ZZ and chicane vs akimbo

[Burnham]

We do tend to wander about from time to time .

 

[pantheraba]

No disrespect intended here...but the questions you are asking point to gaps in your experience or knowledge. We don't want to see you get hurt.

This is Burnham's tag line: "Confidence is the feeling you sometimes have before you fully understand the situation."

My radar is lit up because I think you may be in over your head and not know it. Maybe you need to go low and slow as your experience level creeps up? These guys here have certainly asked some astute questions of me...and put up gracefully with some of my shenanigans...well, some of them have. Some can be brutally honest and that's OK, too. Right, Brian?

But at the end of the day, it is your best interest that is priority. Capisce?

 

[lxskllr]

Michoacan is similar to a distel, but it seems to snatch up quicker. Could also be your cord. Beeline's pretty stiff. It's the cord I keep going back to, but it takes awhile to break in.

 

[Burnham]

Since it seems every hitch you have tried is unreliable on your one host rope (is this right?), perhaps there is the problem, as you posit. I'd try something else, something fat and of long standing production and use...maybe Blue Streak. For smaller diameters, Poison Ivy or it's variants might be worth trying.

It's worth noting that even if you have decided to go with a mechanical friction device, a slippery host rope might well still present issues.

 

[pantheraba]

Good input. The Poison Ivy, green, has served me well for hitches and for the RRP and HH2.

 

[WoodCutr]

My radar is lit up because I think you may be in over your head and not know it. Maybe you need to go low and slow as your experience level creeps up?

yes, a little maybe, only been climbing a year

 

[WoodCutr]

Since it seems every hitch you have tried is unreliable on your one host rope (is this right?), perhaps there is the problem, as you posit. I'd try something else, something fat and of long standing production and use...maybe Blue Streak. For smaller diameters, Poison Ivy or it's variants might be worth trying.

It's worth noting that even if you have decided to go with a mechanical friction device, a slippery host rope might well still present issues.

ill be buying another rope in the future

I just spend $200 on a rigging line, about to spend $250 on spikes, I cant keep spending money like this

I know for a fact scion and the zigzag work (August was running that combo for a long time without any issues), and the akimbo is rated for scion 12.5, would 1mm make a difference?

 

[WoodCutr]

Good input. The Poison Ivy, green, has served me well for hitches and for the RRP and HH2.

havent heard any complaints about it, have you used xstatic? that is one of a few im eying up

 

[ruel]

This thread is raising some questions for me. Who are you learning climbing from? Is your hitch cord knotted or spliced? Are You familiar with dressing and setting knots?

Like Gary said, I'm hearing things that indicate you might benefit from more instruction

 

[ruel]

Also with more info I really really really encourage you to cut that splice off your new rigging line and try again

 

[WoodCutr]

Who are you learning climbing from?

a few local arborists, Z133 and A300 books

Is your hitch cord knotted or spliced?

knotted and sewn

Are You familiar with dressing and setting knots?

done it a few thousand times

 

[WoodCutr]

Also with more info I really really really encourage you to cut that splice off your new rigging line and try again

why? is smoothed out, the strands are setting back how they need to be and it passed a pull test

and before you say it, ive done a bunch of doublebraid splices, by the book every time, im not exactly a first timer

 

[WoodCutr]

going to be using a buddy's zigzag for a few days and seeing how I like it, might get it out on a job or two

 

[biggun]

As a general rule. If your climbing on a hard rope then use a soft cord. Soft rope use a harder cord.

 

[WoodCutr]

paint me stupid, I never even thought about that

my only issue with that: I dont have a place to buy cord local, so I cant really see how stiff/soft it is lol

 

[lxskllr]

You could get a selection online and not be out a ton of money. From my collection...

9.5mm epicord - soft
10mm beeline - stiff
10mm ocean - medium soft
10mm flex - soft
9mm rit - medium soft

 

[biggun]

The correct combo is key. Beeline is pretty soft and works quite well on an harder line. I always have a habit (one of the good one I guess ) of just before I weight the hitch of just pushing it up before I load it. Always did that when I climbed ddrt and still do it when I wrench and hitch.

I forgot about the BDB from Gordon. I have one of the very early ones that is well worn in. I use it on older pieces of tachyon when I am doing pine tree and spruce trees when they’re sappy.

Edit I agree with the above post that 10mm is stiff but I always found that the 8mm was pretty soft once worn in.

 

[WoodCutr]

I hear great stuff about epicord, I will probably get like 10ft of that in 9.3, if they have it in 8mm Ill get that too

 

[lxskllr]

Just posting for your consideration... The sterling 8mm cord at the bottom of this page is super soft and flexible, and very cheap. It's *not* heat resistant, so it may not work with your climbing style, but I particularly like it for lanyard adjusters with an old school prusik loop. It snatches up very fast, and holds tight.

Bail Out XL 9mm Prusik Cord by the Foot

Bulk accessory and prusik cord for tree climbers. Make your own gear, prusiks, or repair your tree equipment with our cord by the foot.

www.wesspur.com

 

[WoodCutr]

only 3400# MBS tho, ive got some sterling flex, HRC, OP, Beeline, and armorprus, the armorprus is the best IMO, might just buy more of it to tie cords with

 

[Burnham]

ill be buying another rope in the future

I just spend $200 on a rigging line, about to spend $250 on spikes, I cant keep spending money like this

I know for a fact scion and the zigzag work (August was running that combo for a long time without any issues), and the akimbo is rated for scion 12.5, would 1mm make a difference?

1mm most certainly can make a difference.

Many climbing spurs have replaceable gaffs...you may well be able to just change out the gaffs for the longer tree style for much less moolah.

A new climbing rope will cost far less than most of the mechanicals...just sayin'. You may not be able to keep spending money "like this", but you will find it difficult to do this sort of work without a fairly significant up front cost.

Hang in there, sir. It can be a hard biz to get good in, but the rewards are wonderful.

 

[WoodCutr]

cant put long gaffs on my spurs, (buckingham steel) the gaff will stick out past the bottom of the stirrup

and, even tho a rope cost less than a mech, im still going mech, so I dont even know why we are talking about cords here TBH

 

[lxskllr]

If you don't want the extended gaff, I can understand that, but it's an approved configuration. Just saying. There's no safety reason not to do it.

 

[WoodCutr]

ive actually asked the people at buckingham and they said no

also, my spurs are from like 2012, not exactly "old" but getting some decent wear on them

 

[lxskllr]

Hmm... I found some documentation from buckingham(where?) that showed the various configuration options, and none were listed as verboten. I'll try to track it down...