Out On A Limb Ridge Runner Platform - Warning

[Kaskadian]

Hey guys,

I’m not trashing the platform so please keep that in mind - I think it’s very well made and dang near bullet proof.

On Monday I got some good climbing rope, new Prusiks, etc and whipped up a new linemen’s belt and tree tether. Has a rock climbing buddy check the knots, make sure stop knots were in place, all was well, etc etc. Tested the linemen’s belt and tree tether a bunch at ground level and decided to get up a few sticks into the tree and test out my new gear further.

I only went up about two sticks; I got to the top of my second stick and setup my platform. I tightened the platform down, went to cam it over, and the strap holding the platform to the tree blew apart... the stitching completely failed on the eye and sent my platform plummeting to the ground. I was caming the platform over using just arm strength. I’m a bigger guy - 6’3 250 lbs but I should have never been able to generate enough force to break that strap.

Thankfully there were no injuries and I was using my linemen’s belt on the way up. PLEASE always use your safety equipment guys nothing is 100% safe. Also check your safety equipment and make sure your ropes aren’t frayed, heavily worn, or damaged. Reliable safety equipment is a heck of a lot cheaper than a hospital bill or funeral.

I’m going to email the pictures to Out On A Limb and see what they have to say. If nothing else they should be aware of this as it’s a serious safety concern.

 

[Westdesign03]

Thanks for the heads up! That looks like a pretty new strap. Have you used it before? The strap that came with my RR is still working just fine last I checked and it has a good amount of use. There’s a lot of force on those stitches when the strap is tight holding the platform and a persons weight.

Personally I don’t see this failure as a reflection on the RR or OOAL as a company. Anyone could use any strap with the platform. Doesn’t have to be the one the platform came with. Looks like a quality control issue from the strap manufacturer to me. Again not a reflection on OOAL. I’m sure OOAL supplies their straps with the good faith that they will work as advertised but that’s not always the case unfortunately.

Good thing you checked it and yes definitely always use safety gear no matter what! Glad you didn’t get hurt too.


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[Kaskadian]

Thanks for the heads up! That looks like a pretty new strap. Have you used it before? The strap that came with my RR is still working just fine last I checked and it has a good amount of use. There’s a lot of force on those stitches when the strap is tight holding the platform and a persons weight.

Personally I don’t see this failure as a reflection on the RR or OOAL as a company. Anyone could use any strap with the platform. Doesn’t have to be the one the platform came with. Looks like a quality control issue from the strap manufacturer to me. Again not a reflection on OOAL. I’m sure OOAL supplies their straps with the good faith that they will work as advertised but that’s not always the case unfortunately.

Good thing you checked it and yes definitely always use safety gear no matter what! Glad you didn’t get hurt too.


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Honestly I got my platform after the season ended so it sat around unused until I got it out to start practicing. This happened on my second use of the platform.

I also agree with you entirely that this is not a reflection of OOAL or their quality. Their platform is incredibly well built and tough as nails. I’m entirely sure they buy their straps from a manufacturer. I only bring this up as a reminder to check your equipment and use your safety gear. I’ve emailed OOAL and they’re replacing the strap and have asked me to send back the failed strap so they can see what the heck happened with it. I’m very happy to hear they want to investigate why this failure happened.

 

[Westdesign03]

Honestly I got my platform after the season ended so it sat around unused until I got it out to start practicing. This happened on my second use of the platform.

I also agree with you entirely that this is not a reflection of OOAL or their quality. Their platform is incredibly well built and tough as nails. I’m entirely sure they buy their straps from a manufacturer. I only bring this up as a reminder to check your equipment and use your safety gear. I’ve emailed OOAL and they’re replacing the strap and have asked me to send back the failed strap so they can see what the heck happened with it. I’m very happy to hear they want to investigate why this failure happened.

Yeah for sure. Always glad when people chime in about safety here. We’re all so excited about all this stuff and I think it’s easy to overlook safety sometimes.

That’s good they’re replacing it. Good reflection on them. They will hopefully get credit for the obvious defective product. Yeah that is good they want to investigate. Shows they actually care about their customers.


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[boyne bowhunter]

Thanks for sharing. Thankfully you weren't standing on it when it let go. Like you pointed out, this is a real world reminder to check your equipment (even if its new) and to always be tied in securely. This is one of the primary reasons we should always tether in prior to making the transition to the platform. The worst possible failure mode would be for someone to step over unsecured and have the strap let go.

I'm as guilty as anyone of being complacent with new gear. I just received a new OOAL Solo Scout last week and went out and put it on a tree without checking over the strap carefully. It's easy to just assume it should be good, after all its brand new. After reading this I'll be going out to take a closer look at that stitching.

It will be interesting to see what OOAL finds. I agree their platforms are solid and this is most likely a fault of the subtier supplier but OOAL needs to assure a positive corrective action is implemented, after all they are the ones ultimately responsible. Please keep us informed if you hear anything.

Thanks again!

 

[Red Beard]

Thanks for sharing. Thankfully you weren't standing on it when it let go. Like you pointed out, this is a real world reminder to check your equipment (even if its new) and to always be tied in securely. This is one of the primary reasons we should always tether in prior to making the transition to the platform. The worst possible failure mode would be for someone to step over unsecured and have the strap let go.

I'm as guilty as anyone of being complacent with new gear. I just received a new OOAL Solo Scout last week and went out and put it on a tree without checking over the strap carefully. It's easy to just assume it should be good, after all its brand new. After reading this I'll be going out to take a closer look at that stitching.

It will be interesting to see what OOAL finds. I agree their platforms are solid and this is most likely a fault of the subtier supplier but OOAL needs to assure a positive corrective action is implemented, after all they are the ones ultimately responsible. Please keep us informed if you hear anything.

Thanks again!

Are the Solo Scout straps and the Ridge Runner straps identical? I don't have a Ridge Runner for comparison.

 

[eastchannel]

Are the Solo Scout straps and the Ridge Runner straps identical? I don't have a Ridge Runner for comparison.

Straps look identical to me.

 

[Zacrowsl]

Yes the solo straps and the ridge runner straps are the same. Matt and I spoke this morning and we already have a plan in place to try and track down any issue. All straps in stock are being inspected and we've gone back to his order and found the batch of straps that was sent with his order and so forth. We are also in contact with the manufacturer. We appreciate you guys being understanding. Although this is a major safety issue that ultimately reflects on OOAL, it is also something we couldn't have predicted and it slipped through quality control at the strap manufacturer. We will try doing a better job going forward at making sure we do our own strap inspections as well.

 

[Gator]

Honestly I got my platform after the season ended so it sat around unused until I got it out to start practicing. This happened on my second use of the platform.

I also agree with you entirely that this is not a reflection of OOAL or their quality. Their platform is incredibly well built and tough as nails. I’m entirely sure they buy their straps from a manufacturer. I only bring this up as a reminder to check your equipment and use your safety gear. I’ve emailed OOAL and they’re replacing the strap and have asked me to send back the failed strap so they can see what the heck happened with it. I’m very happy to hear they want to investigate why this failure happened.

So basically a brand new strap let go! Wow! Hope to be reading about a strap recall from this company shortly.

 

[Zacrowsl]

Hey guys,

I’m not trashing the platform so please keep that in mind - I think it’s very well made and dang near bullet proof.

On Monday I got some good climbing rope, new Prusiks, etc and whipped up a new linemen’s belt and tree tether. Has a rock climbing buddy check the knots, make sure stop knots were in place, all was well, etc etc. Tested the linemen’s belt and tree tether a bunch at ground level and decided to get up a few sticks into the tree and test out my new gear further.

I only went up about two sticks; I got to the top of my second stick and setup my platform. I tightened the platform down, went to cam it over, and the strap holding the platform to the tree blew apart... the stitching completely failed on the eye and sent my platform plummeting to the ground. I was caming the platform over using just arm strength. I’m a bigger guy - 6’3 250 lbs but I should have never been able to generate enough force to break that strap.

Thankfully there were no injuries and I was using my linemen’s belt on the way up. PLEASE always use your safety equipment guys nothing is 100% safe. Also check your safety equipment and make sure your ropes aren’t frayed, heavily worn, or damaged. Reliable safety equipment is a heck of a lot cheaper than a hospital bill or funeral.

I’m going to email the pictures to Out On A Limb and see what they have to say. If nothing else they should be aware of this as it’s a serious safety concern.

View attachment 28371View attachment 28372View attachment 28373

Matt would like you to give him a call.
5805413794

 

[Kaskadian]

Yeah for sure. Always glad when people chime in about safety here. We’re all so excited about all this stuff and I think it’s easy to overlook safety sometimes.

That’s good they’re replacing it. Good reflection on them. They will hopefully get credit for the obvious defective product. Yeah that is good they want to investigate. Shows they actually care about their customers.


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Thanks for sharing. Thankfully you weren't standing on it when it let go. Like you pointed out, this is a real world reminder to check your equipment (even if its new) and to always be tied in securely. This is one of the primary reasons we should always tether in prior to making the transition to the platform. The worst possible failure mode would be for someone to step over unsecured and have the strap let go.

I'm as guilty as anyone of being complacent with new gear. I just received a new OOAL Solo Scout last week and went out and put it on a tree without checking over the strap carefully. It's easy to just assume it should be good, after all its brand new. After reading this I'll be going out to take a closer look at that stitching.

It will be interesting to see what OOAL finds. I agree their platforms are solid and this is most likely a fault of the subtier supplier but OOAL needs to assure a positive corrective action is implemented, after all they are the ones ultimately responsible. Please keep us informed if you hear anything.

Thanks again!

Absolutely right guys! We all get excited to get out there and use our gear and it’s easy enough to overlook our rope, straps, etc. I think it becomes even easier to overlook when we’re playing around in the yard with new equipment only going up a stick or so from the ground.

We all know saddle hunting is incredibly safe because we’re always attached to a tree from the moment we leave the ground. I think we need to all make sure we use our safety gear regardless of how far off the ground we’re going and do routine checks on the rest of our gear as well. The saddle system works guys, the safety equipment did exactly what it was supposed to do. I wasn’t injured at all, I stayed connected to the tree, and like you said Boyne thankfully I didn’t step into that platform unsecured (especially at hunting height).

I feel like I’m beating a dead horse here and I’m sorry if I’ve repeated myself more than once; just please be safe out there, check your gear often, and inspect new gear just as thoroughly as you would anything else.

Yes the solo straps and the ridge runner straps are the same. Matt and I spoke this morning and we already have a plan in place to try and track down any issue. All straps in stock are being inspected and we've gone back to his order and found the batch of straps that was sent with his order and so forth. We are also in contact with the manufacturer. We appreciate you guys being understanding. Although this is a major safety issue that ultimately reflects on OOAL, it is also something we couldn't have predicted and it slipped through quality control at the strap manufacturer. We will try doing a better job going forward at making sure we do our own strap inspections as well.

Matt would like you to give him a call.
5805413794

I appreciate you guys looking into this. As I said before I don’t have any negative feelings towards your company or products - I love the platform. I know you guys bought your straps from a manufacturer. I just don’t want anyone to get hurt and I wanted to remind folks to look over their equipment carefully.

I’m stuck in the office at work right now but I’ll be sure to give Matt a call as soon as I’m able to get away.

 

[Red Beard]

Yes the solo straps and the ridge runner straps are the same. Matt and I spoke this morning and we already have a plan in place to try and track down any issue. All straps in stock are being inspected and we've gone back to his order and found the batch of straps that was sent with his order and so forth. We are also in contact with the manufacturer. We appreciate you guys being understanding. Although this is a major safety issue that ultimately reflects on OOAL, it is also something we couldn't have predicted and it slipped through quality control at the strap manufacturer. We will try doing a better job going forward at making sure we do our own strap inspections as well.

Awesome to see OOAL spring into action here! Please let me know what I need to do with my Solo Scout strap once yall get the remedy all figured out.

 

[Mgaris]

Hey guys,

I’m not trashing the platform so please keep that in mind - I think it’s very well made and dang near bullet proof.

On Monday I got some good climbing rope, new Prusiks, etc and whipped up a new linemen’s belt and tree tether. Has a rock climbing buddy check the knots, make sure stop knots were in place, all was well, etc etc. Tested the linemen’s belt and tree tether a bunch at ground level and decided to get up a few sticks into the tree and test out my new gear further.

I only went up about two sticks; I got to the top of my second stick and setup my platform. I tightened the platform down, went to cam it over, and the strap holding the platform to the tree blew apart... the stitching completely failed on the eye and sent my platform plummeting to the ground. I was caming the platform over using just arm strength. I’m a bigger guy - 6’3 250 lbs but I should have never been able to generate enough force to break that strap.

Thankfully there were no injuries and I was using my linemen’s belt on the way up. PLEASE always use your safety equipment guys nothing is 100% safe. Also check your safety equipment and make sure your ropes aren’t frayed, heavily worn, or damaged. Reliable safety equipment is a heck of a lot cheaper than a hospital bill or funeral.

I’m going to email the pictures to Out On A Limb and see what they have to say. If nothing else they should be aware of this as it’s a serious safety concern.

View attachment 28371View attachment 28372View attachment 28373

Thanks for bringing to our attention I replied to your email this morning if you could please call me. We will replace strap no questions asked but I really would like the strap so it can be examined. Looks like a stitching problem but a failure none the less. Please encourage others to check your straps for sure. We use a 3500 tensile webbing . For any questions please call 580-541-3794

 

[Westdesign03]

Not saying the strap manufacturer is doing this, but I have a feeling some companies might be cutting corners to rush and get product out the door because of this COVID crap. I know at least one major vendor my company deals with sent us over 1 million $ worth of all bad product recently and it’s been a HUGE headache to deal with. Tons of warehouse space taken up at multiple locations and extra man hours used just to sort and inspect all of it. Fortunately the vendor is paying us to inspect it for them so we don’t have to pay to ship it all back overseas. Anyway, all that to say stuff happens especially in hard times like right now, whether accidental or purposeful.


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[boyne bowhunter]

For what its worth, I looked at my new Scout strap and the stitching looks fine to me (not that I'm an expert). I also have a Ridge Runner so I just reused that strap when I tested the Scout on the tree so this strap is brand new, never unwrapped and just delivered a week or so ago.

 

[Bigterp]

Hi Matt,

I really appreciate it! I’m stuck in the office but I should be able to get out of here in a little bit and give you a call. I will absolutely send you the strap so you guys can inspect it and determine exactly what went wrong. I’m sorry for not calling you sooner it’s been crazy at work (healthcare) with all the covid stuff going around.

I’ll call you today and get that strap sent back to you guys as well. I appreciate you guys taking this safety concern seriously. Stuff happens, especially when you’re relying on manufacturers for components. It means a lot knowing your company cares about the safety of their customers.

Hey guys can you handle this customer svc via PM? I don’t want to lock the thread on a safety issue, it’s very important! But just to stay inline with site rules handle this via Pm, or other OOAL channels. Btw thanks for stepping up & looking into this quickly.......

 

[Westdesign03]

Just for fun and comparison, here is my well used strap that came with my RR. Last checked it’s still holding just fine under tension and body weight. Showing outer side and the inner side against the tree.

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[ImThere]

Not saying the strap manufacturer is doing this, but I have a feeling some companies might be cutting corners to rush and get product out the door because of this COVID crap. I know at least one major vendor my company deals with sent us over 1 million $ worth of all bad product recently and it’s been a HUGE headache to deal with. Tons of warehouse space taken up at multiple locations and extra man hours used just to sort and inspect all of it. Fortunately the vendor is paying us to inspect it for them so we don’t have to pay to ship it all back overseas. Anyway, all that to say stuff happens especially in hard times like right now, whether accidental or purposeful.


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He had the strap over a year. I doubt covid had anything to do with it, sometimes things just make it though the system.
We have nearly as many quality/ testing employees as we do machine operators and we still get customer complaints/ returns. totally unexplained as to how it made it out of the factory but yet there it is in a customers hands

 

[ImThere]

Matt, Zac,
Its great to see you guys jump right in, not make excuses and try to find a resolution.
We truly appreciate it, you commitment to providing a great product is commendable!

 

[bj139]

That's one of the problems with 1 inch webbing. There is just not enough real estate to make a lot of stitches. I would not use that strap as my only support. It looks like there are 51 stitches in the "Z" . According to the Sailrite formula with V69 polyester thread it should break at 688 lbs. It is a 2:1 pulley situation with the strap folded over so double that. With camming leverage you maybe could break that. Especially if the stitches are not wonderful. If the thread is thicker it would be more.