No pictures but I got in two climbs today. One with my new cable aiders and one 2TC.
I didn’t count setup time. I just counted from clipped in until tether hit the desired height.
sticks: four novix sticks cut down to 18 inches with single steps. The bottom stick has an EWO double step on the bottom with a two step amsteel aider from
@MS182610 attached. The other three sticks have 18inch EWO cable aiders. I started with my lineman’s belt around the tree three sticks on my saddle and one in my hand. It was 6 min and some change to get to height.
2TC: I started with my tether on the tree and tied into my saddle and my foot in my footloop. Time was just a shade over 11 minutes.
takeaways:
-With the sticks there was no huffing and puffing and no sweat.
-2TC some sweat and some huffing and puffing but way better than last time.
-2TC climbing is way easier without rubber boots
-the times would have been a lot closer if I counted setup time. Unpacking sticks and getting them hooked to my saddle was 2-3 minutes because I tried to do it quietly like I would while hunting.
-once on the ground 2TC gained a lot of time because I didn’t need to pack up sticks. I rappel either way so 2TC gained huge ground here
-I’m going to try a webbing footloop next time and see if that helps comfort. As I got about halfway the rope started bothering me to the point it wasn’t enjoyable
Lastly: confidence wise I’m still better with sticks but 2TC is gaining ground very quickly. For the time being I’ll still use sticks but I’ll have the 2TC setup with me in case I need to make a quick move.