Why don't yall 2TC?

[NMSbowhunter]

This is my first season running 2TC and I have 4 climbs so far under hunting conditions. My thoughts so far are that I like it. For me it beats sticks hands down. It is way lighter than sticks. There is really no bulk. There is very little metal to make racket. The whole kit, ring of steps, knee pads and saddle easily fit in my backpack with plenty of room for other gear.

One thing I did add after the climb down in the dark on the first night was a short section of rubber tube to the Blake's hitch foot loop. I also put reflective strips on each end of the tube. The tube is about 1 inch diameter and large enough to slide on the 11.4mm predator line with a little force. This serves two purposes and solves an issue I had the first night climbing down in the dark. One, it keeps the foot loop open. Secondly, with the reflective strips I can now see where to put my foot much more easily in the dark. It also provides a bit more foot comfort.

So far so good.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Are you using a ratchet strap or an OCB to put the ring on the tree?

Ratchet right now with an OCB on order. I’ll have to test which one I like better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Foot loop with rubber hose and reflective strips as previously mentioned.

 

[redsquirrel]

Phew. It took me days but I finally got through this whole thread!

 

[redsquirrel]

Alright so now that I'm all caught up I have a little something to contribute. I'm not sure if any of you were around when a few of us were fooling with the EONPOW climbers. They're like tree spurs but would be "public land legal"


Anyways I used them on some hunts and at one point I realized I could attach a foot loop to my tether and only carry one of them. I used that a handful of times. The reason I went away from it was you were pretty limited in tree size by the climber. But the concept I was using is actually really pretty similar to what you all are doing. It got me thinking last night that if you had some sort of stiff attachment around the tree you could probably come up with something that is almost a hybrid concept of one of those climbers and a foot ascender that functioned the same way a climbing treestand does except its only for one foot. The other foot you could just advance with your tether and a foot loop.

 

[gcr0003]

Alright so now that I'm all caught up I have a little something to contribute. I'm not sure if any of you were around when a few of us were fooling with the EONPOW climbers. They're like tree spurs but would be "public land legal"
View attachment 73406

Anyways I used them on some hunts and at one point I realized I could attach a foot loop to my tether and only carry one of them. I used that a handful of times. The reason I went away from it was you were pretty limited in tree size by the climber. But the concept I was using is actually really pretty similar to what you all are doing. It got me thinking last night that if you had some sort of stiff attachment around the tree you could probably come up with something that is almost a hybrid concept of one of those climbers and a foot ascender that functioned the same way a climbing treestand does except its only for one foot. The other foot you could just advance with your tether and a foot loop.

The 76 pages show that you always come back to the simplistic approach. The beauty of 2TC is it is simple, light weight, compact, quick, no metal, and inexpensive.

I remember seeing those climbers and thinking they looked cool but gimmicky. They look heavy and bulky and like you said limit the size tree you’ll be able to climb.

This idea seems closer to the climbing with a piece of a climber as the bottom. The most minimalist of which ive seen is with the old flat loggy bottom or tree lounge climbers. Even so, they don’t offer enough advantage over 2tc in my experience.

Tree lounge foot piece climbing platform

I finally got to do a little test today and I am kicking myself for not doing this sooner. This one is a touch heavy at maybe 6 or 7 lbs, but I already plan to have one custom made that will be even smaller and lighter. It is still lighter than carrying sticks and a platform by a long shot. It...

saddlehunter.com

 

[redsquirrel]

And to answer the original question of the thread:
I don't T2C because it would not allow me to get in every tree I may need to. I will make note to start taking pictures of some of the funky trees that I sometimes end up in on a mobile hunt. I don't think there is any doubt that a basketball sized straight limbless tree would be the ideal tree for this technique. That ends up being the ideal tree for most mobile techniques. Once in a while I end up in these trees that are covered in vines with lots of branches and I don't want to give those situations up. Most of you probably know how much I love my 7 stepps with knaider. I think it's extremely adaptable. The only limitation I have is when I hit a tree too big to get the strap around. I like fooling with climbing techniques so I'm going to play with 2TC in the offseason. Some of the areas I hunt in the rut are a little more open where I'm hunting terrain so I think it could be a viable technique for me during those times.

 

[redsquirrel]

The 76 pages show that you always come back to the simplistic approach. The beauty of 2TC is it is simple, light weight, compact, quick, no metal, and inexpensive.

I remember seeing those climbers and thinking they looked cool but gimmicky. They look heavy and bulky and like you said limit the size tree you’ll be able to climb.

This idea seems closer to the climbing with a piece of a climber as the bottom. The most minimalist of which ive seen is with the old flat loggy bottom or tree lounge climbers. Even so, they don’t offer enough advantage over 2tc in my experience.

Tree lounge foot piece climbing platform

I finally got to do a little test today and I am kicking myself for not doing this sooner. This one is a touch heavy at maybe 6 or 7 lbs, but I already plan to have one custom made that will be even smaller and lighter. It is still lighter than carrying sticks and a platform by a long shot. It...

saddlehunter.com

One of them is only 3 pounds so it's really not that much compared to a lot of other methods. But yea tree size is the big limitation.

What I was thinking was less along the lines of a climber bottom like that and more along the lines of just a foot tether, except instead of attaching to a tether around your waist height it would basically attach at your foot. It would just need to be stiff. I'm not saying it would work... I'm just saying it was a thought I had...

 

[thedutchtouch]

I saw doing some climbing daydreaming the other day and kept coming back to the Buckingham tree squeeze. I feel like a modified version of this would be an ideal tether for 2TC or one sticking, or any sort of ascending/descending by moving a tether.

Instead of using a tree squeeze, however, you use quick links instead of the rings. a short length of appropriate tether (I have oplux/resc tech on hand), with a quick link on the eye. Then use a small length of TRC/autoblock/probably using the wrong terms here and tie a hitch , attach a second quick link to this hitch. You then run your climb/rapel rope the same way you do with a standard tree squeeze, however using the quick links will enable you to pass a limb without taking the whole rig apart. You'd still need a second tether for safety (but already do with 2TC anyway).

I've been fighting with getting the tether to stay in place when I reach up as high as I can, if I don't reach as far it's easy enough to snug down but then less height per move. Perhaps there's an easier way to get the tether to stay in place that isn't adding a second quick ling, hitch cord, and second rop to the mix.

 

[gcr0003]

And to answer the original question of the thread:
I don't T2C because it would not allow me to get in every tree I may need to. I will make note to start taking pictures of some of the funky trees that I sometimes end up in on a mobile hunt. I don't think there is any doubt that a basketball sized straight limbless tree would be the ideal tree for this technique. That ends up being the ideal tree for most mobile techniques. Once in a while I end up in these trees that are covered in vines with lots of branches and I don't want to give those situations up. Most of you probably know how much I love my 7 stepps with knaider. I think it's extremely adaptable. The only limitation I have is when I hit a tree too big to get the strap around. I like fooling with climbing techniques so I'm going to play with 2TC in the offseason. Some of the areas I hunt in the rut are a little more open where I'm hunting terrain so I think it could be a viable technique for me during those times.

For big cumbersome or viney trees I carry 50ft of oplux to rope climb with. Having two climbing methods at all times is really valuable. Last year when I one-stick climbed predominantly I still carried rappel rope which I would utilize to climb larger trees. It’s at a minimal weight and bulk penalty.

That said I can comfortably 2TC up to 2ft diameter trees. That’s the point of diminishing returns for me.

 

[gcr0003]

One of them is only 3 pounds so it's really not that much compared to a lot of other methods. But yea tree size is the big limitation.

What I was thinking was less along the lines of a climber bottom like that and more along the lines of just a foot tether, except instead of attaching to a tether around your waist height it would basically attach at your foot. It would just need to be stiff. I'm not saying it would work... I'm just saying it was a thought I had...

Ahhh I misunderstood what your idea was, but I think my comment still applies. I keep trying to make the 2TC “better” but it always gets too complex too quick, or adds weight too quick. That’s why I think I’ve finally accepted that simple is better for 2TC.

Did anyone ever buy those things from you? I remember seeing you posted them a while back.

 

[Red Beard]

One of them is only 3 pounds so it's really not that much compared to a lot of other methods. But yea tree size is the big limitation.

What I was thinking was less along the lines of a climber bottom like that and more along the lines of just a foot tether, except instead of attaching to a tether around your waist height it would basically attach at your foot. It would just need to be stiff. I'm not saying it would work... I'm just saying it was a thought I had...

Make DIY great again!!!

 

[redsquirrel]

Ahhh I misunderstood what your idea was, but I think my comment still applies. I keep trying to make the 2TC “better” but it always gets too complex too quick, or adds weight too quick. That’s why I think I’ve finally accepted that simple is better for 2TC.

Did anyone ever buy those things from you? I remember seeing you posted them a while back.

I had an extra pair that I sold. I still have a set (or maybe 2) that I did some mods on. I'm kinda tempted to pull it out and try it with the foot loop again during the rut after reading this thread.

 

[redsquirrel]

Make DIY great again!!!

Too many projects, not enough time!!!

 

[redsquirrel]

Ok so I'm officially a member of the 2TC club. I actually made a double foot loop cause I was just going to try something like sam's stealth climb tonight. I got to a tree and the way I had it set up just wasn't going to work. I looked at it and said oh well I can try to 2TC. Not much longer later I was about 15 foot up the tree. I will definitely be practicing this more. I had a bunch of thoughts about it and most of them were wrong. I thought I'd like having a foot loop that stayed on my foot. No way, take that sucker off and just step in again. I thought I would want a second footloop. Don't really see a reason (except maybe for wet trees?). Didn't even have the thigh loop and not sure if I'll need it (@MNFarmHunter).

I definitely could 2TC down. Right now I'm still feeling like I want to rappel down to have that option to immediately bail if necessary. We'll see if that changes. I'm tagged out right now so I have a couple more weeks to fool around with this. October 30 it's back to hunting though.

 

[gcr0003]

Ok so I'm officially a member of the 2TC club. I actually made a double foot loop cause I was just going to try something like sam's stealth climb tonight. I got to a tree and the way I had it set up just wasn't going to work. I looked at it and said oh well I can try to 2TC. Not much longer later I was about 15 foot up the tree. I will definitely be practicing this more. I had a bunch of thoughts about it and most of them were wrong. I thought I'd like having a foot loop that stayed on my foot. No way, take that sucker off and just step in again. I thought I would want a second footloop. Don't really see a reason (except maybe for wet trees?). Didn't even have the thigh loop and not sure if I'll need it (@MNFarmHunter).

I definitely could 2TC down. Right now I'm still feeling like I want to rappel down to have that option to immediately bail if necessary. We'll see if that changes. I'm tagged out right now so I have a couple more weeks to fool around with this. October 30 it's back to hunting though.

@redsquirrel IS BACK BABY!!! Haha been too long. Look out 2TC is going to be the next hottest thing!

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Ok so I'm officially a member of the 2TC club. I actually made a double foot loop cause I was just going to try something like sam's stealth climb tonight. I got to a tree and the way I had it set up just wasn't going to work. I looked at it and said oh well I can try to 2TC. Not much longer later I was about 15 foot up the tree. I will definitely be practicing this more. I had a bunch of thoughts about it and most of them were wrong. I thought I'd like having a foot loop that stayed on my foot. No way, take that sucker off and just step in again. I thought I would want a second footloop. Don't really see a reason (except maybe for wet trees?). Didn't even have the thigh loop and not sure if I'll need it (@MNFarmHunter).

I definitely could 2TC down. Right now I'm still feeling like I want to rappel down to have that option to immediately bail if necessary. We'll see if that changes. I'm tagged out right now so I have a couple more weeks to fool around with this. October 30 it's back to hunting though.

2TC down is far easier that 2TC up (gravity seems to help). I've never seen the value in a thigh loop because I never tried to get the maximum height per evolution. Hindsight being 20/20, I will say that if the conditions are wet or slick (giggity), a double foot loop definitely helps.

 

[Maverick1]

I intended to use the 2TC method this year in CO, but things didn't work out that way! The general idea/plan - which I have done successfully several times in the past - is to shoot an elk with the bow, backpack out the meat, return to hunt over the elk carcass, and then shoot a bear over the elk carcass. Everything went great & according to plan - until the elk decided to run off an die in the middle of a large meadow high on the mountain near timberline. (And, no, you're not moving an elk carcass any sort of distance after using the gutless method - that's not happening!) So, with no trees around, 2TC was not really an option this year! Will plan to give it a try next season.

 

[BTaylor]

I intended to use the 2TC method this year in CO, but things didn't work out that way! The general idea/plan - which I have done successfully several times in the past - is to shoot an elk with the bow, backpack out the meat, return to hunt over the elk carcass, and then shoot a bear over the elk carcass. Everything went great & according to plan - until the elk decided to run off an die in the middle of a large meadow high on the mountain near timberline. (And, no, you're not moving an elk carcass any sort of distance after using the gutless method - that's not happening!) So, with no trees around, 2TC was not really an option this year! Will plan to give it a try next season.

Cant legally hunt over the carcass if it was moved anyway. Congrats on the elk!!

 

[TommyDee]

And to answer the original question of the thread:
I don't T2C because it would not allow me to get in every tree I may need to. I will make note to start taking pictures of some of the funky trees that I sometimes end up in on a mobile hunt. I don't think there is any doubt that a basketball sized straight limbless tree would be the ideal tree for this technique. That ends up being the ideal tree for most mobile techniques. Once in a while I end up in these trees that are covered in vines with lots of branches and I don't want to give those situations up. Most of you probably know how much I love my 7 stepps with knaider. I think it's extremely adaptable. The only limitation I have is when I hit a tree too big to get the strap around. I like fooling with climbing techniques so I'm going to play with 2TC in the offseason. Some of the areas I hunt in the rut are a little more open where I'm hunting terrain so I think it could be a viable technique for me during those times.

Just realized you’re in NJ. We need to have a meet, I might want to try this. I hate sticks. I love 2TC, but there are some fat trees that require another method.