^This is what I do. HSS Lifelines are 30ft long. The newer ones are 42 feet long. I hang most of my stands around 20-25 feet depending on the cover. I have plenty of rope left to wrap around a screw in step to secure it to the base of the tree. Once I am in the tree I switch to a HSS Tree strap. I have both the rope style and buckle style. In most cases the Lifeline will be slightly turned towards your climbing sticks. I didn't like that so I use a Safety tree strap.
Loop at the top tree around it and a tree step at the bottom for me also and I most certainly will clip in as soon as I leave the ground then slide the prusik knot up as I go im apart of that lifeline all the way up until the time I get back to the ground.
The instructions (yeah I know, I actually read the instructions) actually say to stay connected while in stand, not to switch to a tree strap.
The lifelines are made to be a tree strap right? Why would anybody unclip while on the stand? I loop the lifeline around the tree above my head like a normal tree strap. I'm connected the whole way, during the hunt and the climb down. I'm with skywalker, can't figure this one out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I prefer to be tethered to a tree strap directly behind me than a lifeline 2' to my side where it can get in the way of a shot. As said before, get into your stand, clip into your treestrap, unclip from lifeline. 100% connected 100% of the time.
Connected 100% of the time? On my harness I have 1 tether on the back with a carabiner. That's it. I hook to my prussic knot on my life line. Wrap the excess life line around the bottom step on my climbing stick or a screw in step so it makes the knot slide up easier. Climb into stand and done. So now on stand still secured to life line, how now would I hook myself to a tree strap while being 100% connected?
I'm assuming that people who switch to a tree strap once in the stand are sliding the tree strap loop into the carabiner without first removing the loop from the LifeLine and then once the tree strap loop is in the carabiner they unhook the LifeLine. Granted, you're slightly increasing the chance of the carabiner malfunctioning when you're switching out, but it seems 99.9% safe to me.
Odd people can't figure out how to hook 2 lines to a caribiner and remove the first line while keeping the 2nd line hooked.
I use the screw in step at the bottom as well and usually at the top I just stay hooked to the lifeline. I was able to get 2-30 foot Self Retracting Lifelines from a contractor friend for next to nothing because they had an expired inspection/certification sticker but were brand new. Basically if they aren't inspected annually they can't be used on the jobsite. They are a little heavy so we basically just use them on stands my father is going to hunt out of on the farm and don't leave them up for extended periods. They are awesome, just climb up and install it and hook up then when you climb down you unhook and hook it at the bottom somewhere for the next use.
