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Going "micro" this season

Weldabeast said:
IMO you should build an aider that's heavy duty. If all your carrying is the little stick then the extra aider weight shouldn't be an issue. I've tried lots of things for aiders and the lighter the material it wouldn't be very user friendly. Each new aider I've made has been progressively more heavy duty. You'll have allot more confidence climbing with robust aider. All your stick is doing now is just an anchor and your aider is really the main climbing component so why not make it beefy. I was going to do the same thing your doing in this off season and make tiny sticks but went a different route.
Click to expand...

Not sure if this was directed towards me but I'll do my part to explain things better

Are you suggesting my current tubular webbing isn't heavy duty as in weight carrying capacity or more in terms of rigidity and being able to maintain an opening to step into? I'll assume you meant the latter so ...on the inside of my tubular webbing aider is an 8" length of 11mm static rope at each step location to help maintain an opening to get my foot in. It works well enough for me although the step as a whole does have a tendency to twist and be in the wrong position at the wrong moment. I'm open to ideas for sure.

You are dead on as far as the stick being an anchor point. I couldn't come up with another way to attach an aider directly to the tree while maintaining a few inches of clearance so the aider doesn't lay flat against the tree and make it that much more difficult to get my foot through it. Hence I decided to make the smallest stick I could. I would like to come up with a combination single standoff/step without the square tubing and hang the aider from that. Guess I'll take a look in the scrap pile at work and see what I come up with...

I've been going over in my head the climbs from yesterday, specifically how the micro performed and what I would change. Two things come to mind instantly, first a cam cleat is a must. I spoiled myself after using one all of last season that now the rope mod seems so archaic, even though the time difference of less than a minute is irrelevant. It's purely for an ease of use one handed operation without the hassles of the rope mod. The second item is, being the stick is so short I need to hold the tree for balance while I use the aider and step up onto the step whereas with the longer stick I am able to grab hold of the top step for balance and walk up the aider more securely. I find I am more stable when holding the stick compared to the tree and the top step "handle"affords me a solid grip in the event my boot tip slips from the tree and the aider swings me sideways that I would be able to brace and prevent a fall from happening.

What I'm planning on building now is a slightly longer stick, say 12" long so I will have enough clearance to safely use a cam cleat without fear of accidentally dislodging the rope with my boot, and add a small top step mainly to be used as a handle while climbing up the aider. In the meantime throw out some ideas on what I should use for an aider...
 
I used 1.5 webbing...I think 2 be better...sewn with no knots

Diy metal-less climbing method

I'm not quite finished but I can't figure out how to send pictures in private message so I'll just go ahead and show what I been working on.....I've climbed with the anchor point ropes and aider already but still working on the aider transition stirrup I have lots of climbing sticks....my...
saddlehunter.com
 
Ditch the sticks (unless you need in certain spots)and go either DRT or SRT. Check out the NY Saddle Hunters on YouTube. Joe Delaberrara and Scott Kurtenbach have done a great job putting this together for all Saddle hunters. When I first saw this method, I was like “yea right”. But holy crap it’s something all Saddle hunters and tree stand hangers should investigate. Don’t write this off man.

I’m going to be switching to this method this year. Go in light, come out heavy!

Trust me on this one!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
ap_rustic_creations said:
Ditch the sticks (unless you need in certain spots)and go either DRT or SRT. Check out the NY Saddle Hunters on YouTube. Joe Delaberrara and Scott Kurtenbach have done a great job putting this together for all Saddle hunters. When I first saw this method, I was like “yea right”. But holy crap it’s something all Saddle hunters and tree stand hangers should investigate. Don’t write this off man.

I’m going to be switching to this method this year. Go in light, come out heavy!

Trust me on this one!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
We can't trust you until you post some pictures and especially a video. Yeah, we like videos. :D
 
Weldabeast said:
IMO you should build an aider that's heavy duty. If all your carrying is the little stick then the extra aider weight shouldn't be an issue. I've tried lots of things for aiders and the lighter the material it wouldn't be very user friendly. Each new aider I've made has been progressively more heavy duty. You'll have allot more confidence climbing with robust aider. All your stick is doing now is just an anchor and your aider is really the main climbing component so why not make it beefy. I was going to do the same thing your doing in this off season and make tiny sticks but went a different route.
Click to expand...

I have run the aider only for a long time. Packability is unbeatable. It just sucks that you don’t have a hand hold and the aider is pinned to the tree. Someone needs to build a little standoff with a hand hold and a cam cleat that is the size of a step. I would buy one.
 
Wirrex said:
I have run the aider only for a long time. Packability is unbeatable. It just sucks that you don’t have a hand hold and the aider is pinned to the tree. Someone needs to build a little standoff with a hand hold and a cam cleat that is the size of a step. I would buy one.
Click to expand...

You could run 2 LW standoffs on a 1/2 x 3/4 stock. Then add a versa button & drill out for aider attachment. It would be roughly 7” long & 1/2” wide.
 
Cbigbear said:
You could run 2 LW standoffs on a 1/2 x 3/4 stock. Then add a versa button & drill out for aider attachment. It would be roughly 7” long & 1/2” wide.
Click to expand...

I’m thinking more like a squirrel step with a cam cleat and your aider hangs from the end of the step.
 
Wirrex said:
I have run the aider only for a long time. Packability is unbeatable. It just sucks that you don’t have a hand hold and the aider is pinned to the tree. Someone needs to build a little standoff with a hand hold and a cam cleat that is the size of a step. I would buy one.
Click to expand...
The stirrups I made have the "stand off" built in.....I went with 2" of hold off of the tree....could easily used 4" wide strap and your aider is spaced 4" off the tree. The stirrup is also the hand hold if I need it.

I've thought of a small, easy to attach, aluminum anchor just for holding aider but haven't come up with a design I'm happy with.
 
onestringer said:
Where and how are attaching the aider?
Click to expand...

I’ve been hanging it off the top of the post via a loop in the aider. Once I get a set finished I’m experiment with drilling a hole in the bottom of the post & adding an amsteel loop to hang an aider.
 
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onestringer said:
Where and how are attaching the aider?
Click to expand...
I’ve seen him climb. He don’t need aiders, he just monkeys up the tree. Not really sure why he even uses sticks. He could probably get by with a spur, not a set...just one.
 
Wirrex said:
I have run the aider only for a long time. Packability is unbeatable. It just sucks that you don’t have a hand hold and the aider is pinned to the tree. Someone needs to build a little standoff with a hand hold and a cam cleat that is the size of a step. I would buy one.
Click to expand...
@Wirrex check this out. Holds an aider off the tree at just the right distance to get a full boot (arch-deep) into each step.
2020-05-15 08.34.23.jpg2020-05-15 08.39.14.jpg
 

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