ORIGINAL: ampahunter
Greg, getting the climbing stick up against is not the problem. That I can do...getting the straps around the tree is when the problem starts. (Large trees). Smaller trees both hands meet and the strap is passed from one hand to the other. The tree I'm talking about here is a old huge maple at least 3 feet in diameter at the bottom, the straps are barely long enough to go around the tree, and trying to get the strap end from one hand to the other is a wretch.
I'm like swinging/pendulum the strap and trying to catch with with the other hand...not easy and takes forever.
I was hoping that there is an easy way to get this done!!!
The only thing I can think of is get some long straps, wrap them around the tree when you're on the ground and leave them long enough so that you can climb with them attached to both sides of your harness. once you get to the part where you need to put a strap unhook one end from your harness and put it on the sticks, and do the same for the other side. make you don't drop one end though, or else you will have to do what you were doing. I'm not sure how well that would work (since I've never tried it), but it's the best thing I could think of.