4 Point harness necessary?
 

I think that most of us can agree: it is foolish to climb without a safety harness. However, is a 4 point harness really necessary or is there some simpler type that will be easier to use and will suffice for a typical hunting situation.

The two scenarios that I can imagine during my own hunting involve either falling asleep while in the stand or having the stand break/fall beneath me. In either case, I need something to arrest my fall long enough for me to hug the tree, release the harness, and slide to the ground.

Would the harness type with a single strap around the chest (perhaps with a "stretch" tether to avoid an abrupt stop) be adequate? I realize that you would not want to hang like this for an extended period of time or be unconscious, but I am assuming these conditions are extremely unlikely.

Are there other designs out there that would perform the necessary function and be significantly simpler than the 4 point?

Any thoughts or, better still, informed opinions are welcome.

RE: 4 Point harness necessary?
 

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1708369&mpage=1&key=��,
Here's your other post, same topic. Page 3.

RE: 4 Point harness necessary?
 

All I can say is I used to use a waist type belt stylea very long time ago until I heard of an individual falling out of the tree, ended up hanging upsidedown, slipped out of the belt, and landed face first on the ground. [:@]

Five point harness for me. I do have an idiot proof one though that has "Left Side" and "Right Side" printed on it. :D

RE: 4 Point harness necessary?
 

A chest belt can break ribs on the fall and possibly puncture a lung. It will also make it very hard to breath. A waist belt can do more damage then good. You have the risk of injuring some internal organs that could be very serious. A 4 point is the safest way to go as well as the hunters safety vest. The more support you have the better off you will be if you fall.

RE: 4 Point harness necessary?
 

I was one of those who used to wear a single waist belt too. Then I heard about a number of hunters who fell and the belt slid up over their chests and they suffocated before they could extricate themselves. I've used a harness ever since I heard that.

RE: 4 Point harness necessary?
 

If you are looking for someone to say that a single strap is the way to go, you probably aren't going to get it. If you are just suspended by the chest, that is a major jolt to your spine because all of your weight going down (legs, abdomen) is going to have to support that entire weight with just your spine. Also, a belt around the chest is not very comfortable, so the tendency is to push it down more closer to your waist, which poses a second problem, and that is that your weight is going tobe top heavy, causing you to flip over, and that is about as bad a position as your can be in, especially unconcious. The four-point may be a bit of a pain to put on, but that little extra effort is all worth it when you aren't going on disabled hunts because you fell and broke your back.

RE: 4 Point harness necessary?
 

Actually, both scenerios combined are the least of how a majority of falls happen.

2/3rd's of falls happen getting in or out of your stand. :(
And it's estimated thatone out of three tree stand hunters will fall in their lifetime. :(