Anyone tried a figure 9 on a stepp?

[LeanMachine]

I like my diy stepps but there has just got to be a more efficient way to set them and adjust them. Yes I have seen and used the various methods of tying the knot Adjusting is the biggest pain when you have already cammed them over, the knot is tight, and you realize you need to tighten the rope some more. I like the cam cleat idea but that gets pricey pretty quick.

Has anyone tried a tie off system similar to the figure 9? I would be basically welding a V groove of some kind onto the step to hold the tag end of the rope. It works in my mind. I think it would shave setup and take down time considerably.

 

[Xtreme007]

I think that would work great. It should wedge the rope and you could always put a half hitch in it to make sure it don’t slip

 

[LeanMachine]

I think that would work great. It should wedge the rope and you could always put a half hitch in it to make sure it don’t slip

That's a good idea.

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[pesqimon]

While I would never discourage you from trying it, I just don’t share your frustration and find the Stepps good as they are.

Sounds like you’ve practiced with them enough so you feel good about your technique. What kind of rope did you use and could that be the difference in our experience?

Good luck


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[LeanMachine]

While I would never discourage you from trying it, I just don’t share your frustration and find the Stepps good as they are.

Sounds like you’ve practiced with them enough so you feel good about your technique. What kind of rope did you use and could that be the difference in our experience?

Good luck


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Im using a blue water 5 or 6 mm climbing accessory cord rated for like 1250 pounds. I prefer to tie the knot with the tag end doubled over and pulled through so that i can just jerk on the tag end to undo it. But that knot is mega tight and takes a little fiddling to get it to loosen up to adjust. Maybe the hollow braid or amsteel loosens up more readily?

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[GBlevins92]

The rope from wild edge is pretty easy to adjust and untie..... I tried amsteel and took it back off for that reason too hard to untie and adjust.


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[sojourner]

The rope from wild edge is pretty easy to adjust and untie..... I tried amsteel and took it back off for that reason too hard to untie and adjust.


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Yupper, same here. We should be willing to DIY or custom mod something, but NOT until AFTER the original design proves to be undesirable.

The Stepps are the best they are right from the source. I never, ever understood all the want to modify them, ropes, four points of contact, straps ad nauseam. Take the time to learn how to work with them. Watch the wildedge and original Jim Stepp youtube videos, stretch the ropes, and do some practice. That’s all you’ll need to determine if they are good for you or not.

 

[sojourner]

Im using a blue water 5 or 6 mm climbing accessory cord rated for like 1250 pounds. I prefer to tie the knot with the tag end doubled over and pulled through so that i can just jerk on the tag end to undo it. But that knot is mega tight and takes a little fiddling to get it to loosen up to adjust. Maybe the hollow braid or amsteel loosens up more readily?

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No need to tie that way. Uncamming the step is way easier than trying to jerk the tag end and have it uncam the step or try to pull through the constricted rope.

If you take a look at all the YouTube videos and do a little practice, you’ll see the simplicity and ease of use. It does have a learning curve though.

 

[LeanMachine]

No need to tie that way. Uncamming the step is way easier than trying to jerk the tag end and have it uncam the step or try to pull through the constricted rope.

If you take a look at all the YouTube videos and do a little practice, you’ll see the simplicity and ease of use. It does have a learning curve though.

A few things. I MADE my steps after extensively looking at the stepp ladder system and watching every video i could find. So i did not change anything from how they came from the factory because they did not come from a factory. I looked into the rope they use and it proved difficult to source. Yes they sell replacement rope but are back ordered for 8 to 12 weeks it seems. When i want something, i want it yesterday. Of course i am uncamming the step before jerking on the tag end. I do have a little sense about me. If the design were beyond improvement, guys would not constantly be making mods. I think they would come from the factory with cam cleats if it were not cost prohibitive. The current design is very simple. Simple means inexpensive to manufacturer. Plenty of guys are willing to spend more money to mod their steps to make them suit their needs better. Oh...and it's fun.

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[DaveT1963]

I disagree I hate the rope thaty comes on them. it is stiff, noisy and overt a few seasons has memory set. Amsteel packs far better, never gets stiff and does not take a set. and I don't get the hard to untie thing, once you uncam it, push it towards the tree and get some slack in it.... not hard at all. and finally, when putting in and out of the bag amsteel is way easier and quiet. to each their own I suppose. the only time I use the original rope is when I am leaving the step in the tree for months or years.

 

[sojourner]

A few things. I MADE my steps after extensively looking at the stepp ladder system and watching every video i could find. So i did not change anything from how they came from the factory because they did not come from a factory. I looked into the rope they use and it proved difficult to source. Yes they sell replacement rope but are back ordered for 8 to 12 weeks it seems. When i want something, i want it yesterday. Of course i am uncamming the step before jerking on the tag end. I do have a little sense about me. If the design were beyond improvement, guys would not constantly be making mods. I think they would come from the factory with cam cleats if it were not cost prohibitive. The current design is very simple. Simple means inexpensive to manufacturer. Plenty of guys are willing to spend more money to mod their steps to make them suit their needs better. Oh...and it's fun.

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Good luck in your endeavors.

 

[sojourner]

I disagree I hate the rope thaty comes on them. it is stiff, noisy and overt a few seasons has memory set. Amsteel packs far better, never gets stiff and does not take a set. and I don't get the hard to untie thing, once you uncam it, push it towards the tree and get some slack in it.... not hard at all. and finally, when putting in and out of the bag amsteel is way easier and quiet. to each their own I suppose. the only time I use the original rope is when I am leaving the step in the tree for months or years.

Different strokes Dave. I tried the amsteel on the stepps and it just was not worth the cost for me. I didn’t find them noisy and for me, the original ropes pack fine in the bag. I like the fact that the original ropes are not affected by water and not prone to be chewed up by rodents. Just where I weigh in on this.

I am thankful we all have a great community with varied opinions and systems. We just need to find what works for us. Now the OP has multiple data points for him to utilize in making his decisions on how to proceed.

 

[sojourner]

A few things. I MADE my steps after extensively looking at the stepp ladder system and watching every video i could find. So i did not change anything from how they came from the factory because they did not come from a factory. I looked into the rope they use and it proved difficult to source. Yes they sell replacement rope but are back ordered for 8 to 12 weeks it seems. When i want something, i want it yesterday. Of course i am uncamming the step before jerking on the tag end. I do have a little sense about me. If the design were beyond improvement, guys would not constantly be making mods. I think they would come from the factory with cam cleats if it were not cost prohibitive. The current design is very simple. Simple means inexpensive to manufacturer. Plenty of guys are willing to spend more money to mod their steps to make them suit their needs better. Oh...and it's fun.

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I was a little quick in my response because I didn’t want for this to turn into drama / conflict.

I see you made your own and are not using the wildedge stepps.

I also see the ropes are back ordered. I have replaced my original Stepp ropes with 8’ wild edge ropes (for longer length). I still have the originals. I have at least 8 of them.

If you are interested, pm me, you can have them for the cost of shipping. I can spare an original Stepp for 10$ plus shipping if you are interested in comparing your stepps to the originals. Maybe we can all have more knowledge after all this.

The ball’s in your court.

 

[LeanMachine]

I was a little quick in my response because I didn’t want for this to turn into drama / conflict.

I see you made your own and are not using the wildedge stepps.

I also see the ropes are back ordered. I have replaced my original Stepp ropes with 8’ wild edge ropes (for longer length). I still have the originals. I have at least 8 of them.

If you are interested, pm me, you can have them for the cost of shipping. I can spare an original Stepp for 10$ plus shipping if you are interested in comparing your stepps to the originals. Maybe we can all have more knowledge after all this.

The ball’s in your court.

That is a very generous offer and very kind of you. I might take you up on it if i can not get satisfactory results with what i have in mind. I bought material today. In my mind it works pretty slick. We shall see. My stepps are an identical copy of the originals as far as angles and dimensions. I tracked down every build of them ever documented online and found someone using an original to copy. He had built a lot of them and worked out the kinks. I also pulled images from online and used apps to measure the angles and such.

I made a bag originally, similar to jims, but was not happy with it. So i designed a bagless method. Still need to add a strap. It works great in the living room but have not used it hunting yet.

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[pesqimon]

That is a very generous offer and very kind of you. I might take you up on it if i can not get satisfactory results with what i have in mind. I bought material today. In my mind it works pretty slick. We shall see. My stepps are an identical copy of the originals as far as angles and dimensions. I tracked down every build of them ever documented online and found someone using an original to copy. He had built a lot of them and worked out the kinks. I also pulled images from online and used apps to measure the angles and such.

I made a bag originally, similar to jims, but was not happy with it. So i designed a bagless method. Still need to add a strap. It works great in the living room but have not used it hunting yet.

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Those look great and I like the carrier. One difference I notice is that your tips are flat where as the WE have 4 points. If you’re able to get then on solid, does the flat tip do as much damage?

For what it’s worth, you can find the actual patent for the Stepp and it has measurements. I seen it posted around here.


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[LeanMachine]

Those look great and I like the carrier. One difference I notice is that your tips are flat where as the WE have 4 points. If you’re able to get then on solid, does the flat tip do as much damage?

For what it’s worth, you can find the actual patent for the Stepp and it has measurements. I seen it posted around here.


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Yea i originally planned to cut the ends into teeth but i found they work great as is. Probably a little less bark damage i would imagine. Now that im playing with carrying them without a bag, im glad i didn't make the teeth. Less to snag on and damage other gear. If i make some more i will make at least one with teeth just for grins to see if they make any difference.

I will try to find the patent info to see id its the same as what i have. Thanks for the heads up.

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[fbwguy]

I really like the carrier idea! That looks like it would strap nicely to a pack.

 

[Shortdraw]

I was a little quick in my response because I didn’t want for this to turn into drama / conflict.

I see you made your own and are not using the wildedge stepps.

I also see the ropes are back ordered. I have replaced my original Stepp ropes with 8’ wild edge ropes (for longer length). I still have the originals. I have at least 8 of them.

If you are interested, pm me, you can have them for the cost of shipping. I can spare an original Stepp for 10$ plus shipping if you are interested in comparing your stepps to the originals. Maybe we can all have more knowledge after all this.

The ball’s in your court.

Sojourner: please see your pm/inbox. Thanks!

 

[kyler1945]

I never want to poopoo on a desire to improve...but I’ll be shocked if you make a material improvement over the stock ropes/notch dryad/amsteel and the knot. It’s just too simple and efficient.

Checking the box will probably help ya sleep at night though.

 

[pesqimon]

Letemgrowitllshow just linked to this thread which is relevant to this discussion

Stepp mod... Not for the faint of heart
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...Not-for-the-faint-of-heart.6491/&share_type=t


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