I (Think/Hope) I Developed A New Hitch Design

[Knotorious]

@gf beranek Yes, I have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, ADHD (passive type), Bipolar Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Motor Tic Disorder, Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and I think that's it haha So many I lose track. As far as mental illness is concerned, I'm like a smorgasbord of disorders -- all of which have been verified and confirmed many, many years ago. It's certainly not a contest and I proudly share this with the world. It has been a part of who I am for a very long time and there is a lot about my mental illnesses which I believe makes me better than other people, unique and special. It's not all bad. I have, for the most part, overcome the struggles which came with these diagnoses. However, it still isn't all roses, bunnies, unicorns and glitter (don't forget rainbows) quite yet.

Having said that, disorders such as OCD help me have a keen eye for detail and specificity. Once I decide that I'm interested in doing something, nothing can stop me from finishing, even if it takes days, weeks, or months. If I want to learn about something, I will learn about it exhaustively. Mental illness, although it causes great suffering, is also an immense source for passion and intrigue and intensity and commitment and thoroughness -- among other things. Tree climbing is a great example of this at work. Everything I know about tree climbing, gear, climbing techniques, etc. is self-taught. Of course, nothing is ever really self taught, is it? It has to be learned from somewhere. For me, I watched YouTube videos and read constantly. I have never once met another tree climber in person and that's the metric I'm using to claim that I am self-taught.

As to your interest in inventing, it's nice to see I have that in common with someone. This is probably the first time that I've gone on an inventing spree. I can't imagine having to wait 30 days for an order. I can understand your proclivity for creating your own gear. You sound like a pioneer in your own right by helping to expand your options for a saddle back when, as you say, everything for the arborist was limited to lineman equipment. I'm grateful to be living at the time that I currently am and grateful to be able to freely access everything under the sun; gear which was likely a mere twinkle in the arborist's eye so long ago. If I had to go back in time and forfeit my Rope Runner Pro and hip thrust with a Blake's hitch, well...I might throw up and cry (not necessarily in that order)! Ha! =-D

I shall carry on!

 

[Knotorious]

Well, everyone, I’ve done it again. I’ve invented another hitch and this one is a beauty. Take a gander, but don’t stare. I know, I know, it’s really hard not to, but you’re making the hitch uncomfortable. =-D

Anyways, in all seriousness, this is a pretty sweet hitch. Not only does it look good, but it works pretty well, too. One downside is that you’ll need a longer hitch cord for this. I’m not sure I could have tied this with a hitch cord that has sewn eyes either. So either you would need a long, spliced hitch cord (I used a 32”) or an even longer sewn eye hitch cord. I’m speculating here, though. I honestly didn’t try yet, but my instincts for these matters are usually pretty good.

A second downside is that this hitch is a pain in the ass to tie. I stared at it for quite awhile trying to decide on a tying method that was more fluid. I had discovered this hitch a few weeks ago and taken a picture of it, and then had to tie it again based upon that picture so that I can make a “how to tie” video for it. I arrived at a tying method that was less than stellar, but it does work. Hopefully I can come up with an easier way.

Below are a front and back photo of the hitch. This is called the CONTRARION hitch.

 

[lxskllr]

Hard to tell what's going on there, but it looks compact.

 

[gf beranek]

Looks like a puzzle.

 

[Knotorious]

@lxskllr @gf beranek Yeah, it's definitely a bit of an eye f*uck (pardon the expression). After taking the picture of it weeks ago and looking at it again, while trying to re-tie it today, I had to stare at it for several long minutes before I figured out where everything was coming from. Once you know how to tie it, though, it's actually not that difficult to remember. I just wish it weren't so challenging to tie. An yes, it is very compact. Almost no setback. The next step is to make a "how to tie" video, which I will of course post when I've finished!

 

[Knotorious]

Howdy, ya'll! I was able to make a quick "how to tie" video for the CONTRARIAN hitch last night and then I uploaded it onto my YouTube channel early this morning. If you like the hitch, or if you just wish to support me, please either hit the "like" button, subscribe to my channel or both! Without further ado, here is the link for the video:

Today I made two eye to eyes out of 6mm and 8mm accessory cord, each with Poacher's knots on either end to create the eyes. The former is 28" long, but feels much longer due its small diameter, and the latter is 40" long. Each of these DIY hitch cords has roughly 2-3" of tail on either knot, meaning I can elongate them anywhere between 4-6" each. I hope to buy some actual hitch cord eventually and use it the same way with tied eyes. It goes without saying that I can also shorten these tied hitch cords as well. While I very much enjoy being able to adjust the length, the size and bulkiness of the eyes makes it challenging to tie many of the hitches. Perhaps I'll get used to it.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

You can use both : one end spliced, neat and compact, but fixed, and the other end with a knot, bulky but makes the whole thing adjustable. No need to have two knots. Finish the tight tying with the spliced end, easier to insert. I did that when I wanted to find the good length for a given knot. When it worked at my taste, I made an other one with the right length and two splices.

 

[Knotorious]

@Marc-Antoine Thanks for sharing! What a positively BRILLIANT idea! That honestly never occurred to me!

 

[Brocky]

Was searching through the hitches I know for ones that self tend, found a few, but most would bind up with use. The right number of wraps had to be used to just grab enough to hold my weight, adding one more wrap would sometimes make it not budge at all. The field was further reduced by using smaller diameter hitch cord. The following worked the best.

 

[Knotorious]

Hey! Those look great! I especially like the one that's in the second row, first hitch. As soon as I finish writing this post, I'm going to tie that one and check it out.

I don't mean to be "that guy," but the picture you posted is small and of low resolution. When I try to zoom in to view the writing next to each hitch, it becomes far too pixelated for me to decipher what was written. Will you be so kind as to either post a larger, higher resolution image OR list out the names of the hitches for me, please?

Also, other than the Sticht hitch, could you tell me which of these other hitches you invented? And if you know who invented the others, could you share that with me, please? This is a golden opportunity for me to finally add more "how to" videos for hitches that aren't mine. My ultimate goal is to create a video for as many hitches as possible, regardless of who created them and, of course, give credit when and where it is due.

That hitch in the third row, first one, looks pretty darn ornate. I'm curious to see what that one is like after tying it in real life.

That fact that you say that most of them will bind up during use is unfortunate. However, as you said, perhaps simply playing around with the number of wraps might be all that is required for it to work well in some cases.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Brocky, what's your weight for reference

 

[Knotorious]

Well, ladies and gentleman, today I invented four hitches. I'm going to post the most exciting one today and then I'll post the other three over the next week. One of the hitches that I'll post later this week is a sequel to the CALLIGRAPHY hitch. Exciting stuff! Anyhow, today I'll be sharing another hitch that is a bit more interesting as far as structure/knotting is concerned. I've decided that I'm going to name it the AURORA hitch. The tying method, as you will see, is quite clever. In the attached front and back photos, you'll see that I tied it with four wraps at the primary coil and then you'll see that the secondary part of the hitch creates two additional wraps. Because of this, I see no problem with tying three wraps at the top instead of four; especially if your hitch cord is somewhat shorter than the 32" cord I used. One benefit of this hitch is that it is pretty compact. Finally, it's definitely one of the coolest looking hitches that I have come up with! Especially how the back side of the hitch looks, but both sides are honestly pretty darn sweet looking. Be sure to set and dress this one sufficiently.

 

[Brocky]

These didn’t bind for my 145 lbs. They are all mine, including two variations of the Cornell and the Adjustable Bend.

Your latest looks similar to a ring less Sticht, the hitch cord is used instead. I recently improved it by adding a piece of stiff cover to form the ring.

 

[Burnham]

You guys are brilliant.

 

[Knotorious]

@Brocky Thank you for posting a bigger picture! All of those hitches look great! Good work! Aside from the two I already mentioned that I like (Matt Cornell Reversed and Cosmo Variation), the one at the bottom right looks like it would probably work well! With the VHH2, is that a square knot I see tied around the rope? Either way, very nice! You still need to name two of them! I enjoy naming naming mine. There's rarely any real reason for any of the names I choose. I just kind of think of words that sound powerful or interesting.

Great work replacing the Sticht metal ring with...is that tubular webbing? Very clever. How does it work compared to the Sticht with a solid ring? And you're correct. My latest hitch does look like a Sticht hitch with a hitch leg forming the "ring." It's a fun hitch.

When you say it didnt bind for your 145lbs, do you mean SRS or MRS? I'm assuming you mean SRS, right?

@Burnham Thank you, sir! Much obliged!

 

[Brocky]

The “ring” is a stiff cover from Bluewater’s Protac static rope. It stays more ring-shape than just the cord alone.

By binding I mean with repeated loading and unloading and tending, the hitch starts to tighten up, becoming harder to make them slide. They all break fairly easily when unloaded, but only the Sticht is releaseable under full body weight.
There are two other hitches like the Sticht, the Synergy X, and the WLR, which uses wraps and then a series of overhand knot weaves below to provide some additional friction.
The two half hitches of the VHH2 can be either a square or grannies, I haven’t noticed any difference.

 

[gf beranek]

 

[Burnham]

You tell 'em, Ger!

 

[Knotorious]

CALLIGRAPHY 2 The WINNING Hitch Is Back for a SEQUEL!

Here is the description to the video...
"In this episode, I’ll go over my latest hitch invention: Calligraphy 2! As you probably guessed, it is the sequel, or variant, of the Calligraphy hitch. Look below to see links for the Calligraphy hitch.

NOTE: The Calligraphy 2 hitch can be tied with less wraps if necessary, such as three wraps instead of four.

NOTE: When I stated in the video that the bight had to be on the left side, I meant for that specific orientation. I can be tied so that it is on the right.

Follow me at The Tree House to see many of my hitches posted there before published onto YouTube. You can see every hitch I've ever invented along with interesting discussion with fellow Treehousers! My username is Knotorious!

I (Think/Hope) I Developed A New Hitch Design - https://www.masterblasterhome.com/threads/i-think-hope-i-developed-a-new-hitch-design.26897/

Calligraphy Hitch “Short” Video:

Calligraphy Hitch Long Form Video:

Thanks so much for viewing my content! Let me know how I did! =-D"

As usual, this video is dropping at The Tree House before YouTube! The video is uploaded to YouTube, but set to "unlisted." I will likely publish it in the coming days.

 

[Knotorious]

@Brocky I've made a video about one of the hitches you just shared with us yesterday and I'll publish it onto my channel in the next week or two. Right now I have 1,311 subscribers (at time of writing) and I'm averaging about 18 new subscribers every day. It's been like that for two weeks. Relatively speaking, my channel is gaining a lot of attention and so will your hitch! I actually love this one. Is this a variant of the Cornell hitch? If so, that's one of my favorite hitches that wasn't invented by me. The tying seems similar. I don't have time to cross reference at the moment. Anyways, I plan on making additional videos for more of your hitches when I get a chance. It's basically free content for me and free advertising for you with no work. It's a win win! Here is the description for the video...

"In this episode, I’ll teach you how to tie the MATT CORNELL REVERSED HITCH! Great hitch and relatively simple to tie! It was invented by a guy I know named Brocky! Follow myself and Brocky at The Tree House to see many of my hitches posted there before published onto YouTube, and many of his hitches as well. You can see every hitch I've ever invented (and many of Brocky’s) along with interesting discussions with fellow Treehousers! My username is Knotorious and his is Brocky! This link will take you to my very first post for this thread half a year ago. While you're there, JOIN THE FORUM if you're into tree climbing! Everyone is so nice and intelligent!

Here is the link to The Tree House forum: I (Think/Hope) I Developed A New Hitch Design - https://www.masterblasterhome.com/threads/i-think-hope-i-developed-a-new-hitch-design.26897/

Here is the link to the video":

 

[lxskllr]

I notice you have at least a couple lengths of kernmaster special static. What do you think of that rope? A couple reviews on wesspur said it was slippery, and didn't play nice with ascenders. That's been my experience also. I can get hitches to work, but it seems very particular, and I generally have to add a wrap from what I normally use. I like the weight, and ease of manipulating it. The skinniness is a minor problem, but the slipperiness is what I dislike most. I really want to love it, but I used my ½" km3 over the weekend, and that's a line I really enjoy using. I don't enjoy carrying it, or cycling it through a tree to relocate it, but for actual climbing, it's my favorite I've used.

 

[Knotorious]

Interesting you should mention this. I ordered roughly 25' of the Yale Bifrost for use with hauling systems with mechanical advantage, for use as a lanyard and for use as a pretty rope to tie hitches on and to tie knots out of for YouTube. When I first got the rope, I was immediately confused by its diameter. It states that it's an 11mm rope, however, my 10mm ropes are exactly the same diameter as far as I can tell. At a 1mm difference, although it doesn't sound like a lot, to the tree climber's eye and hand, it makes a huge difference. Amirite?! You all know this. It does make an enormous difference and it should be tangible. My Yale Blaze and Phantom (I didn't realize until now how much I've favored Yale ropes) appear to be of identical diameter, if not of greater diameter.

In any event, I just got the rope a week ago and so I haven't had many experiences climbing with it. However, I did put my Rope Runner on it and it appeared to grab appropriately. I, too, read the reviews for this rope on Wesspur. Sadly, after buying the rope (I'm impulsive; don't judge me!). Honestly, the color pattern on the sheath is ultra dope and, despite being a Kernmantle, it has good knotability and good hand. I almost want to buy a pair of digital calipers and measure the rope. The diameter stated by the manufacturer is highly suspect. I've used this rope for hauling systems and it works great for whatever that's worth. Not sure that's going to impress anyone.

However, I have climbed up it using a food ascender and a few of the hitches I've been testing and it works well with hitches. It is a little slippery, but I don't think it is so slippery that it is worth making a fuss about. At least not with hitches. If you feel the rope, though, it truly is much less abrasive than many other ropes. However, this line is super static (as you mentioned), and with a polyester core (and sheath), and this makes the body of the rope very solid. With most other ropes, you can use your thumb and index fingers to compress the rope a little bit when it isn't loaded. That isn't really the case with the Bifrost. That is where I believe hitches lose some of their grip. Am I making sense? I plan on trying it with my Rope Runner soon. Thanks for your post! =-D

 

[Knotorious]

@Brocky, what can i call the two hitches you posted that don't have a name? I'm very interested in adding those to my hitch library, but names are required. If you don't feel like naming them, give me the numbers (they're hard to read) and I'll refer to them as "Brocky #XXXX," or however else you might prefer I reference them on my channel.

 

[Knotorious]

I believe that, with the inspiration of one of my subscribers, I invented a new "inherently secure" {a termination knot which requires no stopper knot) loop knot from the Water Bowline by adding a Yosemite finish in a particular fashion. Let me know what you think of it. "How To" video attached as a link. Do you think it's a first? Looks secure. As Ryan Jenks would say from the How Not 2 YouTube channel, "I would whip!" (take a "whipper" on it as they say in the rock climbing community).

 

[lxskllr]

I would propose a 'Scott's lock' variant as an alternative. It's what I use to secure a standard bowline, and is completely idiotproof. Shown loose for greater clarity...



I was unfamiliar with the water bowline, and looking it up, one of the purposes is to prevent jamming under wet conditions. I wonder if locking it negates that benefit?

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