treestand lifeline

[mrxbower]

hi do any of you make your own lifelines, and if so where do you get the rope? and what kind do you use. Thanks

[Gwen's Dilemma]

Sorry I misunderstood

[strum]

I made my own lifeline this year..
I got the rope from home depot.150ft@ $12..its 1/2 nylon with a 250lb working strength.
i doesnt say the breaking strength but im thinking it will be more than enought to hold my 170lb butt in the event of a fall..i put all my weight on it and it does have a lot of stretch ..only thing is i had to use the prussic knot from a summit harness and the carebeiner( i know is spelt wromg) from my HSS linemans belt..so all that said its about as cheep to buyt he 45 dollar one from HSS. one thing i will say is it makes me feel much safer in the ascent and descent ..i love it ..

[Onetimeonly x-->]

I use the HSS lifeline on all my set ups. Well worth the peace of mind!! Like Strum stated might be the same cost in the end to just purchase one?

[fender]

I also was looking into this this year, but after some research I would not rely on any rope unless it is climbing rated rope for "fall arrest". Due to the shock factor put on rope during a fall, some say 5500 lbs is the ANSI standard. Im not trying to sell anything but the HHS life line is rated in case of a fall. If you were to buy this type of rated rope and make your own, the cost would be close. There is a lot of info on the Net, from folks in the industry on this subject.
Good luck hunting and be safe!!

[bob watkins]

iwould not be playing with rope from home depot. your not sure what the stress factor is. i took a fall once a branch broke on my way up at 12 feet came down sideways, broke my wrist battered my ribs pretty .lucky i didnt break my my back i am not sure lifelines were out yet. second time i had a life on a tree step pulled out it was only 7feet off the ground lifeline stop my fall.i would think this over if i were you just my 2 cent

[Riflemanz]

I'd just spend the $45 for a tested real one by HSS.
The cost to you having a homemade one fail is too great.

[strum]

iwould not be playing with rope from home depot. your not sure what the stress factor is. i took a fall once a branch broke on my way up at 12 feet came down sideways, broke my wrist battered my ribs pretty .lucky i didnt break my my back i am not sure lifelines were out yet. second time i had a life on a tree step pulled out it was only 7feet off the ground lifeline stop my fall.i would think this over if i were you just my 2 cent

i agree and disagree when you talking life line you talking something that will hold you if you slip off the steps as you climb or step onto the stand..
the shock will be minimum. and i cant see breaking a 1/2" rope..u canjust about pull a car with it..but im not advising anyone to make you own..thats just what i did. Its better than nothing
all that said ..when it comes to your life you cant put a price on safety..
this is my first life line and and ill be buying a HSS one also..
last season i spent some time trying out my harness..i found that its a must to practice hanging from it..you need to know what to do in case of a fall..

[papa bear1]

I'd just spend the $45 for a tested real one by HSS.
The cost to you having a homemade one fail is too great.

GREAT ; Advice

Dave

I speak with experience,

[Hazmat]

Fall Arrest equipment is designed to absorb the shock that will occur during a fall. With that in mind you now need to plan your fall! ie what are you going to do now that you have fallen? are you suspended, can you release your self, will you end up inverted, will you be able to self rescue? You need to get back down on the ground safely as quick as possible, if you are suspended by your harness lactic acid can build up in area's of your body that are not getting proper blood flow and this can lead to cardiac arrest.

Climbing ropes are static (no stretch) or Dynamic (will stretch to absorb shock).
I use Static rope for rappelling and Dynamic rope for rock climbing while on belay so that if I slip and fall the rope will absorb the shock.

I would recommend purchasing a fall arrest lanyard which will absorb the shock to your body in the event of a fall as opposed to a rope which will not as well the harness that I use has a razor on a lanyard fastened to the chest strap that I can access in the event of a fall, I know we all carry knife's when we hunt but can you get at your knife when you are hanging?

[houser52]

I have done a ton of research on this very subject and started making my own lifelines last year.

With the amount of forces generated in just a short fall or slip, my opinion is that hunters are best served using rope made just for that, climbing rope.
For example, weigh yourself on your bathroom scales and you weigh 175 lbs. Then jump off of your toilet onto your scales and then see what it registers. The weight will be way off the scale.

Having said that, good climbing rope can be bought at a rock climbing shop, rescue equipment supplier or tree climbing supplier and can withstand multiple falls and not break.

Personally I use 11mm climbing rope rated at 8000 lbs and prusik cords rated between 2900 and 4600 lbs.

As to whether making your own is that much cheaper than a HSS lifeline well, it depends on where you buy the rope, what kind it is and how much it is per foot. Climbing rope costs anywhere between .60 and 2.00 per foot and prusik cord is between .30 - 1.00 per foot. You will also need good carabiners that's made for climbing which will cost between $8 - $15 each.
I've seen the 3 pack of HSS lifelines for $99.

I like making my own because I can customize the length to suit the stand I'm hunting out of. I have four ladder stands, two hang ons and a climber.

Do a little shopping around and learn to tie some basic climbing knots. You can save some money, be protected and have the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

[Hester0305]

iwould not be playing with rope from home depot. your not sure what the stress factor is. i took a fall once a branch broke on my way up at 12 feet came down sideways, broke my wrist battered my ribs pretty .lucky i didnt break my my back i am not sure lifelines were out yet. second time i had a life on a tree step pulled out it was only 7feet off the ground lifeline stop my fall.i would think this over if i were you just my 2 cent

i agree and disagree when you talking life line you talking something that will hold you if you slip off the steps as you climb or step onto the stand..
the shock will be minimum. and i cant see breaking a 1/2" rope..u canjust about pull a car with it..but im not advising anyone to make you own..thats just what i did. Its better than nothing
all that said ..when it comes to your life you cant put a price on safety..
this is my first life line and and ill be buying a HSS one also..
last season i spent some time trying out my harness..i found that its a must to practice hanging from it..you need to know what to do in case of a fall..

I also use the life line but a friend of mine works for a power company where he has access to the ropes they use and he has been making his own for years. I'm going to have him make me a couple he says the rope he uses is rated to 7500 lbs. I looked at several of his life lines he made and he really knows what he's doing. The Prussett knot that is used looks pretty simple with the way it is put together.

[papa bear1]

If you go to "knot tying.com" You can learn how to tie prussic knot,
And many other usefull knots,,

Dave

P.S. practice at home first