tree stand question

[vh64]

A climber is a hard stand to get back into, depending on the person you may have 4 min. Worst case to get blood from pooling in legs. I use the rescue one controlled descent system. Reusable made by mountaineer sports, best one out there mine weighs 6 lbs and actually makes carrying the climber more comfortable.

[Big58cal]

Just as j.krug said, have the teather between your harness and the tree adjusted so that it's tight when you sit down. If you do happen to go over, you should still be pretty close to the stand.

There's several other things you can do from the screw in step to the tension relief straps. Two things to always have with you, where you can easily get to them are a whistle (FoxPro recommended) and a knife so that you can cut yourself loose if need be. A controlled fall is always better than an uncontrolled fall.

[strum]

A climber is a hard stand to get back into, depending on the person you may have 4 min. Worst case to get blood from pooling in legs. I use the rescue one controlled descent system. Reusable made by mountaineer sports, best one out there mine weighs 6 lbs and actually makes carrying the climber more comfortable.

I have been using my HHS vest all season and so far no grips about it But. i think i realy like that CDS type..wish i had gotten it and may yet ..I cant think of a better way to rescuse your self and because it reusable its worth the dough..

[CanuckBen]

IMO the Controlled Descent System is the best way to get back on the ground.

I’ve never used a climbing stand so for me the idea of not having a ladder or 15 steps to get to a stand is a little odd to say the least – again that’s just because I’ve never used one.

The key to the harness is the length of your controlled fall as J.Krug mentioned. You do NOT want to have 4 feet of rope before coming to a stop – the longer you fall, the faster you’ll fall and the heavier snap you’ll feel on your harness.

I mentioned it in another thread that having a harness is one thing (a great one of course) but having a real high quality harness is the only way to go. Should you do fall and find yourself hanging there for a while, you want something that’ll be as comfortable as possible in that situation and not in a harness with thin narrow straps that’ll cut right through you, especially in the early season when you’re not wearing many layers.

Inspecting your harness is also very important. If you ever bungee jump or skydive, you’ll not only inspect the rope or your canapé, but the harness as well. Who knows, perhaps there is a defect in it and if you don’t test run it, it’s not in a real life saving situation that you’ll want to find out!

We don't hunt in tree stands anymore and have instead permanent "condos" build up for our hunts, with safety rails built all around each porch (yeah they are big enough to be referred to as a porch). We inspect it all year long to make sure everything is secured & safe. Wouldn't have it any other way now.

Stay safe out there guys!

[BuckHunter]

I love the climbing stands and find them quite safe but you have to be extremly careful, and like mentioned before practice and have a plan that will work if you do happen to fall. Your safety harness is a life saver but if you hand to long it can also be a life taker as it will cut off your blood flow. I always carry a couple of screw in steps and a jack knife that is easy to get at to cut the strap if you can't get back to your stand. And also be careful of what type of tree you decide to use, some types of bark don't let your stand get a good bite and become very slippery when they are wet, I have had friends sitting nice and still and the next thing they know they are sliding down the tree. I always look for a spurce, fir or cedar tree as the stand gets a really good bite on them and being the big sum a bitch I am I don't want to be hanging or sliding if I can help it. I use to guide a lot and have hauled quite a few guys out of the woods with broken legs and ankles because they weren't using their harneess.

[Louvp]

heres a great product if you are concerned about how to get down if you should fall it automaticly lowers you to the ground when you fall. There's other compnies that make similar devices
go to the website they have a video of it in action
Down Safe Systems Emergency Descender
http://down-safe.com/

another one is Tree Spider™ Livewire is not reusable I dont know if the Down Safe is reuseable

[BuckHunter]

Now that is a must have, I wonder how much it cost's? never seen one before on any sites, excellent idea though.

[strum]

pretty cool product.but it is one more thing to carry thats why i like the CDS system ..

[agingcrossbower]

Just as j.krug said, have the teather between your harness and the tree adjusted so that it's tight when you sit down. If you do happen to go over, you should still be pretty close to the stand.

There's several other things you can do from the screw in step to the tension relief straps. Two things to always have with you, where you can easily get to them are a whistle (FoxPro recommended) and a knife so that you can cut yourself loose if need be. A controlled fall is always better than an uncontrolled fall.

How do you adjust the tether between the harness and the tree. I have a HSS harness and the only way is to put the strap that is around the tree much higher than normal. Normal meaning you have to stand on the seat and slide it higher to do it which is dangerous in a of itself. Am I missing something or is there an easier way to shorten the tether?

[agingcrossbower]

A climber is a hard stand to get back into, depending on the person you may have 4 min. Worst case to get blood from pooling in legs. I use the rescue one controlled descent system. Reusable made by mountaineer sports, best one out there mine weighs 6 lbs and actually makes carrying the climber more comfortable.

Thanks VH64 for putting me onto this CDS system. What a great idea. Going to buy one. And thanks Vortex for starting a very imformative thread.

[sipsey]

For 20 years or so what I and a friend have done is use a small, homemade, folding hand drill. I bore the first 3 holes from the ground, insert 5" grade 8 bolts, hook safety belt to tree and continue drilling to desired height. Remove bolts, place in pouch on belt as I descend and cover shavings at base of tree. The holes are 7/16" and the insertion of a twig makes them virtually undetectable. The homemade harness stand we use can be slept in and it is virtually impossible to fall out of. I will post pics. when time allows.