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Bolts are great but....

Yeah and it's almost certainly gonna hurt. I don't use bolts but the thought of being tied into a linesman's belt and falling even a foot onto the ladder steps creeps in my mind all the time
 
Same as would happen if you were using a screw in tree step? You’d hurt yourself.

What did I win?
 
20201120_082108.jpg
I don't wonder, I found out. This was 1 screw in step off the ground that broke and my chest got hung up on the next highest one. I was handing my buddy a limb saw to prep trees early this season. I'm not sure what it would've done if I had my linemans belt on and it squeezed me into the tree/step.
 
Climbing a tree is a very dangerous thing to do. It becomes even more dangerous when you introduce equipment.

this is really the point I’ve been trying to get across to people. The difference in what you think is “safe” or “certified” versus “unsafe” or “unproven” is very very small. The difference in staying on the ground, versus climbing a tree, is the one that is material and matters.

don’t climb a tree unless you stand to gain a lot. Even then, it’s not a great idea.
 
Jtaylor said:
View attachment 39690
I don't wonder, I found out. This was 1 screw in step off the ground that broke and my chest got hung up on the next highest one. I was handing my buddy a limb saw to prep trees early this season. I'm not sure what it would've done if I had my linemans belt on and it squeezed me into the tree/step.
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Glad you are OK. I climb SRT for this reason. I thought about this while I was learning and it always bothered me. Muddy boot slips on bolts seem to always be a problem. My boots are ALWAYS muddy.
 
kyler1945 said:
Climbing a tree is a very dangerous thing to do. It becomes even more dangerous when you introduce equipment.

this is really the point I’ve been trying to get across to people. The difference in what you think is “safe” or “certified” versus “unsafe” or “unproven” is very very small. The difference in staying on the ground, versus climbing a tree, is the one that is material and matters.

don’t climb a tree unless you stand to gain a lot. Even then, it’s not a great idea.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you need to go to the groundhunters.com forum LOL
 
bj139 said:
Glad you are OK. I climb SRT for this reason. I thought about this while I was learning and it always bothered me. Muddy boot slips on bolts seem to always be a problem. My boots are ALWAYS muddy.
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I've been thinking of making the switch. I hunt a lot, take my time and am very careful yet there's still those times...
 
bj139 said:
Glad you are OK. I climb SRT for this reason. I thought about this while I was learning and it always bothered me. Muddy boot slips on bolts seem to always be a problem. My boots are ALWAYS muddy.
Click to expand...
can you create a post with your setup? Very curious. thx!
 
jerry_d said:
can you create a post with your setup? Very curious. thx!
Click to expand...

My Youtube channel.
www.youtube.com

billj139

I am just an old guy having fun tree climbing and playing with sewing machines. Both these things grew out of an interest in saddle hunting from a tree saddl...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
 
Same thing that would happen with sticks, screw in steps, or cranford rope steps. There is no doubt youre going to get cut up and feel pain however that is better than hitting the ground and never feeling anything again.
 
if there is additional concern for a slip, Tether high and slide it up as you go while also using a linesman.

Nothing is fool proof and every method carries risks. We do the best we can to mitigate this but at the end of the day **** happens.
 
Based on the truism of the simpler the design the more inherently reliable the design is
leads me to be absolutely confident the safest most reliable climbing system out there has to be high quality screw in tree steps and in my experience none beat Cranford 1/2" thick steps.
A screw in tree steps has zero moving parts can't be easily cut or suffer damage or fatigue or wear out under normal use
Ben using the same ones for over a decade.
Just stinks they aren't public land legal in the states I hunt in
 
DMTJAGER said:
Based on the truism of the simpler the design the more inherently reliable the design is
leads me to be absolutely confident the safest most reliable climbing system out there has to be high quality screw in tree steps and in my experience none beat Cranford 1/2" thick steps.
A screw in tree steps has zero moving parts can't be easily cut or suffer damage or fatigue or wear out under normal use
Ben using the same ones for over a decade.
Just stinks they aren't public land legal in the states I hunt in
Click to expand...

everything screw in steps do, bolts do better.

but I agree with the rest of your premise.

lighter, cheaper, less bulky,less noisy, easier to pack, easier to install.
 
kyler1945 said:
everything screw in steps do, bolts do better.

but I agree with the rest of your premise.

lighter, cheaper, less bulky,less noisy, easier to pack, easier to install.
Click to expand...
And this thread aside, of the methods involving attaching stuff to the tree, bolts and strapped-steps have a more favorable failure behavior than e.g. sticks.

This thread is another reminder (remember TMA certification is only 2x bodyweight which is not a great safety factor!) to assume your stuff (and/or you) is gonna break/fail - and factor how it will fail in your thought process.
 
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