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Wild Edge users.... A little help.... please.

T

theron.hall

New Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2018
Messages
28
I'm concerned that something I'm doing is not correct.

This product is supposed to be public land legal and yet it looks like it destroys trees when I use it.

Is it because I'm a large man?

And when I've attempted to use the perch, my weight on the back of the perch flexes the attached stepp and it pivots on the remaining contact point to the tree, the bottom. This is causing it to slip as I move around the tree.

I'm very concerned that I would tell a land owner that I use a tree safe method and have them see their trees looking like these pictures.

Any suggestions....? Similar experiences?

Thank you!
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I noticed the same things happening to me a specific tree types.... I was practicing on a black walnut tree when I first got the steps, the bark is too soft on these trees and resulted in movement.. I then switched to a white pine. Not only was it easier to get the proper cam over, but they were rock solid. I did have to reset the perch once after I get it setup, but having the perch on the step made it easier to cam and it was also rock solid. So basically you gotta watch the type of trees you are setting up in, or if the tree you absolutely need to be in has soft bark, you need to be ok with some movement..
 
Agree with what ThePennsylvanian said. I kept trying to use softer bark trees thinking I could get it to work. But I ended up with trees that look like you're pics. Once you get on the right tree, the steps work like magic.
 
Soft bark can be tricky but it is also possible you are not getting a good cam initially and the step needs to set when you step on it. Try going a bit tighter with the rope, 1/2 inch of slack can make a world of difference. Also make sure that the standoffs are set as high as possible, above the rope where it wraps the tree. Once I make my knot, I pull the step up as high as I can on the tree, get the standoffs against the tree, then cam. If the standoffs are set to low then I tend to get "travel" when I stand on them and it will scuff the tree. Pete
 


Not only are these videos entertaining - but as you can see - Mr. Jim isn't camming the stepps over several times. He does it once. If you're a little more careful in placing the rope on the tree making sure it's pretty straight, pull the slack out with the stepp standing up against the tree, and lift up before digging it into the tree, you should only cam it once. And if you do that, with the proper tension, you won't tear up trees real bad.

If your stepps are loose when you climb them, or you cam them over 3,4,7 times trying to get the tension and angles right, you'll destroy the bark on a tree.
 
kyler1945 said:


Not only are these videos entertaining - but as you can see - Mr. Jim isn't camming the stepps over several times. He does it once. If you're a little more careful in placing the rope on the tree making sure it's pretty straight, pull the slack out with the stepp standing up against the tree, and lift up before digging it into the tree, you should only cam it once. And if you do that, with the proper tension, you won't tear up trees real bad.

If your stepps are loose when you climb them, or you cam them over 3,4,7 times trying to get the tension and angles right, you'll destroy the bark on a tree.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry man, I've had them tensioned right with one cam over, and after 1 trip up and down, some smooth soft bark trees looked lile a Wolverine knawed on a calfs leg.
 
Once you get to where you are camming once and it’s solid you’ll notice the trees look a lot better. I know some trees are tough. I’ve had to cam them several times to get them right and not had one look that bad. It does seem to be worse this time of year. Saps rising and the outside of about all trees seem softer this time of year.
 
Not that the damage isn't there, but. Those scars appear to be old. The more times you use the same holes, the worse they are going to get. Like those scars you see from climbers using the same tree over and over on public. The practice tree/repeatedly used tree is gonna get a lot more damage than a once up and done, run and gun hunt will, using WESteps. So thats a good thing.
 
Never dug into trees like that even on soft wood . Looks like the step slid down the tree.
 
Your rope is probably stretching some since it is new. You might can them good and tight and leave them on the tree a day or two and see if they’ve loosened any. I know I had to do that with my Jim Stepps that I bought before the Wild Edge guys bought the business. I’m pretty sure they are using the same rope.


................................................................................All climbing methods, platforms, saddle designs, and/or use of materials possibly mentioned in the post above are not peer reviewed for safety, and should only be used as an example of my own method. Do your own research and testing before becoming confident in any DIY solution to support your life.
-IkemanTx
 
One things I realized yesterday while playing with my toys... I mean steps. While, you need them tight, it is easy to over tighten them. When they are too tight they tend to loosen up much more then say backing off 1/4 inch. Dont sound like much but I had no issues while climbing, and tried it with the perch and had the same results... also its is important to make sure the bottom contact point is level with the rope
 
Got to playing with mine yesterday, and my issue was the rope incorrectly passing over the step, not allowing it to cam over correctly. This led me to loosen the rope, which allowed the step to cam over but slipped on the tree.

It was addressed in the second video. Thanks again for posting these. Super helpful!
 
The tree I climbed with my Hawk Helium sticks a few days ago.
 
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