I composed this novel with my thumbs last night and accidentally sent it as a reply on a message thread rather than a reply here on the main thread.
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Friends, In another thread, I was asked to respond with any advantages I see in the JRB Climbing Method over SRT. Below, I wrote out that list, something I have never done before... yeah it's a lot and i typed it with my thumbs from a hotel room, cuz i am out of town, but didn't want to leave ya hanging. I am not suggesting that anyone who already rope climbs with SRT should switch to my method. I am of the opinion it has some advantages and that new climbers should consider all options. All the videos are in this playlist and less than a year old.
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When comparing the JRB Climbing Method (an anchorless, doubled, stationary rope system) to SRT, we also have to recognize there are many styles of SRT and options for a basal anchor or canopy anchor. RADS SRT (which uses a device in a 3:1 mechanical advantage system) and a canopy anchor seems to be the most popular. However, everyone should also check out an old school method called Texas Style SRT, which is a sit/stand method, which is a 1:1 and does not use friction devices. Because not only is this a viable method (with the right setup) but it's extremely similar to JRB Method, with the only real difference being that in JRB, we climb on both sides of a doubled rope. I have a GREAT Texas system SRT setup that I love, but JRB has these advantages over SRT, in my opinion:
1. No device needed; we build it ourselves, and its inexpensive. For a new climber, investing in a rope is a tangible expense. But choosing a device before we have mastered the basics of climbing and before we know what to expect is a daunting exercise. With JRB, we build our systems ourselves. It's just beaners and hitch cord. We build it and test it ourselves, and that helps us build TRUST and pride in our system. Building a 2nd and 3rd and fourth system doesn't mean buying more devices either. Yes, I have left a climbing rope in a tree for several days at a time when trying to minimize my entrance and exit profile at one spot while also mixing in hunts at other locations. I do realize SRT doesn't require a device and so this point holds for SRT as well: think twice before buying a device, because you actually don't need one.
2. JRB allows us to climb between 2 anchors, crotches or tie in points (TIP's) in the canopy rather than just one. This allows us to get in the middle of a multi trunk tree, and better able to hide ourselves in a hunting situation. Note that I have a video dedicated to this feature. And it is a huge benefit to me as a hunter. I look for the biggest, ugliest trees and I am getting multiple shot opportunities on the same group on the same trail and filling more tags. They simply can't find me. In SRT, you will need a lot of extra rope to attempt this and you won't get as close to your TIPs.
3. Because our body weight is loading 2 strands, the system can be built from lighter, thinner ropes (rated as half ropes), where SRT must be executed on (bigger, heavier) ropes rated as single or lead ropes. I use some 8mm and sub 8mm ropes and they are criminally thin and lightweight, less than 3 lbs for 100ft which can get me as high as 45 ft, or a lower height between 2 crotches which could be a great distance apart. I also climb on dynamic ropes which are typically used by rock climbers with no issue. I have no concern about rope wear because my rope doesn't grind in a crotch (like MRS) and because my friction hitches are on a large surface area of the rope, and do not chew up the rope.
4. I don't need to set a canopy nor a basal anchor. And so from the moment the rope comes down, I clip in and start climbing where a SRT climber needs to set an anchor, and then get a device out and attach it. That's time and complexity on both ends of the climb, and so JRB has a slightly quicker setup and takedown.
5. It's a more efficient use of rope, and that gets me in more trees and higher anchor points. Using the example of a 50 foot high crotch, when I step into the system, all of my rope goes to use, holding my body. To set a canopy anchor at 50 ft with SRT, although there are different ways to do it, ya will have a lot of rope or line which is used for nothing but setting and retrieval. Ya could do it with only 50+ feet of rope, but need to attach extension and retrieval lines on both ends of the rope. Its messy, bulky and a lot to clean up. I just coil my rope and go. No retrieval line to wind up for example. Of course, I don't need to climb as high as the crotch, but if i am in a mature forest with nothing low, i know i can use any anchor up to 50ft and simply stop at my preferred height, which opens up a lot more trees. In fact, I don't even use a pack. I don't know any SRT saddle hunters who even carry enough rope to tie in that high.
6. It's fast. I have a video filmed in one take showing how i can get 25 feet off the ground in 2.5 minutes from the time I arrive at the tree, including unraveling my rope. I can't match that time with SRT (nor MRS). Not that an extra minute is a big deal, but I am yet to see that matched. And I have since done it in only 2min.
7. No retrieval line that can get in your way, forgotten or lost. Did ya ever get to the ground after an SRT rappel and realize your retrieval line got hung up on a branch or was never set to begin with?
8. JRB has redundant bridges with redundant bridge connections to the climbing rope. If you have never climbed over 50 feet, you might not understand that at those heights, it tests if we REALLY trust our system. If my primary friction hitch(s) fails or slips, I do not fall. I am safely on my Garda hitch. Or if I used the option with the redundant pair of friction hitches on my redundant bridge, i am on them. In either case, not only am I safe, but I can recover and can self rescue. If your friction device fails in SRT, what happens? It doesn't matter if you trust your device, because I also trust my hitches. All I am saying is that it's easy to say redundancy is unnecessary when our boots are on the ground, but when we are REALLY high in a tree, redundancy gives us confidence, because now, we only need to trust the rope and the tree. And once you have experienced the confidence from the redundancy, we feel invincible at any height.
9. No metal on metal. This makes for a quiet climb. Some SRT systems I have seen have a metal carabiner rattling inside the friction device.
10. Aside from the rope and my saddle, I can't forget anything and i can't drop anything that's crucial cuz its all attached. If a RADS SRT climber lost a footloop, or forgot their device, they will most likely be grounded. I am not dependent on my Garda footloop to climb. If I forgot it or lost it, no problem, because JRB is a completely viable MRS system... just pull one side and tend, just like a Blake's hitch climb.
To be fair, the primary disadvantage of JRB compared to RADS SRT is that it requires a greater level of technique to master the ascent. RADS is so simple. It's kind of like learning how to hip thrust in MRS... it can be awkward until ya get the hang of it.
Also, SRT with a basal anchor is preferred by arborists when the tree has a lot of branches and your throwball came down in a much different path than it went up. In JRB, I would need to execute a bypass on those branches, which can be done but is time consuming and technical. (There is a dedicated video on how to execute a bypass. ) I would more likely use my JRB system and execute a basal anchor SRT climb one time and manually set a paracord loop when I rappel, to be used for future climbs.