Lineman belts prussic knots and tethers

[LB_hntr]

Originally posted by KSdan:
Also checked on things.  The Ropeman have had some recalls on #3. A younger/newer company- be careful.  I went with a Petzel for $29.  A little different than the Ropeman.  No moving parts. So far my trial seems doable.

One thing to be aware of is use in cold weather.  If you were to get the rope wet then hit freezing, or freezing rain etc these more simple descenders "may" fail.  Just a cautious warning.

Dan in KS

The design of the ropeman #3 was totally different than the ropeman 1 or 2 that's why the 3 is basically gone.

I have been using the ropeman #1 for almost 15 years and every year I hunt freezing rain, ice snow bitter cold etc (December in northern Michigan). The ropeman #1 never fails to work, doesn't freeze up and works perfect everytime.

I don't have any experience with the ropeman #2 or the petzel or any of the other acenders and what situations they work in as they are all different. Even the ropeman #2 is different in the cam teeth design.
 But the ropeman #1. flawless in everyway. And I put my life on it over 100 times a year for last 15 or so years.
 
Dan, im excited to see how that petzel works for you. There is another guy on here that bought the ropeman #2. both of these ive never used so im excited to hear how well they work. please keep me posted.

Im glad there are so many people interested in this. Not only for safety factor but the simple one hand function of the ascender makes it shine when you put up and take down every sit.

I put up and take down over 100 stands a year. I know Dan does the same and there are others on here that do as well. Running that many stands a season you need every advantage you can get. being able to simply and quickly adjust your lineman belt one handed means that you WILL wear it every second and not cheat. Prussics are great but can get frustrating. When they get frustrated people cut corners. Cutting corners can land you on the ground.  The ropeman #1 and 11 mm rope is the best system I have found for the Perfect lineman belt.

[KSdan]

Good post again Jason.  I hope my short post did not sound counter- I was just adding info to be aware of.  

As far as the ropeman mech failing, that actually is less concern than the fact that all these type-mechs work off teeth/friction.  If the rope itself were to get froze w water they can fail. I actually had this very thing occur with treestand straps on a Lone Wolf.  After literally 100s (X 10) of uses over 15 years I had the stand strap slip.  It was due to moisture (drizzle) one day which turned to harsh ice sitting in my car overnight.  The strap on the stand actually slipped through the buckle as I was standing on it. Scary!!! If it were not for a cedar branch that caught the stand I would have dumped.  

I am now very cautious in wet/cold weather, moving stands in and out of the house/truck, etc. So- BE CAREFUL with any friction/tooth type of mechanism!

I like your set-up w Ropeman #1. But then you have to use min. 10mm rope.  I like the smaller stuff (like 7-8mm) for price and weight. My local climbing store had 6, 7, 8 by the foot- fairly affordable (.40-.60 pf). Even 8mm really is overkill for a lineman.  

I went with 8mm and a Petzel Tribloc (non mech). Time will tell.

Thanks again
Dan in KS

[Steve O]

Dan--please post pics of how that Petzal works.

Lately I have been using some of my extra Lone Wolf straps modified as my lineman belt. I loop the loop end thru the left hip attachment of my harness and add a carabiner to the buckle end to attach to the right side. This allows a one hand adjustment. I also tie a knot on the tag end o the strap as one more safety precaution.

[LB_hntr]

Dan,
Same thing here with the same stand. Actually the only time in my life I ever fell and had my line man belt catch me. Winter hunting, frozen strap on the stand, stepped on stand and the buckle slipped on the frozen stap and the stand dropped a foot and a half and rolled over. Thank god for my lineman belt. Makes you stop and think for a minute..lol. I actually just walked out of a bass pro shop 10 mins ago and was listening to one of the workers talking about how he never wears a harness. He said "my dad has been hunting 35 years and never fell". I just walked by and said "most hunters that don't wear a harness and fall only fall once in their hunting career... Think about it."
I looked up that petzel you bought looks like a good system and foil proof. I'm excited to see how it does for you. Just be extra careful until you get used to it since its all based on angle and friction. If you have been using a prussic knot system before the ascender will really make everything so much faster and smoother.
Another tip for those of you that have a harness that uses fabric "rings" where the line man belt carabinier hooks to the harness: get some clear or black plastic hose from home depot or hardware store and slice hose to open it up. Put it over the fabric ring and tape over the hose to keep it closed. Now they will work like a metal or plastic d ring does and you fight to get the carabinier on and off the strap.
 Tree stand hunting has to be safe... But it doesn't have to be slow and tiring. A fast safe lineman belt will cut major time off the process.

Another note about the tether I made and just tested.
 This thing makes everything about hunting with kids so easy. Here is what I found works great.
 I carry my stand and sticks. My kid cartys second stand. I climb tree with my lineman belt with my stand on my back and hang stand. I lower the tether (not connected to tree yet) he hooks the second stand to the tether. I pull up second stand and hang it while I'm on the first stand. Then I connect the tether to the tree and drop it to him. He hooks to his harness and climbs. I control his slack from above. He gets on stand and locks his safety line before I disconnect tether. Simple fast and awesome. 7 mins from standing on ground to two stands hung and ready to hunt. Simply awesome.
 On the way down I control slack as he descends. Then I use tether to lower his the second stand. I pull first stand and bring everything down with me as I go.
  Loving this tether set up. So much better than the full guy system I was using.

[KSdan]

Here you go.  The rope goes one way through the Petzel (the petzel has sharp teeth one direction).  When there is tension on the rope (as in leaning back on the lineman) the narrow angular hole of the Petzel pinches the rope between the biner and the teeth of the Petzel.  The rope can still be pulled one direction, but it will not go the other.  

To release some rope you simply take the tension off the rope (like you would the ropeman) and holding the Petzel with just a finger and thumb move it slightly to the wider end of the angle.  As you lean on the rope it naturally pulls out bypassing the pinch and teeth.  If at any moment you were to again lean back (even losing balance or something) the Petzel would immediately engage again in the narrow end (pinch and teeth).  

All harder to explain than actually demonstrate.

EDITED PHOTO to final!

 

[LB_hntr]

Looks good dan and a simple effective design.
 I might recommend putting the other end of the biner in the ascender. This way its easy to attach/detach from you harness.
A piece of duck tape on the biner will help with the sound. The ropeman always holds the biner tight but my metal d rings on my harness used to bother me so I used to duck tape them I don't anymore but it did work great and lasted along time.

[Steve O]

Originally posted by KSdan:
Here you go.  The rope goes one way through the Petzel (the petzel has sharp teeth one direction).  When there is tension on the rope (as in leaning back on the lineman) the narrow angular hole of the Petzel pinches the rope between the biner and the teeth of the Petzel.  The rope can still be pulled one direction, but it will not go the other.  

To release some rope you simply take the tension off the rope (like you would the ropeman) and holding the Petzel with just a finger and thumb move it slightly to the wider end of the angle.  As you lean on the rope it naturally pulls out bypassing the pinch and teeth.  If at any moment you were to again lean back (even losing balance or something) the Petzel would immediately engage again in the narrow end (pinch and teeth).  

All harder to explain than actually demonstrate.

BTW- I was trying out the felt to see if I could make it dead quiet.  I don't like any metal noise on any of my gear.

     

Thanks, that looks slick.

[KSdan]

Thanks Jason.  Even better now.  Got rid of the felt which actually makes it work better.  Turned it around and put some duct tape on the non-working part of the Petzel.  Perfect.  No metallic noise and smooth as silk.  Can't wait to use it more.

Also I have been reading about these ascenders.  I could see how a guy could use these to make a pulley system in the woods if he needed to!  A couple pieces of climbing gear could really open up a lot of options.    

Here is the final pic.  

   

[jax]

So what can I use if I were to fall and needed to get down to the ground? No good hanging there and not being able to get back to treestand

[jax]

So what can I use if I were to fall and needed to get down to the ground? No good hanging there and not being able to get back to treestand

[KSdan]

jax- the way I am tethered above my head - tree to the harness- I will never be caught hanging.  "Falling" means my feet are 12-16" below the stand.

[LB_hntr]

Looks great dan! That should work perfect!

[Missing Impossible]

Just an FYI for those here, Gear Express has the New England Maxim Apex Canyon 10.5mm x 60M Dry Rope on close out for $119.95.  Just placed an order.

[Missing Impossible]

Just got my first order of 10.5mm dynamic rope in.  I cut her into six equal pieces and added a double figure eight knot on the end.  For those following the OP's thread, I've found that four foot is perfect for the 7mm rope used for the prusik when using the double fishermand knot.

[Bill Kissner]

Originally posted by KSdan:
jax- the way I am tethered above my head - tree to the harness- I will never be caught hanging.  "Falling" means my feet are 12-16" below the stand.

Thanks for all the information. My question is, if the stand were to fall from under you and then you needed to get down, is there a way with your setup?

[KSdan]

Just climb down my climbing sticks.  Same way I got up.

[LB_hntr]

I just did a video showing how this system in use setting up and coming down. Its in a post I made earlier today called "super fast way to hang a stand" It shows this lineman belt in action and other tips.
 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=139135

[ozy clint]

i have a climbing stand that i haven't used much yet but plan too.

i want to be able to climb using the stand, hunt, then leave the stand setup and decend using 2 prussics. one on my harness and one as a foot loop. then when i go to the stand next i can climb the rope using the 2 prussics.

which harness are you guys using?

[LB_hntr]

Ozy,
I tried using just a rope and 2 prussic knots to climb a tree before. My thought was I could use a "rope ladder" on long way in hunts. It did not work like I wanted. I kept twisting and bouncing off the tree and got the crap kicked out of me.
I don't know how to make that work well.
  Harness wise I use a sat of the pants harness. but any harness that has d rings or loops on the side to attach the linemans belt will work. so go for the one most comfortable and best fit for you.

[ozy clint]

it's very simple. you tube 'texas prussic' and watch the clip with the guy hanging near the rocks.

the rock in the clip will be like the tree, it will be used to steady me.  

this is how i'm going to do it since i have a climber that i want to leave set and won't have climbing sticks for access.