Hitch Hiker Reviews

[bonner1040]

Dave pointed it out, I didnt even notice.

 

[NHlocal]

Dave pointed it out, I didnt even notice.

Ayuh,
you're right.
Thanks Dave!
With the help you guys are giving me I might even survive long enough to get good at it.....
PS I ordered the small and large ISC ring, I'll try 'em both.

 

[NHlocal]

Randy,

Looked really good. I've been intending to upload the pics of my set-up, but the uploader hasn't been working for me.

You have all the components of my set-up except for a cheap piece of elastic cord.

As you can see, with non-elastic cordage, you have to syncronize the hand and foot, and slack can develop easily, allowing the foot loop to come off, at times.

A risk you face is that you have a toothed ascender above your hitch. If you were to have a rope-redirection crotch break, and get caught with another lower crotch, you could have all your weight on the toothed ascender and footloop, potentially tearing off the sheath from the rope.


Simply shorten your foot-to-ascender connection so that it rides below the HH, and attach an elastic cord above it which goes to your hand (tie a big loop ~3-4', then tie overhand knots every 6-8" to give your options. Leave a gap at the end that is large enough to go over your head in case you want to use if for something else. If you get a second piece of elastic and do similarly, although shorter, you can use it over your head to advance the HH with the snugness of slight, constant tension.).

I take my flipline with the adjuster on my left hip "D" behind my back, over my right collarbone (next to my neck on the right side) and down to my HH.



PS. Put a rated ring on your rope bridge in place of the second 'biner.
PPS. A 20 oz throw bag replaces the sledgehammer. When you are up in the tree and need to advance your rope, the 20 oz. bag will help to get the end of your rope up to the next redirection crotch (while your are fliplined into a suitable point). When you want to pull your HH through the crotch, the HH may want to slide when the HH gets butted up against the crotch. To avoid this, clove hitch the biner to the rope (you will need to slide the HH along the rope first in order to have it reach you after pulling it through the crotch and back toward yourself).

Sean,
finally got a hold of some elastic cord to change my setup over and try what you're using. I must be doing something wrong. There is NO WAY climbing up a rope can be this easy!!! I quickly put the setup together just a couple hours ago and tried it out in my basement(almost 8ft if you get in between the floor joists). Granted, I can only get maybe 4 or 5 "short steps" up the rope but it gives me a pretty good idea how it will work. Was gonna get some pics but it's late and I'm up at 4am to get ready for work. As I said, it can't be this easy to get up a rope?! Now I'm desperate to put a rope up in the back yard and see how it really works.
Thanks again for the suggestions and help to change over my setup.
Randy

 

[CurSedVoyce]

 

[Burnham]

Yessir.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

This is Erik.

Some pics may be redundant.

Hope these show well what's what.

Left hand has elastic attached to ascender (petzl hand ascender cut off).
Right foot pantin.
RW and hitch advanced by flipline attached with adjuster on left hip D, over right collarbone to hitchclimber. Extra 'biner because snap will not fit on HC pulley.

 

[Burnham]

Dang...you boys (it's not only you, Sean ) need to learn to rotate your pics and save 'em that way before you post...it's not rocket science .

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Its late. D and A are sleeping. I should be, too. Some of us have to get up at 5am, but felt compelled to check in.

Pictures rotate easily on a laptop...pick up laptop, rotate laptop.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Dang...you boys (it's not only you, Sean ) need to learn to rotate your pics and save 'em that way before you post...it's not rocket science .

How do I get the vcr to stop flashing 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00?

 

[Burnham]

 

[bstewert]

Or, instead of tying knots for different lengths, you could use something like this. It's a bungie with a mini blakes for infinite adjustability. Hooking the gold biner to my left thumb allows me to fully grab the rope.

 

[rumination]

Thanks for the clever ideas here. I'm going to have to pick up some elastic cord this weekend.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Good one, Bob.


Simpler yet, I think I'll try what I have on the footloop for the hand elastic cord...a tie-off on the ascender for one end, and prussic/ friction hitch tied back to itself to form a hand loop, on the other end, skipping both 'biners. I already have extra biners on my harness with an extra hitch cord or the like which I can store the ascender and cordage.


The knotted elastic is not super streamlined, but was handy, and I haven't had time to focus on any improvements.

P.S. now that tree work has picked up, I'll be ordering a production model of the hitchhiker.

PPS Actually, I just did. Yay! a new toy...uh...tool.

 

[NHlocal]

Good one, Bob.


Simpler yet, I think I'll try what I have on the footloop for the hand elastic cord...a tie-off on the ascender for one end, and prussic/ friction hitch tied back to itself to form a hand loop, on the other end, skipping both 'biners. I already have extra biners on my harness with an extra hitch cord or the like which I can store the ascender and cordage.


The knotted elastic is not super streamlined, but was handy, and I haven't had time to focus on any improvements.

P.S. now that tree work has picked up, I'll be ordering a production model of the hitchhiker.

PPS Actually, I just did. Yay! a new toy...uh...tool.

Thanks Sean for the pics, I get it now, makes sense. The way you explained it I was thinking pretty much what you have in the pictures. Thanks!
I ended up tying off my elastic cord to the ascender. I like the nylon strap for the hand loop, but I tied it in a loop and put it on the bungee cord as a prussic hitch. It's comfortable for me and I can adjust it if I need/want to. Like I said, I am REALLY itching to try that setup on a real climb!

 

[NHlocal]

Got a package from Treestuff today, then proceeded to put some of the stuff I got to good use. Didn't really get any good pics of the setup I'm using but basically went with the suggestions that have been given. Went "out back" and set a rope 65ft up an Oak. Climbed up and pruned off some dead wood. The changes made really dramatic improvements on how the setup works, I'm really happy with how it's "coming together". Here's a few pics.....

 

[CurSedVoyce]

 

[rumination]

I'm sure my eyes are deceiving me, but just in case, it looks like there's no stopper on the end of your lanyard. If so, that's a Bad Thing.

 

[rumination]

For those that are using the footloop ascender below the HH: is it possible to just attach the elastic directly to the saddle? Or would the elastic then not be long enough to have adequate stretch? It would be really nice not to have advance it with the hands, have it all automatically advancing.

 

[DMc]

That should work just fine, Leon. I was just in the rummaging-around-for-parts stage of setting one up.

Dave

 

[Jack]

I'm sure my eyes are deceiving me, but just in case, it looks like there's no stopper on the end of your lanyard. If so, that's a Bad Thing.

For that are using the footloop ascender below the HH: is it possible to just attach the elastic directly to the saddle? Or would the elastic then not be long enough to have adequate stretch? It would be really nice not to have advance it with the hands, have it all automatically advancing.

FWIW: Love a hand loop for short ascents. But, gotta agree for long ascents, use the chest attachment, the elastic is long enough when attached there ... tidies things up a bit, too.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

I like not having more stuff around my neck (already have a whistle on cord) when its time to work. I like to be able to put the whole set-up on the back of my saddle.

A person could attach the end of the cordage to the top of the floating ascender and have a key-gate/ smooth gate microbiner on the other end of the elastic, which could then be routed over the neck and clove hitched anywhere along the first leg, so as to be custom adjustable.

When reaching your working height, the set-up could be easily unclipped and unwrapped from the neck (rather than over the head, where it will snag ear muffs/ ear muff cords/ visors/ microphone boom/ helmet cams), then stowed on the harness

Alternatively, if you need to do a limb walk and return, you can quickly set up the ascender above you, and set a 3:1 by clipping a biner or pulley to the (formerly floating) ascender.

I wrecked out a couple spindly maples that were sprawled out over a building yesterday. I wish I had set up a 3:1 limbwalk return MA system. Hindsight.

 

[Porkbrick]

Ive been messing with the HH setup the last few weeks. tried the setup with the basic below the HH and liked it. leon, i had the same idea, why not just attach the elastic to the HH directly and do away with the hand loop altogether. i think someone came up with exactly that idea years ago!
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7LMVtPJ97Gw?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

i couldn't find the original vid. turning the HH into a chest harness with a neck clip or over the shoulder lanyard makes perfect sense to me, and eliminates the need to advance the HH manually.

 

[rumination]

Jack, I like your idea of using the chest attachment. I usually use my lanyard over the shoulder or a webbing chest sling, so I can just clip the elastic into that as well. Should be a much cleaner system.

Also, I picked up a DMM Revolver to clip into the bottom of the ascender for making a 3:1. I haven't had a need to try it out yet, but looks like it should work fairly well.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

On Rope 1 also has some configuration ideas when you look at the gear. Just saying. I sport one of their foot/ankle straps.

 

[NHlocal]

I'm sure my eyes are deceiving me, but just in case, it looks like there's no stopper on the end of your lanyard. If so, that's a Bad Thing.

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. I've found that the end of the flip line won't go through the friction hitch, but I suppose for extra safety it would be good to at least clip a 'biner on it. Thanks Leon, good call.

Jack, I like your idea of using the chest attachment. I usually use my lanyard over the shoulder or a webbing chest sling, so I can just clip the elastic into that as well. Should be a much cleaner system.

Also, I picked up a DMM Revolver to clip into the bottom of the ascender for making a 3:1. I haven't had a need to try it out yet, but looks like it should work fairly well.

Leon,
you'll really like how the Revolver works for a 3:1. I've used it several times and love how much easier it is to position myself.
And I'm definitely gonna switch my setup to "hands free", should be even easier to climb(if that's possible ).