Treestand Wingman

 

Are you hooked up to it on every sit or do you leave it in your pack just in case?

 

Tree stand wingman plus a safety line for climbing up and down.

 

Are you guys throwing the excess webbing from the wingman in a pack?

Thanks!

 

I roll it up tight and lay it flat where the stand and tree meet. Haven’t had it unravel and fall to the ground yet.

 

I don't, it just sits on the ground until the end of the hunt.

 

Well I think that you can learn a lot from youtube there are many videos to many different scenarios that where I get my knowledge from

Tutuapp 9Apps Showbox​

 

Another Wingman user here. Don’t leave the ground without it!

 

You really only need it with a climber.

I have the Wingman and used it about 20 times last year. I hate it. Not to mention the long strap that runs to the base of the tree.

This year I'll be using 2 screw in steps (in my pocket) if something should occur. Also, check your bolts and belts.

 

You really only need it with a climber.

I have the Wingman and used it about 20 times last year. I hate it. Not to mention the long strap that runs to the base of the tree.

This year I'll be using 2 screw in steps (in my pocket) if something should occur. Also, check your bolts and belts.

I bet if you were 20 foot up in with a hang on stand, blacked out and fell, you would love to have your Wingman on you.

 

Treestand Wingman. There is no reason now a days not to have an automatic controlled descending system. There are others out there but I chose the Treestand Wingman.

 

Unless in a climber, couldn’t you just climb down your climbing sticks????

 

Actually in many cases you can if you are using sticks and the fall is not from a stick failure. I had a stick failure that left me hanging with no stick to get on, I eventually pulled myself up but it wasn’t easy. You have both user accidents like falling out of a stand and equipment failure like a stand or stick/ladder failure.
You also have a risk with sticks of falling on them or into them.
Anytime you leave the ground it’s a risk, but you can mitigate those risks, something older hunters try to do more often than the young.

 

Fall with the stand.

 

I got a wingman!

 

Just for reference..the foot loop on a full body harness is to help relieve suspension trauma. Honestly, I hate everything about a full body harness. Never understood why it's the norm or recommended.

If my climber fell & I'm hanging, the first thing to do is get turned right & get your feet on the tree to where you can keep pushing off the tree with your legs to prevent suspension trauma. It can knock you out pretty fast with enough pressure. Then, in the worst case, bear hug the tree & either cut the strap or try & unhook then slide down. Sure you're going to be skinned up but that's better than just hanging there till someone finds you. Hanging around is one of the worst things you can do.

 

Just for reference..the foot loop on a full body harness is to help relieve suspension trauma. Honestly, I hate everything about a full body harness. Never understood why it's the norm or recommended.

If my climber fell & I'm hanging, the first thing to do is get turned right & get your feet on the tree to where you can keep pushing off the tree with your legs to prevent suspension trauma. It can knock you out pretty fast with enough pressure. Then, in the worst case, bear hug the tree & either cut the strap or try & unhook then slide down. Sure you're going to be skinned up but that's better than just hanging there till someone finds you. Hanging around is one of the worst things you can do.

This is a good thing to point out, the suspension relief strap (or whatever they call it) is quite distinct from a foot loop for self rescue, it's all just a terminology thing.

OP is talking about girth hitching a rope around the tree and then around his foot and standing up using that foot loop and thereby taking pressure off his tether (that is also girth hitched around the tree) so that he can slide that tether down the tree a bit. Then rinse and repeat to inch down the tree....much like how climbing stands work.

OP might be a hands on learned and have to just try it at ground level with a rope (before he decides he wants to invest in something like an amsteel daisy chain for this). The closest type of video I could find are videos for

2 tether climbing

which is the same concept except you use it to climb up the tree rather than down.

Google Search

 

But for the record, if I fall I just rappel down with a madrock safeguard.

 

I read your post and had no idea what a "Madrock Safeguard" was.....a quick Google search fixed that. After looking at the device and watching a few videos I am intrigued. So in a climber you take a length of static rope with you every time you hunt? Then attach it to the trunk above the stand with the Safeguard attached in the event of a fall......so you can do a controlled rappel down the tree?

Just this morning I did a pre-season practice run with my Cougar Claw climber, using a Qsafe, PMI teather and Black Diamond Bod RC harness.....my standard safety regimen. However if something totally unexpected happened and I was hanging, the self-rescue process would be greatly enhanced by a Safeguard device. The biggest hurdle I see is taking it with you every time and setting it up. Maybe the saddle folks are more cognizant of such, but climber folks are not so much. Never cared for the Wingman, but the Safeguard looks like a workable, functional system. On my fixed stands I use a lifeline once they are installed, so the Safeguard would simply attach to that same rope....I presume?

 

I’m going to be using the Primal Descender device this year. Also, keep your phone in an easily accessible pocket and try to have at least one person who knows how to get to your stand location. Make sure your harness has a suspension trauma relief strap to stand on just in case you are stuck hanging for awhile. You do not want to be hanging in your harness for very long.

 

I’m going to be using the Primal Descender device this year. Also, keep your phone in an easily accessible pocket and try to have at least one person who knows how to get to your stand location. Make sure your harness has a suspension trauma relief strap to stand on just in case you are stuck hanging for awhile. You do not want to be hanging in your harness for very long I believe the descender is a one time use device, not that you would want to use it even once but it would be nice to give it a trial run at home so you would know what to expect if you fell.

 

Wingman for my climber. But now I have mostly fixed stands with ladders. I use a rock climbing harness so if I fall in facing the tree and it's much more comfortable hanging from. I hope to be able to get into the ladder.

Sent from my SM-G981V using Tapatalk

 

Wingman too!

I hunt alone alot and hanging isn't an option I'd choose. Best money spent.

 

Even just putting your feet against the tree & pushing in & out, kinda like doing squats, helps.

 

Alaska, I wonder why you don’t care for the Wingman? What I did first was to figure out my maximum length I needed and cut the extra off making it a little smaller (18’). Secondly, I covered it with soft side adhesive Velcro incase it touched any metal. I hook it in between the Q Safe and a tether to my rock climbing harness. It’s a real confidence builder practicing with it while I adjust the automatic fall rate for my weight. On top of that it’s automatic.
It‘s a heck of a lot smaller and easier to carry than 20’ of rope.

 

Here's a handful of some good, reliable kits they would get it done. It all packs down easy & compact. You're not really adding much weight vs what most already use. It's the way to go imo.

https://doublesteps.com/product-category/rappelling-kits/

Just to give you a basic idea. You can piece it together so many way.

 

Those would work as long as you didn’t hit your head or pass out for a medical reason.

 

I always carry a bit of rock climbing gear to get me through any mishaps or dropped hardware, and I usually use a tether that reaches to the ground so I can just rappel down.

Edit: For anyone using an assisted braking device like a grigri or safeguard for self-arrest, it’s a good idea to tie occasional safety knots below the device, so you don’t deck if the device fails or your gear/clothing pulls the release handle. Belay devices are not intended to be hands-free. I do love my grigri and rope man for getting up and down ropes though, just need to be vigilant about using them properly.

 

I don’t mess with tech cord like oplux. 9-10mm static nylon is cheap, wears well, works with standard belay devices and ascenders, and isn’t much heavier than the alternatives. HTP or Super Static get my nod. Dynamic rope is great for fall arrest, ok for rappelling, and sucks for ascending short distances like we do into trees. Its also more expensive and wears out faster than static. I’ll save my dynamic ropes for taking 15’ whippers off of rock faces 😁

 

So many good points in this thread.

My go to rope is Sterling C-IV. Works well for my needs even wet.

Brings up a good point. It's worth it to invest in a good rope. Not any old rope will do & the walmart/hardware stuff would just be a waste of money.

 

So many good points in this thread.

My go to rope is Sterling C-IV. Works well for my needs even wet.

Brings up a good point. It's worth it to invest in a good rope. Not any old rope will do & the walmart/hardware stuff would just be a waste of money.

And super dangerous....I don't even trust the no name, no spec given ropes supplied by HSS, Muddy, and other hunting brands.

Give me a rope from a climbing maker and I can look up its name and specs. Otherwise, I'm not using it.

 

Great thread. Changed things for me for sure

 

With a climber,
Could you just carry a ~20' piece of rope with you, tie it around the tree at the bottom and attach your harness to the rope with a Prussik knot and move the rope up the tree as you climb.

If your stand falls to the ground, I'd think you'd be arrested and then be able to put your feet against the tree, hold the tether above the prussik knot to relieve pressure from the knot. Take the other hand and slide the knot down a little, take a couple step down the tree, and repeat till you're at the bottom.

Well scratch that idea. I don't think it'd work to well with a conventional harness that attaches to the tether on your back.
Seems it would work well wearing a saddle.
I may do that this year. Just wear my saddle instead of a harness since I already have the saddle.

Great topic fellas. Got me thinking 🤔

 

With a climber,
Could you just carry a ~20' piece of rope with you, tie it around the tree at the bottom and attach your harness to the rope with a Prussik knot and move the rope up the tree as you climb.

If your stand falls to the ground, I'd think you'd be arrested and then be able to put your feet against the tree, hold the tether above the prussik knot to relieve pressure from the knot. Take the other hand and slide the knot down a little, take a couple step down the tree, and repeat till you're at the bottom.

Well scratch that idea. I don't think it'd work to well with a conventional harness that attaches to the tether on your back.
Seems it would work well wearing a saddle.
I may do that this year. Just wear my saddle instead of a harness since I already have the saddle.

Great topic fellas. Got me thinking 🤔

If you are free hanging off a rope by your friction hitch, you will not be able to grab the rope and pull up and get the hitch to break free.

You're gonna be hanging there, unless you can do a one armed pull up.

 

This is precisely why a Madrock Safeguard is such a great alternative. After reading through this thread and considering a range of opinions, I told my wife about the Safeguard and will have it on my birthday gift list.....maybe earlier.

 

they can be hard to find right now