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Rope Mod for Helium Sticks?

Scott7030

Scott7030

New Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2020
Messages
20
Location
Michigan
I've been looking at a lot of rope mods for the Hawk Helium sticks. Everyone seems to be putting Lone Wolf Versa Buttons on the sticks in order to do a rope mod. Is the Button that come on the standard Helium to tall to create a pinch or some other issue why I would have to change out the versa buttons?
 
You don’t have to do rope. I do the buckle-less method and use the webbing strap that comes on it. I had a set of rope modded Helium’s and I like the webbing better. It rolls up around the stick a lot flatter and if you bought the stick you already have the stuff to do it, no need to buy anything else.
 
bodark said:
You don’t have to do rope. I do the buckle-less method and use the webbing strap that comes on it. I had a set of rope modded Helium’s and I like the webbing better. It rolls up around the stick a lot flatter and if you bought the stick you already have the stuff to do it, no need to buy anything else.
Click to expand...

Could you explain the buckle-less method? I've a set of four 20" on the way and would like to do something that makes the buckles unnecessary.
 
The button on the Helium’s works just fine with the rope mod. I never understood why they switch. As for the no buckle method. Just take the buckle side off your strap and use the other side of webbing just like you would the rope mod method.
 
peteherbst said:
Buckleless method with original straps and button slipped for me.
Click to expand...

Rock solid for me. I did it the exact same way Nutterbuster does in his video posted above. For the record that is NOT how I did it with just rope. With rope I only went under, behind, and around.
 
Guys were switching to lone wolf versa buttons before hawk started putting their own buttons on them. Used to just be a bracket with slots for strap hooks.
Like the others, I prefer the buckleless method with webbing over the 8mm accessory cord rope. I’ve tried them both, and the strap doesn’t sag as much, is lighter weight, and easier to wrap around the sticks. Best part is, you don’t have to buy anything! Just take the cam buckle off your hawk straps.
 
bodark said:
Rock solid for me. I did it the exact same way Nutterbuster does in his video posted above. For the record that is NOT how I did it with just rope. With rope I only went under, behind, and around.
Click to expand...

Rock solid for me as well as long as I did it like Nutter showed. I’ve tried it other ways but it slipped.
I try to remember “under, over”
Under the versa button over and around the strap. Cinch, then under the versa going the other direction, and over the strap and cinch.
 
Personally, I’d go with versa straps over the rope mod. Much more solid and if you kick out with the rope mod, you can be real screwed. Whereas with the versa straps, the stick remains on the tree. I did the rope mod for a year and was about to go back to the stock buckle before versa straps were a thing. Happy they became a thing last season for sticks lol


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So I just woke up from night shift and this was the first thread I was looking at today. I said NO WAY! I went straight outside and took the buckle off my XOP full length sticks and tested it out. I also tested some amsteel 1/4 rope mods that I just got in this morning.

I’ll be an SOB if they both didn’t have the same results. IT WORKED PERFECT!

This was only first testing and will do more later. Big concern is 270lbs but it seemed super solid when i was trying to bust it while bouncing on top step.

Anyone have concerns for a fat guy using this method?
 
Zellersta said:
So I just woke up from night shift and this was the first thread I was looking at today. I said NO WAY! I went straight outside and took the buckle off my XOP full length sticks and tested it out. I also tested some amsteel 1/4 rope mods that I just got in this morning.

I’ll be an SOB if they both didn’t have the same results. IT WORKED PERFECT!

This was only first testing and will do more later. Big concern is 270lbs but it seemed super solid when i was trying to bust it while bouncing on top step.

Anyone have concerns for a fat guy using this method?
Click to expand...

I’m about 180lbs with a pocket full of rocks so take that for whatever it’s worth but If I were comfortable with the rope mod I would be just as comfortable with the buckle-less wrap.
 
Zellersta said:
So I just woke up from night shift and this was the first thread I was looking at today. I said NO WAY! I went straight outside and took the buckle off my XOP full length sticks and tested it out. I also tested some amsteel 1/4 rope mods that I just got in this morning.

I’ll be an SOB if they both didn’t have the same results. IT WORKED PERFECT!

This was only first testing and will do more later. Big concern is 270lbs but it seemed super solid when i was trying to bust it while bouncing on top step.

Anyone have concerns for a fat guy using this method?
Click to expand...
I'm pretty close to your size and I haven't had any issues at all with using versa straps and wrapping them like @Nutterbuster did in the above video. Any climbing-rated webbing will work in this application.
 
bodark said:
You don’t have to do rope. I do the buckle-less method and use the webbing strap that comes on it. I had a set of rope modded Helium’s and I like the webbing better. It rolls up around the stick a lot flatter and if you bought the stick you already have the stuff to do it, no need to buy anything else.
Click to expand...


Agreed. The straps that come with the Helium's are good. Just ditch the buckle end and tie it off to the button. I like their straps well enough that I put one on my Predator platform. Works better than the strap that came with it, IMO.
The only reason I am running daisy chains on mine is I had them laying around and they were like .000005oz lighter. And I like the color better :)

To answer the question though, I can't see the need to change out the button on the stick.

Hope it works out for you. Let us know what kind of results you get.
 
Scott7030 said:
I've been looking at a lot of rope mods for the Hawk Helium sticks. Everyone seems to be putting Lone Wolf Versa Buttons on the sticks in order to do a rope mod. Is the Button that come on the standard Helium to tall to create a pinch or some other issue why I would have to change out the versa buttons?
Click to expand...
I use the exixting helium button with 1/4 inch dyneema 7,000 lb load (amazon 1/4 inch ATV winch rope 19 dollars per 50 ft.) and find it pinches very nicely.
 
I went buckle-less with my helium sticks for the first time last night, It worked great. I plan on keeping one buckle for the top step but that will be it. Now I just need to order aiders for the sticks so i can get down to 3 instead of 4 sticks and I need to do something else beside the lock together buttons that come with the sticks. they are not easy to get apart.
 
Scott7030 said:
I went buckle-less with my helium sticks for the first time last night, It worked great. I plan on keeping one buckle for the top step but that will be it. Now I just need to order aiders for the sticks so i can get down to 3 instead of 4 sticks and I need to do something else beside the lock together buttons that come with the sticks. they are not easy to get apart.
Click to expand...
There is another thread on how to fix that issue several of us have had with pulling them apart. You have to trim the inside of the female end and the outside of the male end and its a lot easier to take apart. Im actually going to try leaving 2 together while climbing and see if i can get them apart one handed. Worth a shot.
What you will notice is the male end, if you look at it from the side, will show stress points if you dont address it pretty soon. And HAWK will NOT help you.
 
Man.. I'm glad I found this. I made some Amsteel daisy chains. I tried them in the yard and they didn't seem too bad, but when I was in the 'real' woods Saturday trying get up the try super quiet and it was hot and I had sweat dripping in my eyes, I was about read to throw those things into the creek. This looks a lot easier to remove when one-sticking. Luckily I haven't hacked up my helium straps for some stupid reason yet.
 
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