Prusik Bridge help

[DB4x4]

View attachment 30415

Something more like this? The main rope is a stand in. Ill make sure I address the stopper knots.

I will send you a picture of my adjustable bridge when I get home from work. It offers comfort and adjustability without sacrificing anything in the safety department. Oh, and it acts like a 2nd belt to keep your saddle from falling down when walking...

 

[DB4x4]

Girth hitched prusik on left side and girth hitched knot on right side for comfort and adjustability. Instead of stopper knot on prusik end, I tied the main rope back to the bridge loop. That way if the prusik cord ever breaks or gives way for some reason, each end of the bridge is still connected for safety purposes.

 

[maddog887305]

View attachment 30656

View attachment 30657

View attachment 30658

Girth hitched prusik on left side and girth hitched knot on right side for comfort and adjustability. Instead of stopper knot on prusik end, I tied the main rope back to the bridge loop. That way if the prusik cord ever breaks or gives way for some reason, each end of the bridge is still connected for safety purposes.

What are the specs on your rope diameters and length? I have been looking at a utilibridge from amsteel but I think this may be a better option for me. Thanks for any info.

 

[DB4x4]

What are the specs on your rope diameters and length? I have been looking at a utilibridge from amsteel but I think this may be a better option for me. Thanks for any info.

10mm or 11mm main rope. 11mm pictured, but my other saddle has a 10mm climbing rope bridge. I would start with no less than 6' (preferably 8') to make sure you have enough length. (Knots eat up rope quickly and you can always trim the excess)

8mm accessory cord. I would start with no less than 4' of cord (preferably 5') for the prusik. This allows you to tie a double fisherman's knot with sufficient tail and gives you a big enough loop for 3 or 4 wraps with spare change leftover.

Create your prusik loop from the accessory cord and wrap it onto your main line. Then girth hitch the prusik onto one of your bridge loops. At this point, you can tie the emergency backup knot onto the same bridge loop with the main line. I use an overhand on a bight for this, but use the follow thru method to tie it. (Remember to leave sufficient tail on all of your knots for safety purposes)



Then you can tie the girth hitched overhand on a bight on the opposite bridge loop with the main line. This will also need to be done using the follow thru method, shown here:

Am I a genius, or just stupid...

I've been racking my brain on trying to find a way to girth hitch both sides of sit drag bridge with my 8mm rope, and I think I figured it out, but what some second opinions before trying it. What I did was tie a monkey fist at each end, double it over pass both ends through the loop. On the the...

saddlehunter.com

Having a girth hitched knot on both bridge loops provides better adjustability and comfort. It allows you to move the bridge up or down on the loops to create more or less butt-cupping, and when loaded with your weight, the girth hitches stay put.

 

[raisins]

I do the same thing, but using Oplux and TRC for the prusik. The one upside with the prusik is that you have two strands there, so I believe that you get the strength of both ropes. In that case, if I'm right, then 2XTRC strength should be stronger than the Oplux even.

 

[bj139]

10mm or 11mm main rope. 11mm pictured, but my other saddle has a 10mm climbing rope bridge. I would start with no less than 6' (preferably 8') to make sure you have enough length. (Knots eat up rope quickly and you can always trim the excess)

8mm accessory cord. I would start with no less than 4' of cord (preferably 5') for the prusik. This allows you to tie a double fisherman's knot with sufficient tail and gives you a big enough loop for 3 or 4 wraps with spare change leftover.

Create your prusik loop from the accessory cord and wrap it onto your main line. Then girth hitch the prusik onto one of your bridge loops. At this point, you can tie the emergency backup knot onto the same bridge loop with the main line. I use an overhand on a bight for this, but use the follow thru method to tie it. (Remember to leave sufficient tail on all of your knots for safety purposes)

View attachment 34356

Then you can tie the girth hitched overhand on a bight on the opposite bridge loop with the main line. This will also need to be done using the follow thru method, shown here:

Am I a genius, or just stupid...

I've been racking my brain on trying to find a way to girth hitch both sides of sit drag bridge with my 8mm rope, and I think I figured it out, but what some second opinions before trying it. What I did was tie a monkey fist at each end, double it over pass both ends through the loop. On the the...

saddlehunter.com

Having a girth hitched knot on both bridge loops provides better adjustability and comfort. It allows you to move the bridge up or down on the loops to create more or less butt-cupping, and when loaded with your weight, the girth hitches stay put.

A figure eight follow through is what rock climbers use for primary attachment. It is about as easy to tie as the overhand follow through. The post about the girth hitch on a single line with a stopper knot was one I hoped I would not see again. I wouldn't trust my life to that.

 

[DB4x4]

A figure eight follow through is what rock climbers use for primary attachment. It is about as easy to tie as the overhand follow through. The post about the girth hitch on a single line with a stopper knot was one I hoped I would not see again. I wouldn't trust my life to that.

Wouldn't trust your life to what, specifically?

 

[bj139]

Wouldn't trust your life to what, specifically?

Just the girth hitch on single line with stopper knot.

 

[DB4x4]

Just the girth hitch on single line with stopper knot.

You mean that?

 

[bj139]

View attachment 34384

You mean that?

Yes. You have improved it by tying the double overhand around the standing line. I don't know. It is better than what is in the other thread.

 

[DB4x4]

Yes.

It's an overhand on a bight that is tied to be girth hitched to the bridge loop. I know some prefer a figure 8 on a bight vs. overhand on a bight, but it eats up more rope, and from what I read, in terms of strength the figure 8 and overhand on a bight are very similar.

The figure 8 on a bight is easier to untie, which is why it is commonly used in rock climbing applications... However, in this application, I DON'T want this knot to come untied, hence why I decided to use the overhand on a bight.

I also understand that you lose some strength with a girth hitch, but that's why I use big bulky rope that is rated 25+ kN and not the smaller stuff some folks are using. I feel safe using the bridge configuration shown above, but everyone has to figure out how much risk they are willing to accept personally, I guess.

 

[DB4x4]

Yes. You have improved it by tying the double overhand around the standing line. I don't know. It is better than what is in the other thread.

Ahh, I gotcha. Yes, my reference to this link:

Am I a genius, or just stupid...

I've been racking my brain on trying to find a way to girth hitch both sides of sit drag bridge with my 8mm rope, and I think I figured it out, but what some second opinions before trying it. What I did was tie a monkey fist at each end, double it over pass both ends through the loop. On the the...

saddlehunter.com

...was specifically for posts #5 thru #11 in the thread to show how to tie the girth hitched overhand on a bight. I would never recommend what the OP suggested in that thread. Sorry if that was confusing...

 

[bj139]

I was just inspecting my Oplux w/TRC bridge setup. A few tips: you can tie everything while the rope is full length (as long as it isn't like 40 feet, that would be tiring) and then cut once done (saves rope), tie a "draft" and then hang in it with full weight for a while (this will tell you how much your systems expands once the knots set, you can likely tie is tighter than you think and then your weight will settle it), and the tag ends on your double fisherman's knots used to make your small prusik can be handled well with shrink tube. Leave the tag ends long, pass both through a short piece of shrink tube (w/adhesive) so that they tag ends lay next to each other, shrink the tube, pull the tag ends so that it tightens down, cut and dress ends. This keeps your tag ends decent size and OUT of your prusik hitch.

Prusik in the picture was very small when first tied and then gained almost 2 inches after one practice session in it. Hopefully you can see how I used the shrink tube to pull the tag ends past each other and keep them from dangling around my hitches. I did all follow through knots and just traced everything with a full length rope, I think I only wasted a few inches on some tag ends and have enough rope to re-tie another one.

View attachment 34388

I have used my Hitchhicker more than a few times and when I first tie the VT with no slack, after a few minutes weighted, I have to add a turn to make it the same size.

 

[JBK]

Ok. I'm learning. I'll have to sit down and read all this multiple times .

Here is what I have currently. It's definitely a little more complicated than others. It was pretty tight when I started. It has grown after a few test runs.

I will trim the extra rope once I get it how I want it. Thanks fellas

 

[bj139]

Ok. I'm learning. I'll have to sit down and read all this multiple times .

Here is what I have currently. It's definitely a little more complicated than others. It was pretty tight when I started. It has grown after a few test runs.

I will trim the extra rope once I get it how I want it. Thanks fellas

It looks good. You could use one Prusik and get about the same effect.

 

[raisins]

Ok. I'm learning. I'll have to sit down and read all this multiple times .

Here is what I have currently. It's definitely a little more complicated than others. It was pretty tight when I started. It has grown after a few test runs.

I will trim the extra rope once I get it how I want it. Thanks fellas

Looks good and safe, but as BJ said, you only need the separate prusik loop on the bridge on one side if you are after bridge length adjustment (your double prusik side).

Are you right handed? If so, then having that long extra piece (the loop) on your right side will interfere when you rotate to your left for a shot, the carabiner will hit it and stop your from fully rotating to get a shot. You want your bridge on that side closer to your loops on your saddle if you are concerned with rotation.

This is easy to "fix" if you want. Tie a figure 8 knot on a bight to make a loop, then use that loop you just created to make a prusik on your bridge that can slide on your right side. On your left is where you adjust length. Someone else showed an overhand knot instead of a figure 8 for this side, and that seems strong enough also.

The attached pic is my right side. I tied a figure 8 on a bight and then you can see how I just pulled it through itself to make the prusik on the saddle bridge loops. My figure 8 looks a little funky because I pulled the tag end back underneath it to keep it out of the way.

 

[raisins]

View attachment 30656

View attachment 30657

View attachment 30658

Girth hitched prusik on left side and girth hitched knot on right side for comfort and adjustability. Instead of stopper knot on prusik end, I tied the main rope back to the bridge loop. That way if the prusik cord ever breaks or gives way for some reason, each end of the bridge is still connected for safety purposes.

Are those girth hitches grabbing the bridge loops well and holding position if you slide them up or down to adjust saddle angle? It definitely makes it more compact and cleaner looking, especially with the fisherman's knots over the girth hitch. I had to add length to put fisherman's knots in between my hitches.