Maybe if you stop calling me Kyler, you’ll like me more! Worked for @gcr0003… errr well he hated me less…
I hate sticks for different reasons than safety related ones.
But I’ve climbed dozens of trees with em. Never had a kick out, never lost balance, never had one break, never fell.
There’s no accessory or piece of equipment to add to a stick that makes it less likely to hurt you after you’ve already made a mistake.
You’re in favor of personal responsibility and autonomy, and for doing things right and with confidence. So am I. Leg straps help you when you’ve missed one or two things in that multivariate process leading up to a fall.
With sticks it’s simple:
Use hardware and attachments that are strong enough not to bend or break.
Set the stick properly, with the post as parallel to gravity as is possible.
Climb with a lineman’s belt so you can attach next stick with your hands free to work, while maintaining four points of contact.
Load the stick as parallel to gravity as you can, and as close to the stick as you can while climbing.
Always maintain at least 3 points of contact when climbing.
Wear proper footwear and gloves.
If you miss any of these, there’s nothing you can do to a stick to make it less awful.
With a saddle, and the much longer list of things to do while climbing in it to prevent a slip or fall across all climbing methods, you can just add leg straps and now you won’t come out of it.
Cognitive dissonance
. Still haven’t come to the light but it ain’t your fault. You make that thing look like a 007 setup. “You Only Hunt Twice” or “Goldhunter” or “Tomorrow Never Hunts” or some such.