Because we all climb up into and down out of treestands during the hunting seasons, we all tend to take for granted the risk. That does not diminish the risk however. We are usually climbing in or out of our stands IN TOTAL DARKNESS. That is <u>nuts</u>, but we do it regularly. It is no wonder that every year we hear of hunters falling from a stand.
This thread is testimony to how common it is, even though we all think it happens "to the other guy."
Please read the following carefully. I have no interest in providing this information, except that I wish to share an ingenious idea that my oldest son showed me that virtually eliminates the risk of falling from your lock-on stands. I have no vested interest in any of the equipment that I recommend, for those among us that are terminally pessimistic.
I will gladly explain in more detail anything that I have not made clear in the following text.
http://www.gearreview.com/ascenders.asp
Click on the above link and scroll down till you see the
Wild Country Ropeman Mark II ascender. It is what I use. After all my buddies saw my outfit, they all purchased a Ropeman ascender, a caribener and some rope for their lock-on (fixed position) stands also.
My son is a rock-climber. He showed me this outstanding idea as he was nervously watching me hang my tree stands, climbing up and down...
Here's the deal...
You hang your stand as you would normally.
Then while in the stand you tie a good quality 1/2 rope as high as you can reach while in the stand.
Let the other end dangle onto the ground and carefully climb down.
You then tie the rope around the bottom of the tree at about waist level.
The ascender easily snaps onto the rope. You then use a caribener and snap it onto the ascender and then onto your full body harness.
It is that simple.
The ascender slide easily up the rope as you climb. It grips the rope if you happen to fall...very tightly...you WILL stop. There is a release lever on it that allows you to slide it down as you climb down...if you let go of the release lever, it once again grips the rope!
Therefore, you are "clipped in" from the moment you leave the ground, during the entire hunt, and all the way down as you climb down.
The Ropeman ascender can be purchased for about $35 and the caribener which attaches it to your harness is about $10. Both items are lightweight (rock-climbers are extremely concerned about weight) and fit in the palm of your hand.
I would suggest you purchase a caribener that also "locks," which means it cannot spring open if you fall.
The best $45 you will ever spend.
If you employ this simple and inexpensive system, you CANNOT fall more than the length of the tether on your harness, going up, hunting, or climbing down.
(And before anyone suggests that a prusic knot will do the same thing, be advised...I tried using a prusic knot instead. It is very awkward to slide as you climb up or down, and actually increases the risk of falling.)
I strongly recommend that you guys invest in this outfit for your fixed position stands.
The caribener and ascender are extremely lightweight, quiet, and simple to use. You
only need one ascender and one caribener and a quality full body harness no matter how many stands you hang and use. Of course, you'll need to hang the rope on each stand, so you'll have to purchase enough rope for all your stands, but the rope is relatively inexpensive. I sprung for the extra money and bought the rock-climber type rope. Its about 60 cents a foot, but it has a little elasticity to it, so it will stretch a bit if you fall, thus cushioning the impact a bit. You can get by with ordinary (but quality) 1/2 rope.
The peace of mind alone is worth the money.
It may very well save your life.
I hope you guys give this a try. It is an outstanding system and I no longer worry about falling. I can concentrate on my hunting. My family worries a heck of a lot less about me falling also.
Hope this helps, Scott.
Edited by - vc1111 on 11/20/2002 20:43:12