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Why can’t I use a Ropeman 1 as my primary stop on tether?

Dakotablues said:
Dave or others - please help me understand this - I can see that if the prusik is not under load that it would probably be easy to move along with your Ropeman - though I wonder the benefit of the Ropeman on the tether then - are you adjust with one hand or still need two hands to adjust the tether length? Also, IF there is an improperly long fall due to error of the hunter leaving slack in the line, I thought the concer was that the Ropeman could potentially cut the tether at that point (vs. just breaking and having the stopper knot somehow save you while snapping you to attention. IF the tether were to get sheared off by the Ropeman on a fall, do you think the prusik would have enough tether left to properly "bight" and stop you? Seem like it'd be coming off that tether. If you leave the prusik really "long", maybe that would help to keep it farther up the tether line so it would function more suredly, but then it's a pain to move, causes you to run out of adjustment fast at the tree, etc. Please help me understand. Many thanks.
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That is a valid concern. I leave my prusik looser while getting everything adjusted, but I cinch it as high on the tether as convenient once I am all set so that it grabs as quick as possible.
 
pesqimon said:
That is a valid concern. I leave my prusik looser while getting everything adjusted, but I cinch it as high on the tether as convenient once I am all set so that it grabs as quick as possible.
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Folks - what I described above is for a prussic as A BACKUP for the ropeman1. The odds of both failing and your platform at the same time - well........

Do a risk analysis and go from there. Makes me wonder how many plan on staying at home "IF" there is ice on the highway? There is risk in everything, learn to use the gear properly and you won't have a problem. Once I am tethered in I am not worried about a free fall. My advice is to keep your tether tight and don't plan on using a ropemen in a dynamic fall.

With that said I don't think anyone should use a ropemen while bungee jumping.
 
I don't hear anyone complaining about the cables on a treestand not being rated for a dynamic fall - why? Because they are tight and are not subject to a dynamic fall..... use your tether likewise. Arborist and rock climbers are subject to dynamic falls all the time - we should not be.
 
As @DaveT1963 "There is risk in everything, learn to use the gear properly and you won't have a problem. Once I am tethered in I am not worried about a free fall. My advice is to keep your tether tight and don't plan on using a ropemen in a dynamic fall. "

It's all about risk management, practice and a check system that works for you.
 
Dakotablues said:
Dave or others - please help me understand this - I can see that if the prusik is not under load that it would probably be easy to move along with your Ropeman - though I wonder the benefit of the Ropeman on the tether then - are you adjust with one hand or still need two hands to adjust the tether length? Also, IF there is an improperly long fall due to error of the hunter leaving slack in the line, I thought the concer was that the Ropeman could potentially cut the tether at that point (vs. just breaking and having the stopper knot somehow save you while snapping you to attention. IF the tether were to get sheared off by the Ropeman on a fall, do you think the prusik would have enough tether left to properly "bight" and stop you? Seem like it'd be coming off that tether. If you leave the prusik really "long", maybe that would help to keep it farther up the tether line so it would function more suredly, but then it's a pain to move, causes you to run out of adjustment fast at the tree, etc. Please help me understand. Many thanks.
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You are a smart man! There are a bunch of different materials out there that manufacturers use to make friction hitches with that have a very high "melting" or burning temperature rating, because these friction hitches will slide down the rope before stopping under high loads. I am no expert in this field but have done some research, and have figured out there is a lot to this stuff. I like to err on the side of caution when I feel like I don't really know all I should!
 
DaveT1963 said:
Folks - what I described above is for a prussic as A BACKUP for the ropeman1. The odds of both failing and your platform at the same time - well........

Do a risk analysis and go from there. Makes me wonder how many plan on staying at home "IF" there is ice on the highway? There is risk in everything, learn to use the gear properly and you won't have a problem. Once I am tethered in I am not worried about a free fall. My advice is to keep your tether tight and don't plan on using a ropemen in a dynamic fall.

With that said I don't think anyone should use a ropemen while bungee jumping.
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My question was more about the validity of the backup Dave.

I would suggest that as described initially, the prusik likely wouldn't help at all if there was an improper fall and the rope severed. Thr prusik would be great if the Ropeman somehow just broke and allowed the rope to pass through it. So - I wasn't arguing with you at all - just wanted to see if I even understood what visually was so simple as you suggested. Have a super weekend.
 
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This is a video of the item I purchased.
. I don't seem to have to adjust my tether all that much, so it doesn't really bother me to use a hitch, plus I can let out slack while it's fully weighted.
 
Ok guys, lets take a breather here. We all have different experience and ways we like doing things that work for us. Everyone needs to be comfortable with their setup and truly understand the why and backups. As we're first(or continuing) learning that means more questions. Lets stick to helpful comments or information that is relevant to the OPs question and drop some commentary. Thanks!
 
My comments were not directed towards any one individual. Some folks are going to be scared off and confused as hell by some of the comments being made by some folks that don't even have one season under their belt saddle hunting and using this gear.
 
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I use a Ropeman 1 on my tether and lineman’s belt. On my tether I also use my Prussik knot above the Ropeman just in case. I have full confidence in the Ropeman but just feel better with the back up attachment.


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Also, in the event of a dynamic fall the ropeman isn’t going to magically chop the rope in half. It will most likely tear the cover which will slide a little and eventually bind. If you have a stopper knot at the bottom I can’t see the rope coming completely apart. There are TONS of members on here with years and years combined use with this device and it flat out works. It’s fine to have backups if that makes you comfortable, but you can make up scenarios all day long where a backup wouldn’t save you. Just my thoughts on it.


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I use a prusik on my tether while I am moving, I never need both hands to tie a step at the same time I would need to adjust the tether. When I get to hunting height, where there is no slack in my system, and no risk of fall, I clip into a Ropeman upstream from my prusik on my tether and disconnect the pruisk. That way, I can have adjustability to move from leaning to sitting with one hand.
 
With all these questions about a ropeman I would suggest, like most of us did when first getting into saddles, use a prusik only for a season, get comfortable with your system and if the one handed adjustment is needed/wanted, introduce a ropeman in the future AFTER experience is gained.


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I don't understand why this is so complicated. Why is anyone putting themselves in a position to have a big dynamic fall? If you ever have more than a a little slack in your tether, you're doing it wrong. Even if you use a pivot style platform and you rotate for a shot, there are ways to have little to no slack in your tether. Our falls shouldn't really be falls. They should be uncomfortable swings into the tree.

Sent from my Galaxy S8.
 
g2outdoors said:
I don't understand why this is so complicated. Why is anyone putting themselves in a position to have a big dynamic fall? If you ever have more than a a little slack in your tether, you're doing it wrong. Even if you use a pivot style platform and you rotate for a shot, there are ways to have little to no slack in your tether. Our falls shouldn't really be falls. They should be uncomfortable swings into the tree.

Sent from my Galaxy S8.
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I agree with this 100%. The importance of this conversation is that people understand what their gear is/or is not designed for and what its limitations are. As many people have noted. Put a correct stopper knot on the tail end and use it as a static tether.
 
If the Ropeman is a concern to you, you could always use a secondary tether as a back up. You could perhaps use smaller diameter rope on the non-ropeman tether and maybe zip tie them together at the loop you thread around the tree and for a short distance down the tethers. Hook it up with a prussic to the same carabiner but with a small amount of slack in it.
 
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