Hitch Hiker or Rope Wrench

[pantheraba]

Hey...glad you are alive. Maybe use some binoculars to check the TIP next time. That could have been very bad.

You are one up on me already...still have not made the SRT jump. I keep reading all about it like a dog watching TV. I'll eventually try it.

Velcome to zee House.

 

[bonner1040]

NHLocal,

I am glad to hear that you made it up and own that oak buddy! I know I have had some surprises wen I got to my TIP but nothing like that.

I have been fine tuning Jamies hand over hand setup the last few days, and getting all the lengths and equipment right. As I already said its one of the most fluid, natural types of ascent I have found yet.

 

[pigwot]

Do you mean wear "to" the carabiner or "from" as said. It will stop wear to it but rope wear will be about the same IMO.

Gotta watch my to's and fro's... I guess I was thinking over time the wear on the carabiner would be less. Not a big issue with the steel biner.
If someone was to use an aluminum biner, that piece would become the wear point, keeping the integrity of the carabiner intact...

 

[PCTREE]

the tool steel side plates would cut the heck out of an aluminum biner............

 

[pigwot]

That, too... unless you made an aircraft grade aluminum thicker sideplate model with a lager radius... but then we'd think it was a Rock Exotika

 

[PCTREE]

I have played with that but even with 7075 the side plates deformed within the first day of use. That biner contact area sees a huge amount of force..... Which is why we made it with tool steel which FWIW is a bitch to machine...

 

[NHlocal]

Wow! Did you climb on that tiny branch?

Looks like he did! And lived to type about it! NH, were you testing out the HH at night? Welcome to the Tree House!

Thanks for the welcome, ayuh, I did climb all the way with the rope over that branch. I was VERY fortunate that it held.
No, I wasn't testing the HH at night, the camera made it look a lot darker than it really was. I took these pics about a month ago
when the sun was setting at around 4:20, so getting home from work at 3:45 didn't leave me a whole lot of time to climb. It was definitely darker on the way down than on the way up.....

Hey...glad you are alive. Maybe use some binoculars to check the TIP next time. That could have been very bad.

You are one up on me already...still have not made the SRT jump. I keep reading all about it like a dog watching TV. I'll eventually try it.

Velcome to zee House.

Binoculars, excellent idea. It would have been bad if the branch let go, I did give it a couple of hard "bounce checks" as I always do before using a newly set line. If the branch did let go it would have dropped me into the crotch I was standing in, 'bout 5-6ft.
When I saw the video it made sense to me. I was looking for something that was a step up from what I was using and I found it for sure.

NHLocal,

I am glad to hear that you made it up and own that oak buddy! I know I have had some surprises wen I got to my TIP but nothing like that.

I have been fine tuning Jamies hand over hand setup the last few days, and getting all the lengths and equipment right. As I already said its one of the most fluid, natural types of ascent I have found yet.

The weather here has not been "good" for climbing. I haven't been able to get outside and try the changes that I've made on a "real" climb. I was able to use it with the Petzl basic (set up with a 3/1) to prune a dead top out of a young Oak. The more use it the more I like it.
It's kinda strange, I did subscribe to this thread but I'm not getting alerts in my Email for new replies???

 

[pigwot]

Paul,
Yes, tool steel is a b***h to machine... Still better than titanium.

 

[Porkbrick]

NHlocal... glad you found the video helpful. to be honest, im still tweaking strap lengths and attachments too. jhow do you like using the HH in that 3:1 configuration? ive found i only really use it if i need to pull my weight up off a branch im cutting, or for tweaking my position slightly.

 

[NHlocal]

NHlocal... glad you found the video helpful. to be honest, im still tweaking strap lengths and attachments too. jhow do you like using the HH in that 3:1 configuration? ive found i only really use it if i need to pull my weight up off a branch im cutting, or for tweaking my position slightly.

On the few climbs that I've done (with the HH) the 3:1 set up is great, makes it a WHOLE lot easier to ascend a short distance without a whole lot of effort.
I used it pruning the top out of that Oak I just did 'cause it was the only way I could think of to carefully climb the tree without causing any damage/broken limbs. It took a bit of effort but it was only about a 30-35ft climb.
Again, this is all brand new to me, I've always used DRT. It's very exciting to learn all these new techniques to create all kinds of possibilities/options for doing my tree work.

 

[DMc]

I finally tried Jamie's setup, using a hand loop over the Basic/Croll and it is smooth!..

Nick, just a heads up for you and anyone else interested in using this system, which, by the way, is a slick system. If you attach the Hitch Hiker to the ascender and leg loop with a clip and prussic as shown in Jamie's video, you will be preventing the HH from being able to engage in the event of a shock load. This could be a problem. It can be avoided simply by using a chest strap, neck bungee or LOTS as an advancing point.

Dave

 

[NHlocal]

Nick, just a heads up for you and anyone else interested in using this system, which, by the way, is a slick system. If you attach the Hitch Hiker to the ascender and leg loop with a clip and prussic as shown in Jamie's video, you will be preventing the HH from being able to engage in the event of a shock load. This could be a problem. It can be avoided simply by using a chest strap, neck bungee or LOTS as an advancing point.

Dave

I tried it that way and it worked pretty slick, but the one thing I noticed was the extra effort for my arm and shoulder using the hand loop to advance the HH.
Not being critical or anything like that but, being brand new to SRT, not being in "peak" physical condition(and a little "older") I wanted to make it as "easy" as I could. So I clipped a loop runner(I "happened" to have one available)onto the back of my saddle slung it over my shoulder and clipped it onto the coat hanger loop on the HH. Now I don't notice any extra effort at all(and it eliminates the possibility of the HH not engaging as you described). I am definitely loving my HH.

 

[bonner1040]

Dave,

Having used Jamie's (porkbrick) set up a few more times now, I am having trouble dialing in the use of the footloop line to advance the HH. What I found is that the Croll (the ascender I am using as the upper) is engaging as the HH pulls down on the footloop line. I end up with a partially weighted HH and Croll, keeping in mind my tether is just 5mm cord folded and taped, so there is a potential for it to break and the HH could slide and all sorts of ankle hanging bad could result.

For that and a slew of other reasons I have also, like NHLocal (who I am donning NHL), been using my chest harness or the over the shoulder lanyard. I was digging the chest harness but for most recent cases it seems the over the shoulder lanyard has been totally sufficient and adds a minimalist advantage.

Jamie, do you have some secret beta or have you had similar issues?

 

[Porkbrick]

i have most certainly had just the issue yoiu all speak of. the very first version i tried used a bit of shock cord (bungie) to link the basic to the HH. that worked well but introduced a bit of slop into the system. i like the idea (dont remember right now whose it was) of attaching the hand loop direct to the HH and the foot loop direct to the HH oxan, that way you eliminate a piece of gear (the basic/croll) and you KNOW that the HH is set on the rope, haven't tried it yet tho. i have started using a clip attached to my suspenders to hold up and advance the HH, but, i haven't tried it in conjunction with the footloop. i will try that tomorrow!

 

[Jack]

i have most certainly had just the issue yoiu all speak of. the very first version i tried used a bit of shock cord (bungie) to link the basic to the HH. that worked well but introduced a bit of slop into the system. i like the idea (dont remember right now whose it was) of attaching the hand loop direct to the HH and the foot loop direct to the HH oxan, that way you eliminate a piece of gear (the basic/croll) and you KNOW that the HH is set on the rope, haven't tried it yet tho. i have started using a clip attached to my suspenders to hold up and advance the HH, but, i haven't tried it in conjunction with the footloop. i will try that tomorrow!

Is the vid below what you're referring to, Jaime? If so, it's pretty good for short climbs (<40') close to the stem. It does have the advantage of loading the HH with each stride so it stays fully engaged throughout the climb. However, as Dave points out, for longer climbs and all-air climbs a system with a chest harness of some type (LOTS, et al) is more efficient ... safer.

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DSHt_gijntM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[NHlocal]

Was able to get a climb in after work today. I set a rope 50ft up in an Oak in my back yard. Climbed all the way up with no problems, no stops. Still have some adjustments to make to the setup but the "tweaks" I'm making are helping. I'm using a loop runner over my shoulder to advance the HH.

 

[Arborkeith]

I like the zk-2 fine. I can use my hitch cord, and my length, and it always works. I'm not stuck with a short hitch of that stupid beeline.

 

[bonner1040]

Stuck with stupid beeline?

Welcome to the house Keith.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Hey there, Keith - I see you made it. Welcome to the TreeHouse!

 

[Arborkeith]

Yeah I made it, ranger danger,master blaster, and thattreeguy all talked good about the place so I figured I'd check it out. It'd hard to figure out,but I haven't used a computer much in nearly 8 years.

 

[rangerdanger]

Glad to see you made it over here Keith. Browsing from your phone also works well, check out the tap a talk app for your iPhone, makes browsing on your phone easy.

 

[bonner1040]

Found this on youTube

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/y0GHcxSxRuQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[NHlocal]

I think that's one of the first "working" videos I've seen with the HH. Hope to see some more.....

 

[SouthSoundTree]

NHLocal,



I have been fine tuning Jamies hand over hand setup the last few days, and getting all the lengths and equipment right. As I already said its one of the most fluid, natural types of ascent I have found yet.

HOLY MOLY was Jamie onto something there with the hand over hand deal. I used a small diameter elastic cord that I bought at REI, probably 3mm or so, tied it into a loop about 4 feet long (had 8' of cord, not by specific design), then tied some overhand knots down the length to make a daisy chain type connector (ex. http://www.rei.com/product/825820/metolius-pas-22-personal-anchor-system) which was originally for an over the head/ around the neck bungee for the floating foot ascender or minding my HH. I don't recall which.

I used the lanyard over the shoulder HH tender method, along with the elastic loop (with multiple length choices) to advance my floating ascender. It was SOOO simple and easy. I didn't have to advance my foot and hand exactly the same amount due to the elastic.

Plus, I was not connected to the floating ascender, so an emergency exit just meant dropping the floating ascender and kicking my foot out of the foot loop, and disconnecting/ kicking out of the pantin on my ankle, and ready to go. More practically is that I can skip a step in packing up the floating ascender when I get to my working height.

 

[NHlocal]

HOLY MOLY was Jamie onto something there with the hand over hand deal. I used a small diameter elastic cord that I bought at REI, probably 3mm or so, tied it into a loop about 4 feet long (had 8' of cord, not by specific design), then tied some overhand knots down the length to make a daisy chain type connector (ex. http://www.rei.com/product/825820/metolius-pas-22-personal-anchor-system) which was originally for an over the head/ around the neck bungee for the floating foot ascender or minding my HH. I don't recall which.

I used the lanyard over the shoulder HH tender method, along with the elastic loop (with multiple length choices) to advance my floating ascender. It was SOOO simple and easy. I didn't have to advance my foot and hand exactly the same amount due to the elastic.

Plus, I was not connected to the floating ascender, so an emergency exit just meant dropping the floating ascender and kicking my foot out of the foot loop, and disconnecting/ kicking out of the pantin on my ankle, and ready to go. More practically is that I can skip a step in packing up the floating ascender when I get to my working height.

Do you have any pics? I'd like to see that setup.