There are always threads about stands and safety harnesses. I am wondering... how many people have a re-entry plan in the event you do fall? I usually have a couple extra steps to help me climb back into my stand. What about climbers, ladders, etc... What would you do?
If you fall out of a climber your in a very bad situation... I'd like to talk to someone who has fallen out of a climber with a harness on
I hunt out of ladders only, those ladder stands are tied to the tree with 6 straps. If something goes wrong the tree would have to come down
I would say that in a climber, you should use a rock climbing harness like the one guy on here always talks about. That way you can hang for a while without worrying about suspension trauma. I've never known anyone who has fallen from a climber, but I can't imagine it would be good... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
the thought gives me nightmares constantly!! In my climber i was thinking of taping a screw in step or two to each section in case they become seperated. but with the thirdhand stabilizer straps, the two sections are constantly connected. when i've been using the LW hang on and LW sticks. i have my HSS tree rope's prussic knot directly over the sticks, so if i fall it will have me swing towards the sticks
Only have ladder and hang-on stands. Besides the provided straps I put 2 ratchet straps on each stand. I put my strap for my harness about eye level so if a fall occurs only maybe from my knees down are below the platform. So getting back in isn't that difficult. Other than that about only other thing might do is put a screw in step on opposite side as ladder on hang on stands so have something to grab. Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk
Awareness of the possibility is the key... I'm afraid few think about it. If you fall, you may be banged up and may have the breath knocked out of you. I wouldn't count on upper body strength. I do think this is a very important overlooked discussion.
I had the top part of a climber break while raising the platform. Lucky it was at the bottom of the tree. I landed on my shoulders and the back of my neck. At the time, I didn't see a need to be tied in until I got to the top of the tree. I now tie in at the bottom of any tree.
This is why it is important to set your tree strap as high as possible, so if you do fall you do not go below the base. Also on a climber using stabilizer straps is very important. Not only do they make the stand more stable while hunting but would help prevent the base from tilting and sliding down the tree away from you. The key is really having that strap high enough. I see a lot of guys set it too low because they don't like it pulling when seated. But it needs to be that way, especially with a climber. It's another reason I do not like climbers with front rails. They would make it much more difficult climbing back in regardless of what harness type you wear.
I have fallen from a lockon "chain broke", and also in a climber that the bottom platform let loose. Both times what saved me was the full body safety harness (THANK YOU HSS) and a single screw in step that I always put in on the side of the tree by the base of any stand I hunt. Having that one step was key to getting down.
Yeah this has been a concern of mine for years now. I actually now use lifelines on all my trees now and also keep a knife in my cargo pocket of my pants. I also check my platform every hunt to make sure it hasn't shifted or loosened. I dont want my hobby and passion to cause me to get hurt or orphan my kids.
I always keep three screw in steps in my pocket so if I fall I can screw in one for my foot and one for my hand. Then I can use the last one to go up or down!!
this is actually a scary situation that I have considered many times... all harnesses should come with a suspension release strap that should be used as part of your extraction plan... but how many of us actually keep it handy? I know mine is packed in the bottom of my hunting pack and would be impossible to access in the event that I fell. I typically use it for dragging dead deer out of the woods. should it be something that is always attached to your harness? I don't know... based on the attached snip, AFTER YOU FALL you are suppose to tie each end to your harness and use the created loop to relieve pressure on your hips/legs until you can gain enough composure to get yourself out of the mess yer in... also from the doc, (this is from a summit harness user manual) Self extraction may be necessary in the unfortunate situation that A) No one knows your location, B) Your communication efforts are exhausted, and C) You’re confident that you have the strength, dexterity and ability to perform self-extraction and D) You decide this is your “absolute last resort”. It is necessary to carry a device to assist with this self-extraction. Simple devices such as screw-in steps or a rope “Tree Descender” (available from Summit) will allow you to remove the weight from your harness. This may enable you to return to the treestand/ladder/climbing steps or slowly descend the tree. WARNING: Prolonged harness suspension may be fatal. If rescue personnel cannot be notified, you must have the ability to recover/escape. I know I've talked about what to do with buddies in the event of an accident and you're dangling 20' from a tree... but I suspect it would actually be a different story if it happened to you. I'm really unsure what I would do other than try my damnedest to get to the ladder - assuming I had fallen from the front of my ladder stand or fallen from the ladder side of my hang on. if I fell off the back of the ladder or the non-ladder side of the hang on, I suspect I'd be in trouble. not from lack of ability to crawl back up somehow, but because I suspect Id be so freaked from the fall itself or possible injured somehow - knocked out even? - by the time I could gain my composure and get a plan in place, I'd be suffering. add the fact that there is no cell phone access on my main hunting grounds, if I even had access to it after a fall - I typically have it in the top pocket of my pack since all I can do is check the time or maybe snap a pic or 2 with it - and that makes self-recovery/self-extraction my only option. i'd hate to think about cutting myself loose and dropping to the ground in a semi-controlled fashion, but if I couldn't get back in the stand somehow that might be the only option.
I keep two steps in the pocket of my vest but I sometimes wonder if I fell the wrong way I might get impaled by them. I'm going to see if I can come up with something better this year.
I'm unsure that having some screw in steps in my pocket would help *ME* much (your mileage may vary though)... sometimes those things can be difficult to get in my oak trees... yuall really think you could get them screwed in and in an appropriate place to actually help you while dangling from your harness? Any of yuall actually fell and recovered successfully? how did you manage it?
I'll also use self made safety lines and keep them tight as I'm seated. I assuming if I do fall it won't be far. I also keep a knife in my boot and figure I could always cut my self free and bear hug the tree on down. At least that's how I have it figured out theoretically.
I'd go Robin Hood on the tree and shoot my arrows into the tree at convenient locations to use as steps and climb back in! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My harness is tied off just above head height while standing. If I were to fall my platform should end up near my midsection, allowing for a bit easier time climbing back onto it. IMO a correctly tied off harness should not allow for much of a fall. When I am seated in my stand I can't even bend over and touch my platform, my harness goes tight first.
I would really like to see someone attempt to place a screw in step while dangling from a harness......... seems much easier said than done.
For clarity, my extra steps are in the tree... not in my pocket. My safety straps are intended to keep me from falling as much as to catch me if I do fall. I usually use limbs to my advantage also. I hate being in a tall limbless tree; I seriously get the heebee geebees. Another issue is the wrist strap on my bow... If I am wearing it when I fall, I now have an arrow with a broadhead waving around secured to my wrist.
