I've had it! I'm making my Own Climbing Harness!

[NeTree]

Yeah, the wetsuit material is a huge insulator. Damn fine work, Jaimie!

 

[PCTREE]

how much are you going to sell the custom pimped saddles for??

 

[Porkbrick]

well, so far i think im in at around $150 in materials, counting the hardware i already had laying around. so... i guess it would depend on how custom... oh, and if any one but me found it to be at all comfortable. ill have to do more testing in that area too.

 

[sotc]

So will there be a "you too could ride a porkbrick saddle" Thread?

 

[Burnham]

You might try hole punching to put in ventilation through the neoprene.

 

[treesandsurf]

looks great!

jp

 

[Tommy_B]

How you getting on with it mate?

 

[NickfromWI]

Porkbrick? You still alive?

 

[Porkbrick]

sorry, this project got sidelined for a bit, but ive been re-working it for the last week or so. lots of bugs in the first version, and wow, i had no idea hardware is such a pita to find/source. i finally found the austrialpin webbing adjusters i want. i think i have the overall design and configuration nailed down. im in the process of building the new, reshaped, leg straps. they're going to be loose, new tribe style, but not as loose. now my head is swarming with all the little details and hardware choices. or should i say non hardware choices, im trying to keep the amount of metal down to a minimum. ill post some new pics when i get the new legs on. oh yeah, for padding im liking the 3mil neoprene and i plan to glue on a ton of triangle shaped bits of the same to make a pad kind of like the treeflex. the idea being that the spaces between the triangles will facilitate ventilation. cheers. jaime

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Interesting idea with the triangles. Looking forward to seeing your more refined and more finished product

 

[gf beranek]

Cool thread! Good luck with it! I always thought Ger's homemade saddles in his book looked amazingly cool in every respect. Btw, Gerr, where they comfortable and/or effective, or do modern saddles beat them out??

My own custom belts were by far more comfortable than anything you could buy at the time. I preferred rope as my main choice of material and made my own hardware too. No buckles, hard spots or adjustments. Truly custom.

Of course after 6 or 7 hours in even the most comfortable belt it's going to wear on you somewhere after a while. Unless you're setting on a limb.

 

[gf beranek]

I've often thought of making a custom saddle and never thought I could pull it off. Good for you.

Oh you can do it, Jesse. You're more handy at making things than you think.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Nice looking hardware that you made for your belts, Jerry. Highly polished like 'Snap-on' tools. You must have a good buffer.

 

[gf beranek]

I used emery cloth, Jay.

 

[woodworkingboy]

The true way to do it, nice!

 

[Porkbrick]

OK, got it together. here are some pics, as promised. first two are the new leg patterns and my helper. next are a bunch of photos while standing and hanging in the saddle. so far it is very comfy. I'm still waiting for the rated webbing adjusters to come in the mail. till then I'm using a hodgepodge of bits Ive got laying around. by the way, y'all know anyone with an industrial sewing machine? ill be needing to bar tack the webbing to the hardware at some point. I'm hoping ill get a chance to climb around in the trees tomorrow. cheers. jaime

 

[woodworkingboy]

If you go to an upholstery shop, they might do the sewing for you. They use industrial machines.

 

[MasterBlaster]

That's interesting! It sure looks like a lotta work.

 

[Burnham]

I think Nick, the splice guy, has a Sailrite machine.

 

[DMc]

Pretty cool! You've got some really different design concepts incorporated into your saddle. Now comes the trial period to see if they work like you hope. Take care and check the webbing constantly for hidden wear points.

Dave

 

[PCTREE]

What is that red/pink thing that is supporting you on the rope??? never seen one before

 

[Porkbrick]

its some sort of ascender, or descender or something. i found it laying around the shop at work. on the side it says: HAND, patented, wild country. found it. here you go http://storrick.cnc.net/VerticalDevicesPage/Ascender/MiscAscenderPages/MiscAsc106.html

climbed a few trees in the saddle today. im pretty pleased with its performance. couple of minor adjustments to be made. the leg straps are most comfortable when they sit low on my legs, so im going to stiffen the elastic from the back of the saddle to the leg. i think that should ensure that the leg sits where it should every time. i also installed the gear loops. i doubt they will let me use it at the comp this saturday, but ill have it with me. id like to see what people think of the design.

 

[gf beranek]

Pretty ingenious thinking and design. Though the snaps leave me wondering.

 

[Porkbrick]

the snaps with the red straps? those caused me some trouble. needed a way to keep the leg bridge from crushing my junk (ahem) but it also had to be loosen-able so i could get the saddle on and off easily. thus the snaps. with the snaps unclipped the leg loops are wide open. i clip the waist belt then run each side of the leg bridge through the snaps. the added and unintentional benefit is that it also keeps things tidy, no bridges flopping around between the legs (something i didnt like about the nikosi). i hope that is what you were referring too. jaime

 

[Porkbrick]

I call it the Super-Happy-Awesome-Tree-Saddle! after much design and redesign, and after climbing around in it for almost a full year, i think the saddle is ready to be made into a final prototype. by that i mean that I'm taking the design as i have it now and making a whole new unit, stitched instead of webbing connectors as it is now. not a glamor shot, but here's what I've got right now...


the padding is neoprene, quite comfy if a bit warm. the bridge setup is modeled after the liger conversion with rigging plates and an easily replaced rope bridge. the part that makes the difference for me is the bridge to belt attachments. instead of terminating at the dee rings or on the back pad, the webbing is continuous from one plate to the other. that means when you lean to the side the whole suspension system moves with you. cheers. jaime