123Craig
Participating member
That is an interesting idea Merle on using washers or spacers... possibly another way for modding.
I've been meaning to post my First Impressions on this seemingly simply (almost primitive) game changing climbing device (and it is game changing). I have never used any hook before - though I now realise Paul (softbankhawks) was right when he says in his Treeverse videos that once you use a hook, it'll change your life (in the climbing sense at least, I'm sure). I say all this before I've even used it in the workplace - I have only messed around with it in 30' Schubert Chokecherry's so far. Should use it for work this week.
I found Moss's (and Dave's, and others who have used the hook) information regarding the hook very accurate - thanks for that! - They have posted most of the same information that I was gonna...
Trying out this hook has scattered my brain, in a good (and slightly infuriating way). It is going to put more fun into your climbing, and it will also drive you a little mad at the same time - I guess any time that you throw something to somewhere in the tree you can have excellent results, if even you have to have a bit of patience getting these results (depending on the difficulty of the target). I tried out different anchor knots straight to hook shackle (and with steel biner in between) - for simplicity I settled on Buntline Hitch from tail end of Cougar Climb Line straight to Hook Shackle. I also tried double fishermans though didn't prefer the tail exit so much, and found it was harder to untie. I threw from between 5, 10, 20, 30' for around 2 hours. The thing was getting whacked around everywhere (it'll only be a matter of time before someone gets one in the face - it'll probably be me; I'd suggest looking down when you know it's coming towards you, try and let the hard hat take the possible blow) - I was abusing the thing before I even used it for work. Part of me didn't care - I now begin to realise how useful it will be for so many things, and I want to explore the possibilities. When I was using it on the ground, I was just dragging it back through the loose dirt. It's an expensive tool to abuse - though I have to realise it's full potential - it can't be babied.
It almost seems a bit gimmicky (and cheating) in the way you can gain an attachment point - though the product itself is solid, and to see it orient itself on the branch/limb (if you feather it back with just the right amount of tension on the rope) can be very clean. You can still mess it up a few times before you get the right throw (if it's a harder throw). The hook is heavy enough - though slight twigs still have the ability to deflect it - this combined with the weight/drag of the rope can send it off course/short. How much space you have for your back swing on throwing the hook and rope will too affect the throw (as well as how well you are braced within the tree to steady yourself in throwing) - all common sense. It can also get caught on twigs and other branches beyond the intended attachment point (and if the branch union you have it through is tight) - and when you pull it hard to free it from these things - it can flick back out through the very limb you wanted it to orient itself on (I did this many times). It's a bit like gambling at the casino, except you have unlimited tries (providing your arms and shoulders can keep trying).
I feel that dmm have taken their time to make this device as user friendly as possible - so I don't really think you need to do much to it. That said; I don't really see how you can adjust the nose weight (not that you'd really need to) all that much - I believe that claim is a bit of a con. I decided to try and tighten the hex heads a bit before I climbed with it - I slightly rounded out the set screw hex head a bit while doing so; I may have used the wrong size hex head key in my haste, I don't know (or just used too much force - I am guilty of that in the past). I maybe didn't even need to tighten them in the first place, I don't know. I don't think they will come loose, but will always check them before and during use, just in case.
If I were to give it marks out of 10, I'd give it a 7. I would love to see at least 2 more manufacturer's make hooks to compete with the Captain with similar/different designs. In the future I'd also like to see something like the shackle be able to open/close easier - I don't think a quickie or quicklink would be suitable.
Ultimately I think more and more Arborists will work with hooks. I just know for me; I'm always going to want to be able to have that option.
One last thing; a steel biner would also help if you wanted to make it easier to feed more rope over the branch (should you want to feed the hook/end of the rope down to any particular point for anything), ie heavier.
Until I get a Trango Cinch (and thinner rope) or a second climbing device, I will use either Bulldog and Hand Ascender, or Blakes (ddrt) and Bulldog for 2 attachment points.
Looking forward to everyone's findings with this. I'll post more as I use it in work.
I've been meaning to post my First Impressions on this seemingly simply (almost primitive) game changing climbing device (and it is game changing). I have never used any hook before - though I now realise Paul (softbankhawks) was right when he says in his Treeverse videos that once you use a hook, it'll change your life (in the climbing sense at least, I'm sure). I say all this before I've even used it in the workplace - I have only messed around with it in 30' Schubert Chokecherry's so far. Should use it for work this week.
I found Moss's (and Dave's, and others who have used the hook) information regarding the hook very accurate - thanks for that! - They have posted most of the same information that I was gonna...
Trying out this hook has scattered my brain, in a good (and slightly infuriating way). It is going to put more fun into your climbing, and it will also drive you a little mad at the same time - I guess any time that you throw something to somewhere in the tree you can have excellent results, if even you have to have a bit of patience getting these results (depending on the difficulty of the target). I tried out different anchor knots straight to hook shackle (and with steel biner in between) - for simplicity I settled on Buntline Hitch from tail end of Cougar Climb Line straight to Hook Shackle. I also tried double fishermans though didn't prefer the tail exit so much, and found it was harder to untie. I threw from between 5, 10, 20, 30' for around 2 hours. The thing was getting whacked around everywhere (it'll only be a matter of time before someone gets one in the face - it'll probably be me; I'd suggest looking down when you know it's coming towards you, try and let the hard hat take the possible blow) - I was abusing the thing before I even used it for work. Part of me didn't care - I now begin to realise how useful it will be for so many things, and I want to explore the possibilities. When I was using it on the ground, I was just dragging it back through the loose dirt. It's an expensive tool to abuse - though I have to realise it's full potential - it can't be babied.
It almost seems a bit gimmicky (and cheating) in the way you can gain an attachment point - though the product itself is solid, and to see it orient itself on the branch/limb (if you feather it back with just the right amount of tension on the rope) can be very clean. You can still mess it up a few times before you get the right throw (if it's a harder throw). The hook is heavy enough - though slight twigs still have the ability to deflect it - this combined with the weight/drag of the rope can send it off course/short. How much space you have for your back swing on throwing the hook and rope will too affect the throw (as well as how well you are braced within the tree to steady yourself in throwing) - all common sense. It can also get caught on twigs and other branches beyond the intended attachment point (and if the branch union you have it through is tight) - and when you pull it hard to free it from these things - it can flick back out through the very limb you wanted it to orient itself on (I did this many times). It's a bit like gambling at the casino, except you have unlimited tries (providing your arms and shoulders can keep trying).
I feel that dmm have taken their time to make this device as user friendly as possible - so I don't really think you need to do much to it. That said; I don't really see how you can adjust the nose weight (not that you'd really need to) all that much - I believe that claim is a bit of a con. I decided to try and tighten the hex heads a bit before I climbed with it - I slightly rounded out the set screw hex head a bit while doing so; I may have used the wrong size hex head key in my haste, I don't know (or just used too much force - I am guilty of that in the past). I maybe didn't even need to tighten them in the first place, I don't know. I don't think they will come loose, but will always check them before and during use, just in case.
If I were to give it marks out of 10, I'd give it a 7. I would love to see at least 2 more manufacturer's make hooks to compete with the Captain with similar/different designs. In the future I'd also like to see something like the shackle be able to open/close easier - I don't think a quickie or quicklink would be suitable.
Ultimately I think more and more Arborists will work with hooks. I just know for me; I'm always going to want to be able to have that option.
One last thing; a steel biner would also help if you wanted to make it easier to feed more rope over the branch (should you want to feed the hook/end of the rope down to any particular point for anything), ie heavier.
Until I get a Trango Cinch (and thinner rope) or a second climbing device, I will use either Bulldog and Hand Ascender, or Blakes (ddrt) and Bulldog for 2 attachment points.
Looking forward to everyone's findings with this. I'll post more as I use it in work.
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