I am new to this, and was interested in putting something together myself, rather than purchasing a kit. I really like what I've come up with. It's a little different than what I've seen on here, so I thought I'd share with you all.
First of all, I use a Diamond Solution rock climbing harness (and not a SitDrag or any other sling around my butt). I really like this harness. I feel 100% safe, and it is actually VERY comfortable in the tree. I was just up for 2.5 hours today and my legs never fell asleep and nor does my back hurt. I am able to swing around to make any direction of shot, and there are several loops for clipping on storage etc.
For climbing, I have repurposed what was a climbing seat from Lone Wolf. I use this to climb the tree and then as a platform when I'm up there. It's not as fast as having spikes or climbing sticks that are already in place... but it is very light weight and for $160 you get both your platform and your climbing apparatus. I feel very safe with this as well. LoneWolf Hand Climber
I have a 30 ft tether and a 10 ft backup I bought from ****'s. I ditched the prusik it came with and tied a distel hitch. I did this so that if my platform were to fail and I were to lose the safety cord I have tied to it, I could still descend the 25 ft safely.
The last thing I'll mention is the hanging device I found from whitetail dreams. I feel comfortable hanging my bow and backpack on these all metal, rubber coated hooks. I haven't had any problem whatsoever and highly recommend this to you all!
I am really happy with it all, and spent less than $300. I could see the addition of a SitDrag being a simple add on to make things more comfortable, but I don't think its necessary. I'm gonna roll like this for a season and see how I feel at the end!
Cheers!
First of all, I use a Diamond Solution rock climbing harness (and not a SitDrag or any other sling around my butt). I really like this harness. I feel 100% safe, and it is actually VERY comfortable in the tree. I was just up for 2.5 hours today and my legs never fell asleep and nor does my back hurt. I am able to swing around to make any direction of shot, and there are several loops for clipping on storage etc.
For climbing, I have repurposed what was a climbing seat from Lone Wolf. I use this to climb the tree and then as a platform when I'm up there. It's not as fast as having spikes or climbing sticks that are already in place... but it is very light weight and for $160 you get both your platform and your climbing apparatus. I feel very safe with this as well. LoneWolf Hand Climber
I have a 30 ft tether and a 10 ft backup I bought from ****'s. I ditched the prusik it came with and tied a distel hitch. I did this so that if my platform were to fail and I were to lose the safety cord I have tied to it, I could still descend the 25 ft safely.
The last thing I'll mention is the hanging device I found from whitetail dreams. I feel comfortable hanging my bow and backpack on these all metal, rubber coated hooks. I haven't had any problem whatsoever and highly recommend this to you all!
I am really happy with it all, and spent less than $300. I could see the addition of a SitDrag being a simple add on to make things more comfortable, but I don't think its necessary. I'm gonna roll like this for a season and see how I feel at the end!
Cheers!
