Eye-to-eye length

[treesmith]

What length do you guys make (or buy) your I2Is? I'm climbing on one made of Icetail that is 28" long, and that's perfect for some hitches, while too long/short for others. I'm using the Icicle right now, (and liking it), but I'm going to try Brian's version of the VT this week. I tried the VT before, with something like 3 wraps/2 braids (I think) and didn't like it. I've been playing around with just wrapping it four times, crossing the ends in back, and snapping them to the 'biner. Feels pretty good down low. I'll try it up top tomorrow.

I made up another Ice while ago, that's just shy of 27". It seems like it's gonna work, but the next one I make, I'll bury less behind the locked brummel. The bury makes the end too stiff, and when it's already borderlining too short, that doesn't help matters. I also made up one of Technora to try this week.

So...favorite length?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I like 24" to the eye centers for 1/2' climb line and 21" for 7/16ths (Bluemoon or Poison Ivy).
Keep in mind that every hitch cord/climbline/hitch combination reacts different.
The 24" Bee line eye2eye I use on 1/2" Arbormaster in a VT works for turds on 7/16ths Blue moon or PI.
The 21" Ultra Tech cord works awesome on the Blue moon or PI with a VT. Still need a longer one for the Arbormaster but it will work well also. Yet on a more slippery line like Neolite or Safetylite by All Gear, a tad touchy ........

 

[Burnham]

I'll keep advocating tieing eye to eye tresse cords to avoid that change in response you get with the splice bury...plus, it's easy to fine tune the length.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I'll second what Burnam said exception being I really like my BeeLine eye2eyes spliced by Nick. They work well in my set ups with my Arbormaster and Safetylite.
That said, my ultratech cords are knotted.

 

[lumberjack]

+3

 

[treesmith]

I'll keep advocating tieing eye to eye tresse cords to avoid that change in response you get with the splice bury...plus, it's easy to fine tune the length.

I did tie the eyes on the technora. It seems as if it's gonna be somewhat different than the Ice...not near as "grabby". Anybody else use technora?

 

[sotc]

For once I agree with Burnham

 

[Burnham]

For once??

What about that Boxer, huh???

 

[Burnham]

Scott, the Technora is stiffer and has a harder hand than the Ice, so it will certainly be less grabby. You'll want to make sure the hitch you tie sets without tending...one way those characteristics may express themselves is a tendency to not close up on the host line. Don't use a hitch with a lot of slop in it, is my advice.

 

[treesmith]

Scott, the Technora is stiffer and has a harder hand than the Ice, so it will certainly be less grabby. You'll want to make sure the hitch you tie sets without tending...one way those characteristics may express themselves is a tendency to not close up on the host line. Don't use a hitch with a lot of slop in it, is my advice.

What hitches do you recommend for the Technora? I tried VT, Icicle, and XT. Of the three, the XT seemed to work the best with it.

 

[rangerdanger]

I like 24"-25" on most of mine, try to avoid anything longer than that. I've been using 8mm bee line for the most part. Used to rock 8mm HRC and some 8mm Ocean's Dyneema. Everything was spliced generally expect for the 8mm Ocean. I just think the splices give it a cleaner look and feel, plus, especially on stuff like bee line and hrc, I can taper the bury so it doesn't stiffen up too bad. And besides, I think that little extra stiffness the splice and bury provides can help create a smoother tending hitch.

 

[Burnham]

I have little experience with Technora. I've climbed quite a bit on Ultra-Tech, which I think (but am not certain) is similar in hand and surface...for that I like the 4 over 1 or 2 VT, on Poison Ivy. On Blue Streak, the Icicle seems a bit better, with three wraps.

But this stuff is so subjective, so many variables, it's hard to give really definitive advice.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Schwabisch is a pretty well behaved prussic to try also.
Sometimes I'll tie this if I am having an issue with my FH. Sometimes I have been able to make a cord behave better in wet conditions with this. As I try new cordage, this is also one of the first prussics I will try with it as I am accessing it's behaviour.
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[swingdude]

I have beat threads like this to death over on the buzz, because I like messing around with rope/ prussic combos . I hate grabby hitches, I like hitches that you have to tend but are definitely not sloppy. Both the distel and michoacan are two of the hitches that can be too grabby as you move through a climb. That being said some folks like to just not have to worry about sitting back in a hitch and having to remember to tend it. I do the tending like second nature, but my VT is very responsive when limb walking, getting the slack out fast is what I like about my hitch. Getting hitches dialed in takes lots of patience and trial and error but when you find that sweet spot between the rope and prussic, then you got things made. I have experimented with HRC, ultratech, beeline, OP, Tenex, icetail and now the armor prus , and a few others from England, I have used these on 1/2 arbormaster, safety blue, 7/16 velocity and 11.7 mm Tachyon. I prefer longer hitch cords 30" preferably. Have used 26" and 28" also. But this is the thing and it's definitely a personal preference, HRC works on all lines really well and I have some that are 26"/ 28"/ 30". I run 3coil/3braid VT's on 1/2" lines and 4coil/3braid on 7/16" lines. Once the VT is tied and dressed properly very little tending is necessary ( but I do this tending second nature ) and there is no grippy BS which seems to bind with other setups especially after long descents when fully weighted. Also I like spliced eyes because I always run a hitchclimber setup and it keeps things tidy. If I want to try shorter I just get my bud to splice me up what I need and experiment with that. I will use any hitch cord on my lanyard setups because it's easy to manipulate the hitch and keep the system smooth. So all my hitchcords that I don't use for climblines are relegated to lanyard use, and I have many lanyard setups depending on what trees or palms I am climbing. Different lengths of lanyards with varying diameter rope. I know this is long but I have only brushed the surface, believe me I mess around with this all the time looking for climbing nirvana.

 

[NickfromWI]

Obviously I'm biased, but I prefer the knotted hitch cords because they are neat and tidy on your harness. I'll happily take anything between 24 and 34". There are SO many ways to adjust your knot, you can always come up with a perfectly functioning hitch regardless of your weight, climbing line thickness, etc.

So the real question is, how many variations of advanced hitches do you know and how often can/will you vary between them as needed?!

love
nick

 

[bonner1040]

I use a VT... If I am in the tree and tired and need to retie for whatever reason I always use a Schwabish because I like to weight the VT on the ground before I rely on it. I rarely retie my hitch in the tree though, when double crotching I usually use a closed blakes.

I have tried most of the others though..

 

[swingdude]

Personally I love the VT and won't switch. It works for me and I can use any hitch cord on any climb line and make it work. I also only like 8mm hitch cord ( 5/16 ). Personal preference and with this stuff as Burnham has said there are so many variables. I'll tie my VT in a tree, on the ground or in the car or even in the toilet and trust it, that is my hitch. And none of that over/under braid stuff either. This is one I tied today at a Sunday job. 3coil/2braid on Tachyon, smooth as silk. Love that new black HC rapide, now I just need night vision. Oh yeah and I have tried the distel and michoacan.

 

[rangerdanger]

I like the VT and XT a lot, I've been rocking the Armor Pruss Poly here recently, 8mm, spliced in a 26" length. Have it dialed in just right now for me, grab every time without tending it, tends slack really easily and releases like butter.

 

[swingdude]

Got some armor prus 8mm waiting for me in New England where I am headed for a month looking forward to testing it out. Think it's 28" so I will see how that works out, will put it through the grind. I am pretty hard on my gear, I rough it up pretty good. No pretty shiny stuff hanging around my gear bags except if it's new. My gear is for making money not looking pretty.

 

[MasterBlaster]

My gear is for making money not looking pretty

But it's so awesome to do BOTH!

 

[swingdude]

Butch yo gone all Scottish on me now. I better watch out my wife is off to Scotland this week to visit her mum without me. Hmmmmm.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Me Mum's maiden name was Kirkpatrick.

 

[swingdude]

My mother-in-laws boyfriend's name is Lauder. She is English though and so is my wife. I'm half Irish and half native indian. Kinda weird.