter than the other side. I started the bury side 4 inches or so shorter so there was a little waste.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone.

@Squirrels I don't one stick, so I still plan to keep my primary lineman as the stiff climbing rope with a ropeman because I much prefer the ropeman to a prussik for usability and the rope I use is nice and stiff so its easier to flip and use with gloves on. But for a secondary rope I use a prussik anyways instead of spending more money on another ropeman and having another piece of metal to potentially make noise, so that is where I think the amsteel utilibridge style would be ideal. Interested in oplux, I've seen it mentioned many times on SH but don't really know anything about it because I have never actually read the threads and done the research on it yet. What are the advantages of oplux that persuaded you to use it instead of a standard climbing rope like PMI, samson predator, etc?

@Letemgrowitllshow thanks for the pictures and the advice. Keep us all posted when you finish and test it out. I have extra 1/4 amsteel, but i don't have the smaller diameter amsteel for making the prussik yet. What size are you planning to use for the prussik?

Also, has anyone tried using this same utilibridge concept to make a lightweight tether?
 
wildmed said:
@Letemgrowitllshow thanks for the pictures and the advice. Keep us all posted when you finish and test it out. I have extra 1/4 amsteel, but i don't have the smaller diameter amsteel for making the prussik yet. What size are you planning to use for the prussik?

Also, has anyone tried using this same utilibridge concept to make a lightweight tether?
Click to expand...
I'll be using 3/16 amsteel for the prussic. With the triangle caribiner, this will be my backup tether with the intention of it being my main tether. I just want to test it to ensure it'll be safe to use as a tether. May have to put a piece of tubular webbing over it as a sheath to protect the amsteel from snagging and fraying. But at that point Id be partial to use oplux because it's just as small and more durable. Only downside is the knot, but it's not that big of a knot anyway....
 
I've been doing this for a while, however, not with amsteel. Same concept, though. I run a tender on mine and actually use a carabiner instead of their prussik rig. It is definitely nice to have a second lineman's belt without fiddling with my tether, because my bridge is already right there in place.
 
I used a 3/16” Amsteel daisy chain as my second LB for limbs all season. I didn’t find it difficult to get the correct loop.


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mtsrunner said:
I used a 3/16” Amsteel daisy chain as my second LB for limbs all season. I didn’t find it difficult to get the correct loop.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

How big did you make the daisy chain loops and what carabiner do you use? I wonder if maybe the size of the daisy chain links were too small or if I was just using a bad caribiner for this application. Regardless, I am interested in playing around with the method mentioned earlier in the thread. @Letemgrowitllshow tested it out and said it worked well.
 
wildmed said:
How big did you make the daisy chain loops and what carabiner do you use? I wonder if maybe the size of the daisy chain links were too small or if I was just using a bad caribiner for this application. Regardless, I am interested in playing around with the method mentioned earlier in the thread. @Letemgrowitllshow tested it out and said it worked well.
Click to expand...

2” loops. Grivel Plume twin gate.
 
Don't all the tiny fibers in Amsteel catch on the trunk and make a fuzzy mess after a short time?
 
bj139 said:
Don't all the tiny fibers in Amsteel catch on the trunk and make a fuzzy mess after a short time?
Click to expand...
That is what I'm guessing will happen. You could put a small chunk of tubular webbing over it to protect it.

I'm still on the fence though. It's about the same size as oplux ropes minus the knots. The knots aren't even that big and you don't have to worry about it snagging.

Amsteel lineman and tether is a cool idea. I just don't think the compactness/ whatever, if any weight savings outweighs the potential lack of durability. Only time will tell though.....
 
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