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Fat dude one sticking

M

MouthMeat

New Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
1
Location
IL
Hey Everyone! I'm 300lbs and I would like to get into one sticking and repelling with my saddle. I am physically capable of everything that one sticking entails. I know I'm not alone. What are some of the products that work best for bigger guys? Extra safety measures??
 
I have watched videos on one sticking. You have also. I would suggest re watching and look for slack on the tether/lineman rope. At times I see a scary amount of slack. 6 to 12" should be about it. Watch those videos and guess how much slack and plug the info in here. https://ferforge.tripod.com/Srt002.htm
No matter which route you go for acsent consider a friction hitch rather than a mechanical rope clamp. A jaw can strip a rope sheath in fall arrest. If you want to try a friction hitch I would suggest a michoacan hitch. You can play with the number of turns 3 to 5. Depends on rope finish, rope hardness, rope diameter. The knot is self tending. This hitch slides easily, grabs well, releases easily post load. I have arborist spurs. Safest and fastest way up a tree of they are legal where you live.
 
MouthMeat said:
Hey Everyone! I'm 300lbs and I would like to get into one sticking and repelling with my saddle. I am physically capable of everything that one sticking entails. I know I'm not alone. What are some of the products that work best for bigger guys? Extra safety measures??
Click to expand...

I am heavier and do most all of it no problem. I have used most devices and ropes folks on here have talked about. In terms of one sticking safely with the issue of tether slack, it has to be minded for sure. One thing I do after the first move is hook my linesman's so I have some additional support until I get my tether pulled up. I agree about the caution on rope clamps, but I still use a CT Roll N Lock (when I am not using something else, see below) so I can take up the slack faster and loosen easier. To me, if the tether has slack it is no good period so I prefer to either have it tight or have that linesman's as an additional stability feature. But really, something like the Safeguard is likely best so you can come right down if you need to. Of course it also does not use the teeth like rope clamps.

As for the gear I am liking the most:
  • Ultimate one stick from doublesteps.com, the cleat is rated for 300 even so keep that in mind as you calculate risk. I take the risk.
  • Canyon C-IV rope 9mm
  • Madrock Safeguard, although I am somewhat down on it for reasons not unrelated to this thread. I still think it is good for progress capture and rappel. Compared to a hitch or a rope clamp on a short tether, if you use a device like the Safeguard on your actual rappel line (at this point doubling duty as a tether) you can always come right down if you drop your stick, have an emergency, or spot big foot and need to pursue. You can then just put the excess in a pouch or backpack until time to rappel, but at that point you can just head right on down when you are ready after the hunt.
  • I currently use a Trophyline Mission most of the time as well. I have hunted on most of the available platforms and they all have goods and bags, but any will likely be plenty solid for you. There is a good review of that here.
I have also used other methods and gear, but a stick that had a cam cleat is much easier for me and I am sure many others. I have been using the Petzl Rig on larger rope and loving it, but I mainly use that setup for SRT. It is a bit bulkier and needs more noise dampening but it is indeed a rig compared to the dinky belay devices. For rappelling, I would also get a figure 8 or an ATC along with an autoblock (I like this one for my weight and ease of use) and practice a good deal that way, too. That way you can always have a lightweight option for coming down in the event of failure or what have you.

As always you want to start low, short, and small and work your way up, out, and more in investment. I like to keep things at or near in spec so that rules out using 8mm rope in the Safeguard, for example. I also like to back things up and think about ways to fix problems or get out of jams, should they arise. Most important, think about things like what the products were designed for, how using them for hunting may differ from that (sail cleats on climbing sticks, winch rope for tree strap, belay for rappel, etc.), and how you can make sure you mitigating any of the challenges that could arise from such distinctions.
 
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