Are redirect slings considered life support?

[ClimbingTN]

I'm thinking of making a few redirect slings using 1 inch polyester mule tape. Bad idea?

 

[islandarb]

They are life support. Very cheap. I use yates rated slings from Wesspur. They are maybe $8 for a 24". $10 for a 36". So ditch the plan. You would have to use a bulky bear knot. 1" would drive me nuts. Mine are 1cm maybe and daisy chain very compact. I carry 5 or six most days.

 

[Matias]

I'd use the mule tape for speedline slings, but not for redirects

 

[Chris Schultz]

Personally my life, I’d consider a redirect sling life support.

 

[Matias]

If it's not needed for life support, I probably won't install it. Just use another lanyard

 

[Bart_]

Consider it jolt support because if it fails you're going to be caught by your primary tip after a short fall. I'd worry more about the possibly small branch its installed on, presuming that circumstance to require a redirect in the first place.

 

[Chris Schultz]

Consider it jolt support because if it fails you're going to be caught by your primary tip after a short fall. I'd worry more about the possibly small branch it’s installed on, presuming that circumstance to require a redirect in the first place.

If the redirect that failed, only results in a “short fall”, was the redirect even necessary? I feel like a redirect failure would result in a horrendous swing/pummeling…..

 

[ghostice]

Swing on an already tensioned line - OK. Bombing outta a tree (I don't do this usually but whatever) instead of rappel slowly - OK. Taking a whipper of any kind in a work positioning harness, with a work positioning lanyard, with a static rope used for climbing/ work positioning (there's a theme here . . . ) - NoKay. Nada. So to me, if the failure would result in a "fall" onto an un-tensioned tree climbing (non dynamic) line. Oops. ANSI boo boo. So yeah, I'd vote a redirect is life support and should be constructed with rated gear, on a "going to be OK" limb. My 2 cents this AM Stay safe out there.

Addenda to address comment below: by swing I had meant a controlled swing hopping from branch to branch or from stem to stem as you often see in competitions - not an OMG whipper with a slack rope into a trunk that as luck would have it has a bunch of stubs - owww . . .

 

[Matias]

If the redirect that failed, only results in a “short fall”, was the redirect even necessary? I feel like a redirect failure would result in a horrendous swing/pummeling…..

That is what I was saying. If the redirect failing is no big deal, was it really worth setting up?

 

[Matias]

Swing on an already tensioned line - OK. Bombing outta a tree (I don't do this usually but whatever) instead of rappel slowly - OK. Taking a whipper of any kind in a work positioning harness, with a work positioning lanyard, with a static rope used for climbing/ work positioning (there's a theme here . . . ) - NoKay. Nada. So to me, if the failure would result in a "fall" onto an un-tensioned tree climbing (non dynamic) line. Oops. ANSI boo boo. So yeah, I'd vote a redirect is life support and should be constructed with rated gear, on a "going to be OK" limb. My 2 cents this AM Stay safe out there.

Swing on a tensioned line back to the trunk from 25' away, at flatter than 45⁰? I really rather not. Redirects are definitely life support when I use them.

 

[islandarb]

Life support plain and simple. The way I am setting up redirects, no slop whatsoever all shared load, at truly flat angles with good distance between them hell no am I wanting to fall into my system and an uncontrolled swing. Fuck that noise. I have broken one or two out pushing limits and it is not pleasant.

 

[Matias]

Life support plain and simple. The way I am setting up redirects, no slop whatsoever all shared load, at truly flat angles with good distance between them hell no am I wanting to fall into my system and an uncontrolled swing. Fuck that noise. I have broken one or two out pushing limits and it is not pleasant.

Suuuuper unpleasant for sure

 

[flushcut]

Life support.

 

[Matias]

In complex trees, more often than not, I will just keep handy a 15m line in addition to my 50m and 5m main and positioning lanyard. I can pout the hook on it or use it as a short climb line, but then rope retrueval is a piece of cake. Three ropes opens up sooooo many options, as a redirect can still be employed.

 

[Bart_]

Good to see everyone twigged to the implications of even a short fall, particularly the possible swing into a branch/trunk aspect, the spinal lurch/jolt etc. Any fall is not good, but the worst is all the way the mother earth. So if you lose a redirect I guess I'm pointing out the mother earth meaning of fall being avoided.

Bet the practicality is 0.01% sling failures to 99.99% tree structure failures in practice. Remember those slings are 23 kN.

 

[Matias]

Good to see everyone twigged to the implications of even a short fall, particularly the possible swing into a branch/trunk aspect, the spinal lurch/jolt etc. Any fall is not good, but the worst is all the way the mother earth. So if you lose a redirect I guess I'm pointing out the mother earth meaning of fall being avoided.

Bet the practicality is 0.01% sling failures to 99.99% tree structure failures in practice. Remember those slings are 23 kN.

Yea, branch failure and not tending my slack well enough account for 100% of my climbing related boo boos. Never been worried about gear failure.

 

[ClimbingTN]

The response from y’all was better than I expected. This is good discussion that gives me good insight and ideas how you redirect. I have some knotted slings I use for light rigging. Thanks Craig

 

[Stumpsprouts]

I'd use the mule tape for speedline slings, but not for redirects

I like things that are holding up heavy moving wood above people and houses to be rated too.

 

[Matias]

I like things that are holding up heavy moving wood above people and houses to be rated too.

I have never had the the need to speedline anything that heavy. If it's that heavy, I lower it. I also don't use mule tape myself, as I just like all my gear to be rated for silly overkill, but I work for a guy who uses the 1800# mule tape for his speedline slings. For what it's worth, the mule tape that I am familiar with is rated. The smaller stuff I see is rated 1800#, the next size is rated for 2600#, and it's definitely smaller than 1". I don't think we have ever put more than 180# on the speedline, so that's still 10:1

Definitely NEVER rig with gear you don't know for sure is adequate, but don't feel like a lack of a CE stamp is a guarantee of lack of sufficiency.

 

[Stumpsprouts]

I have never had the the need to speedline anything that heavy. If it's that heavy, I lower it. I also don't use mule tape myself, as I just like all my gear to be rated for silly overkill, but I work for a guy who uses the 1800# mule tape for his speedline slings. For what it's worth, the mule tape that I am familiar with is rated. The smaller stuff I see is rated 1800#, the next size is rated for 2600#, and it's definitely smaller than 1". I don't think we have ever put more than 180# on the speedline, so that's still 10:1

Definitely NEVER rig with gear you don't know for sure is adequate, but don't feel like a lack of a CE stamp is a guarantee of lack of sufficiency.

That’s not that bad. Not great, but not bad. I can see why someone would be tempted. I was looking online for the rating of mule tape and didn’t find it in a quick search.