description/review of amsteel buckleless treehopper step climbing method after 20+ hunts

[raisins]

I described on someone else's thread a while back how I was going to try an amsteel daisy chain method with treehopper steps. I developed that and used it for the past 20 or so hunts and this will be my method until maybe I switch to Tethrd One sticks with aiders. Any critiques or suggestions are welcomed. Maybe this will help someone else.

Here is the step with the daisy chain through the slot.



That is an 8 foot long amsteel daisy chain made out of 7/64" amsteel using double brummel locks. The distance between locks is around 4". The end loop is inserted into the step slot and overhand knots tied on each side so that the step cannot slide freely on the chain. It is important to tie the knots as closely to the step as possible because this allows wraps to lock (more later). The knots will "move" away from the step some as it tightens after use.

The very last loop (never used to hold weight) is 3 brummel locks that are formed together after melting a bit, then covered in a little super glue (I don't want them ever to come undone), and then elastic paracord loop tied through it (see below).



For transport and easy deployment while climbing, I wrap the daisy chain around my hand and then attach to the side of step with 2 wraps of the elastic paracord (see below). At first, I was wrapping the chain round the steps, but this is harder to deploy. The current method just falls free and can be passed around the tree, hand to hand, while still mostly coiled.



One of these steps is right under 5 ounces and with the chain is under 6 ounces (see below).



I climb with 12 of these. I make up 6 so that the loop is on the right side of the step and 6 so that the loop is to the left.



They are stored in separate sacks that hang from my saddle. The ones with the loop to the right go in my left hand sack. They are placed on the left hand side while climbing (I like at around 7 o'clock). The loop being to the right means you are working more in front of you. The ones with loops to the left are on my right hand side.

I carry these two sacks inside my backpack. I am using Sea to Summit mesh sacks which are very light and durable. Here are 6 steps. I do not wind up my daisy chains while descending (I do that at home before a hunt), so the sack below is more pillowy than usual because all the chains are loose right now.





6 step plus sack and plastic clip (to attach to saddle) weigh around 2.3 lbs. I space these 24 inches apart. So, my 12 steps can get me 24 feet up a tree and weighs under 5 pounds. I put each step to the top of my knee pad, which is around 24 inches. I step up after each step is attached to avoid staying in one position for several steps, to use my knee as a height guide, and so that I can climb with my tether and linemans both on and never have much slack.

Step attachment starts by putting the chain around the tree and pulling part of it through your loop. This is faster than threading webbing through a buckle because you can put any part through the loop and then just pull it all through. I am showing just a smidge of chain through the loop, but you must start there and get the whole chain through the first loop.



After you have pulled the entire chain through the loop, double the daisy chain back onto itself and find another loop around 9 o'clock on the tree (or 3 o'clock if attaching a step to your left) and pull the chain through it. Again, I'm just showing the start here, you must get the whole chain through there.



You now have a sort of trucker's hitch with 3x mechanical advantage. Make sure all your ropes are where you'd like, together vertically, and horizontal on the tree and now grab you tag end and use your weight and muscle to tighten that thing. While tightening, flip the step up 90 degree so that the top of the step slot is against the tree and where you step is pointing in the sky. It gets very tight and the amsteel does not stretch.

While holding this tension, bring the daisy chain back toward the step and under it, tuck the chain between the step and the knot that keeps the step from shifting left to right.



To be continued below.......ran out of attachment space.

 

[raisins]

While holding tension, do about 2 wraps and tuck the chain between the step and knot as best you can.



You can continue to hold the same tension, but it is not quite as critical while you wrap the rest of the chain around the step and finish by looping the paracord elastic loop around the step somewhere. On larger trees or if you space your second loop of your trucker's hitch out more, then you will have less to wrap. Also, 8 feet is probably excessive for chain length.



The step will be pointed upward due to the wraps, but this doesn't cause an issue so long as you can step up to grab it. Your weight locks the wraps in while standing. After standing to put on the next step, the angle lessens. Coming down is easy and I have never missed a step.

Here is that step after standing on it with full body weight (180 lbs) for 3 minutes with some light bounding to mimic stepping up and down around 10 times. When standing on it, the step moves to a normal position but locks the wraps so nothing moves. When you step off, it springs back up to a 45 degree angle.



It is extremely solid on the tree to down and side pressure. I have never had one of these steps even seem to contemplate moving on me.

Impressions in next post.

 

[CooterBrown]

While holding tension, do about 2 wraps and tuck the chain between the step and knot as best you can.

View attachment 40055

You can continue to hold the same tension, but it is not quite as critical while you wrap the rest of the chain around the step and finish by looping the paracord elastic loop around the step somewhere. On larger trees or if you space your second loop of your trucker's hitch out more, then you will have less to wrap. Also, 8 feet is probably excessive for chain length.

View attachment 40056

The step will be pointed upward due to the wraps, but this doesn't cause an issue so long as you can step up to grab it. Your weight locks the wraps in while standing. After standing to put on the next step, the angle lessens. Coming down is easy and I have never missed a step.

Here is that step after standing on it with full body weight (180 lbs) for 3 minutes with some light bounding to mimic stepping up and down around 10 times.

View attachment 40057

It is extremely solid on the tree to down and side pressure. I have never had one of these steps even seem to contemplate moving on me.

Impressions in next post.

A video would help me a lot to understand your method

 

[raisins]

Cons:

1. These steps are polymer (probably with a fiber in them?). I would trust aluminum more but squirrel steps are much more expensive and probably won't take side pressure as well because of their narrowness and lack of "wings" on the back. Tree hopper states that they have tested to over 1,000 lbs in extreme conditions. During a phone call, I found out that this was tested for down pressure only and not side pressure. Also, I'm assuming that they were tested with webbing and not daisy chains, so there is an unknown there.

2. Time is the biggest con. It takes 3 of these steps to get the same height as a 24" stick with a single step aider. In the time it took me to set one stick and step up using an aider (going slow and safe), I can put up around 2 steps (they are fiddly but simple and easy to step). So, this takes around 50% longer in comparison to sticks with a 1 step aider. But these are easier to get started with (attach pouch to saddle) and you can move quick without noise, so that helps with speed. The way down is always quicker and I just wad up the chains around the step and stash in pouch.

3. Standing with one leg up isn't as comfortable as a stick with double steps, especially went setting a platform. You could always make a top step with 2 steps on the same daisy chain spaced out with knots and then be able to stand with both legs while setting platform. A few times, I had an extra step left over at the top and put two steps close vertically so it was more relaxing to set platform.

Pros:

1. Lightweight compared to most conventional steps and sticks. These also pack down cleanly inside a backpack and you don't have anything hanging off grabbing brush or making noise.
2. Some fiddling but overall very straight forward in that you do the same simple process each time and don't have to tie and untie knots.
3. Safe (if you trust polymer steps). You have 2 independent points of contact unless during a step. There are no sharp edges to impale yourself. If one breaks, you can get to another step usually (guessing, never broke one). It is very easy to climb with both a tether above you and linemans lanyard. You just push your tether up the tree after each step and use the linemans in the correct way to make a step. I have never had a step slide around the tree or anything sketchy happen at all. These are on the tree better than sticks, I believe. This is due to the tension on the hitch, multiple pieces of amsteel grabbing bark, and that it doesn't stand off the tree much so more of the wrap of daisy chain is against bark. I'd put these slightly above a stick with webbing and cam buckle as far as security on tree, even though there are no sharp teeth.
4. Not a lot of stuff in the way when using tether and linemans. When I used sticks and a CAYG aider, it seemed like it was a lot busier.
5. Quiet. These things are polymer and not hollow and there is no metal buckle to ding. They make little noise in the bag (this would be further reduced if I used fleece sacks). And the noise they make is more natural to the woods and not a sharp sound of metal. And they are very easy to wrangle without making any noise. You do not have to pre-set them, like sticks, and they barely slide when stepping due to the amsteel and trucker's hitch. I only had noticeable noise stepping when on a shag bark hickory.
6. Strength of attachment method. There is no cam buckle to be the weakest link. You'd have to break an amsteel daisy chain.
7. Low profile on the tree and look like a branch. I wouldn't recommend painting polymer steps, and I don't think there is any need to. These look like little gray bumps going up the tree, maybe like sawed off limbs.
8. Easy to get around branches and spiral around the tree. Because you have so many smaller attachments, it is easier to work these as you'd like. You can also barely offset them as you go and spiral around the tree (like if you can't start climbing where you'd like because there is a thorn bush there).
9. Easy and cheap to try out with only 1 or 2 steps, before buying steps and making additional daisy chains.

That's it. Thanks for reading. I've been thinking about this post for a few days, so I had a lot to say.

 

[raisins]

A video would help me a lot to understand your method

I thought about that but only have an iPhone and no tripod. I'll think about that more. Thanks.

 

[raisins]

A video would help me a lot to understand your method

Here's a quick one. Please excuse the amateurish, one-handed quality and portrait orientation of phone. With 2 hands and no audience, it takes less than a minute from grabbing the step out of the sack to stepping. I would also be holding the step right where I want it with my other hand and keeping my amsteel level, etc....speeding things up. I'm sure some of you could do this a lot faster than me, but I plod along methodically in my own way. Also, I'm a rightie and decided to hold phone with right and work with left, for some reason.

I didn't show climbing because I would have gotten electrocuted, but you just alternate at 5 and 7 o'clock and use your linemans and tether (if you want) properly up the tree. You'll have one leg up and one down, use your "up" leg as a guide for step spacing. I don't do Bullman's technique of placing 2 steps after each move and taking 2 steps at a time. I step after each step is placed.

Correction to the vid, I said "it didn't move or sag at all". You can see it moved an inch or less as some tension is taken up and it slid down (I'm not sure it is possible for it to stay perfectly horizontal under any method). But it is still very tight and you do not feel any change from that amount of movement.

 

[Jtaylor]

Great post! Add a button as in the "button runner mod" onto the end of your daisy chain and it'll ensure the wraps around the step will never come undone. It's not necessary but I already have the "button runner" daisy chains made, ha!

 

[raisins]

Great post! Add a button as in the "button runner mod" onto the end of you daisy chain and it'll ensure the wraps around the step will never come undone. It's not necessary but I already have the "button runner" daisy chains made, ha!

Thanks, checking that mod out now.

 

[Jtaylor]

https://saddlehunter.com/community/...lent-step-attachment-edit-read-warning.25241/ I'm not sure if going through the loop at the end where the "button" is should be bearing a load though.

 

[DMTJAGER]

So Raisins,
When are you going into full scale production?
Seriously though I realize due to liabilities and the insane litigiousness that dominates all things in America these will likely remain in the realm of DIY AYOR
Suggestion
As the steps are meant specifically for left or right sided attachment only do you see any benefit from making them with two hunting friendly but starkly contrasting colors of Amsteel like green and black or black and grey?

 

[raisins]

So Raisins,
When are you going into full scale production?

I hope I didn't give the wrong impression. I didn't make anything except the daisy chains. I was the first person I know of to use a daisy chain on steps like this and I added a few refinements to the process (hence the description of the process). I won't be making these for anyone or selling them (hopefully this means my impressions are more unbiased).

Here's the tree hopper steps

Strap on Tree Steps

Strap On Tree Steps For Climbing Trees or a Ring of Steps

www.treehopperllc.com

Here's the amsteel, but I would encourage everyone to get it from EWO (DanO), not sure why I didn't.

7/64 Amsteel Blue (25 Feet) | DutchWare Gear

Dutchware sells 7/64 Amsteel Blue for all kinds of do-it-yourself projects! We offer small or large quantities and a variety of color options.

dutchwaregear.com

I use 18 feet to make an 8 foot daisy chain (with a few wasted inches on each), and use purple knitting needles from walmart as splicing fids.

The sacks are here (2 of them each S/6.5 L size).

Mesh Stuff Sack | Sea to Summit

LIFETIME GUARANTEE. Mesh Stuff Sack's are incredibly durable with a 150 Denier mesh. Perfect for drying towels on the trail, or wrangling beers while you float down the river and relax. Handle on the bottom for rapid unpacking of items when the time comes.

seatosummitusa.com

Plastic carabiners to put sacks on saddle.

D-Shape Plastic Carabiner

D-Shaped plastic carabiner – millions of uses for clipping items onto your backpack, vest, or saddle. Great clip for using with an aider to keep it attached to your person. Price is for ONE (…

doublesteps.com

I made the attachment between sacks and carabiner out of a loop of 5/8" webbing sewed to the sack.

The easiest way to try this would be to buy a few pre-made daisy chains and a few tree hopper steps.

 

[mtsrunner]

https://saddlehunter.com/community/...lent-step-attachment-edit-read-warning.25241/ I'm not sure if going through the loop at the end where the "button" is should be bearing a load though.

Yeah, it will be just fine. I have used my button runner method with the Treehopper steps and it works great for climbing, but just so-so for side pressure. It’s very fast once you get the hang of it.

 

[raisins]

Yeah, it will be just fine. I have used my button runner method with the Treehopper steps and it works great for climbing, but just so-so for side pressure. It’s very fast once you get the hang of it.

The method above takes longer than a button runner, I'm sure, but it handles any accidental side pressure really well.

 

[mtsrunner]

The method above takes longer than a button runner, I'm sure, but it handles any accidental side pressure really well.

No doubt about that. Stuff happens when you least expect it. I am becoming more and more risk adverse. I have been hunting the last few times out from 8-10’ and still having deer in bow range. Haven’t had any spook until they get downwind and that happens at 25’, too.
I had a hen turkey feed around and bed down 20 yards from me last weekend. My ROS was 8’ high. I even went #1 and she didn’t leave.

 

[bj139]

Here's a quick one. Please excuse the amateurish, one-handed quality and portrait orientation of phone. With 2 hands and no audience, it takes less than a minute from grabbing the step out of the sack to stepping. I would also be holding the step right where I want it with my other hand and keeping my amsteel level, etc....speeding things up. I'm sure some of you could do this a lot faster than me, but I plod along methodically in my own way. Also, I'm a rightie and decided to hold phone with right and work with left, for some reason.

I didn't show climbing because I would have gotten electrocuted, but you just alternate at 5 and 7 o'clock and use your linemans and tether (if you want) properly up the tree. You'll have one leg up and one down, use your "up" leg as a guide for step spacing. I don't do Bullman's technique of placing 2 steps after each move and taking 2 steps at a time. I step after each step is placed.

Correction to the vid, I said "it didn't move or sag at all". You can see it moved an inch or less as some tension is taken up and it slid down (I'm not sure it is possible for it to stay perfectly horizontal under any method). But it is still very tight and you do not feel any change from that amount of movement.

Nice video since most of us are not professional videographers. You showed clearly how to tie on the step. Thanks.

 

[Deep South Slayer]

I wonder if after you feed the amsteel through the daisy chain loop and pull it tight if you could pinch it with your left hand and throw two half hitches. My guess is that it would save a little time and the need for an elastic band or button.

 

[raisins]

I wonder if after you feed the amsteel through the daisy chain loop and pull it tight if you could pinch it with your left hand and throw two half hitches. My guess is that it would save a little time and the need for an elastic band or button.

Thanks for the idea, I'll try it out! This method is kinda neat because there are a few ways to deal with that tag end, and I hadn't thought of yours. I just tried one a new one out today (tucking behind a thick elastic cord after my 2 wraps around the step) but I'm not sure about it. I hope by next year, I'll have it figured out a little more.

 

[Deep South Slayer]

Sounds awesome, I’m planning on trying it myself!

 

[raisins]

So Raisins,
When are you going into full scale production?
Seriously though I realize due to liabilities and the insane litigiousness that dominates all things in America these will likely remain in the realm of DIY AYOR
Suggestion
As the steps are meant specifically for left or right sided attachment only do you see any benefit from making them with two hunting friendly but starkly contrasting colors of Amsteel like green and black or black and grey?

I keep them organized based upon left and right pouches. If I had thought of it, I could have used silver amsteel for one side and black for the other. I have some really good quality electrical tape, I could always put a wrap of it somewhere on my right (or left) side steps.

 

[okccj]

@raisins , thanks for the idea. If you get a chance, I think we'd all benefit from a video showing you climb 8-10ft up using this method. Thanks .