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The scrap yard may be calling for your delta link

Red Beard said:
Saddle hunting is dangerous. People have died doing it. Know that if you hunt from an elevated position, there is a higher percentage of you not coming home to your loved ones than if you stay on the ground. Take the words/ideas of dudes on the internet with a grain of salt; very few of them are experts. I am not an expert. Do not run out and climb 20' to attempt what you see below. Think about it. Test it. Proceed with caution.

With that disclaimer out of the way, I'd like to toss out an idea for discussion. Every morning after my shower, I put on my clothes, fill my pockets, put on my watch and affix my bracelet to my wrist with... a jam knot.
View attachment 71478

Thinking about that made me reflect on the frequency of which I employ the jam knot for various tasks and its overall effectiveness. Made me recall that a jam knot has never failed me. In fact (and interestingly saddle related), I used a jam knot last year to hold my knee pad to the tree.

All this prompted me to remove the delta link from my tether and replace it with a jam knot. Sure enough, it worked for me. It works on the same principle as a Blake's hitch in that the rope binds on itself and doesn't allow the stopper knot at the end to pull through the eye.

I think there are a few pros to the jam knot:

1. It completely does away with the metal noises and weight associated with a delta link.
2. It is stuuuuupid simple to employ. Only thing you have to tie at the base of the tree is an overhand knot.
3. The ball of barrel stopper knot itself can be used as a tether assist handle if you choose. Use your bow hanger as a tether assist handle on the other side.
4. It is simple to untie when you're done if using Canyon or HTP as your tether.

Below are a few pictures geared to start conversation.
View attachment 71480View attachment 71481View attachment 71482

Here it is on another tree.
View attachment 71486View attachment 71487

Turns out, it does remarkably well holding all the gears when no load is applied to the carabiner.
View attachment 71488View attachment 71489
Click to expand...
Serious question- I have a figure 8 on a bight at the end of my rope. I loop my tether through it and I'm cinched to the tree. What are you gaining here that I don't have?
 
MNFarmHunter said:
I'd love to get @Brocky's thoughts on this. On one hand, the strength is probably better than a tied figure 8 for a girth hitch. On the other hand, I'll have to try this 2TC as a "normal" girth hitch is idiot proof which is what I look for with life safety.
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Thumbs down! Too simple, no extras to keep track of and install once at height, doesn’t look like there’s any fiddling once installed. And what, no splicing, can’t be any good.
 
So, just messing with it in the garage . It is just a slip knot around the main line with a stopper knot on the tag end. The accessory rope I was practicing with really seemed to lock down with just pulling. I can't imagine putting 250lbs on it.

Test #2 (before the kids swimming lessons) the Canyon rope seems to break free very quickly. Back intrigued again. I will be trying Oplux later.
 
I see as a back up, more tag end and run a bowline or figure 8 around your rope. Would be loose, but if the knot pulled thru it is tied around your rope. But as @redsquirrel just said. Why not just use the bight.
It could be easier to un tie and get around a limb. But if your running the second knot it doesn't speed anything up.
Am I right in my thinking?
 
redsquirrel said:
Serious question- I have a figure 8 on a bight at the end of my rope. I loop my tether through it and I'm cinched to the tree. What are you gaining here that I don't have?
Click to expand...
2x on this one. Seems at first glance for use on the tether this isn’t replacing anything. Since most use a delta only on their rappel line, and this not isn’t going to be able to be pulled down, then there’s no real advantage to it.

Something that I do like about the simple figure 8 on a bite is that I can undo it one handed, as well as attach my tether one handed. It looks like this would loosen one handed but may be a pain. Would you be able to untie the overhand with one hand easily? Doesn’t seem like you could attach this with one hand.

This does seem like decent simple method of attaching an accessory rope to hold all your gear you hang. So for that I say kudos!

I’d also be curious what this does when you load it and unload it repeatedly. Does it tend to tighten or tend to loosen? Some knots do one and some do the other. It may not be the end of this if it does tend too loosen, but if it’s a characteristic then we should be aware of it and accept the risk for it and check for it between uses.
 
redsquirrel said:
Serious question- I have a figure 8 on a bight at the end of my rope. I loop my tether through it and I'm cinched to the tree. What are you gaining here that I don't have?
Click to expand...
Great question! Honestly I think the real deal answer for you particularly is not much. :unamused: Those who are good with pulling the end of their tether through the eye won't find value here.

I started employing a delta link when using my rappel rope as a main tether. Did this so I wouldn't have to pull the entire 37' through the eye. Then I got away from rappelling but kept the delta link on my [regular] 2TC tether because I still felt it was easier to unscrew the delta link gate to pass limbs vs. unclipping from my bridge and pulling the end through the eye.

There are weight, noise, and gravity frustrations that may be alleviated if using a jam knot in place of a delta link.
 
redsquirrel said:
Serious question- I have a figure 8 on a bight at the end of my rope. I loop my tether through it and I'm cinched to the tree. What are you gaining here that I don't have?
Click to expand...

@Redbeard - redsquirrel beat me to it - what is your perceived advantage over just making a girth hitch using a permanent figure8 knot on a bite at the end of your tether?

If you were rappelling I would see the advantage of it as elimination of the quick link, but you said you’re no longer rappelling, so what’s the advantage over @redsquirrel’s approach?
 
Red Beard said:
Great question! Honestly I think the real deal answer for you particularly is not much. :unamused: Those who are good with pulling the end of their tether through the eye won't find value here.

I started employing a delta link when using my rappel rope as a main tether. Did this so I wouldn't have to pull the entire 37' through the eye. Then I got away from rappelling but kept the delta link on my [regular] 2TC tether because I still felt it was easier to unscrew the delta link gate to pass limbs vs. unclipping from my bridge and pulling the end through the eye.

There are weight, noise, and gravity frustrations that may be alleviated if using a jam knot in place of a delta link.
Click to expand...
I agree with all your conclusions on the delta link :)
 
LoadedLimbs said:
@Redbeard - redsquirrel beat me to it - what is your perceived advantage over just making a girth hitch using a permanent figure8 knot on a bite at the end of your tether?

If you were rappelling I would see the advantage of it as elimination of the quick link, but you said you’re no longer rappelling, so what’s the advantage over @redsquirrel’s approach?
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Evidently, I post too slow! Thanks for that!
 
So when you weight this it’s butting up against your barrel not to hold?
 
Too late to try this one for me.
The last thing I want to do is change up my gear with the season now open and have an unfortunate accident because I am unfamiliar with a new gear technique. I'll continue to curse my delta link as it slides down the tree while I'm climbing but at least I won't become a statistic.
I do like the idea but I'm not sure how well it will work being I climb on my rappel rope and would need for it to become slack enough in order to retrieve it.
 
slonstdy said:
Too late to try this one for me.
The last thing I want to do is change up my gear with the season now open and have an unfortunate accident because I am unfamiliar with a new gear technique. I'll continue to curse my delta link as it slides down the tree while I'm climbing but at least I won't become a statistic.
I do like the idea but I'm not sure how well it will work being I climb on my rappel rope and would need for it to become slack enough in order to retrieve it.
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Totally understandable! One of my superpowers is ill-timing. Should have posted about this months ago and not right at season kickoff.
 
slonstdy said:
Too late to try this one for me.
The last thing I want to do is change up my gear with the season now open and have an unfortunate accident because I am unfamiliar with a new gear technique. I'll continue to curse my delta link as it slides down the tree while I'm climbing but at least I won't become a statistic.
I do like the idea but I'm not sure how well it will work being I climb on my rappel rope and would need for it to become slack enough in order to retrieve it.
Click to expand...
And you call yourself a saddlehunter??? A REAL saddlehunter would change everything the night before the hunt and do new techniques that have never been tested or practiced.
 
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