Why don't yall 2TC?

[NMSbowhunter]

If you’re talking like a daisy chain that comes from your eno or hammock then I would said it wouldn’t meet safety standard but would probably hold you until it didn’t. If you make your own you’d probably be good. I’m sure most think of the Amsteel daisy chain when they think daisy chain and in that case it would be plenty strong enough. I think some people climb on them as their primary tethers. I would still size appropriately. I don’t see anything wrong with the concept other than make sure your accessory daisy chain is going to be able to hold your weight plus a couple factors of safety.

What I had in mind was something along the lines of this below.

Daisy Chain Webbing – Eastern Woods Outdoors (doublesteps.com)

An amsteel daisy chain should work also. It would be very light as well.

 

[gcr0003]

What I had in mind was something along the lines of this below.

Daisy Chain Webbing – Eastern Woods Outdoors (doublesteps.com)

An amsteel daisy chain should work also. It would be very light as well.

Even daisy chains for sticks aren’t rated very highly. Sure a working load of 400lbs is more than enough and 1300# gives you 3x factory of safety but In a case of a fall IS there a possibility of reaching the break strength? of course, but maybe less likely in this capacity of use. If you’re good with those numbers go for it, glad you’re considering all the factors.

 

[Red Beard]

Ok good deal! I wanted to know if that was a good idea or not. I would think a webbing daisy chain would be pretty strong. Just avoid hooking up in the last loop for safety's sake.

Oh whoops I glossed right over "webbing" in your post. Mine is 1/4 Amsteel.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Yeah, after looking at those numbers I am leaning heavily toward amsteel now. Nothing wrong with those for sticks.

 

[cmcclain88]

Yeah, after looking at those numbers I am leaning heavily toward amsteel now. Nothing wrong with those for sticks.

FWIW- I carry an extra prussic knot on my foot tether, when I approach a limb that I have to pass, I just clip into it with my bridge. This allows me to stay standing on my foot tether, clip into extra prussic, unclip from top tether, move it past limb, then clip back into top tether, remove slack, then sit back and pass the foot tether past limb. This works well for me without really carrying any additional gear.


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[Red Beard]

FWIW- I carry an extra prussic knot on my foot tether, when I approach a limb that I have to pass, I just clip into it with my bridge. This allows me to stay standing on my foot tether, clip into extra prussic, unclip from top tether, move it past limb, then clip back into top tether, remove slack, then sit back and pass the foot tether past limb. This works well for me without really carrying any additional gear.


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Now THIS beats all other ideas. Well done. I gotta implement it today!

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Ok, just tried this with a Distel and carabiner on the foot loop high up on the rope. I was using the regular foot tether with Blakes hitch and my short top tether with Ropeman. I didn't have a limb handy and didn't want to go up 15 feet to find one but the mechanics of it seem to work. I do need to put a tender on the Distel to make adjustments easier. It was not hard to clip into and back off of. In fact, I am considering replacing the Ropeman with a Distel and tender anyway. The Ropeman works great pulling up slack, but I have peeled hide off my finger more than once letting slack out on it. Considering I usually don't climb trees with inconvenient limbs I would not need this but about 10% of the time but this could be a really easy and elegant solution to the limb problem.

 

[gcr0003]

Well I took out the one stick yesterday for some time trials against the 2tc system. I’ve got my 2tc moves down to 3 ft increments so I’m down to about 5 moves to 20 ft and probably about 6 or 7 tether moves (top and bottom each) so that my feet are at 25ft. I need to go out and find a taller tree so I can do a real time to hunting height comparison.

I will say that 2TC down is quicker than one sticking down for me. And wouldn’t be a bad option at all as opposed to rappelling. Rappelling down is time consuming to set up and is where most of accidents occur (That’s not strictly hunting speaking but from alll climbing backgrounds where most accidents occur).

For pure climbing time (no set up time), these are single climbs and may vary slightly from my other times. It would likely be better to take an average.

One-sticking: 6 ft/min
2TC: 4.5 ft/min

With one sticking you have no additional set up at height but the set up at the bottom takes a little longer. Conversely with 2TC you have hardly no extra set up at the bottom of the tree but then you will have extra time attaching your steps or platform at height.

I think depending on the tree I will use one sticking or 2TC. For short hunts or long distancing I’ll probably pair the 2 tethers with squirrel steps as it makes the most sense and is lighter. It’s hard for me to get away from the one stick climbing because it so darn fast and take less moves which I appreciate.

I know we are beating a dead horse at this point but I am just enjoying the heck out of climbing trees and talking about it with you fellas.

 

[krub6b]

FWIW- I carry an extra prussic knot on my foot tether, when I approach a limb that I have to pass, I just clip into it with my bridge. This allows me to stay standing on my foot tether, clip into extra prussic, unclip from top tether, move it past limb, then clip back into top tether, remove slack, then sit back and pass the foot tether past limb. This works well for me without really carrying any additional gear.


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This is what I do with a klemheist instead of a prussic. I use the klemheist to keep my tether from loosening and sliding down the trunk as well.

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[gcr0003]

I will add that my foot tether is on a friction hitch so I let all the slack out to progress the tether up and then I pull out all of the slack out before standing. My foot is out to the side when I do this and requires me to pull myself up on my top tether and bringing my foot underneath me to make the most of each move.

 

[Hall17]

I will add that my foot tether is on a friction hitch so I let all the slack out to progress the tether up and then I pull out all of the slack out before standing. My foot is out to the side when I do this and requires me to pull myself up on my top tether and bringing my foot underneath me to make the most of each move.

I was wondering how you got so much out of each move. I’ll have to try that. The more I 2TC I do the more I find myself liking my original climbing method but it was because it takes me too many moves to get to 20’

I love the lightness of 2TC and not having anything extra to carry up the tree

 

[GeoFish]

@Hall17 I have the same issue. 12 steps gets me 10 feet. My issue is with my saddle tether. Raise the tether, get all the slack out and I drop 5".
Going back to steps and aiders.

 

[TDubbs12]

I will add that my foot tether is on a friction hitch so I let all the slack out to progress the tether up and then I pull out all of the slack out before standing. My foot is out to the side when I do this and requires me to pull myself up on my top tether and bringing my foot underneath me to make the most of each move.

might need to see a video on this climb..................

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I'm definitely going to stick with this system and try to refine it for my needs. It beats climbing sticks for me hands down. I was averaging 20 feet in 15 minutes with 4 Lone Wolf sticks and an aider last season. I really didn't have a great way to carry the sticks either and they were always shifting and getting hung up on vines and saplings. I would be tired just lugging them in a mile before I ever started putting them on the tree. I watched one of my last 2TC climb videos more closely. I did 13 moves, and I would say I was at least 20 feet up to my ring of steps, maybe 22 feet. Going off the more conservative number of 20 feet, I averaged a little over 18 inches per move for 13 moves. I was at hunting height on my ring of steps, which I installed as I was climbing, in 8 1/2 minutes. That's an average of 2.35 feet per minute. Going off grc0003's numbers I see room for improvement but as it stands now, it beats sticks for me, and it isn't even the same ballgame regarding packability and weight.

 

[Hall17]

I'm definitely going to stick with this system and try to refine it for my needs. It beats climbing sticks for me hands down. I was averaging 20 feet in 15 minutes with 4 Lone Wolf sticks and an aider last season. I really didn't have a great way to carry the sticks either and they were always shifting and getting hung up on vines and saplings. I would be tired just lugging them in a mile before I ever started putting them on the tree. I watched one of my last 2TC climb videos more closely. I did 13 moves, and I would say I was at least 20 feet up to my ring of steps, maybe 22 feet. Going off the more conservative number of 20 feet, I averaged a little over 18 inches per move for 13 moves. I was at hunting height on my ring of steps, which I installed as I was climbing, in 8 1/2 minutes. That's an average of 2.35 feet per minute. Going off grc0003's numbers I see room for improvement but as it stands now, it beats sticks for me, and it isn't even the same ballgame regarding packability and weight.

I am in the same mindset as you as far as not using sticks. This is definitely a climbing option I will use this season. Maybe not my primary but there are certainly some places that I will use it

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I tried a Distel with a carabiner on the foot tether to transition around a limb this morning. It worked very well. There was some fumbling with the process but that was expected with a trial run. I felt pretty stable on the foot tether only since I had three points of contact. One on the foot loop, one on the tie in at the tether and one with my right foot/leg around the tree. It took a couple of minutes to transition but that was due to figuring the steps out and making sure everything was safe. I wasn't going for speed or height on this climb. It was all about the limb. With practice this will be very efficient.

 

[krub6b]

I tried a Distel with a carabiner on the foot tether to transition around a limb this morning. It worked very well. There was some fumbling with the process but that was expected with a trial run. I felt pretty stable on the foot tether only since I had three points of contact. One on the foot loop, one on the tie in at the tether and one with my right foot/leg around the tree. It took a couple of minutes to transition but that was due to figuring the steps out and making sure everything was safe. I wasn't going for speed or height on this climb. It was all about the limb. With practice this will be very efficient.

In my experience, depending on where a limb hits in your tether moves it can be pretty smooth or it can involve multiple small moves to get yourself in a position to go around the limb, there may be times where a third tether would be quite a bit quicker and smoother

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[Samcirrus]

Now THIS beats all other ideas. Well done. I gotta implement it today!

This idea originally was presented in post #209 I'm just glad its come up again and gaining traction. I posted a video in #536 about an adjustable one in order to always be connected.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

What I did was advance the top tether as high as I could to the limb, which was on the back side of the tree opposite of my position. Then I sat down in the saddle and moved the foot tether about 2 or 3 inches underneath the top tether and then clipped into the foot tether carabiner, weighted it, and unhooked the main top tether and moved it over the limb and hooked back in. Then I unhooked from the foot tether carabiner.

I can see how some situations will be smoother than others.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

This idea originally was presented in post #209 I'm just glad its come up again and gaining traction. I posted a video in #536 about an adjustable one in order to always be connected.

You know, I thought we talked about it before at some point but back then I was working on just the climbing itself and was not ready to tackle limbs.