Retractable lanyard setup

[DMc]

Paul, I just cut some shallow grooves in the lower corners. Deep enough to catch the webbing and still not getting in the way of the lanyard. Once cinched, it stays put.

You did send the smaller strap but I could not get it to hold tight enough to keep the Sidewinder from flopping around. Cinching around the outside of the housing keeps it snug to the harness.

Dave

 

[bonner1040]

I am going to turn mine around (exit hole down) and put the zip tie around the housing like that. I like the concept but the zip tie will be less obtrusive for my setup and I dont plan on taking it off my saddle.

 

[PCTREE]

Not sure I like the notches cut in the housing. Maybe just a simple plastic keeper down there....

 

[DMc]

Update. I was talking to Paul last night and he asked me if the the Sidewinder worked with the lanyard wrapped around the spool backwards. I told him it worked great, which it did. Of course I had no idea I had wrapped the lanyard around the spool the wrong way , after taking things apart, I had just wound it up in the direction that I thought looked right. Wrong again.

So today I figured maybe it would be better to rewind it in the proper direction. Well, the the spring did not like being so mistreated and decisively snapped. So I am re- posting this picture so that everyone can see which way to not wrap the spool.

Dave

 

[Burnham]

This is extremly clever, Paul. I see that many climbers, and they are men I respect, are finding it to be useful.

I have not much doubt I'd hate it . The bulk on my hip would suck hairy moose lips...in much of the treework I found myself engaged in in my career, just getting through the branches with minimal saddle and gear was a huge hassle. I also tried the Cinch/Beeline lanyard and hated it as well, just too small for my hands and too limp for my methods of lanyard technique.

But then again, I was sure to the bone I'd hate Thomas' throw weight, and that turned out to not be true...reservations, sure, but better than I expected...that could easily be the case here, too.

It's a challenge to be an old guy. Hat's off to DMc...he's old like me and cutting edge all the same .

Don't take this as a slam in any way...just this old climber's observations .

 

[PCTREE]

B I never really expected this to appeal to West Coast guys. As previously stated this is no "flip line" . I have been wanting this for years and have finally made it happen and for my needs it works well. Definately wont appeal to all.

 

[Burnham]

As with much climbing gear. All good, my friend.

 

[DMc]

...It's a challenge to be an old guy. Hat's off to DMc...he's old like me and cutting edge all the same ....

Hahaha!!! Oh, I am so glad I did not have a mouth full of coffee when I read that! People have no idea. Most probably look at the things I use or the systems I incorporate and will assume I am flexible in my thinking and that change comes easy for me. Not so. I have old-itis!

The first time I tried using the Sidewinder it never made it to the tree. Strapped it on at the truck and by the time I walked 100' to the tree I had enough of its weight and bouncing around on my hip and off it came. It took a lot of arguing amongst the three of us, me, myself and I, before we could agree on giving it a test in a tree. This was in no small part that I have a lot of respect for Paul and his ideas.

I found if the Sidewinder was strapped firmly to my harness and didn't bounce, things were much better. I was really impressed while free-climbing to the top of some small and snarly, multi-topped pines that it never snagged or interfered in any way. As a work-positioning lanyard or temporary tie-in, it works and does a good job. So I will continue to use it as such and see how long it will last.

I am west coast trained so it will not replace my flip line when that is what I need. Thanks for posting B.

Dave

 

[woodworkingboy]

I'm so old time, I sometimes fall over when putting on my harness.

 

[Burnham]

 

[Qtip]

how do i go about preordering the sidewinder.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Welcome to the TreeHouse, Qtip! Got a first name? Mine's Butch.

 

[ClimbingSawyer]

Like it, great idea!

 

[PCTREE]

Go to ropetekwraptor.com and order

 

[bonner1040]

I love mine, its still going strong!

 

[DMc]

.0

I love mine, its still going strong!

Same for me, Nick. It seems to be fairly rugged and though I have not used it in subzero conditions yet, it was 3 deg F the other morning and it was working just fine. I have changed where I have it on the harness, from the side, to the center of the back. The treeMotion has a space for mounting a first aid pack in that location that it turns out, fits the Sidewinder just right. It can be permanently mounted and not interfere with normal harness feel or function, which includes a steel-core flipline for spar work. See my post on page one of this thread for my feelings on that subject. They have not changed.

I would strongly recommend the use of a steel-core when chunking down a spar with a big saw.

Dave

 

[PCTREE]

Dave as silly as it may be I pretty much only do big wrecks and I use the beeline lanyard ALL the time. I do make sure to girth tie in with the HH below my lanyard though.....

 

[DMc]

Sorry, Paul, but I just cannot see the logic in doing this. On spar work there is a lot of tension on the lanyard. The chance of accidently grazing the Beeline as you swing the big blade up or down, is too great for me to even consider it as a choice. Cutting the lanyard line in that position, even with a climbing line choked off below, will make for a bad fall with a large running saw.

It is so simple to just leave the Sidewinder in place and clip on the steel-core. Having the long tail of the flip line is not a problem on a spar like it is in a pruning, so you gain nothing but increased risk.

Dave

 

[MasterBlaster]

But aren't we tied in twice???

 

[DMc]

Yeh, but are you willing to take a fall off a spar, with a big saw in your lap, until your choked off climbing line catches you? You are not just gaffing out here and taking a slide, you are going over backwards!

Dave

 

[MasterBlaster]

Yes, good point!

 

[Burnham]

Indeed.

 

[PCTREE]

Dave, how often do you hit your flip line??? Maybe Im too used to risk but I feel like in the very unlikely event of cutting the lanyard I would instinctively keep the saw away from my body/climb line. Ive been climbing for years solely on a 1/2 rope flipline and I dont really see that much difference with the bee line, shoot hit either one and you are done. I even invested in a $21 pair of glasses yesterday so Im safe as houses

 

[SouthSoundTree]

most likely, with a big saw, when a person would hit their lanyard, they'd be buried in the cut, so the saw is more likely to become a grab handle that falling object, in my estimation.

 

[DMc]

I cut into my flip line once in my first year of climbing, and never since. I also had a cable-core break under use, and trust me you don't have time for thinking. You are there one moment and gone the next.

I am no stranger to risk-taking myself but I'm not a cowboy and tend to analyze a situation's potential for success or failure and trust my judgment. I purposely used the Sidewinder/Beeline on a spar just so I could get a feeling on how it felt. The strength is not the problem. But swinging my 460 with a 28" bar of full comp chain, up and down, I noticed how close it was coming to the Beeline. I am not talking about cutting the lanyard with the running saw but a saw with the chain brake on. I have not tested it but with the chain brake on and the line under tension. I'm pretty sure if contact is made between the heavy saw bar with sharp chisel teeth and the line which is barely bigger than a single tooth, the line would lose.

So I asked myself if I would feel comfortable using a line that could be compromised by a simple brushing by contact. My answer was a resounding NO. When I'm bucking a stalk my saw is moving fast back and forth and there are plenty of other things to focus on to accept this risk for no good reason. The long straight tail of the cable core never gets in my way when bucking a spar.

So I will happily keep using the Sidewinder for anything that requires a lanyard and a cable core for when I need a flip line.

Dave