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Daisy chains or rope mod?

SETXsportsman6

SETXsportsman6

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2019
Messages
357
Location
South East Texas
Which do you prefer and why? I was thinking rope mod for ease of getting around the tree, especially on a really big tree, and Daisy chain would seem more efficient at hooking up and moving on. Still torn. Cost doesn't seem to be much different between the two.

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Daisy chain. This year I received a call from a friend who was stuck. He did the rope mod and didn't tie the knot correctly. Fortunately I was able to climb up and help. This is not an issue with a daisy chain.

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I have had rope mod for a couple years and am experimenting with a daisy chain this year. Believe I like the daisy chain best.


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I used rope mods last year and made some daisy chains a few weeks ago. I’m really liking the daisy chains. The Amsteel is much lighter and it has zero stretch. Once the stick settles in it is solid.


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I did the rope mod for a couple years. This year did amsteel daisy chain and love it. I use 7/64 but I’d do it agin with 1/8. It’s minimal weight penalty and I like the piece of mind of the strength of 1/8. It’s also a little easier to fling around the tree
 
Flee said:
I did the rope mod for a couple years. This year did amsteel daisy chain and love it. I use 7/64 but I’d do it agin with 1/8. It’s minimal weight penalty and I like the piece of mind of the strength of 1/8. It’s also a little easier to fling around the tree
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Good to know. I was thinking of a webbing Daisy chain hadn't even considered amsteel. How do you make the loops on the amsteel?

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Both will work. You have to choose which tradeoff is ok for you. With 1/4 amsteel rope, the stick will lock on the tree with minimal stick movement on the tree to set it, but takes a few seconds more to tie it correctly. With a daisy chain, be prepared to never hit the right loop and either burn the time savings on fiddling by twisting the chain or turning the stick sideways, or just leaving it a little loose and knowing it is going down the tree several inches before it sets and will be looser compared to a rope mod or strap. I choose the rope mod because the stick spacing and tightness is most important to me.
 
Just my $.02

I like the daisy chain versa strap for weight savings but to this point, it takes more time getting the correct loop and getting on and off over the button. I have some Amsteel I’ll try for the first time but I have used the rope mod before with 8mm rope.
I like the daisy chain strap better than a regular rope and I think I’ll like the Amsteel even more. Awesome having so many really good options.
 
I go with the daisy chain, less likely to fail than the rope. I have had the rope seem to be tight enough only to find out it wasnt. Like @Bwhana said, sometimes the next loop creates a situation where it will come down a few inches before setting. So that takes some practice to figure out where to start the stick.
 
There are good videos on YouTube to make the amsteel daisy chains. G2 outdoors has a good one. And there’s a few other good ones. As far as the correct loop in the chain it’s easy after a few tries. You just set the stick a little higher to compensate for the drop once you set it down right. The webbing ones are good too if you just want to pay for it.
 
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Do a hybrid... instead of rope, do an amsteel rope mod :)


................................................................................All climbing methods, platforms, saddle designs, and/or use of materials possibly mentioned in the post above are not peer reviewed for safety, and should only be used as an example of my own method. Do your own research and testing before becoming confident in any DIY solution to support your life.
-IkemanTx
 
ekelsey15 said:
How do you attach the cam cleat to the sticks? I just looked some up on amazon and I am not seeing how they attach.
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I put on a Harken micro cam cleat, they're rated for 200lbs so if you are a bigger fella you might need to go with the standard cleat. The cleat comes with a drilling template, so for the micro I had to drill two 11/64" (4mm) holes through the stick and then mount the cam with two screws and nuts (not included). I don't remember if they were 8/32" or 10/24" X 2 1/2" long but I used two nuts on each to lock them in place and then cut the excess length flush with the outer nut. Wrapped the stick in camo vet tape and tied an 8' length of Sterling TRC 6mm to the stick just under the cleat. Easier and quicker than the rope mod I was using and IMO well worth spending $30.
 
slonstdy said:
I put on a Harken micro cam cleat, they're rated for 200lbs so if you are a bigger fella you might need to go with the standard cleat. The cleat comes with a drilling template, so for the micro I had to drill two 11/64" (4mm) holes through the stick and then mount the cam with two screws and nuts (not included). I don't remember if they were 8/32" or 10/24" X 2 1/2" long but I used two nuts on each to lock them in place and then cut the excess length flush with the outer nut. Wrapped the stick in camo vet tape and tied an 8' length of Sterling TRC 6mm to the stick just under the cleat. Easier and quicker than the rope mod I was using and IMO well worth spending $30.
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So my other question was the rating. 200lbs seems low, but the weight isn't pulling directly back because there is less strain on the ropes as its tied around the tree... I weigh just under 200 and probably right at it with gear on. Any idea if this is an issue? Even the bigger ones didn't seem like they had crazy strong ratings. Are there any decent ones that aren't ~$30 each?
 
Well just to be clear, on Harken's website it clearly states:

DO NOT use Harken equipment for human suspension unless product is specifically certified and labeled for such use.

As far is will it be an issue for you? Only you can decide if it's worth risking potential injury...

Their standard cam cleat is rated to 300lbs

I'm not familiar with other cleats and most others here use Harken too. Me personally? I'm not saving a few $$ buying a "cheaper" cleat from an unknown manufacturer when I'm trusting it with my life.
 
Right. But high cost doesn’t always equate to better quality. Muddy obviously uses something and if it cost them 120 for cleats they wouldn’t use them.
 
ekelsey15 said:
So my other question was the rating. 200lbs seems low, but the weight isn't pulling directly back because there is less strain on the ropes as its tied around the tree... I weigh just under 200 and probably right at it with gear on. Any idea if this is an issue? Even the bigger ones didn't seem like they had crazy strong ratings. Are there any decent ones that aren't ~$30 each?
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I was checking out Muddy's cleat system and their cams are mounted directly to the tube, no base. They also use 5/16" bolts instead of the 4mm-5mm bolts that come on the other cam cleats you can buy. I'd love to find some cam cleats with at least 1/4" bolts or 7-8mm. Sorry for off-topic.
 
I just made an amsteel daisy chain because I single stick and want to make the process as fast as possible.


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