One sticking vs. 2TC

[philsanchez76]

Searched and didn't see a thread like this. Who here does/did both? Which do you prefer and why? Which one is better for trees that have tons of limbs on them (i.e. removing and reconnecting lines at height multiple times throughout the climb)? Seems like weight savings from 2TC would be negated since having to carry a separate platform vs. the one stick already having one on it. I will likely have to try both either way. Thx for you time and wisdom!

 

[Newhunter1]

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[philsanchez76]

C'mon someone has to have done both. Anyone?

 

[enkriss]

I one stick and tried 2TC.

2TC was more work. I found the thigh band very uncomfortable after a very short time. 2TC is not for me.

 

[philsanchez76]

I one stick and tried 2TC.

2TC was more work. I found the thigh band very uncomfortable after a very short time. 2TC is not for me.

Thx for the input. It seems like the stick will afford the ability to use the upper body a lot more to assist with the climb. 2TC looks very leg intensive to me and I always skip leg day.

 

[rswink]

1 stick felt awkward to me. Tried all last summer, stuck with Stepps or the Helium's.

Been playing with 2TC, seems a lot less awkward.

Also working SRT/DRT. Since I am rappelling down it makes so much more sense to ascend the rappel line.

But, deer season is a long way off, we will see when I get there what I end up doing.

As for the platform comment. I take a ROS and a platform with sticks to get entirely around the tree. Stopped carrying the platform mid season last year and didn't miss it at all. And my ROS is not much weight and lives in the bottom of a pouch, I usually have my linesman's belt on top of it. So, 2TC vs SRT/DRT is my current problem.

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[2Sloe]

I’m not a 2TC guy, at least right now. However, I would say that 2TC with a platform would be about the same as one stick with a platform on top. 2TC gear weighs nothing so it would seem to be about 4lbs for both methods. With regard to determining which method is better for lots of limbs, it would be 2TC. I say that because with either method you have to go around the limb, which necessitates a backup tether be applied in order to move your regular tether around the limb. The advantage of the 2TC is that you already have your ”backup” tether out and in use, whereas with one stick you will have to pull you LB out of somewhere, dump pouch etc., and put it on the tree as a backup tether in order to move your main tether around the limb. However, 2TC is somewhat harder or more difficult to master, so even with the same weight, one stick is an easier method to master. If you only use a ROS with 2TC, then 2TC will probably be a little lighter, but probably not enough to make a real difference. In the end they are just like every other method, both have their advantages and disadvantages. Up to you to decide which best suits your hunting style and situation. I’m new to saddle hunting so I picked 1 stick because it something that I knew I could do right out of the box. I will play with 2TC, when I’m comfortable with one stick and saddle hunting in general. Good luck!

 

[philsanchez76]

1 stick felt awkward to me. Tried all last summer, stuck with Stepps or the Helium's.

Been playing with 2TC, seems a lot less awkward.

Also working SRT/DRT. Since I am rappelling down it makes so much more sense to ascend the rappel line.

But, deer season is a long way off, we will see when I get there what I end up doing.

As for the platform comment. I take a ROS and a platform with sticks to get entirely around the tree. Stopped carrying the platform mid season last year and didn't miss it at all. And my ROS is not much weight and lives in the bottom of a pouch, I usually have my linesman's belt on top of it. So, 2TC vs SRT/DRT is my current problem.

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Thx for the feedback. If climbing methods are our biggest problems; we got it pretty dam good.

Out of curiosity what about one sticking in particular felt awkward?

 

[philsanchez76]

I’m not a 2TC guy, at least right now. However, I would say that 2TC with a platform would be about the same as one stick with a platform on top. 2TC gear weighs nothing so it would seem to be about 4lbs for both methods. With regard to determining which method is better for lots of limbs, it would be 2TC. I say that because with either method you have to go around the limb, which necessitates a backup tether be applied in order to move your regular tether around the limb. The advantage of the 2TC is that you already have your ”backup” tether out and in use, whereas with one stick you will have to pull you LB out of somewhere, dump pouch etc., and put it on the tree as a backup tether in order to move your main tether around the limb. However, 2TC is somewhat harder or more difficult to master, so even with the same weight, one stick is an easier method to master. If you only use a ROS with 2TC, then 2TC will probably be a little lighter, but probably not enough to make a real difference. In the end they are just like every other method, both have their advantages and disadvantages. Up to you to decide which best suits your hunting style and situation. I’m new to saddle hunting so I picked 1 stick because it something that I knew I could do right out of the box. I will play with 2TC, when I’m comfortable with one stick and saddle hunting in general. Good luck!

Solid points about the second tether already being deployed. I may have to just go ahead and order a 2tc kit while I am waiting for my one stick.

 

[rswink]

When moving stick I didn't enjoy the sensations. That was the most awkward part. Climbing my aider is a known sensation. Setting my stick was no problem. But, reaching down to grab the stick was just wrong. I trust that the line was good on my tether, but I would think that there was not a back up. If I put a back up on them I was already at 2 tethers so why use the stick.

I also felt weird using my stick as a platform before I started rappelling down.

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[FLYIN_HAYN]

Honestly all you need to climb is a rope loop that you can girth hitch round the tree and step up on. Tether as high as you can, keep linesman loose, sit in saddle, move foot loop to next height, step up into foot loop, tighten linesman, move tether to next position and repeat. Climb it like you one stick. Always climb tethered in with linesman attached. If I’m going far I’ll ditch the stick and rope climb. One sticking does work better on crooked or leaning trees.

 

[HuumanCreed]

I have tried 2TC and am currently focused on 1 sticking for upcoming season (But i'm also considering just aider/platform). With everything, it all come down to how you practice and the gears you used. To be honest, I got a bad taste in my mouth from 2TC with basic amsteels, which I would not recommend because to me it was very uncomfortable. Other guys have been making and researching on an actual 'setup' that has made 2TC comfortable to them. So if its a 'method' you want to try, look into proper gears for it. Same can be said for one sticking. One sticking is better with tree that has a lot of limbs.

Another method that is similar to 2TC is aider and strap. Basically remove the stick from the equation. Connect the aider directly to a strap/versa/daisychain with a hook or carabiner. I tried this a few times and it actually wasnt bad except not having a solid base to stand on, which 2TC wouldn't give you anyway. 4 move with a daisy chain and a 5 steps rock climbing aiders got me to 20ft. But the added weight of a 1.5 lbs stick made it a lot more comfortable. You can also one stick with a Wild Edge Step, the camming motion made moving the step pretty easy. But again, carrying 3-4 extra Wild Edge steps shouldn't break your back.

 

[dirts]

I don't have any experience with saddle hunting nor a lot of different climbing methods, but I've read widely about both and talked to some of the practictioners. I've got the gear and have done some practicing as well. I built a platform with the intent of using it like a stick to climb, but I found the whole process arduous. Add 80F heat in Central Florida during archery season, and I didn't see how I could get to height without being drenched. My homemade platform doesn't have some of the keen tech people are now dropping on one-stick hardware, and that may be a big part of my problem. In particular, I don't have a super efficient way to detach the platform from the tree, which relegates me to awkwardly hanging, barely able to reach my platform attachment and fiddling with it to try to get it loose. I also cannot set the tether as high as I'd like to enable me to reach the platform without hanging upside down. I have pretty long arms, so that's not the problem. Repeat that same complaint for each move up the tree except the last one, and it (one-sticking) didn't have much luster for me. I've changed the attach method since then to employ a timber hitch on the platform, but that won't greatly reduce the fiddling I'll have to do to loosen it. I'm impressed with ingenious means Tethrd uses on their One stick to sling it; that looks like a relatively fiddle-free means of attachment and doesn't employ a mechanism not designed for saddle hunting that is often attended by the word "cool." I've learned to be distrustful of cool solutions obviously not intended for your purpose - particularly when safety is paramount. I haven't devised a way to fasten such a plate to my platform and make it easily accessible, but that only requires some fashioning and some thinking. Until then, I've been satisfied with 2TC. It's light, takes up little space, and it doesn't scare me. It also seems pretty quiet even on a loose barked pine tree. I don't have to hang upside down either, although I have to make more moves than the savants of one sticking do on youtube. 2TC seems entirely adequate, and my only minor gripe is that it's going to take me a little longer to get in the tree than carrying a pack of sticks - which I won't be carrying anyway. After investigating simpler methods of hitching my platform to the tree, I might review again the benefits of one-sticking, vs 2TC, but I have a solution that has a lot of good features and many other things to do before hunting season starts.

 

[Exhumis]

I don't have any experience with saddle hunting nor a lot of different climbing methods, but I've read widely about both and talked to some of the practictioners. I've got the gear and have done some practicing as well. I built a platform with the intent of using it like a stick to climb, but I found the whole process arduous. Add 80F heat in Central Florida during archery season, and I didn't see how I could get to height without being drenched. My homemade platform doesn't have some of the keen tech people are now dropping on one-stick hardware, and that may be a big part of my problem. In particular, I don't have a super efficient way to detach the platform from the tree, which relegates me to awkwardly hanging, barely able to reach my platform attachment and fiddling with it to try to get it loose. I also cannot set the tether as high as I'd like to enable me to reach the platform without hanging upside down. I have pretty long arms, so that's not the problem. Repeat that same complaint for each move up the tree except the last one, and it (one-sticking) didn't have much luster for me. I've changed the attach method since then to employ a timber hitch on the platform, but that won't greatly reduce the fiddling I'll have to do to loosen it. I'm impressed with ingenious means Tethrd uses on their One stick to sling it; that looks like a relatively fiddle-free means of attachment and doesn't employ a mechanism not designed for saddle hunting that is often attended by the word "cool." I've learned to be distrustful of cool solutions obviously not intended for your purpose - particularly when safety is paramount. I haven't devised a way to fasten such a plate to my platform and make it easily accessible, but that only requires some fashioning and some thinking. Until then, I've been satisfied with 2TC. It's light, takes up little space, and it doesn't scare me. It also seems pretty quiet even on a loose barked pine tree. I don't have to hang upside down either, although I have to make more moves than the savants of one sticking do on youtube. 2TC seems entirely adequate, and my only minor gripe is that it's going to take me a little longer to get in the tree than carrying a pack of sticks - which I won't be carrying anyway. After investigating simpler methods of hitching my platform to the tree, I might review again the benefits of one-sticking, vs 2TC, but I have a solution that has a lot of good features and many other things to do before hunting season starts.

Watch Garrett climb one stick, he makes it look so simple. I tried it and was like watching a monkey hump a football. Because I’m a glutton for punishment I’m gonna try it again.

 

[2Sloe]

Until then, I've been satisfied with 2TC. It's light, takes up little space, and it doesn't scare me. It also seems pretty quiet even on a loose barked pine tree. I don't have to hang upside down either, although I have to make more moves than the savants of one sticking do on youtube. 2TC seems entirely adequate, and my only minor gripe is that it's going to take me a little longer to get in the tree than carrying a pack of sticks

As a one sticker, I’d say that if 2TC is working for you them that’s where you should be. Doesn't get any lighter than that and the fact that it takes you 25 min to get setup vs 15 doesn’t matter….just leave the house 10 min earlier. Good luck!

 

[bj139]

To be honest, I got a bad taste in my mouth from 2TC with basic amsteels, which I would not recommend because to me it was very uncomfortable.

Was it the thinness of the Amsteel that made you feel uncomfortable? It bothered me.

 

[HuumanCreed]

Was it the thinness of the Amsteel that made you feel uncomfortable? It bothered me.

Yes sir, I used 1/8 and I found constant usage of it beyond simply looping around a versa button a hassle. But this is not everyone. I also made the mistake of having a thin padding against my body, nothing like the work of art some of the guys are making now. Pulling thin Amsteel under any tension against barks ate up my fingers. I might consider 2TC with thick rope 9-10mm for fun but its not something I want to try at the moment.

But ok, this guy made it look SUPER easy....