Entire setup...5.25 lbs

[IkemanTX]

Here is another company that might be worth a shot. 3, 4’ sticks would be 91.90 shipped. After that, all I would have to do is cut them down. That would be 21 steps under $100

http://www.cstsales.com/carbon_rods.html


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[donnieballgame]

Love the idea, wish I could use bolts.

One word of caution, be careful cutting carbon fiber, don't want to get that crap in your lungs.

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[Vtbow]

Love the idea, wish I could use bolts.

One word of caution, be careful cutting carbon fiber, don't want to get that crap in your lungs.

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Yeah, good point, and it also helps to have the correct tools! The guys I got them from did a stellar job jutting them. It was worth the extra $ to have them cut them and they showed up ready to go. The exteriors of the rod were also sealed quite well. I just need to dip the raw cut ends in some poly, or hit them with wipe on poly and they should be bomber.

 

[Vtbow]

@Vtbow I'm not crying, you're crying!

I may not be quite below the 5lb mark, but I'm pretty dang close with my ring of steps and a webbing tether and linemans.

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Pretty stellar man! so you'e liking them eh?

 

[Nutterbuster]

Pretty stellar man! so you'e liking them eh?

Heck yeah! My only gripe is they're not as quiet as I thought they'd be. But the way the elastic holds them, it's a non issue. As long as you go slow, they don't touch.

Can't beat the weight, packability, safety, and speed of presets. All of my "bolts" and the drill weigh about what 1 wild edge step weighs. That's just silly.

I know I keep saying it, but you knocked this one out of the park. 9.5/10 for sure.

 

[Vtbow]

Heck yeah! My only gripe is they're not as quiet as I thought they'd be. But the way the elastic holds them, it's a non issue. As long as you go slow, they don't touch.

Can't beat the weight, packability, safety, and speed of presets. All of my "bolts" and the drill weigh about what 1 wild edge step weighs. That's just silly.

I know I keep saying it, but you knocked this one out of the park. 9.5/10 for sure.

Right on! They do have a little 'tink" sound to them, but much better than the bolts, and even using a ranger strap they pack tight with no heads and are easier to keep quiet I think. The elastic shell holder is money!!!

 

[Nutterbuster]

Right on! They do have a little 'tink" sound to them, but much better than the bolts, and even using a ranger strap they pack tight with no heads and are easier to keep quiet I think. The elastic shell holder is money!!!

Yes it is. I've got several ideas for "improvements" but honestly it's pretty slick as-is. You can clip them anywhere, and they roll up nice and can be easily secured with a handy-dandy elastic band. I'll probably hunt with it a few times before I put forth any further effort.

The ends of the bolts would slide in better if you knocked the edges off of them though. I also know a guy who does hydrodips. May try to talk him into dipping them treebark? If I do that, I'll go back and paint the ends that go in the tree blaze orange, just in case you drop them.

Then, maybe they'd be perfect?

I know I picked up my climb rites yesterday and was disgusted by how much they weighed!

 

[IkemanTX]

I’m torn between buying these with my October budget, or waiting until January-ish. To upgrade.
There are always too many options.
My biggest problem with buying from the first company is it runs me short on a full set. I have several trees that are 20 bolts including my backpack and now hanger bolt.

How hard is it to cut carbon rod? I have cut thinner sheets and tube once or twice, but I don’t even know what kind of blade is best. Would a metal cut-off blade work?


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[Nutterbuster]

I’m torn between buying these with my October budget, or waiting until January-ish. To upgrade.
There are always too many options.
My biggest problem with buying from the first company is it runs me short on a full set. I have several trees that are 20 bolts including my backpack and now hanger bolt.

How hard is it to cut carbon rod? I have cut thinner sheets and tube once or twice, but I don’t even know what kind of blade is best. Would a metal cut-off blade work?


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I would imagine the easiest route would be taking it to an archery shop. An arrow saw should make quick work of it. Shouldn't cost you much to get it cut. Probably could get it done free if you bought some arrows or something. I know I used to do stuff like that all the time.

And yes, you do NOT want to breathe carbon dust. My understanding is that stuff is kind of there to stay once it's in.

 

[Vtbow]

Yes it is. I've got several ideas for "improvements" but honestly it's pretty slick as-is. You can clip them anywhere, and they roll up nice and can be easily secured with a handy-dandy elastic band. I'll probably hunt with it a few times before I put forth any further effort.

The ends of the bolts would slide in better if you knocked the edges off of them though. I also know a guy who does hydrodips. May try to talk him into dipping them treebark? If I do that, I'll go back and paint the ends that go in the tree blaze orange, just in case you drop them.

Then, maybe they'd be perfect?

I know I picked up my climb rites yesterday and was disgusted by how much they weighed!

I agree, once I get mu disc sander out of storage, I'm going to bevel a little under 45 degrees on the insert side. I've hydrodipped a bow myself. Super easy and you can get a kit on amazon. These would be simple to do--could do them in a ziplock food container in pretty much anywhere...infact I have some film left over.... Might be a fun post season project. Also thought of just hitting them with ultra flat spray in a bunch of camo colors, leaving some black, kinda garage style Trebark.

 

[Nutterbuster]

@Vtbow, I think I remember your bow project. If it's what I remember it turned out pretty slick.

Now that I feel like everything is really coming together and I'm more fine-tuning than experimenting, I'd like to start making efforts to polish everything up. I'd like to dip my ameristeps, dip my bolts, and stitch my bridge where I've got it tied on now. Just try to make it all look "together."

Does it help kill deer? Absolutely not. Does it make me look like a gosh-danged professional?

Probably not, actually. But the heart wants what it wants, dang it!

 

[PJC]

Nice Setup. Good find on the bolt material. Is it slippery? Need Plastidip?

 

[WHW]

Here is another company that might be worth a shot. 3, 4’ sticks would be 91.90 shipped. After that, all I would have to do is cut them down. That would be 21 steps under $100

http://www.cstsales.com/carbon_rods.html


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Thanks, I'm in. Looks like I'm going to order 4 - 2' rods for $55.60 plus $10 shipping. Total $66.60. Make three cuts on each rod for 12 cuts and have 16 rods. I never use more than 12 for a climb, so I don't need any more than that. I did the research and came with 3/8" = .375. Correct?

 

[IkemanTX]

Thanks, I'm in. Looks like I'm going to order 4 - 2' rods for $55.60 plus $10 shipping. Total $66.60. Make three cuts on each rod for 12 cuts and have 16 rods. I never use more than 12 for a climb, so I don't need any more than that. I did the research and came with 3/8" = .375. Correct?

You won’t get a full 6” out of the bolts. Pretty close, but not exactly. You have to account for the loss in the width of the blade with each cut.


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[WHW]

You won’t get a full 6” out of the bolts. Pretty close, but not exactly. You have to account for the loss in the width of the blade with each cut.


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That shouldn't be a problem with only three cuts per rod. I think they will still be long enough. If not, I'll cut them 7" long and have 12 rods which is all I really need.

 

[Hillclimber]

Has anyone climbed with these yet? How did you like it?

 

[Deleted member 2228]

@Vtbow I'm not crying, you're crying!

I may not be quite below the 5lb mark, but I'm pretty dang close with my ring of steps and a webbing tether and linemans.

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@Vtbow I'm not crying, you're crying!

I may not be quite below the 5lb mark, but I'm pretty dang close with my ring of steps and a webbing tether and linemans.

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So how long to hang and hunt a new set?

 

[Nutterbuster]

Depends on lots of variables. I usually use 10 steps to put me a shade over 20ft. I'd say setting that many and climbing takes 10 minutes on a "telephone" tree. It's surprisingly quick. I'm setup and settled in in less than 20 minutes usually. Limbs, darkness, leaning trees, and extra height can all affect that.

Yes, drilling the hole takes time, but there's no "fiddle factor." You drill the hole, stick the bolt in, and step up. Rinse and repeat. Very methodical.

A lot of most people's setup time is unpacking and rearranging gear. My system is extremely simple, and I never have to dig for anything or rearrange gear. Very streamlined.

I'll try to get a video up this weekend.

 

[donnieballgame]

Any info on tree damage survivability? How far into the tree do you go?

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[Nutterbuster]

2.5" I believe is the drill depth. The "treebolts revisited" thread talks about tree damage if I remember correctly. I just started using the drill this year, but haven't noticed any I'll effects. One of the holes I drilled back in March or so has already mostly grown over.