Whats up with the 'Sladder Climbing system"?

[bowhunthard88]

*results will vary* *side effects include...* I haven't personally had any issues, doesn't mean I won't! I've relegated this to my current primary climbing method (I do rappel and I choose to use the X-Wing platform), really not much lighter than my 7 WEI Stepps with K/S setup (I don't need to rappel, or a platform then), but the Sladder is my personal preference right now... On the other hand I'm pretty dangerous, while I do wear my leg straps, I choose to climb the Sladder with only my lineman's belt. As a negative I did almost climb above the length of my rappel line (I didn't because I do certain things, but it was close) and I was thinking about implementing self rescue 3' above the ground lol. I made it with 2' to spare, not including other options easily at my disposal...

 

[HunterBob]

I got one and tried it, but unfortunately it wasn't for me. I really wanted to like it, but the most difficult part is that there is no stand off on the top, and the higher you climb, the less space there is for your foot. I tried what others mentioned on here, with pulling out on the lower foot before placing the higher foot, starting the climb with the webbing as far back on the lower foot as you can, etc.

For what it's worth, I use modified LW sticks with a two step webbing moveable aider (that I also use on my platform to act as a third stick), so I am not a novice at climbing on webbing. Unfortunately I just couldn't get comfortable with the sladder enough to trust it over climbing sticks. Hope that others have a different experience though, as it is definitely innovative, well made, and the guy who sells it open to questions and helping out.

I think that having less steps but more space in-between steps might actually solve the problem a bit. Would agree with others also who have said that having two more feet of daisy chain included would have been nice for larger trees.

 

[Weldabeast]

Alternating rungs....the ladder style steps are PIA.

I climb with knee pads. Put foot into step, put knee against tree, rotate hips/leg, next step swings out away from the trunk.

 

[woodsdog2]

To be clear...I have not "taken a ride down the tree" but I have experienced substantial slip. Not enough to scare me but enough that I am a little frustrated with the loss of upward progress.
And I'll say again, I think it was most likely the combination of the size of the practice tree and also the bark composition of that tree. I have tried it in larger trees (different species, different bark) and had no slippage.
I'm just a little apprehensive about having to depend on it for run and gun hunts when I don't already know which tree I may need to climb. I prefer a rock-solid, no fuss system that will work as intended on any tree I choose. I look for the right tree to hunt, I don't want to stand there trying to decide if it's right for a particular climbing method. But that's just me. Everyone needs to judge this for themselves.

For those who have slipped, have you secured the top at the appropriate starting angle as instructed? I’ve found (as he instructed) that you have to pull down on the two leg loops to get that almost 45degree angle before each climb.

 

[jackle1886]

Got mine a few days ago. Did 4 practice climbs in the back yard before hunting last night.

I skip the last step and go right into the stirrups, not enough space to get my foot in the top step.

The technique of putting your toe into the tree and swiping down creates more space between bark and the aider. Once I figured out how to do that it was better.

No slipping issues at all. I did clb with a linesman and added a tether once I was in the stirrups prior to the first move.

Less work and more comfortable than one sticking.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

 

[RRohn]

HUNTING FROM THE SLADDER - no platform…

Was going to hunt from a stand today, but the stand was compromised. Fortunately I had my saddle and Sladder with me (no platform) and crawled up the tree and hunted from the Sladder stirrups.

Although not as comfortable as a platform, it worked pretty well for a 3-4 hr sit. Once I got to the top, I tied it off as tight as I could and once set, I was actually able to move around the tree with only leveraging one stirrup.

Very happy with the Sladder and not having any issues with slipping. It is my go-to climbing method when not sitting in a stand.

 

[TNSTAAFL]

Someone with a JX3 gonna give the Sladder a try as a platform? @kyler1945? Are the stirrups enough to effectively maneuver?

I can see how the climbability of this thing is a modest improvement over 1-sticking (been intrigued sonce its initial mention honestly). But if I have to take a platform anyway I'm not sure why I don't just climb with it. Seems like extra weight and bulk for a likely marginal climb improvement.

If I liked using a ROS then I can see how this pairs nicely. Maybe their worth it altogether.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

 

[kyler1945]

Someone with a JX3 gonna give the Sladder a try as a platform? @kyler1945? Are the stirrups enough to effectively maneuver?

I can see how the climbability of this thing is a modest improvement over 1-sticking (been intrigued sonce its initial mention honestly). But if I have to take a platform anyway I'm not sure why I don't just climb with it. Seems like extra weight and bulk for a likely marginal climb improvement.

If I liked using a ROS then I can see how this pairs nicely. Maybe their worth it altogether.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

I’m either using squirrel steps or the JX3 top stick. Currently the latter goes most days.

I’ve been using the sladder to climb but haven’t made a sit yet.

If I were to bring rappel gear or set up really low, My intention was to have the stirrups slightly above the top stick to give me a different angle to rest my legs.

I doubt I’d use the stirrups by itself as a platform.

Main reason being - I see the sladder as a way to get to 14’-15’ without needing to rappel. I can then use my top stick and one step aider to get another 3’ or so in one set. If I needed an extra 2-3 feet, I’d “one stick” one move with it.

If I had to carry the sladder, a platform, and rappel gear, I don’t think I’d use it.

 

[bowhunthard88]

Complete UL setup where getting the deer out whole is an option.

 

[woodsdog2]

If I had to carry the sladder, a platform, and rappel gear, I don’t think I’d use it.

Herein is my nexus with this climbing method. However I use the Pursuit platform so a full load out with it, the rappel rope and kit and the Sladder may have a slight weight advantage over the four Tethrd One Sticks but it definitely wins in the bulk and noise comparison.

 

[htimsds9999]

grayskwerel
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#130
Hey guys, thanks for the feedback. For those that figured out the technique... how long did it take? I've posted a number of videos showing how it's done so I'm wondering if they've helped and how much they may have helped

I can't post in the vendor section, so I moved it here.

I got up right away the first time, no problems. I did encounter the learning curve as I tried different trees.... leaning, branches, larger trees. Leaning trees and trees that pushed the limits of the daisy chain extension gave me problems.
The video on leaning trees helped me and I try not to select trees that I can't reach around and touch my fingers.

I think the videos are great. Love the sladder, it's definitely my new primary method.

 

[sokraski]

I have about a dozen hunts in now using sladder. I took it out of the box, put it in my pack and went hunting. No practice, but did watch the videos. I didn't take any other climbing method so I could truly give it a try. Its awesome.

It was as easy as the videos show and truly works great. Used on trees from small basketball size to ones I couldn't reach my arms around. It is very stable and side kick-out is pretty much a non-issue.

I tried to do what he shows in the video, pointing toes up, putting heal into step and sliding toes down tree to push sladder away from tree, but I couldn't. I couldn't get ankle bent up far enough to get my heal close enough to catch the rung. I found it much easier and quieter to put my foot just above the rung against tree and then push out sladder with the foot that you are currently standing on. This brings the rung out to my heal, instead of bending my ankle to catch the rung and then pull it out by sliding toes straight. Even works well when close to the top of sladder. Should work easy for any size boot since you can pull a lot further from the tree with you whole leg.

The daisy's are too short unless all you are climbing are telephone pole size trees. I just used diy daisy's (not with the wide loop that comes with sladder) that I took off some hawk helium sticks, removed the stock ones from sladder, attached diy to sladder, then stock daisy's attached to diy daisy's so the wider loops are there for the hooks.

I could reach 7'2" so I followed the suggestion to get the taller one. I was worried the extra length would get in the way and be a hassle. It actually worked out better than I thought. The extra length gives just enough slack to really toss it up high on the tree when hooking as well as give a little slack to more easily get your foot in the first rung stepping out of foot loops.

This will be how I get into tree's for the foreseeable future (unless a huge trunked tree where SRT is only option or SRT preset) until something else comes along that is better than the pros listed below. I have used single step sticks, double step sticks, wild edge steps, SRT, DRT, 2TC, aiders, knaider, swaiders, etc...


Pros:
*Lightweight
*Quiet
*Extremely easy to pack/carry
*Fairly quick to get up tree
*Unlimited height

Cons:
*stock daisy's are too short - easy fix
*The foot loops may be too small for very large boots. Work great for my boot size (11EE), but maybe ~13+ may be close

 

[tullybluejay]

I wasn't sure which "Sladder" thread to ask this question, so I included it in both. I am currently 2TC climbing, but using a 3-step aider on my foot tether instead of a foot loop. I tried the foot loop but didn't like it as well. I have the Sladder System but haven't had a chance to try it but twice. I think I like it, but don't have enough experience yet. I have a rappel rope and a Madrock already but have gotten away from rappelling because it's so easy to 2 tether down the tree and then quicker to pack up to leave. So I said all that to give you an idea of where I am at.

Finally, my question! Has anyone thought about or even tried to use the Sladder like I currently use my 3-step aider to climb back down the tree after climbing up as it is intended? So I was thinking to come down, I could step onto the Sladder, lower my tether down a bit, sit down in my saddle, unhook the daisy chain on the Sladder and lower it down a bit, rehook the daisy chain on the Sladder, set it, then step back onto it... Repeat until at ground level.

Does this sound doable? I want to try it but just have not had the time. Thanks for any input.

 

[kyler1945]

I have about a dozen hunts in now using sladder. I took it out of the box, put it in my pack and went hunting. No practice, but did watch the videos. I didn't take any other climbing method so I could truly give it a try. Its awesome.

It was as easy as the videos show and truly works great. Used on trees from small basketball size to ones I couldn't reach my arms around. It is very stable and side kick-out is pretty much a non-issue.

I tried to do what he shows in the video, pointing toes up, putting heal into step and sliding toes down tree to push sladder away from tree, but I couldn't. I couldn't get ankle bent up far enough to get my heal close enough to catch the rung. I found it much easier and quieter to put my foot just above the rung against tree and then push out sladder with the foot that you are currently standing on. This brings the rung out to my heal, instead of bending my ankle to catch the rung and then pull it out by sliding toes straight. Even works well when close to the top of sladder. Should work easy for any size boot since you can pull a lot further from the tree with you whole leg.

The daisy's are too short unless all you are climbing are telephone pole size trees. I just used diy daisy's (not with the wide loop that comes with sladder) that I took off some hawk helium sticks, removed the stock ones from sladder, attached diy to sladder, then stock daisy's attached to diy daisy's so the wider loops are there for the hooks.

I could reach 7'2" so I followed the suggestion to get the taller one. I was worried the extra length would get in the way and be a hassle. It actually worked out better than I thought. The extra length gives just enough slack to really toss it up high on the tree when hooking as well as give a little slack to more easily get your foot in the first rung stepping out of foot loops.

This will be how I get into tree's for the foreseeable future (unless a huge trunked tree where SRT is only option or SRT preset) until something else comes along that is better than the pros listed below. I have used single step sticks, double step sticks, wild edge steps, SRT, DRT, 2TC, aiders, knaider, swaiders, etc...


Pros:
*Lightweight
*Quiet
*Extremely easy to pack/carry
*Fairly quick to get up tree
*Unlimited height

Cons:
*stock daisy's are too short - easy fix
*The foot loops may be too small for very large boots. Work great for my boot size (11EE), but maybe ~13+ may be close

Same. Simple easy way to get up a tree. I’ve been pleasantly surprised

 

[coolhand78]

I just learned about the Sladder a few days ago and have been closely following these threads, and I'm very interested. For the past 4-5 years I've been using WE stepps (6+1 on the backside of my platform), with a knaider that gets me 18+ feet. I feel like I'm very proficient with this system, I love how compact and versatile it is, yet it's time consuming for me. If I'm quiet and being careful it still takes me 20+ minutes (sometimes 30) from finding a tree to being completely settled with an arrow knocked.

My biggest questions re. the Sladder are:

• How does it do on leaning trees? I saw the video where he shows how to climb on the low side, which makes sense. How do you feel with the Sladder in this situation?
• How easy is it to get around branches? I think I can imagine how it would work, but I haven't seen a demonstration on how well that works.
• For anyone with experience with WE steps, how would you compare the Sladder on versatility and climbing efficiency?
• I've read that the build quality on the Sladder is excellent. Still, what would you guess is the "lifespan" of a Sladder? I'm wondering how many years of several climbs on "rough" barked trees will wear on the Sladder itself and the amsteel daisy chains? Can the daisy chains be easily replaced if they're showing signs of wear?

Is there anything else I'm missing on this system? Also, I've never rappelled, so I would need to get myself equipped for that, too.

Thanks for your input!!!

 

[bowhunthard88]

I just learned about the Sladder a few days ago and have been closely following these threads, and I'm very interested. For the past 4-5 years I've been using WE stepps (6+1 on the backside of my platform), with a knaider that gets me 18+ feet. I feel like I'm very proficient with this system, I love how compact and versatile it is, yet it's time consuming for me. If I'm quiet and being careful it still takes me 20+ minutes (sometimes 30) from finding a tree to being completely settled with an arrow knocked.

My biggest questions re. the Sladder are:

• How does it do on leaning trees? I saw the video where he shows how to climb on the low side, which makes sense. How do you feel with the Sladder in this situation?
• How easy is it to get around branches? I think I can imagine how it would work, but I haven't seen a demonstration on how well that works.
• For anyone with experience with WE steps, how would you compare the Sladder on versatility and climbing efficiency?
• I've read that the build quality on the Sladder is excellent. Still, what would you guess is the "lifespan" of a Sladder? I'm wondering how many years of several climbs on "rough" barked trees will wear on the Sladder itself and the amsteel daisy chains? Can the daisy chains be easily replaced if they're showing signs of wear?

Is there anything else I'm missing on this system? Also, I've never rappelled, so I would need to get myself equipped for that, too.

Thanks for your input!!!

- Simple, but you climb on the leaning side; but I would choose leaning trees that are so bad that a setup is going to be an issue...
- As easy as anything else, maybe an issue with a bush or a pine tree. With any branches you still have the lineman's and/or tether bypass, so be safe.
- I would say the Sladder is a bit ahead on efficiency vs. the WEI Stepps (the WEI with K/S was my primary method for 2 years), but yes, I do rappel.
- I don't know what the "lifetime" of the Sladder is, but it reasonably could be very long! And it's easy to replace just the daisy chains.

 

[HoneyBadger53]

Someone with a JX3 gonna give the Sladder a try as a platform? @kyler1945? Are the stirrups enough to effectively maneuver?

I can see how the climbability of this thing is a modest improvement over 1-sticking (been intrigued sonce its initial mention honestly). But if I have to take a platform anyway I'm not sure why I don't just climb with it. Seems like extra weight and bulk for a likely marginal climb improvement.

If I liked using a ROS then I can see how this pairs nicely. Maybe their worth it altogether.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

You talking about using your platform with an aider?

 

[coolhand78]

- Simple, but you climb on the leaning side; but I would choose leaning trees that are so bad that a setup is going to be an issue...
- As easy as anything else, maybe an issue with a bush or a pine tree. With any branches you still have the lineman's and/or tether bypass, so be safe.
- I would say the Sladder is a bit ahead on efficiency vs. the WEI Stepps (the WEI with K/S was my primary method for 2 years), but yes, I do rappel.
- I don't know what the "lifetime" of the Sladder is, but it reasonably could be very long! And it's easy to replace just the daisy chains.

Thanks for the response! I'd be happy to hear from any one else who has similar/different perspectives!

 

[MattMan81]

Anyone climbed in cold weather gear? Always my thoughts about something like this. Restrict your movement some, and seems like it can change things dramatically. You bigger guys having issues? Are limbs annoying with it?

 

[bowhunthard88]

Anyone climbed in cold weather gear? Always my thoughts about something like this. Restrict your movement some, and seems like it can change things dramatically. You bigger guys having issues? Are limbs annoying with it?

The only real issue I can see in colder weather might be large feet and/or pac boots lol. The steps are comfortable spaced, unless of course you dress like "Ralphie"... I hit some pretty cold temps, and I don't forsee issues.