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I can only recommend something I have actually used and sat in for a significant amount of time. I have both the Pioneer and the Wood Deluxe from Ape Canyon. Both are super saddles. The expansion pleat on the Wood gives me the option for more coverage on my butt, and therefore it's a bit more comfortable after sitting for a long period of time. I can leave the waist belt on my waist and now that I'll still have enough coverage on my hamstrings. And remember ya get 15% discount with my JRB15 coupon code on all this stuff. www.apecanyon.com/

What belt / buckles do they use? Do you like them? Thanks

@michaellaura1231 the Wood has an awesome waist buckle. Austrialpin is the name. Scroll through the photos and zoom in on the waist belt. Incidentally, I never open or closed my leg loops. But I do like a good waist belt that is adjustable and easy to open and close in the dark. www.apecanyon.com/product/ape-canyon-outfitters-wood-deluxe-saddle/

It works great on an MRS system too. In fact, I have an MRS system that's similar to Blakes: one friction hitch and one carabiner is all we need but the system automatically captures progress. I will publish that system sometime.

There are several advantages, and I covered them in an earlier video. 1 Advantage is that I don't need to attach anything or remove anything from my rope in this method. Another advantage is that I don't need to set and retrieve that anchor that takes time and effort. Also, my weight is distributed between two friction hitches, which make them easier to operate than just one. ruclips.net/video/vkrPf_5bwAk/видео.htmlsi=UwcSfEmdprsb2h5j

I don't think I can help, nor is it specific to this channel. It sounds like a problem between you and RUclips. Good luck.

Hi Chris. RUclips isn't so great for conversations, but I wanted to reply. If you are in my Facebook group, that's a better place to have discussion and post photos, etc. I didn't completely understand what you meant by "past the midway point"... I am not sure how you are climbing and what potential failure you are recovering from. The most likely scenario I can envision is this: in SRT or DSRT, our friction hitch slips... leaving us on our Best Friend loop on the Garda. In that situation, we simply need to have the ability to: 1. Repair or replace the friction hitch. 2. Step up on our footloop. If we have shortened it, we just need to be able to get our foot out, then lengthen it, then step up. I will attach a link in a separate comment. Incidentally, last November, I hurt my back pretty badly. I could hardly walk. But I had tags to fill... and I could still climb a tree. I just couldn't even bend over. And after I filled a tag, I needed to get help to drag it out!

Make sure you have watched this one. ruclips.net/video/ALn3f3IfYqU/видео.htmlsi=DueVZ12odyACbDIW

Jennifer, I see you just joined the JRB Tree Climbing Facebook group. That's the best place to ask a question because you can include a photo or video clip. It's not possible for me to make much of a guess without seeing what's going on. However, it's recommended that anyone using this bridge design gets familiar with the Longhorn Agile first. It holds well in one direction when configured properly.

I have researched this extensively and my conclusion is that if a catastrophic failure of our primary friction device occurs at the worst possible instant, it would be the moment after we have taken a step up but not yet advanced the Garda for the next step. Because once we advance the Garda, we are on zero slack. What would be the distance of that fall? Depending on the geometry of the system, it is probably about 12" or 30cm. I have tested how it feels to absorb that in a saddle. I will publish it in a future video. It's uncomfortable but not catastrophic. Also, it's very unlikely, given that a friction hitch is much more likely to slide rather than fail completely and suddenly. www.treemagineers.com/blog/what-forces-can-a-body-sustain/

@@jrbtc ​ Based on the link above, there can be a minor chance of injury in a very unlikely event as we have discussed. Is there any difference in how comfortable it is if you were to use dynamic rope instead for a back up connection during an unlikely catastrophic failure? Any chance you could drop test it with weights and the load cell? Obviously an unlikely injury is better than an unlikely death, which is why any back up is better than none, but I am very interested if there is any benefit to investing in and carrying a piece of dynamic rope for the back up over a static one? That is, does a dynamic piece of rope convert the very unlikely injury into a zero chance of injury or does it function all the same in this case to the more static one due to the shortness of the rope? As an example, if you plan on going solo deep into the woods where even an injury can mean a lot of trouble, is it worth it to do the hustle with the dynamic lanyard as it costs more and is quite a bit more bulky than a piece of 8mm accessory cord? Does the added stretch make a significant difference to the likelihood of getting injured or not in the very unlikely event to justify the extra cost and hustle of the set up? In terms of the Garda, you would need to first set up a cinching accessory cord as short as you can and then you would need to connect that with a locking carabiner (one with a wire or bar preventing cross load) to the dynamic lanyard which is then tied to your harness or extremely shortened bridge with a figure 8. The lanyard can stay there on the harness or the birdge at all times but the set up is quite a bit bulkier and messier than simply connecting a carabiner to the same cord that cinches the Garda and having that cord directly be of the correct length.

@Pygex I am not equipped nor planning to do formal drop testing. My plan is simply add a scale inside a static system (with me in the system) and simulate potential failure modes, measure the force and take it from there. I would agree that any dynamic cords or ropes we add inside the system will reduce impact force on the climber. That includes the rope itself and the bridge. All are potential areas of experimentation and measurement. I don't have enough information now to commit to a strategy. Also, when doing FMEA analysis, the likelihood of occurrence is a very important input. In my opinion, the likelihood of a friction hitch sliding and not holding (for whatever reason) is a realistic possibility. But the likelihood of a Longhorn Agile hitch snapping somehow is fantastically low. There's two loops and they would both need to snap.

"As a beginner tree climber or saddle hunter, I believe that you should always make your climbing systems redundant until you have become more experienced and confident." Isn't this how experienced and confident people eventually get hurt? 😅 From what I understand, you always want two connections (main and back up) regardless of the amount of your experience or confidence.

Thx brother. All I can say is that adhesive HST works great. Saddle hunters want something fast, effective and scent free. The odor from Whipping Glue isn't acceptable. As for the Garda Hitch, please know that the traditional variants which just used a Girth Hitch or similar are not reliable. That's not just my opinion. I researched it and I tested them... it's pretty disconcerting when the Garda slips. My Bull Hitch variation used on the webbing addressed that problem. And the Clove shown here is used in conjunction with the Bull Hitch on the webbing.

​@@Pygex As an experienced tree climber, I regularly will ascend using one climbing system with one singular anchor point; whether that be a canopy or basal anchor for SRS, or a cambium or pulley saver for MRS. Once I reach where I need to be in the tree, I will immediately connect myself to a suitable TIP (tie in point) with my lanyard. At this point, there is redundancy. But as soon as I need to move up or down in the tree again, I take my lanyard off, and reposition on a single system with a single anchor point. This is EXTREMELY commonplace in the world of arboriculture and is the norm for tree climbers and arborists. If you become an experienced tree climber, you WILL regularly climb without a redundancy until you make a stop somewhere, perhaps to make a cut with your chainsaw. Then the lanyard will go on right away first to provide redundancy. Many professional tree climbers will often ascend the stem of a tree using just a pair of tree gaffs on their boots and a single flip line. No redundancy whatsoever until they get high enough to where there are branches that are suitable for installing a primary climbing system. Skilled tree climbers REGULARLY climb without redundancy in their system or method. Maybe you're a saddle hunter and don't know much about arborist style tree climbing because what you're saying simply isn't accurate.

​@@jrbtc Understood. As for the whipping glue, I have never used it for my whippings. I simply seal the ends with super glue, which, once it has dried, is completely odorless. Also, I really do like the Garda foot loop concept. It's very convenient and it's sometimes preferable over a toothed ascender. Especially since you can ascend the Garda by pulling on the strands, which provides a bit of mechanical advantage or, at the very least, it's quite ergonomic.

@@Knot-orious As an Arborist that still does Tree Work (Removal and Trimming at the age of 71) Your comments are a Joke!!

Appreciate the note and support. The new Maverick pole is working great.

Excellent post. I agree on all but some details. For example, there are hours between the climb and the rappel... if our friction hitches are holding, they aren't going to stop holding in the seconds that it takes to put in a munter and if that was a concern, there's nothing stopping us from putting in the munter under the Garda, then remove the Garda and any small amount of slack before rappel. See the Rope page for my rope and diameter and length recommendations. jrbtreeclimbing.com/content/rope/

I haven't taken mine off. Works great

As stated, I like the one for my short bridge, and the Longhorn Agile for my long bridge. My designs are captured here: jrbtreeclimbing.com/content/bridge/

Great observation. I tested that location for the pole along with some others. If I included all the things I tried and why I arrived at my recommendations, it would be a very long video, lol. Yes, it works for advancing the hitch. If the end of the pole is a 2 pronged fork, we can simply pull it out... but that can happen accidentally, and then it's a bit more fiddling to get our hitch set where we want it. If the end is a hook, it will stay there and won't be removable until we get our weight off it and that won't work cuz we need our pole for the next anchor before we remove the last one. But the biggest reason is that the methods I described in the Maverick Pole video force the user to make the loop large and the force of the pole will keep it large and that ensures that when we set the hitch and it rolls down a bit, we're not going to accidentally get it all jammed up and not capable of being unlocked. If we use the Houdini location, we have no control over that loop. It might be too small, or it might get rolled over. I also like having an option for removing the pole or leaving it there, and most of the time, I leave it there. As for your other points, I agree. We looked at some other features for the pole but keeping the price down and getting it made in the USA were bigger priorities. A sling is coming. I have some more ideas you will like in future generations of the pole. Thanks for your comment, insights and support. This entire venture is an organic endeavor for me... just friends helping friends via word of mouth is my only "advertising". Cheers.

No. That's covered in Rule 10. Other climbing disciplines follow this channel too. Arborists, rock climbers, recreational tree climbers, etc. They all wear helmets. And they basically think most hunters are crazy for what they do: climbing without proper tie in and slack management, which puts them in a position where a head injury is possible and then not wearing a helmet. The point is that we should all ask these questions about our own climbing setup: what could go wrong, and how can we mitigate injury? For those who are climbing without a low slack tie in, they should consider a helmet. After all, if they are lying at the bottom of a tree with a broken leg after a mishap, they won't be able to call for help if they also suffered a headache injury.

Comparing the JRB Ascender Hitch and the Longhorn Agile Hitch, LAH is larger, but it's easier to install and remove, and its overall performance is slightly better. Most of my Facebook group members prefer it. With this video, I have eliminated the JRBAH from my own system. I use only LAH and Blakes Hitch currently. By the way, 6mm Sterling TRC will work great with your 9.5 mm ropes and it will outlast other cords such as Sterling standard 7mm accessorycord.

Perfect The LAH it will be. I have the Tethrd ESS saddle. It has relatively small aluminum bridge rings which make for limited real estate to tie two bridges with the LAH. I think my final bridge set up is going to be a 9.5mm single adjustable with a LAH and a shorter second non adjustable bridge using the 7mm cord tied with the hunters bend. I really like how the carabiner attached at the crossing point of the two cords positions it nicely for a Munter rappel. I’ll upgrade to the 6mm Sterling. It’s very satisfying creating these hitches and using them in a hunting situation. I feel so much better (safer) on a friction hitch than I do relying on a Ropeman-1. Part of that is because I’ve become super confident relying on the basic Prusik that they began selling years ago as tree stands became more popular, and safety harnesses were included with your tree stand purchase. When I think of the home made climbing tree stands we made as young adults, modeled after the Baker Tree Stand. The risk factor was a 10. It’s a wonder I’m still alive today. It’s been a real joy watching your videos, learning to tie and implementing the various hitches and knots. I appreciate you. Thanks a million 🤘🏻.

By the way I’m about an hour south of the Ape Canyon Outfitters in Butler Pa, I think they’re having a grand opening soon!

@mattvogel5712 I can relate to your comment about some of the questionable contraptions we used in the past. Now, it's about time we got ourselves and our fellow hunters tied in and safe. As for your 2nd bridge, consider this: ruclips.net/video/4xOuwkz1Xos/видео.htmlsi=6BHQAoM_rN-JDmqL

Thank you! I don't use a script and typically do them in a single take, so they're not going to be perfect, but they are going to be real and genuine. Hope to get out to AZ soon! Cheers

A standard scaffold or poachers knot will get really tight and be difficult to remove. But with those two extra turns, I find that it is quite breakable and even removable should we need to do so.

You are welcome. This was fun. There's many possibilities for a bridge and I compared many combinations before settling on this combination.

Although switching between the bridges on each move is an option, I prefer having an extra carabiner with me and staying on my short bridge until the last move.

Thanks, that's how I've been working it.

We agree. This video is about the pole and I will follow up with additional content on how I prefer to climb on it. And pls see my videos on the use of the Hedden knot as an option for a backup. When practical, my preference is the Garda Hitch with the "Best Friend" loop to the 2nd bridge.

No, I can't recommend that kind of anchor anyway: A quick link anchor is easily destabilized, and if ya add a gizmo to make it stay put that requires manual intervention. It would take minimal effort to remove the quick link and convert it to a JRB Cinch. It would require about 5 ft spare rope to make it a Maverick.

@@jrbtc and with the JRB cinch would you be able to use the pull to advance it even when making moves while one sticking and always staying attached to the same rope? Or would you still need to have the extra rope to attach to like in your video?

@kirkloos8141 that decision is up to the climber... pls let me know if this answers your question. Personally, I prefer to never trust my footing, so I alternate connections. Most one stickers will use a Linemans and advance theirs. ruclips.net/video/qYcTkUv4E0k/видео.htmlsi=KrJR5Tii_K7Vm4LZ

If you are careful with what you are doing you can set up both ends of your ropes the opposite way and first tie in on side, then tie in the other side above it, switch and release the first one. This way you don't need two ropes but you have to pay extra attention if you are going higher than what you have rope in the system. Your only termination knot is the friction hitch that will slide out of the way so it is possible to fall out of the rope during rappel if the rope end is not on the ground.

One additional note, - I always install my rope with retrieval cord attached, you never know, some snag , short broken branch, scale of bark, vine, etc can hang up your rope and thus I can always release the Maverick and start again or go to another tree AND the retrieval cord attached minimizes the swinging around of the working end of the rope, which can bang around on the pole if one is not careful.

I greatly appreciate your message. Glad to be helping you out brother!

That sounds like a great combination of features in a versatile pole!

I look forward to what we can do with this Steve... I will demonstrate in greater detail ASAP.

Appreciate that. I had no idea this would be such a popular video. Coming down on a rope is simple: gravity is with us. Once we master that, it's pretty simple to add a Garda Hitch footloop and use the same system to go UP the tree.

John, these are great questions. Most are answered on my website. Click on the pages for Rope, Cord, and Length Specs. This particular climb was executed with an 11 mm rope, but 9.5 or 10mm rope is more popular for an SRT climb. The cord diameter is selected based upon the rope diameter. 7mm is a great diameter for those ropes. 7ft is a good Length to cut for a Longhorn Agile hitch. Ok, now when hunting, yes, i stay on my rope the whole time. And yes, I draw it up into the tree and just drape it over a branch or my platform. Deer will notice a rope dangling down and so we simply pull it up. Let me know if ya have other questions after ya peruse the website. jrbtreeclimbing.com/

Cool. I am glad to know the history. I have a buddy who has never moved off the Tautline. You call it "3 over 2". In my circles, they call that a 5/2.

Thanks! I try to do my best to deliver as complete a presentation as possible. You might enjoy my Blakes Hitch Master Class video!

The Ghillie is on the stiff side. We can't change the rope. But we can change the hitch. If you're tying it in place, the JRB Hitch is generally preferred. If advancing it as we climb or with a pole, the Maverick hitch is preferred. The JRB Cinch can also be retrieved but requires some effort.

I just watched all three retrievable tether rappel systems. I’m also getting pretty good with the Longhorn Agile Compact Hitch, so I just may have to remove the hitch for retrieval and use the JRB Cinch Or I may buy a more flexible rope. I really appreciate your time.

Additional info. I’ll be climbing with sticks and a lineman’s rope, no need to advance a tether.

@mattvogel5712 I can't agree that's a safe combination. If your stick kicks or you slip off it, you could be seriously hurt. We should never be dependent on our footing. Assume you're gonna lose your footing and make sure you're always safe. I will have a new video soon on how you can use a Maverick Hitch and a new Maverick Pole to do so.

I appreciate that and agree with you, my wife agrees with you too. I’m 61 as of yesterday and recently retired. I’ll be incorporating a tether as well. Thanks for keeping me focused and putting safety at the forefront. I’m enjoying the process of sifting through the videos looking for the method that works best for me. Thanks again.

Yes, I made it through the entire hunting season last year without needing to climb on a False Crotch or Floating anchor, but I am also learning that not everyone has the same canopy structure, depending on their geographic location. And so, I would like something that works universally. Cheers

The melted plug is connected to the core strands and so I don't see it coming apart. I have hung my body weight on some of my end loops, just to test em, and they all held.