Climbing methods

[cbigbear]

It's also passed thru a loop on the back of the harness. There is a chance that if I slipped & somehow got myself vertical & right next to the tree my linemen's belt could slide up from my waist. With that said I have slipped on a couple occasions & never had a problem. The key is sitting back on your harness/linemen's belt & keeping it weighted. Even incase of a slip you need to try to keep your waist back away from the tree.

[Dhurtubise]

Thanks Cbigbear! I just went out to take it for a spin. I picked up a set of lonewolf sticks over the weekend in hopes of giving your one stick method a shot. Then I saw these climbing sticks at Dick's (3x 30" sticks - 3.1 lbs per stick) for 60$. I hesitated getting them for a day because I just got the LW, but in the end I'm a sucker for a bargain. They are similar to the Leverage Sticks as they have 2 steps on each level (contributing no doubt to the extra 3/4 lbs) and they attach the same way as the LW sticks do.

So I went out with the Cyclone stick with a 24 inch sling wrapped around the last step and my BOD with a Prusik knot attachment I use with the Guido's Web and the Saddle. It took me about 4 minutes to get up to 20 feet the first time around. It was even easier when climbing down. I thought the smaller sling (24" compared with the 3.5' foot one you used) would be better because it looks like you're taking a giant step in your video, but in actuality, it felt like it would be better and more comfortable climbing with a longer sling. So... That's the next step. In terms of ease and control, I'd say it's about twice as good as using a climbing aid or just a simple sling for the same purpose.... although, the stick won't fit in my fanny pack with my BOD.

Glad you put the time in to develop this method. Thanks again.

[cbigbear]

No problem bro, glad it was helpful.

[yungbuck]

Great vids...the
r length of linemans rope was big learning curve, based on size of tree for me this season

[ Post made via Android ]

[cbigbear]

Great vids...the
r length of linemans rope was big learning curve, based on size of tree for me this season

[ Post made via Android ]

My linemen's rope is about a foot longer than my LW strap. If I'm hunting an area with large trees I'll carry extension straps for my belt & LW strap.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[cbigbear]

I'm bump this now that season is over. I'm interested to see did anyone try a climbing harness this season, & if so how did you like it?

[hunter_mike]

i'm glad I made the switch. I did not use the one stick method as much as I thought I would. I used it a couple times and it turned out to be much more difficult to do in a hunting situation than in the back yard. However, the one stick method did save me from being stuck in the tree all night when I hunted with a friend whose pull up rope got tangled on my LW stick which caused him to pull the stick up and off the tree, leaving us with no way down. I just one-sticked my way down and fixed the problem.

The harness is not just a safety device, it is a useful tool that allows you to have multiple options in a less than ideal situation.

Only difficulty I had was when it started getting cold out, I was always fighting with clothing trying to find the best way to wear it.

[MOBIGBUCKS]

i'm glad I made the switch. I did not use the one stick method as much as I thought I would. I used it a couple times and it turned out to be much more difficult to do in a hunting situation than in the back yard. However, the one stick method did save me from being stuck in the tree all night when I hunted with a friend whose pull up rope got tangled on my LW stick which caused him to pull the stick up and off the tree, leaving us with no way down. I just one-sticked my way down and fixed the problem.

The harness is not just a safety device, it is a useful tool that allows you to have multiple options in a less than ideal situation.

Only difficulty I had was when it started getting cold out, I was always fighting with clothing trying to find the best way to wear it.

What was tougher about it in hunting situations? Not as quiet, etc?

I bought a rock climbing harness recently but have to get more proficient with the one stick methos. I hope it works out because I have some long walks to some of the places I'm hunting this year. I do not want to carry 4 plus sticks if I don't have to.

[hunter_mike]

I am not as quiet with it as I am multiple sticks. I also think i make more movement to do the 1 stick method. But the real deal breaker for me was the fact that most trees I have to climb have multiple branches. The efficiency of the 1 stick method really dies off when you have to unattach and reattach several times to get around branches.

I am leaving it in my bag of tricks. i could see it working really well if I had to walk a really long ways back and had a big straight tree to climb, otherwise the effort of carrying multiple sticks is worth it. I see it as a good reason for me not to have to buy a LW climber because 1 stick method will work in about the same conditions as a climber will.

I should also add my skill level is probably not near as high as some with the 1 stick method although I consider it fairly easy.

As far as the rock harness goes though, I always wear it, I will never switch back to the full body harness style.

[MOBIGBUCKS]

I am not as quiet with it as I am multiple sticks. I also think i make more movement to do the 1 stick method. But the real deal breaker for me was the fact that most trees I have to climb have multiple branches. The efficiency of the 1 stick method really dies off when you have to unattach and reattach several times to get around branches.

I am leaving it in my bag of tricks. i could see it working really well if I had to walk a really long ways back and had a big straight tree to climb, otherwise the effort of carrying multiple sticks is worth it. I see it as a good reason for me not to have to buy a LW climber because 1 stick method will work in about the same conditions as a climber will.

I should also add my skill level is probably not near as high as some with the 1 stick method although I consider it fairly easy.

As far as the rock harness goes though, I always wear it, I will never switch back to the full body harness style.

Good points. All my trees have lots of branches and are plenty irregular. This may not work for me, but I'll just have to practice more and see how it goes.

[cbigbear]

I agree with Mike's assessment. In the end it's all a trade off time or weight. I can still climb limby trees quietly it just takes longer. I find most of the time in limby trees I can get away with being lower so I make a couple moves & hang my stand.

[KLEMZ]

I used the one stick climbing method this year on a rut hunt in far north Wisconsin. My hunt plan was to walk potential doe bedding areas and set up once I found fresh sign. In the big woods that means a lot of walking. To lighten my load I did two simple things... I used a Heater Body Suit (which cut weight by 4-5lbs over my standard layering of clothes). Also, I carried only one regular lone wolf climbing stick (which cut weight by 7.5lbs). Well, I felt absolutely liberated hiking through the woods with such a light load on my back!

It did take me a few tries up the trees before I figured out how to do it easily. Also, I would not try setting up close to buck bedding using the one stick method because it requires extra movement setting up. But for the style of hunt I was doing up north during the rut, it was a very useful tool.

[GRUD]

I switched to the rock climbing harness last season and it worked great. When it got colder i just wore it under my pants and left the tether out the fly. You can do this with bibs too. I really like the versatility of the harness because you can connect your rope and be hands free to hang your stand. I did not use the one stick method but attached the 1 inch webbing stirrups to the bottom of my steps. The stirrups give me an extra couple of feet per stick in height. With 2 sticks I can get up more than high enough to hunt in most cases. I typically take three sticks though and leave one on the ground if not needed. Or, if I know where I am going and can get it done with two sticks, I only take 2.

[djw195]

I would like to try a rock climbing harness this yr... just seems so much more versatile, even if I don't use the one stick method.

My issue at this point is figuring out how it would work with my IWOM...I don't think its possible.

Still, this thread was great and I really appreciated all the info cbigbear put into this.

[cbigbear]

I would like to try a rock climbing harness this yr... just seems so much more versatile, even if I don't use the one stick method.

My issue at this point is figuring out how it would work with my IWOM...I don't think its possible.

Still, this thread was great and I really appreciated all the info cbigbear put into this.

You should be able to run the tether out the side pockets. If you can take a leak with the suit on then you can use a front tether harness. Maybe you could find someone close by that has a harness to try before buying. Of course they only cost $35 & you could use it early season when not hunting with the IWOM.