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BETTER than a Distel Hitch?

Cyder

Member
Nov 13, 2019
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Just saw this, basically it’s a slightly modified distel hitch that is being called the Cosmo Hitch. Looks to have good one handed operation without a tender.

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http://www.youtube.com/shorts/whwHfcu24bQ
Posted on YouTube by “Julian Tree-Climber”
 
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SNIPERBBB

Well-Known Member
Feb 19, 2020
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SE Ohio
I've looked at can only find that video and one other and no other references. I wonder if its a new name for an old hitch? Kinda looks like a michoacan?
 
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brydan

Well-Known Member
Oct 15, 2015
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There's a million different hitch variations people come up with all claiming to be the best but they're more alike than different. It takes several wraps of any hitch to get enough friction to support your weight with different finishes to keep the bottom wrap from biting into the rope too hard. Hitch performance is as much about the right cord/rope combination for your weight as anything.

Friction hitches in saddle hunting suffer from two basic problems. With a tether they're being used in an SRT configuration which requires a hitch to support much more weight than is ideal for smooth operation. Safe yes, but with a propensity to bind up. Second, small diameter ropes and their smaller diameter hitch cords are also less user friendly than the larger diameter ropes Arborists use. That said, there's nothing wrong with hitches on tethers or experimenting, but when watching videos of Arborist setups it's something to keep in mind when they appear to work so easily.
 

okccj

Well-Known Member
Oct 11, 2016
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I spent the last hour trying this more...gonna stick with it with this 8mm resc tech and 6mm trc. It’s my fav out of distel, schwab, michoacan, and prusik. Worth a try

Just tied this one as well. Thus far, I like it better than a distal.
 

dalton916

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SH Member
Sep 27, 2018
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Just tied this one myself. It’s a slightly modified distel. I like it so far. Going to have to put it under a full load to find out for sure.

I will add that the way it forces the bend at the bottom I better than the Distel and I can’t imagine it not cinching up tight. I had issues with my Distel while one sticking where it would slide down without locking up when I was hanging against the tree while reaching down to move my stick up. Didn’t like that a bit. I had to seriously load it prior to climbing to avoid that nonsense.
 
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okccj

Well-Known Member
Oct 11, 2016
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Just tied this one myself. It’s a slightly modified distel. I like it so far. Going to have to put it under a full load to find out for sure.

I will add that the way it forces the bend at the bottom I better than the Distel and I can’t imagine it not cinching up tight. I had issues with my Distel while one sticking where it would slide down without locking up when I was hanging against the tree while reaching down to move my stick up. Didn’t like that a bit. I had to seriously load it prior to climbing to avoid that nonsense.

I had the exact same issue with the distal. When leaning it was fine, but if I tried to hang straight down, as I would do when sitting, it would tend to slide down.
 
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okccj

Well-Known Member
Oct 11, 2016
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To the guys that have tried it, are you still using a tender?

I haven't been able to fully test on a tree with a complete load of my full body weight, but preliminary results point to not needing a tender. I tried with one and without and couldn't tell a difference.
 
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okccj

Well-Known Member
Oct 11, 2016
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What shape carabiner do you all find best with these types of hitches? (using with my tether).
 

raisins

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SH Member
Jan 17, 2019
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I had the exact same issue with the distal. When leaning it was fine, but if I tried to hang straight down, as I would do when sitting, it would tend to slide down.

I had the same issue with Oplux with TRC as the hitch rope, with a distel. I added one more wrap around the Oplux (5 total now), and now it holds fine.
 

muzzypower

Well-Known Member
Aug 5, 2018
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I’m no expert but a tender doesn’t seem to be needed. It locks up quick and tight and unlocks just as easy when you grab it.
 
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