Treestand safety line

[Doe Master]

If you want to save a couple of dollars and are handy with rope . You get a heavy enough rope to support your body weight . Then tie a prusik knot with a slightly smaller gauge rope . This knot will move up and down the heavier rope . But when give a quick downward pressure it locks upon itself . This knot is used by climbers so it is proven .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prusik
Just a safety heads-up .
I would feel bad if one of our brethren was to have a mishap .

[Normous]

So simple to use and so safety effective.

[Deerstalker]

You can make your tree stand lifeline and I suggest that you use 5/8" rope with a short bowline loop in the top end. Put the loop around the tree and run the other end through the loop twice and then tie the end off at the bottom rung of the ladder and/or the tree. Use 1/2" rope for the Prusik loop which the carabiner of your safety vest connects to. See this site for Prusik knot instructions. http://www.animatedknots.com/prusik/

I believe that 30/35' of 5/8" rope should be enough for most tree stands.

Remember to be safe hunting because there are lots of folks that want you home safe & sound. Good luck to all.

[Doe Master]

Thanks Deerstalker with more instructions .

[amythntr]

If you want to save a couple of dollars and are handy with rope . You get a heavy enough rope to support your body weight . Then tie a prusik knot with a slightly smaller gauge rope . This knot will move up and down the heavier rope . But when give a quick downward pressure it locks upon itself . This knot is used by climbers so it is proven .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prusik
Just a safety heads-up .
I would feel bad if one of our brethren was to have a mishap .

.... Amen brother!

Anthony

[strum]

I bought some 5/8 rope from home depot 3 seasons ago for my first life line.
This line has been in a tree for the whole time.
Yesterday I went to this tree to remove the stand..I just felt it was time to pull it down and I didnt want to risk it .
before I removed it i thought I would test the life line.. I tried everything I could to break it .. I mean jerking ,swinging, pulling with all i have and with all my weight. it held. so I am very comfortable with using this type of rope in the future.

[one shot scott]

What do the folks with climbing treestands use. I can see this type working on a tree that you use more than once, but it would still require climbing at least once without the lifeline. The draw for me last year to get a climber was to be able to move around, but they are much more dangerous and I do not like being untethered up & down.

[paulaboutform]

What do the folks with climbing treestands use. I can see this type working on a tree that you use more than once, but it would still require climbing at least once without the lifeline. The draw for me last year to get a climber was to be able to move around, but they are much more dangerous and I do not like being untethered up & down.

Tie your lifeline around the tree and move it up as you climb. You're always attached. That's what I've done.

Paul

[strum]

What do the folks with climbing treestands use. I can see this type working on a tree that you use more than once, but it would still require climbing at least once without the lifeline. The draw for me last year to get a climber was to be able to move around, but they are much more dangerous and I do not like being untethered up & down.

Tie your lifeline around the tree and move it up as you climb. You're always attached. That's what I've done.

Paul

Agreed. I used to climb all the way up then hook up my my harness..DUMB!!!
Now when Im about 8 ft up i connect my strap and slide it as I go .
This used to seem like it slowed me down but now Its automatic.
Last season On the way down I had the cable come loose on the bottom section of my Viper. I was able to sit on the top section and pull it up to me and get it hooked back up but i was shaking like a little girl for a min
What if i had not had my harness connected and In my fumbling I lost my balance.. could have been bad

[GrassyKnoll]

Here is a complete video showing how to make your own "Life Line"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLGG21taT2A

[ch312]

What do the folks with climbing treestands use. I can see this type working on a tree that you use more than once, but it would still require climbing at least once without the lifeline. The draw for me last year to get a climber was to be able to move around, but they are much more dangerous and I do not like being untethered up & down.

What makes you think they're much more dangerous? I feel 10x safer climbing a tree in my climber without a safety line than I ever did climbing up to a fixed stand on screw in steps while using a safety line. The most dangerous parts of getting into a stand are losing footing on the ladder/steps on the way up or down and when you're transferring from the ladder/steps onto the stand. Using a climber eliminates both of these problems.


Choose a climbing stand that has a bar/shooting rest that goes across the front rather than the style that has an open front to eliminate the risk of falling backwards while climbing. Also, the locking mechanism for the adjustable tree straps is an important consideration as some styles use a slide and lock system while others use a pin. The pin style is harder to use, but it'll never fail.

I've been using a climbing stand for a few years and I really can't see how one could fall out of it, unless the stand actually broke.

[Normous]

I agree with ch312 using my Summit climber with the surround bar. To add, I also use a safety line with a prossik knot wrapped around the tree and slide it up as I climb and reverse as I descend. This gives me a feeling of double security. I also keep a small light blade attached to my safety vest incase something goes wrong and I need to cut my line.

[Riflemanz]

HSS makes a climbing rope too!

[Tom]

................. I also keep a small light blade attached to my safety vest incase something goes wrong and I need to cut my line.

This is also a very important part of tree safety. Todays newer full body harness' (straps) still dig into your legs after a fall and can cause serious injuries.

If your hanging by your safety strap, 2 - 3 feet below your stand, it may not be simple to get back into your stand. Having a knife close by (handy) and not in a pocket (which might be not accessible because the tight straps close it off) just might safe you from serious injury.

Doe Master, great thread.

Tom

[one shot scott]

What do the folks with climbing treestands use. I can see this type working on a tree that you use more than once, but it would still require climbing at least once without the lifeline. The draw for me last year to get a climber was to be able to move around, but they are much more dangerous and I do not like being untethered up & down.

What makes you think they're much more dangerous? I feel 10x safer climbing a tree in my climber without a safety line than I ever did climbing up to a fixed stand on screw in steps while using a safety line. The most dangerous parts of getting into a stand are losing footing on the ladder/steps on the way up or down and when you're transferring from the ladder/steps onto the stand. Using a climber eliminates both of these problems.


Choose a climbing stand that has a bar/shooting rest that goes across the front rather than the style that has an open front to eliminate the risk of falling backwards while climbing. Also, the locking mechanism for the adjustable tree straps is an important consideration as some styles use a slide and lock system while others use a pin. The pin style is harder to use, but it'll never fail.

I've been using a climbing stand for a few years and I really can't see how one could fall out of it, unless the stand actually broke.

I guess it's a matter of opinion and what stands you use in addition to or before the climber was acquired. For me, compared to my double ladder stands (not wooden ones) I feel the climber is far more dangerous. I have a summit that is fully enclosed and I love sitting in that thing. It's comfortable but the nature of climbers is that if conditions are not 100% right then that thing can go shooting to the ground floor in a big hurry while you are tangled in it. At least if you fall out of a fixed stand chances are it's just you that is falling. That is why I stated what I did

I have never used screw in steps.

I have also found that with a climber you have to be selective on the type of tree you pick in regards to the bark. I have been 1/2 way up a tree before I realized that the tree bark was too slippery to climb safely