What Do We Know About Safety Belts & Harnesses?
 

Hopefully we can create a thread with a decent accumulation of knowledge that we've gained in the last few years on the use or no use of safety belts and harnesses.

One main issue is that safety belts are out. Back in the day when I was heavily promoting them, they were the thing to wear. Now through statistics, it's shown they can be very dangerous. The problem lies after a person falls. The old safety belts have 2 loops and a safety rope or strap between them. One loop to go around your waist and another around the tree. Some people wore the loop up under their arm pits on their chest.

What was happening is that some people fell off their stand and was suspended by the safety belt and died because the the belt created a strain on their body where they couldn't breathe. Some after they fell even flipped upside down, then slipped right out of the belt!

Now that harnesses have come about, they've proved their worth to hunters every where.

What do we know now about safety harnesses? Are they safe? Are they dangerous?

How about the safe operational use of harnesses? Are there things we should know about using them correctly? What if one falls? What next?

Are there other things we should know about safety belts?... good or bad?

iSnipe

I know when I was watching the video that came with my tree stand/saftey harness that it stated you can still die from lack of blood coming up from the legs to the heart i.e. blood pooling at the feet from the weight of the human body being suspended while using the leg harness straps. I believe it said you have 5 minutes to get back on your stand before it starts to affect the person.

It also stated that if you put your line around the tree at eye level when standing, then sit and check to make sure it's comfortable, it will greatly improve your chances of getting back into your stand.

I thought it was funny though because the cd wants you to put the saftey line at eye level but the picture on the box that the stand came in shows the guy's line attached to the tree around his waist. :eek2:

I hope that made sense. :D

I used to wear a rock climbing harness. I had is set so that when I sat down, it was snug against the line holding me, that way no fall distance. Problem is a lot of people cant pull themselves up by hand. I've gotten to the point where Im afraid of ladder and climbers usually hunt from the ground. As for harnesses now, If I get another one it will be one that tree climbers, linemen use. The ones that come with the stands are usually pretty bad. anyway, from rock climbing experience, it helps to have someone knowledgeable help with fitting.

Every harness I've worn, including the free ones that come with all tree stands that are purchased include instructions. These instructions are very clear. You attach the harness to the tree at a point where the line is "snug" while you are seated in your stand. If the line is snug while you are seated, it is nearly impossible for you to fall from your stand and be unable to climb back to your stand.

The chest harnesses you refer to are "old" and have been improved upon. The new ones come free with any $30 stand you buy.

Good replies gentleman, thank you.

I wanted to add or comment on your post AVA! WTH? I read your post and didn't realize it was you. LOL!

Anyway, sounds like that's the video I'm referring too. What I wante... oh wait, let me start over...

Thanks for the replies gentleman.... ladies...Thank you... LOL!...

Ok, what I wanted to say was that if one gets in a situation where they can not get back on their stand, they should be trying to alleviate the weight off their legs somehow. They showed a few techniques and if one can do this, it does allow enough blood circulation to stay conscious. Hopefully enough to allow time for other people to come looking for and find you.

Anything else we should know people?

iSnipe

BHAhahaha! :D

I set my stand up outside about 3ft off the ground at first. Once I studied the saftey harness and line and got it all hooked up, I moved the stand up to about 5 ft. I attached my harness to the tree at eye level and simulated a fall by gently coming off the stand with no jerking movements to jepordize the safety harness. I could easily put my foot back onto the stand and use it the way it was intended to be used, and do so safely IMO even though I'm a total newb... I can follow directions. :D

I would hope that I will never fall from a tree stand but if I do, I want to be able to get back on without a lot of effort being put forth from me when I need to do so, God Forbid!

I also saw that if you do fall from a tree stand while wearing a safety harness that the harness will need to be replaced.

I also got a foot rope with my stand to use if you can't get back on the stand.

Now I never heard of that coming with a stand, but I think I know what it is, as I heard of people making them.

Is it rope, that if you fall from your stand, you pull it out of your pocket, slip it around the tree and itself to form a loop that you can stick your foot in?

iSnipe

I believe you put it around the tree before you unintentionally fall out of it.

I carry a couple fold up screw-in-steps in my hunter safety vest pockets just in case I would happen to fall. I figure if I fell, I could screw these into the tree and at least get the weight off. I think the key is to adjust your fall protection device so that limits your movement in the stand and prevents the chance of a fall altogether. I have the hunter safety system and I adjust my strap high enough up the tree above me so that when I'm sitting in my stand it has no slack in it just as straightarrowny has already mentioned.

WVCritter,

That is one of the things mentioned in the video. Glad you take some tree steps for that very purpose.

For those that don't know, if you have a couple of tree steps with you, in the event of a fall, you can 1.) hopefully use them to get back on your stand and 2.) if you can't get back on your stand with them, you can at least use them to stand on to remove your harness or just wait for help.

iSnipe

One thing we all know and can agree on is they are just like seat belts in cars, they save more lives than they take, and anybody not using them is risking their life every time they climb into a tree. I got a free foot loop thingy w/ an API stand i bought this fall. I don't use it, but I always set up my tree connection so my strap is tight, can't even bend over to tie my boots lol.

Well my friend, it gets worse...

How about a nice deer walks in and you stand up to ready for the shot, you draw... or "try" to draw, but find out you're strapped in too close to the tree and can't get your bow drawn back?

LOL!

That's NEVER happened to me! :rolleyes:

iSnipe :D

I don't hunt from a treestand much, however I use a safety harnesses at work. #1 rule is a safety line is only good if it prevents you from falling off or hanging mid air so you can't get yourself unto stable footing. #2 is the harness should be a 5 point harness which distributes the force of the fall and pressure to your legs, shoulder and torso. I'm not up on the new harnesses but basically you should step in to leg holes, pull over the shoulders and belt across the chest. Safety line hook in should be between shoulder blades. The harness must be snug enough not to slip but obviously not to snug to be uncomfortable. #3 safety line hook in point is situated so if you do fall it will hold and be in a direct as line as possible to decrease tangling or miscalculations and falling further then you intended(not as much of an issue for a treestand, since I assume most hook in directly behind their seating area but I've seen some shows where they have the line off to the side and that could present some troubles if they went off that way_

I have a sliding hook up on my safety line to allow me to move and work around the area, I cinch it in so that its pulling me well before I'm in any real danger. I've had a couple really close calls when getting to cute with my pressure points and actually learned from those expereinces. Basically if your at the edge and its not yanking you back hard, your too loose. In the woods your by yourself most times and need to be able to bail yourself out vs count on some one to help.

Skeeter,

The harnesses the hunters use, even the more expensive ones, are nothing near the quality as the kind you use, but they are still effective. I have some of the heavy duty harnesses you speak of. They have the decelerators, metal clips, D-rings, etc. The hunter's model are similar but without all the metal stuff. They're put on the same way you mention. When I got my very first harness, I was scared I would never figure it out! LOL!

Thanks for touching up on the pointers on the safe use of the harnesses.

iSnipe

The harness I got with my stand is like a maze. :eek2: The tree stand box I purchased said it came with a harness but I bought a Remington Climbing Harness Vest anyways. Yeah, I paid a lot for it but it looks so much easier to put on which is a bonus in my book!

These kind are only $150 and tons better in my opinion.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...2182_200322182