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Best friction hitch for climbing and set?

I really appreciate John’s role in our conversations; He definitely adds a lot of good perspectives and his innovation and passion for climbing is a welcome addition. It has felt like John’s participation has been increasingly oriented around promoting his “signature” climbing system. At this point the methods he is promoting have become a product. He’s put his own name on the various systems and is selling them. I’m assuming his YouTube channel is monetized (or at least he’d like it to be), a patreon page where you can buy exclusive content, and a web page that sells gear. So at this point it does feel as though it would be useful for him to have a vendor badge or some kind of label on this site, so that readers are aware that he has a horse in the race. FL makes a good point; John is in a unique category and maybe this is indicative of a need for another form of badge. Rather than a material product this is a monetized intellectual product, but a product none the less. JRB is a Brand.

None of this is an affront to John. I was really glad to see that @gcr0003 was willing to say something; I’ve been having similar thoughts and have been contemplating an appropriate way to raise the matter.
 
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Jammintree said:
I really appreciate John’s role in our conversations; He definitely adds a lot of good perspectives and his innovation and passion for climbing is a welcome addition. It has felt like John’s participation has been increasingly oriented around promoting his “signature” climbing system. At this point the methods he is promoting have become a product. He’s put his own name on the various systems and is selling them. I’m assuming his YouTube channel is monetized (or at least he’d like it to be), a patreon page where you can buy exclusive content, and a web page that sells gear. So at this point it does feel as though it would be useful for him to have a vendor badge or some kind of label on this site, so that readers are aware that he has a horse in the race. FL makes a good point; John is in a unique category and maybe this is indicative of a need for another form of badge. Rather than a material product this is a monetized intellectual product, but a product none the less. JRB is a Brand.

None of this is an affront to John. I was really glad to see that @gcr0003 was willing to say something; I’ve been having similar thoughts and have been contemplating an appropriate way to raise the matter.
Click to expand...

John has kind of a one-track mind, sure, and engages in some self-promotion. He's got that deal with (IIRC) rock and arbor; I don't know if he's making any money from his posts here, or if his Youtube channel is monetized. It doesn't seem like he's motivated by income. I think he would grate people less if he discussed archery or butchering or other aspects of saddle hunting instead of pimping his hitches and climbing techniques - which, to be fair, a lot of us use.

Meanwhile we have people starting threads so they can post their Amazon affiliate links, and get (admittedly modest) actual income from their interactions on here. Seems like this digression would be more appropriate aimed that way than at John.
 
Gentlemen,
This thread is about a friction hitch and so first things first: go look up the Longhorn Agile Friction hitch on YouTube. I am pretty excited that it may be of interest to you. Self tending, easy to tie. If you like it, then YOU can post the link in the thread.
-------

Regarding me and my motivation, I believe they are addressed on my ABOUT page on my website. Link below. Read it.

About - JrbTreeClimbing.com

About me... I am from Pennsylvania, USA. I am a life-time hunter and avid outdoorsman and engineer. My father started taking me on hunts with him when I was only 3 years old. For 42 consecutive years, we spent the opening day of PA firearm buck season on the same hill together. It was a
jrbtreeclimbing.com
At an age where you are taking your young kids hunting, i am still hoping someday mine might speak, and attending to their most basic needs. Think about that. For my wife and me, it's our road and we will navigate it, and do our best to plan for their futures when we are gone. But along the way, it feels good to know I am helping somebody else and their kids. And yes, I do enjoy solving hard problems. That's what I do for a living. And I take it seriously.

Also, be aware that I do not own my knots. They have been intentionally disclosed in a public forum. Anyone can use them. Anyone can use them in products they sell and even profit from, with no commissionn for me. They are my gift to the creative common. Do a Google search on : "Volvo seat belt patent". Long story short: they gave it away... because it could save lives. That kinda thinking isn't too common anymore. I am just trying to do my part.

And why did I use my name in some of my knot names? Cuz that's what James Blake did. That's what Clifford Ashley did. The knot is typically named after the person who introduced it. When i submitted the Saddle Hunter's Hitch to the IGKT, my 2nd knot, they suggested it be called the Toggled JRB Hitch (or something like that). Instead I decided to name it after the audience for which I devised it. Saddle Hunters. It is the easiest Hitch to basically toss up high over your head and have it stay in place. But some didn't like that name either. I can't make everyone happy. Meanwhile, stick climbers are still going up without a tie in. I realize I can't get everyone safe. But I can try. My goal is to be able to look back on this someday (hopefully a long time from now) when I am taking my final breath, and be proud... because I made a difference and because I did the right thing.

When we catch up on safety stuff, sure, I can show ya some hunting content. We all heard it a million times : Safety First. I am just sticking to it. Cheers.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
John RB said:
Gentlemen,
This thread is about a friction hitch and so first things first: go look up the Longhorn Agile Friction hitch on YouTube. I am pretty excited that it may be of interest to you. Self tending, easy to tie. If you like it, then YOU can post the link in the thread.
-------

Regarding me and my motivation, I believe they are addressed on my ABOUT page on my website. Link below. Read it.

About - JrbTreeClimbing.com

About me... I am from Pennsylvania, USA. I am a life-time hunter and avid outdoorsman and engineer. My father started taking me on hunts with him when I was only 3 years old. For 42 consecutive years, we spent the opening day of PA firearm buck season on the same hill together. It was a
jrbtreeclimbing.com
At an age where you are taking your young kids hunting, i am still hoping someday mine might speak, and attending to their most basic needs. Think about that. For my wife and me, it's our road and we will navigate it, and do our best to plan for their futures when we are gone. But along the way, it feels good to know I am helping somebody else and their kids. And yes, I do enjoy solving hard problems. That's what I do for a living. And I take it seriously.

Also, be aware that I do not own my knots. They have been intentionally disclosed in a public forum. Anyone can use them. Anyone can use them in products they sell and even profit from, with no commissionn for me. They are my gift to the creative common. Do a Google search on : "Volvo seat belt patent". Long story short: they gave it away... because it could save lives. That kinda thinking isn't too common anymore. I am just trying to do my part.

And why did I use my name in some of my knot names? Cuz that's what James Blake did. That's what Clifford Ashley did. The knot is typically named after the person who introduced it. When i submitted the Saddle Hunter's Hitch to the IGKT, my 2nd knot, they suggested it be called the Toggled JRB Hitch (or something like that). Instead I decided to name it after the audience for which I devised it. Saddle Hunters. It is the easiest Hitch to basically toss up high over your head and have it stay in place. But some didn't like that name either. I can't make everyone happy. Meanwhile, stick climbers are still going up without a tie in. I realize I can't get everyone safe. But I can try. My goal is to be able to look back on this someday (hopefully a long time from now) when I am taking my final breath, and be proud... because I made a difference and because I did the right thing.

When we catch up on safety stuff, sure, I can show ya some hunting content. We all heard it a million times : Safety First. I am just sticking to it. Cheers.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
It is my understanding that James Blake didn’t name the knot. He posted about it in Arbor. Prohaska actually invented the knot nearly a decade before and had posted about it in nylon highway like 5 years prior to Blake. Tree climbers referred to it as a Blake’s hitch because they couldn’t pronounce Prohaska (who has other knots with his name in them). But I get what you’re saying. It’s like for me, we named our company after our last name (simply because I wasn’t creative enough to come up with something better)
 
I'm jealous John. It takes some serious thought and dedication for you to come up with some of these "creations". I wish I had the talent to come up with a knot. I would definitely name it after myself because it is quite an accomplishment imo. I mean, my god, my brain probably looks like some of the knots I'm trying to tie when I'm tying them lol.
 
@Brocky, do you prefer loop hitches or split-tail for hunting? Also, I notice that your loops have a whipping forming a terminal loop on your loop... what's the advantage of this? I would have thought that leaving the loop... well, loopish... would permit re-tying the hitch to avoid concentrated friction wear. Is this not worthwhile?
 
I
Iron_llama said:
@Brocky, do you prefer loop hitches or split-tail for hunting? Also, I notice that your loops have a whipping forming a terminal loop on your loop... what's the advantage of this? I would have thought that leaving the loop... well, loopish... would permit re-tying the hitch to avoid concentrated friction wear. Is this not worthwhile?
Click to expand...
I can’t speak for Brocky on his preferences, but I can say the whipping at the end helps create an eye and keep the eye the size you want it. Ease of use with a carabiner and it also helps prevent it from rolling or coiling up that portion of the hitch. You can also do something similar with some medium wall heat shrink that has the activated glue inside of it.
 
Fl Canopy Stalker said:
I

I can’t speak for Brocky on his preferences, but I can say the whipping at the end helps create an eye and keep the eye the size you want it. Ease of use with a carabiner and it also helps prevent it from rolling or coiling up that portion of the hitch. You can also do something similar with some medium wall heat shrink that has the activated glue inside of it.
Click to expand...
Thanks!
 
Brocky said:
These are the best of the pile of loop hitches that were posted previously. All self tend easily, which I found the Agile doesn’t.
View attachment 86369
Click to expand...
I agree with what Brocky said: Agile Hitch does NOT self tend. It's not my choice for a tether or lifeline where we want one handed operation (and no tending device) in order to transition from sitting to standing. Not to confuse ya, but that's not the case for the "Longhorn Agile" Hitch or the JRB Ascender in Soft Bridge Mode... those 2 do self tend.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Iron_llama said:
@Brocky, do you prefer loop hitches or split-tail for hunting? Also, I notice that your loops have a whipping forming a terminal loop on your loop... what's the advantage of this? I would have thought that leaving the loop... well, loopish... would permit re-tying the hitch to avoid concentrated friction wear. Is this not worthwhile?
Click to expand...
I normally use double eye friction hitch cords. The eye also is where the splice is the stiffest, and the whipping also hides where the cover ends meet. This type of loop is more streamlined for easier tying.
IMG_6280.jpeg
 
The verdict is out for me. I don't care if John's channel is monetized or not... one can't deny some of the innovations he's come up with. They are outstanding. My question remains, is this an arborist that hunts or vice versa. Many of us have hunted for 40+ years... and I'll never claim to be an arborist. It's largely irrelevant. And at this point I've watched/rewatched 50 +/- videos from his channel. That said I've watched a few old ones from NYSaddleHunter, say less than 15. Comparatively, I've gotten a TON of ideas and recommendations from the latter. A TON. Their post two week ago is a game changer IMO. Bottom line, no one should dis-guard either but when there is an obvious difference between those that hunt and try to teach vs. those that climb and teach, you give weight, I have. Just don't dis-guard both... they all have things to offer, proportionately.
 
I will verify... I tied a Longhorn friction hitch, it is superior to the vast majority of the hitches I've tried. Easy to break under load... very!! I've adopted it for a specific reason, just not saddle hunting as of yet. But, yeah, it is outstanding with the right application.
 
I liked that the Longhorn agile hitch can be pre-tied with the Longhorn And then stuffed in your saddle pouch, and then in a pinch you can attach it to whatever need you have in seconds. Super easy to remember the sequence also out in the field. I’m using it with my SRT system also, it is amazing.
nomads-11 said:
I will verify... I tied a Longhorn friction hitch, it is superior to the vast majority of the hitches I've tried. Easy to break under load... very!! I've adopted it for a specific reason, just not saddle hunting as of yet. But, yeah, it is outstanding with the right application.
Click to expand...
 
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