Hook line / long lanyard / short rope setup

I carry a 60' lanyard with me all the time, with a Director carabiner on it and a Zillion. A Capt. Hook is always on my harness as well. Constantly using the system for a second lanyard, traversing, or continued climbing above my TIP.
I 100% agree with your recommendation. I like the Zillion because it is so compact compared to the HH rig. Love the HH for main climbing system though.
 
Anybody ever try an 8mm hook lanyard? I have 47' of OpLux, and was thinking of making a super duty 6mm prussik for it, but am trying to figure out a tending system.
 
Muggs said:
Andrew @moss has a great setup for a hook line, pretty sure it's small diameter
Click to expand...
Thx for the reference @Muggs !

Here's my current Captain Hook system. It's been "version stabilized" for a long time after refining the setup through MANY configurations since purchasing one shortly after its initial OG release.

It is indispensable for many of the interesting situations I find myself in doing tree work and arboreal rescue work related to stuck domestic pets and wildlife "problems". It increases my climbing efficiency for movement within trees in all directions as well as tree-to-tree traversing. I have some every minor "convenience" updates I'll be doing to the overall system but nothing too exciting.

Photos of the current system. I built the "Mini-wrench" from spare and new parts. The line is roughly 50' (need to remeasure it) of 9 mm PMI EZ-Bend kernmantle. The hitch is 8mm Ocean Polyester, custom length (one hand-sewn eye) to match with the wrench functionality and EZ-Bend's cover characteristics. I use my foot ascender to take out slack quite a bit.

There are hand-sewn termination niceties on both ends of the EZ-Bend. One is life support quality attached to the hook shackle swivel. The tail-end termination is a convenience feature for various uses. It is cover strength.

The hook system photos...
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjA744t

I don't make many work vids these days. Doesn't matter, the Captain gets a tremendous workout on stuck animal rescues and various arboreal wildlife projects.

This cat rescue demonstrates some hook versatility to get over and up into the small stuff on a horrendously leveraged piece of crap codominant red maple. Trigger warning: cat got fiesty after acting dead. Everything worked out fine.

For lighter fare this macaw parrot rescue has some interesting enough hook use. Initially did a typical throwline/thowbag access approach to get a high setting aove the bird. Parrot did not like the throwbag, First throw the parrot was gone, went a block away landing in a smallish Norway maple. I wan't going to throw again so I climbed the trunk alternating anchors, including the hook:

-AJ
 
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moss said:
Thx for the reference @Muggs !

Here's my current Captain Hook system. It's been "version stabilized" for a long time after refining the setup through MANY configurations since purchasing one shortly after its initial OG release.

It is indispensable for many of the interesting situations I find myself in doing tree work and arboreal rescue work related to stuck domestic pets and wildlife "problems". It increases my climbing efficiency for movement within trees in all directions as well as tree-to-tree traversing. I have some every minor "convenience" updates I'll be doing to the overall system but nothing too exciting.

Photos of the current system. I built the "Mini-wrench" from spare and new parts. The line is roughly 50' (need to remeasure it) of 9 mm PMI EZ-Bend kernmantle. The hitch is 8mm Ocean Polyester, custom length (one hand-sewn eye) to match with the wrench functionality and EZ-Bend's cover characteristics. I use my foot ascender to take out slack quite a bit.

There are hand-sewn termination niceties on both ends of the EZ-Bend. One is life support quality attached to the hook shackle swivel. The til-end termination a convenience feature for various uses. It is cover strength.

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjA744t

I don't make many work vids these days. Doesn't matter, the Captain gets a tremendous workout on stuck animal rescues and various arboreal wildlife projects.

This cat rescue demonstrates some hook versatility to get over and up into the small stuff on a horrendously leveraged piece of crap codominant red maple. Trigger warning: cat got fiesty after acting dead. Everything worked out fine.

For lighter fare this macaw parrot rescue has some interesting enough hook use. Initially did a typical throwline/thowbag access approach to get a high setting aove the bird. Parrot did not like the throwbag, First throw the parrot was gone, went a block away landing in a smallish Norway maple. I wan't going to throw again so I climbed the trunk alternating anchors, including the hook:

-AJ
Click to expand...
That custom mini wrench is way too nice looking. What'd you use for the side plates?
 
Matias said:
That custom mini wrench is way too nice looking. What'd you use for the side plates?
Click to expand...
The ever collaborative @surveyor allowed me to use a couple of sideplates off one of his prototypes. It was an accident but I flipped the sideplates front to to back and it looked like the new bollard positions would be excellent for a 9mm static kernmantle wrench. I wanted some stiffness in the hook line so it would be easier to twist rotate the hook orientation as needed when I was pulling it up to a limb after a throw. It's not quite a Bulldog Wrench but it's getting there ;-)
 
The Captain Hook is very well designed to orient properly by pulling it up slowly over a horizontal or just a bit off horizontal limb. With a 45 or steeper angle target limb the hook likes to slide down into the union and doesn't behave so well self-orienting. Twisting the line takes care of that. Lots of variables, the hook needs room to rotate, it's all solvable or yank it out (with considerations. chunka' alloy in the face hurts) and throw again.
-AJ
 
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moss said:
The ever collaborative @surveyor allowed me to use a couple of sideplates off one of his prototypes. It was an accident but I flipped the sideplates front to to back and it looked like the new bollard positions would be excellent for a 9mm static kernmantle wrench. I wanted some stiffness in the hook line so it would be easier to twist rotate the hook orientation as needed when I was pulling it up to a limb after a throw. It's not quite a Bulldog Wrench but it's getting there ;-)
Click to expand...

I don't think it would be too difficult to fabricate side plates out of a thick enough but not too thick piece of aluminum with basic tools and a drill press. Not talking about production, just making your own custom wrench. After all, not life support, just need it to be durable to last.
-AJ
 
moss said:
I don't think it would be too difficult to fabricate side plates out of a thick enough but not too thick piece of aluminum with basic tools and a drill press. Not talking about production, just making your own custom wrench. After all, not life support, just need it to be durable to last.
-AJ
Click to expand...
Sheet aluminium in this range of thickness is easy to cut with a woodworking bandsaw if you go slow and have a fine tooth blade.
 
I keep a long lanyard on my harness now. Its only 30'. Shorter than what a lot of you are running as your "long" lanyard, but still long enough that the tail stays in a ditty bag. I have taken to using a trigger/lobster clasp to secure the line near the bag opening. On an 11mm line, the trigger snap fully closes with just the right amount of grab on the line to keep me from inadvertently pulling more out the bag when I'm just trying to tend my slack.
 

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I also use a 30 foot lanyard, both with and without a hook. I forget who told me about these extension cord storage thingies but they work great for looping your extra lanyard length. There was a thread on here some years ago. The rope pulls out easily and instantly from the flexible fingers but is also gripped tight enough that it stays put when you don't need it. They come twice as long as shown; I cut it in half and had enough for both my saddles. Source was eBay.
lanyard storage.jpg
 
I get made fun of a lot because of my long lanyard, only 20’. But I constantly use it and sometimes wish it was longer. Running Gordon’s OAR and BOLA on my lanyard and works Mrs and srs. Keep hook with me especially prunes.
 
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