Favorite hitch for SRT ascent?

treeandland

treeandland

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Location
Maine
I used to be happy ascending the single line with a VT with micro pulley as a backup for my foot and handled ascenders. The hitch would glide up the line pretty smoothly on it's own as I climbed. But right now I'm getting way too much friction with this hitch.
I tried using a VT with only three wraps and three braids, but it doesn't grab very quickly which makes me not trust it. I use a 30", 8mm diameter Samson hitch cord.
Any suggestions?
 
I use 4 wraps, 3 braids with the Ocean 8mm....however, one thing I realized is important, especially before single line ascent with a VT is to sit on your hitch, bounce on it a little and really let it tighten up before ascent. More so than just regular Ddrt climbing.

I had the same problem as you for a little while till I realized that hitch needs to be dressed and tightened very well before ascent. Works like a charm for me anyways.

Otherwise, I had the same problem and really felt the need to grip the hitch with my hand very firmly before sitting in it to take a break while ascending.
 
Thanks for the links. Richard Mumford has a good point about the side of the hitch that you attach the karabiner to. I have noticed that it can make a hitch significantly looser or tighter.
Have you noticed that a hitch will perform the same during SRT climbing and DdRT climbing, or does it behave differently?
 
Mike,

I agree. I have often felt that the VT won't grab as quickly on a static line as it does on a DdRT system. I bet one reason is that in DdRT you have twice as much rope, so more opportunity for the hitch to grab, and more friction for the same reason. So, in an SRT ascent you are asking more from the hitch.
 
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Michoacan, five or six wraps depending on cordage and rope diameter and proximity to winter.

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Same here, I have tried almost every hitch out there and for srt I keep coming back to this set up. I usually run a 6 wrap with 10mm cordage. Runs smooth and tends nicely. On ddrt I would always use a vt but I have never had good luck with it on srt
 
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... I don't use 8mm hitch cord anymore.
-AJ

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AJ, is that just a personal preference thing or something more? I have been using 8mm Armor-Prus on Vortex with the Hitch Hiker for quite awhile now and really like it.

I prefer a hitch that has very little set-back, so for me 6 wraps with no braids and short tails, makes for a very short and dependable hitch, when used with the HH.

David
 
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the twist is just parallel the rope right? not around it, I gotta try that hitch. I forgot about it.

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Yep, number of twists depends all the usual factors: diameter of climbing line, diameter and length of hitch cord and type of hitch cord. Generally speaking more twists equals more sitback.
-AJ
 
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AJ, is that just a personal preference thing or something more? I have been using 8mm Armor-Prus on Vortex with the Hitch Hiker for quite awhile now and really like it.
I prefer a hitch that has very little set-back, so for me 6 wraps with no braids and short tails, makes for a very short and dependable hitch, when used with the HH.
David

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I have very minimal to zero sitback with my hitch configuration. I've noticed, and other climbers have noticed that 10mm hitch cord performs better with a Michoacan or Cooper's Hitch than 8mm when used single rope. So many variables for different climbers of course. 10mm OP works so well for me that I have zero interest in 8mm cord for climbing hitches, except perhaps for a lanyard. I've even used 10mm OP on 10mm HTP with ZK2 and it was very good. A 10mm climbing line is not very grippable for me so it's not my go-to setup.
-AJ
 
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Moss, just out of curiousity; what kind of rope are you generally using 10mm OP for SRT?

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Been climbing Tachyon primarily ever since it came out. Just the right balance of qualities for me. People complain it's too stretchy but once you're redirected through upper branches rope stretch doesn't matter much, more flex from the tree than the most static rope.
-AJ
 
Are you using this just as a backup for ascent or do you also climb SRT with a rope wrench or hitch hiker? How are you advancing the hitch (i.e. pushing it above the hand ascender, pulling it with a micro-pulley beneath, just letting it tend itself)?

I climb with a 2 wrap 4 braid VT using 8mm ocean polyester on 11 mm HTP using the rope wrench. If I switch to an arborist climbing line then I'll use a 3 wrap 4 braid. I think the braids keep the hitch together so it grabs well, while the wraps provide the friction. I advance the hitch by clipping my hand ascender into the top of the rope wrench tether. Never had a problem with friction this way.

I'm going to give the 10 mm OP and Michoacan a try!
 
I'd go with the 10 mm Micho, as it's what I've found to perform most reliably in daily production.

Another thing to keep in mind that I haven't seen mention to here in this thread is that not many hitch configurations that allow for glassy smooth ascent will grab a line when it is taught.

If you're standing upright on a Pantin and looking at your hitch, you can often lower your legs slowly and watch the hitch glide back down the line. This is the same principle that requires monitoring an ART Spiderjack. Once you allow the tail to break and remove weight from it, your hitch should grab, and that is what the 32" 10mm 6/1 Michoacan does for me on most mid 11mm 24 strand DB lines.
 
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I'd go with the 10 mm Micho, as it's what I've found to perform most reliably in daily production.

Another thing to keep in mind that I haven't seen mention to here in this thread is that not many hitch configurations that allow for glassy smooth ascent will grab a line when it is taught.

If you're standing upright on a Pantin and looking at your hitch, you can often lower your legs slowly and watch the hitch glide back down the line. This is the same principle that requires monitoring an ART Spiderjack. Once you allow the tail to break and remove weight from it, your hitch should grab, and that is what the 32" 10mm 6/1 Michoacan does for me on most mid 11mm 24 strand DB lines.

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Thanks for bringing this up. This habit of a hitch to glide down the line when you're standing on a Pantin is what got me to start reconsidering my choice of hitch.
I think I should try testing my SRT hitch by foot locking the line while the hitch is slack and then throw my weight onto it. Close to the ground, of course. Better to not assume the hitch will grab in a scenario like that.
 
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I'd go with the 10 mm Micho, as it's what I've found to perform most reliably in daily production.

Another thing to keep in mind that I haven't seen mention to here in this thread is that not many hitch configurations that allow for glassy smooth ascent will grab a line when it is taught.

If you're standing upright on a Pantin and looking at your hitch, you can often lower your legs slowly and watch the hitch glide back down the line. This is the same principle that requires monitoring an ART Spiderjack. Once you allow the tail to break and remove weight from it, your hitch should grab, and that is what the 32" 10mm 6/1 Michoacan does for me on most mid 11mm 24 strand DB lines.

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Thanks for bringing this up. This habit of a hitch to glide down the line when you're standing on a Pantin is what got me to start reconsidering my choice of hitch.
I think I should try testing my SRT hitch by foot locking the line while the hitch is slack and then throw my weight onto it. Close to the ground, of course. Better to not assume the hitch will grab in a scenario like that.

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True that!
 
I was experiencing the same problem w/ "hitch glide" I am climbing a rope wrench on kernmaster 11mm using op 8mm hitch cord. I found that the knut w/ 4 wraps (above the half hitch that captures the down leg of cord) works very well. I can ascend with a loose hitch and sit at any point and it grabs immediately and though it doesn't run quite as smooth as my 4 wrap 3 braid VT did in the same situation I don't find it to impede my ability to move smoothly throughout the tree, and further more the peace of mind that the knut provides is well worth the minimal loss in performance.
 
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