Pros and Cos of various friction hitches in the trees

[gumboot]

Ive been climbing with an original Hitch Hiker since they first came out . Or close to then .
Its ny idiot pruf go to as my bail out line when spur climbing and for all other things where I need life/safety support like roofing , chimney sweeping /snow shoveling on roofs . I've been thinking I would like to try just a friction hitch like a Distal , Schwabish, VT ect , but , I dont know the pluses and m8nuses of them and would like to avoid any serious minuses at a time when the hitch Needs to work 100% . Like a 1 handed bail out .
Something I love about the Hitch Hiker is its surety of 1 handed descent .
Also . At this time Im climbing on a 7/16 Sterling kernmantal rope . Have only used it in 3 trees so far .
I had hoped to f8nd lots of yt vids on cl8mbing hitch vids . But all they seem to show is how to tie them . Cant find my copy of The Tree Cl8mber's Companion by Jeff Jepson so I need to order another one .
Thank you for any assistance .
Glen

 

[friedrich]

i like the michoacan, very reliable and short, too.

 

[gumboot]

Does it jam up if loaded hard ?
What type of rope works best with it ?
What hitch cord ?
I need to order new rubbers and basket for my big shot . And am think8ng of getting another climbing rope and some hitch cord and/ or some eye 2 eye cords .
Need some more biners also .

i like the michoacan, very reliable and short,

 

[gumboot]

Does it jam up if loaded hard ?
What type of rope works best with it ?
What hitch cord ?
I need to order new rubbers and basket for my big shot . And am think8ng of getting another climbing rope and some hitch cord and/ or some eye 2 eye cords .
Need some more biners also .

i like the michoacan, very reliable and short,

 

[friedrich]

define loaded hard please.
i like to use a heat resistant 16 strand 10mm sold by ftc (french company) called volcano. and i use it with various 11,5-11,7 mm ropes.
the micoacan is more forgiving than a valdotain kn my experience.

i dont like eye2eyes because i like to adjust the length of my hitchcord to change the behaviour.

 

[cory]

Why bother switching other than the simple urge to learn and explore more. If the HH works for you, don't mess with success.

 

[Mick!]

I just use a prussick.

 

[cory]

Interesting, really, in this day and age. Ever tried a ZZ or other mechanical?

 

[Mick!]

Yeah, got a zig zag, I found the self tending very annoying.
You think you have enough slack to get out on a branch or whatever and you get held back.

 

[cory]

Gotta love it- self tending and ease of tending imo is arguably the main attraction of most any hitch, mechanical or otherwise. And you don't like it

"Life finds a way."

You use a prussic- jc if you've used a taut line or a Blakes?

 

[Mick!]

I use a Blake’s occasionally if it’s on a rope already, little difference to a prussick imo.

I’ve never been entirely sure what ‘taut line’ means

 

[SeanKroll]

I still climb on my original HH. And HH2.

Are you using it SRT or Doubled rope/ MRS?

 

[SeanKroll]

I use a Blake’s occasionally if it’s on a rope already, little difference to a prussick imo.

I’ve never been entirely sure what ‘taut line’ means

It's a standard hitch, useful for adjusting a tarp guyline. If set properly, one can reach out from under the tarp to retension in the rain as thing stretch.

We used to tarp camp most of the year in a previous chapter of work life.

 

[Mick!]

0

I still climb on my original HH. And HH2.

Are you using it SRT or Doubled rope/ MRS?

double rope mrs

 

[gumboot]

Interesting, really, in this day and age. Ever tried a ZZ or other mechanical?

When the ZigZag first came out , there were lots of problems with them cracking and breaking . They were real high dollar at the time . And I didnt have any climbing going on other than takedowns , spur climbing . The HH, being so bomb proof . I just stayed with it . Plus the HH works good even in the snow for life support . Like getting up on my roof a few times every winter to scrub out my chimney . But , I would like to try a lighter weight , simpler system for some tree work this year .

 

[gumboot]

Depending on the tree I will use double rope . When spur climbing spruce . I choke the tree with a running bowline and into the HH .

 

[SeanKroll]

I leave my HH installed. I slide my HH to where I need it.

I use the untie/retie/ adjustment time instead as time for inspecting the rope.






I SRT almost always. Safest self- rescue scenario to my way of thinking.


Way easier for me, as well.


Do you have a foot ascender or rope walker? Very useful around here, maybe less so in AK.