This year I decided to use my SOP harness and lifelines on all my treestands this year. In years past I would use the harness to set up and take down but I would just use a safety belt while actually hunting and no lifeline. I always figured the harness would be a pain, but once I put it on at the truck I really never noticed it. Hooking into the lifeline at the bottom of the tree and being tied in all the way actually saved me time because I didn't have to mess around with a tree strap once I got into my stand. I think its a great system and would recommend it to everyone. I'm pretty thick-headed :thumbsup:
Safety first.Way to go!
I like my HSS vest.Very easy to use,and doubles as a deer drag.
Whatever hunters choose to use for treestand safety,they're so easy to use nowadays not really an excuse not use one.
This is my first year for complete ground to stand and back again coverage also. Feels great! Stay safe for those that we love.
Im thinking about it alot. You guys have any tips or systems you suggest? Pics?
Im thinking a rope tied to the base of the tree and again above the stand with a prussic knot...
QuoteOriginally posted by ishiwannabe:
Im thinking about it alot. You guys have any tips or systems you suggest? Pics?
Im thinking a rope tied to the base of the tree and again above the stand with a prussic knot...
That's all there is to it. I've been doing it for the past three years now and absolutely love it. Everyone that hunts from my stands has also been impressed with how easy it is and how safe it makes you feel.
Show your loved ones how much you care about them. Switch all of your stands to keep you safe from the minute you leave the ground!
Yep, it feels great to slide the prussic knot up the rope with one hand and hold on to the ladder with the other hand. It's fast and I don't feel like I'm hanging on for dear life like a monkey. I've gone up a tree twice without a safety rope this year and it just felt unsafe. I was hard headed about it like most guys but now that I have been using them for a while I love it.
I use a safety harness from Muddy Outdoors and they are super simple.
Jamie I will e-mail you a few pictures. I think you'll like the system.
I went to all lifelines this year too. I figured some thief would still them on me but so far so good.
Yep, I started making my own this year.
Take it from a guy who has fallen from a treestand...you can never be too careful out there guys!!
I thought about it , it is on the list for next year, I was going to get 7/16 climbing rope online from wesspur and the bee line prussic knots.
I have been using that type system since 94. I am what you would call a fast learner. One shattered ankle and I saw the light(the stars, the moon). My son has used it from day one I never had to worry when he started hunting on his own.
Used to be a tough guy and climb trees and stand on branches to hunt. Now I'm an old wimp with ladder stands and prussic system from ground to ground - lovin' it. The difference between try not to fall and can't fall is amazing.
Nightstalker, that is where I got my rope as well. I got the 7/16 Bandit line which has a camo color. Origionally I had some cheap rope from Lowes but I figured if I'm going to go to all the trouble of setting it up, a few extra bucks in rope was money well spent. I'm glad I never put the Lowes rope "to the test".
Can someone post pictures here of how this system works. I like the idea but not sure I really fully understand the mechanics of it. Thanks!
Dan
Can someone post a pic or diagram of some of these setups? I am not familiar with some of the things being discussed. I'm sure its simple, but I just can't picture it in my head. Not knowing what a "SOP harness" is, a "prussic knot", and how it all works has me lost.
Any help?
I'd be happy to e-mail pics to you, but I suck at posting pics on here. stikshooter@comcast.net
here is the knot we all should know.
http://www.animatedknots.com/prusik/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com
I though I would share are e-mail.
My question-greg thanks for pics but I dont see how the rope secures you from falling . how does it stop you from falling but still let you climb down? do you have a picture of that part. -His asswer- That's the beauty of the Prussik knot. Its a hitch that attaches to the lifeline that you clip the tether to your harness too. A prussik is a jam knot, which means you can slide it up and down the rope as long as you push it. But if you pull on it, as in a fall, the prussik tightens up on the line and prevents you from falling with the aid of your harness of course. I didn't have a close-up of the prussik with the teher attached to it but all the parts are in the different pictures. The prussik is basiclly a loop of line that has to be smaller in diameter than the diameter of your lifeline. Its easy to tie one and I leave it right on the lifeline when I leave. Google "Animated Knots" and you can see how to tie one. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have anymore questions. Greg
Im still working on the pictures
I need to do that for myself next year. How stupid am I?, when I set up stands for my fiance I won't let her use one without that setup, but I never use one for me.
That great.
Hunted for 25 years in climbers with now safety device. 7 years ago I went to a safety belt and last year started using a SOP or/HSS. I hunt mostly public land thus the climber. To be honest I felt much safer without anything. The people I know about getting hurt were all safety belt related. I now feel unsafe until hooked up comletely and find messing with the thing to be a pain that has caused loads of grief. Before I used them I felt safe and sure in the tree, now not so much. If you use a hang on I do recommend the prussic rope safety line sold for about $40 because it is a pretty slick arrangment (although it adds $40 to the cost of each stand site) as tree steps and hang ons are far more dangerous (IMHO) making ground up hookup a wise idea.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/REALVTer/Bowseasonplacingstands09001.jpg
I'll see if this works. This is a picture of the whole works. Kind of far off but you can see the prussik loop towards the bottom.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/REALVTer/Bowseasonplacingstands09002.jpg
More of a close-up of the bottom. The Prussik loop is the orangeish collored smaller rope.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/REALVTer/settingforyouthday09250.jpg
The all important harness. Its not a good picture of the prussik, but you can see the tether on my son's harness as it goes up and clips to the prussik behind the seat cushion of his treestand. The red rope is the lifeline. This is a different treestand than in the two previous pictures, just to avoid confusion.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/REALVTer/settingforyouthday09257.jpg
Picture of my son as he's making his way down. He's pushing the prussik loop down with his hand so you can't see it.
For Chris.
Michael, Keep using your harness with your climber on the way up and down. I work shows for Summit ever year and hear the stories of the fallen. Yes you can fall out of a climber! So wear the harness your family will thank you.
Your family will appreciate it. Your friends will appreciate.
Stop by your local firehouse, most of those guys can show you how to tie a prussik (most of the time)if you are having trouble. It si a good idea to use such a system and they are super easy to put together yourself.
J
Thanks guys, haven't been able to log on to read up on my question, my home PC is in the "hospital" for a while.
Do you use a mounting bracket for the main line or is it attached directly to the tree, and if so...how?
Tie it around the tree as high as you can comfortably reach. I use two half hitches, that way the rope tightens up on the tree when you pull on it. With the rope being above your head like that it allows your tether to be attached to the rope above you so you can take all the slack out of the tether while sitting.
Thanks for posting this, I think I have a project for next year now.
I have a friend who used to mountain climb in the Alps . I once made the comment that a stand wasnt high enough to use a saftey rope- his reply was " anything you wouldnt care to jump off of is high enough for a safety rope
Safety,Safety,Safety