• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Why you should consider learning how to rappel

TradBowGuy

TradBowGuy

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2021
Messages
298
Location
The "Southern End" of Lancaster County, PA
I know that this has been discussed thousands of times on this forum, but I wanted to share my experience with rappelling.

I decided to try it about 3 weeks ago, mainly because I'm using this off-season to learn how to use different methods to climb- the Cain method, using a knaider/swaider, & using an aider-all with my WE stepps and also other stix.

First, I set up a platform with my steps and a Tethrd Predator XL platform about 18 ft up, just to be able to climb up & rappel down. by the end of the 1st week, I was comfortable doing that.

So, now I've started trying other climbing methods, starting with the Cain method. That's working ok for me, but my reduced flexibility (I'm 60 & have a decent case of arthritis in several joints) makes it a challenge. At one point, I couldn't continue( I was about 15 ft up) and had to come back down, which would have been a big problem for me if I hadn't set up my rappel line as a tether when I was on the ground! Getting out of that pickle was no problem with the rappel line!

So, especially for us less-flexible older guys, I HIGHLY recommend learning how to rappel!
 
Last edited:
boyne bowhunter said:
As another 60+ year old I wholeheartedly agree. Rappelling is the only way I'm getting out a tree regardless of how I climb. Aside from being inherently safer and easier its just plain fun. To quote @Bwhana I still think of the phrase "I'm Batman!" every time I drop out of the tree. :tearsofjoy: :tearsofjoy:
Click to expand...
Yep. 60 here as well. The more you do it the more you want to do it….all you can, while you can. So yeah…it’s like sex. I was going to give 2TC a go this summer and as easy as everyone says it is to climb down, I was thinking that I would still want to rappel down. It’s just too easy to rappel down and keep that safety factor as well.
 
So, since I got comfortable so quickly with it, I decided to have a backup method (in case my Madrock Safeguard gets jammed-I'm not too concerned about it breaking) so, I've started stopping about half way down, and reaching in to my pouch to get a figure 8, attaching it to the line somewhere below the Madrock, setting the tension of the fig.8, then disconnecting the Madrock and continuing down on the fig. 8...so far, so good! ;)
 
I'm in the same in the same age group. I was out of hunting for 15 years and started researching using a saddle before we moved back to Missouri. I knew from the start I would be rappelling down. 20+ years of the Army paying me to rappel out of and off of things, I was comfortable rappelling and it made sense. The Madrock was a new wrinkle but was quick to get the hang of. I feel safe and in control the whole time. However I get up (one stick or multiple) I know how I'm getting down. I do keep a couple of prusik's and Amsteel daisy chains on my saddle to self rescue if I ever need too. I've practiced but have never been in that situation while hunting.
 
2Sloe said:
Yep. 60 here as well. The more you do it the more you want to do it….all you can, while you can. So yeah…it’s like sex. I was going to give 2TC a go this summer and as easy as everyone says it is to climb down, I was thinking that I would still want to rappel down. It’s just too easy to rappel down and keep that safety factor as well.
Click to expand...

When I played around with 2TC (I keep it as a backup) I always had my rappel line as my top tether and used a hitch in case I needed to bail I could.
 
Rappelling is the safest to come down as it involves the least amount of movements but also requires to most technical skill.

No matter what method you use, all rappelling techniques start smoothly and end smoothly. If you’re experiencing jumps or jerking, you’re doing it wrong and need to reevaluate your technique.

Case in point is the love/hate with the Madrock. Done correctly, your descent should be silky smooth using 8mm-12mm rope. Anything to the contrary is a technique failure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
MNFarmHunter said:
Rappelling is the safest to come down as it involves the least amount of movements but also requires to most technical skill.

No matter what method you use, all rappelling techniques start smoothly and end smoothly. If you’re experiencing jumps or jerking, you’re doing it wrong and need to reevaluate your technique.

Case in point is the love/hate with the Madrock. Done correctly, your descent should be silky smooth using 8mm-12mm rope. Anything to the contrary is a technique failure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Never had an issue with the Madrock. Always thought it was pretty simple to be smooth with it. Nice steady pace. Then one day, it started misting and my Canyon C-IV got a little damp. It was scary AF coming down. Haven’t had a wet rope since that day so I don’t know if it would be the same.

Anyone else had a super jerky experience with the Madrock and a wet rope?
 
2Sloe said:
Never had an issue with the Madrock. Always thought it was pretty simple to be smooth with it. Nice steady pace. Then one day, it started misting and my Canyon C-IV got a little damp. It was scary AF coming down. Haven’t had a wet rope since that day so I don’t know if it would be the same.

Anyone else had a super jerky experience with the Madrock and a wet rope?
Click to expand...

This is due to a simple misunderstanding of what the Madrock is. We all know what a prusik or klemheist is and that is what the madrock is, a safety.

All of your descent is controlled by your strong hand driving the rope into your hip. Done correctly, you should be able to fully open the madrock and not move an inch.

In practice, we do a combination of control between your control hand and madrock but if you’re experiencing jerking, you’re relying too much on the madrock and not enough on your control hand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
MNFarmHunter said:
This is due to a simple misunderstanding of what the Madrock is. We all know what a prusik or klemheist is and that is what the madrock is, a safety.

All of your descent is controlled by your strong hand driving the rope into your hip. Done correctly, you should be able to fully open the madrock and not move an inch.

In practice, we do a combination of control between your control hand and madrock but if you’re experiencing jerking, you’re relying too much on the madrock and not enough on your control hand.
Click to expand...
I‘m not so sure that was the problem, because that’s the only time I’ve ever had that issue. Maybe it was and it was simply exacerbated by the damp rope. As you stated, I have found that the smoothest ride is a balance of lever tension and brake hand tension, vice just one or the other. I definitely don’t yank the handle wide open and solely rely on my brake hand. I prefer a balance.
 
2Sloe said:
Never had an issue with the Madrock. Always thought it was pretty simple to be smooth with it. Nice steady pace. Then one day, it started misting and my Canyon C-IV got a little damp. It was scary AF coming down. Haven’t had a wet rope since that day so I don’t know if it would be the same.

Anyone else had a super jerky experience with the Madrock and a wet rope?
Click to expand...
I moved away from 8mm Oplux for just this reason. I hunt a lot in wet conditions and one time after a long sit in a steady rain my Oplux was thoroughly saturated. I can best describe the descent with the Madrock as a series of short free falls interrupted by some sudden stops. While there probably wasn't any real threat to my safety it sure felt super sketchy to me. I retired my Oplux rappel line after that and went back to my 11mm Tachyon (which I have comfortably rappelled on with it frozen stiff before) for the rest of the season. I have since moved to the 9mm Canyon Elite for the last two seasons which seems to be more water resistant than the Oplux. I haven't had any issues since.
 
The rappel method is definitely the go to. Same situation as many of you have posted. Next month I’m doing a demonstration for the archery club I just joined. None of them saddlehunt and when they saw me this past fall they were intrigued. They have now asked me to do a full demo for the club and I already have 4 guys switching to it this coming fall.
 
I have been looking on the Tube at madrocks and figure 8 rappel and came across this. Any opinions?

 
GeoFish said:
I have been looking on the Tube at madrocks and figure 8 rappel and came across this. Any opinions?

Click to expand...
The F4 is a fire dept rapid bail out rappel device. It would probably work great but it’s draw back is the rope has to be weaved thru the holes. It can not be quickly attached or taken off.
 
LtMoe66 said:
The F4 is a fire dept rapid bail out rappel device. It would probably work great but it’s draw back is the rope has to be weaved thru the holes. It can not be quickly attached or taken off.
Click to expand...
The plus to that is I can't drop it. And I can use it on the way up to take out tether slack.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top