Best way to silence climbing sticks?

I've re adjusted the straps over and over, but every step is painfully loud. POP POP POP! the sound of the sticks sliding down a half inch against the tree. What do you guys do to silence your sticks against the tree? I know a lot of the noise depends on the type of tree but this is the only tree available for this spot. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

Keep tightening the straps is all you can do. This time of year as it gets colder and the air dries out the trees tend to shrink in diameter a little bit. All of my stands/sticks typically start to loosen up a bit in late Nov/Dec. I just try to crank the straps down as best as I can. Trees with loose bark of any sort will be almost impossible to eliminate noise unless you ratchet everything down, or you have He-Man strength to get the straps tight enough so things don't move.

 

On a more permanent setup, I've been thinking of tying each set together, and anchoring the bottom with a ratchet strap so I can tighten them all from the bottom at once.

 

Thanks for the reply Justin. I've put all my He-Man strength I have in them. I was thinking about maybe cutting some squares of carpet or something and placing them between the sticks and the tree. I have to figure out something. By the time I get in my stand I'm thinking...there is no way I'll see anything after all that racket lol. I'm sure I'm not the only one with this issue.

 

What kind of climbing sticks are you using?

 

Be careful you don't want to decrease the sticks ability to bite into the tree.

 

Honestly can't remember what brand. Rivers Edge maybe. I bought them from Gander Mountain.

 

Yeah I was kind of thinking the same thing.

 

This...

I would hate to hear of you falling because carpet prevented sticks from biting into the tree. Perhaps in the future (after season), prep the tree better and remove spots of rough bark??
T

 

Im not sure if this will help, but i have wrapped my sticks with stealth strips. it wont keep your sticks from sliding but maybe the felt stealth strip wrapped around the stick will absorb some of the sound. at the very least it will quiet your sticks from your gear hitting up against them. and the felt is not as cold to grab in winter as steel.

 

I always use a lifeline so hopefully that will never happen but I could still get hurt. Im using the straps that came with the sticks, the ones that pull tight. Maybe I should try ratchet straps?

 

I have LW climbing sticks. I don't think I ever had an issue with them being noisy when I step on them?

 

i used the new hawk helium sticks, and they are always completely silent..

 

They aren't silent 100% of the time - most of the noise is caused by the v-brackets moving on the bark as you climb.

In the case of the OP using a set of metal sticks that pin together, that's a tougher situation. In my personal experience the noise is caused at the joint where there's moving metal on metal contact you as climb and your weight shifts on the sticks. I don't have many of these setups left out there, but the few I do have will produce noise almost every time I climb them. I hunted with a buddy this year in one of his sets that I believe was using River's Edge climbing sticks and I thought the same thing - there's no way we're going to see a deer after all the racket we're making getting up this tree!

 

The sticks don't fit together. They are individual sticks. The noise is coming from the square tubing against the tree moving down when I step on them. I'll let you guys know what I come up with to fix it.

 

If it's a more permanent set up maybe try using two straps per stick (high and low)

 

I use xop sticks and I'm 6 foot 340 pounds plus gear and my sticks don't make noise at all.

What I do is set the stick six inches higher then it needs to be pull the cinch strap tight then give it a few jerks, next step is grab the two bottom steps and pulled down on the stick till it stops, then I climb up on it, I haven't had a step move down on me once doing it that way.

I'm a public land hunter so I pack in and out each hunt, trees I set up in are different kinds of oaks and pine trees and have yet to have my steps make noise while hanging and climbing up or down them.

Hope this info helps you sir.

 

If this is the case the straps just aren't tight enough. What type of tree is it on? Black cherry or Shagbark Hickory are the worst for making noise around here.

 

The sound of the step seating into the tree bark probably isnt as loud as you think. i wouldnt worry about that. id only be concerned about the metal on metal

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