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Climbing method

I think I have almost every tool needed to climb srt or drt in my arsenal, every technique that I have used seems to work good
some easier than others.
my number one problem with all the systems is getting a rope in a tree to start.
that has been my big problem from the get go
my slingshot has been trouble some, throw bags almost impossible in most situations
almost bought a big cannon last week but they throw the line so far it would be detrimental
so for me that is issue number one to determine what technique and what money you lay out for climbing
 
With the slingshot I use to shoot antenna wires, I can almost hit any branch at any height on my first try. With the throwball, I can confidently hit most any branch within 10 tries. The slingshot contraption though is big and bulky and wouldn't carry while hunting and leave it to pre-season preset use.
 
That’s in stock and 0.99/ft at www.doublesteps.com


Can get your prusik cord or loop there also, along with everything else your heart desires!


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I tried to pick some up but can’t get anything less then 30 feet


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40' tends to be the conventional wisdom sweet spot for rappel-only rope. The allows you to tie your knot, girth hitch the tree trunk and still have 30' of usable rappel line with a fudge factor built in.

Gotcha. I’ve been looking at minimum of 40 feet because I thought it was good to have a little extra.


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What rope would be recommended for rappelling that isn’t sterling canyon?


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Curious why you don’t like it. I have the canyon elite and absolutely love it rappelling down with an ATC. I use it for my secondary bridge as well. I think I really like it because my first rope was 11mm off Amazon. It was stiff as all get out and made for bulky knots. The canyon elite is soft but knots are rock hard after cinching…..I’d buy more in a second
 
Curious why you don’t like it. I have the canyon elite and absolutely love it rappelling down with an ATC. I use it for my secondary bridge as well. I think I really like it because my first rope was 11mm off Amazon. It was stiff as all get out and made for bulky knots. The canyon elite is soft but knots are rock hard after cinching…..I’d buy more in a second

I just can’t find it anywhere to buy by the foot. Honestly I have zero experience with ropes so I don’t know what I like and don’t like. A lot of people recommended the canyon ropes but I couldn’t find any so I was looking for other options to purchase


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Generally speaking, canyon ropes are made to be more durable in rough conditions (being dragged over rocks, getting wet and muddy, etc.). As to type, that's where the disagreements come in.

Diameter: The larger the diameter, the easier it is to climb and rappel. More mechanicals and hitches are compatible with larger diameter ropes and quite honestly are just more pleasant to climb and rappel. The penalty comes with packability (manageability) and weight. Larger ropes are just more difficult to easily pack around...which is one of the big selling points to saddle hunting.

Stiffness: Much like diameter, the stiffer the rope, the easier is is to climb and rappel and just like diameter, the stiffer it is, the harder it is to carry compactly. The downside with softer ropes is that they can be more temperamental with devices (mechanicals and hitches) and aren't as easy to climb, especially smaller diameters like Resc-Tech. The counter point to that though is whether you're willing to put up with the short-term PITA for the long-term packing and carrying.

If I knew I would always be within a few hundred yards from door to tree, I'd have 11mm rope without question. Since I don't know that, my primary climbing rope is C-IV as it's a compromise between weight and climb-ability. That being said, I'm taking a 2nd look at my Resc-Tech. I don't like climbing this rope but found myself venturing deeper in the woods so that short-term PITA does have some long-term benefits.
 
40’ of Oplux or RescTech plus 40’ of 2mm throw line equals roughly the same weight as a 10mm rope, are a few ounces saved better than the larger diameter?
 
40’ of Oplux or RescTech plus 40’ of 2mm throw line equals roughly the same weight as a 10mm rope, are a few ounces saved better than the larger diameter?
That's the million dollar question. The weight of the rope itself is probably irrelevant but it's the carry system that I struggle with. The bulkier rope requires a bulkier carry system. Meanwhile I'm looking for ways to downsize things.
 
Larger diameter rope is MUCH easier to rappel with. That's why I switched from Oplux to Canyon Elite.
This 100%. I have tons of bluewater assault line that I dont use because its bulky. I run a black diamond in progress capture, which dont do it, kinda dangerous, and now using oplux if I don't have gloves on when rappelling, it gets dicey.

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Being that you're in Iowa and it's mid October, I'd wait until after the season to start changing everything.

Rappelling adds a new level of complexity and isn't needed when climbing with sticks though I will argue is safer than climbing down sticks but I digress.

Since you mentioned the idea of one-sticking next year, wait until you have a better idea how how you want to climb and base you gear on that. Not that I'm against buying gear to try it out, trying it out while also trying to hunt doesn't make sense.

I switched from 5 beast sticks and a predator platform to 1 beast stick, rappelling gear and a mission platform last year...in mid October. Killed a buck on Oct 28. It's a learning curve but if you've got some intuition, common sense and ability to adapt it can be done quickly and safely. Chances are I wouldn't have killed that buck with the 5 stick setup I started the season with.
 
Generally speaking, canyon ropes are made to be more durable in rough conditions (being dragged over rocks, getting wet and muddy, etc.). As to type, that's where the disagreements come in.

Diameter: The larger the diameter, the easier it is to climb and rappel. More mechanicals and hitches are compatible with larger diameter ropes and quite honestly are just more pleasant to climb and rappel. The penalty comes with packability (manageability) and weight. Larger ropes are just more difficult to easily pack around...which is one of the big selling points to saddle hunting.

Stiffness: Much like diameter, the stiffer the rope, the easier is is to climb and rappel and just like diameter, the stiffer it is, the harder it is to carry compactly. The downside with softer ropes is that they can be more temperamental with devices (mechanicals and hitches) and aren't as easy to climb, especially smaller diameters like Resc-Tech. The counter point to that though is whether you're willing to put up with the short-term PITA for the long-term packing and carrying.

If I knew I would always be within a few hundred yards from door to tree, I'd have 11mm rope without question. Since I don't know that, my primary climbing rope is C-IV as it's a compromise between weight and climb-ability. That being said, I'm taking a 2nd look at my Resc-Tech. I don't like climbing this rope but found myself venturing deeper in the woods so that short-term PITA does have some long-term benefits.

Would Sterling HTP be a solid rope to use? Couldn’t find 40 feet of the canyon


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I switched from 5 beast sticks and a predator platform to 1 beast stick, rappelling gear and a mission platform last year...in mid October. Killed a buck on Oct 28. It's a learning curve but if you've got some intuition, common sense and ability to adapt it can be done quickly and safely. Chances are I wouldn't have killed that buck with the 5 stick setup I started the season with.

Just curious why your previous setup would prevent you from getting the buck


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Just curious why your previous setup would prevent you from getting the buck


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Packability of 1 stick/platform vs. 5 sticks/platform. Chances are I wouldn't have hunted that area due to me not wanting to carry that much gear to the top of the mtn. I also think 1 stick/platform climbing is quieter for me.
 
I might have to pick some of that up. Would it would well with the black diamond pilots, mammut smart 2.0 or a figure 8?


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I would grab a figure 8 & a VT prussic as a backup & practice you can do all that for under $100 incl shipping. Or just climb back down your sticks for free…….
 
Packability of 1 stick/platform vs. 5 sticks/platform. Chances are I wouldn't have hunted that area due to me not wanting to carry that much gear to the top of the mtn. I also think 1 stick/platform climbing is quieter for me.

Gotcha. Makes sense and might be worth working on one stick climbing on days that I’m not hunting


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