Poison Ivy 11.7

[John@TreeXP]

I am using PI now for any taller ascents and usually use my BDB. But I just tried the Sticth Hitch that Brocky was just talking about recently (I probably spelled it wrong!). I was using a 2 inch ring with it. It was working very well SRS and I weigh about 190 with gear. I will keep using my Bone for most climbing but the ring and hitch cord for the Sticht Hitch is lighter if I have to hike a long ways. Every ounce I can save in the backpack is desirable on a long hike!

I agree, the Sticht Hitch is light like a feather, once it's all dialed in like my HH. What was the Hitch cord's make, length, diameter, and is it a stitched or spliced Eye??

 

[Burrapeg]

I agree, the Sticht Hitch is light like a feather, once it's all dialed in like my HH. What was the Hitch cord's make, length, diameter, and is it a stitched or spliced Eye??

Hi John, Not sure of the brand of cord but it is 30 inches, 9mm, and sewn eyes. Length was about perfect when set up with a 2 inch ring. I have used a HitchClimber pulley below it a few times too. Worked great. One thing though; can't bomb down too fast with this if SRS. It does create some heat. Hitch cords might not last long if this was a working hitch everyday.

 

[John@TreeXP]

Hey Stew, I think the 9mm cord & 2" ring is a good choice. I guess the sewn eyes worked well too. I figured you might not get enough hitch wraps with the sewn eyes, but if anyone can do it, you can. For short climbs and as an integral part of an ultra-light climbing setup, I think its a great option, but on the bigger climbs, I'd rather rely on a HH or something more conventional.

 

[Burrapeg]

. . . but on the bigger climbs, I'd rather rely on a HH or something more conventional.

Right, me too. For a longer ascent/descent climb, my smoothest SRS set up is still my ZigZag/RopeWrench combo. Works absolutely effortlessly with a minimum of heat on descent. I have two pairs of the combo now, one for each end of a long rope if I want to get at height then use the tail to traverse or move around. Only downside is the weight if I have to hike very far. This is where the Sticht is agreeably light and in truth a lot of my hike climbs here are to trees that are not all that tall so heat on descent is less of a problem. Some of my favourite trees are the knarly, stunted sort of fir or pine that grow on the cliffs here overlooking Puget Sound. Amazing twisty big limbs at all angles and some of them are many hundreds of years old. But they don't get very tall. Fun to climb and also this incredible view off the cliffs and out over the water when you get up to a spot you can stop and relax.

 

[Brocky]

I’ve used a tubular belay device for long descents, the ATC Sport, but have switched to a carabiner brake bar for faster and easier installation.

 

[Mitch Hoy]

To address the original post... PI (Yale 11.7) is my favorite rope. I have tried many others, and keep coming back to it. Over my experience with it I settled on a 4/1 distel. When I weighed 175#, 9.3 RIT was my jam. Now, at 185, it slips a little at times. I have switched to 10mm Epicord, and love it.
I climb on mechanicals for my primary systems and carry hitch systems as my secondary systems because of their light weight, midline attachment, and ability to use their components for many things in the tree.

 

[islandarb]

This michoacan works for any weight. Here my 7 year old rocks it. 4 wrap michoacan with 28" 9.3 epi.

 

[Mitch Hoy]

To be honest, I don’t know if I ever gave the Michoacán a fair chance. I remember it needed constant tending when I used to climb on oceans polyester, years ago. The Distel is rock solid for me, but I should give the Michoacán another chance. It’s good to switch things up every once in a while.

 

[dmonn]

I now have about 6 or 8 hitch cords, all different brands/types. I don't know the names of most of them, but find that my preferred cord changes with the weather. My preferred hitch also changes a lot. Michoacan is a frequent choice, and the Innovation hitch for my HHX is a current favorite. I think the innovation hitch would be worth playing around with, even without the HHX. Just change up the number of wraps and cord diameter/material.

 

[moss]

To be honest, I don’t know if I ever gave the Michoacán a fair chance. I remember it needed constant tending when I used to climb on oceans polyester, years ago. The Distel is rock solid for me, but I should give the Michoacán another chance. It’s good to switch things up every once in a while.

It is likely you didn't have the optimal cord length and/or wrap number on your Michoacan. As mentioned earlier, I think it's more about finding the hitch/wrap count combo that works best for the cord and climbing line you have than the other way around. Every time someone says "This hitch and number of wraps is the best" they are right for themselves and wrong for someone else ;-)
-AJ

 

[Mitch Hoy]

Hmm. Well, thanks for projecting that ignorance upon me ; P
As for my suggestions, they work well for my body weight, with the hitch chord/hitch combination, with poison ivy, for me. I have trained other climbers on poison ivy and hitch reactions have been similar.
I size prussics to function with the minimal amount of cord for the hitch to react after deliberating the best hitch configuration to cord to particular rope. Anything longer, to me, is just sit-back.
For the 4/1 Distel, I use a 28” for 10mm, 27” for 9.3mm, and I suppose 26” for 8mm would follow. This creates a nice, compact knot that grabs right away without the need for tending. It fits well underneath a wrench on a shorty tether. I trained a climber who was 155#, and he got similar results doing a 5/1 knot with a 28” 9.3mm RIT on 11.7.
As there are so many combinations possible to use, even with a single kind of rope (as this thread is discussing), I think it’s useful for people to share their particular experiences for anyone who might identify with them.
Still planning on revisiting the Michoacán. Removals today, big removal tomorrow. Have to find a day that I’m not feeding a large ground crew to play around with it.

 

[Mowerr]

Another thing to consider is the climbers experience and peferance on how they like their hitch to feel and perform
Some like it loose cuz they have more air time and are very comfortable at height
Some newer guys might like more wraps and friction to feel less mobile which gives them a feeling of security and helps relax those shakey legs.
No matter what i feel every climber should practice using all of them at height because they all can offer different features and the hitch cord itself has many other purposes.
Those cords are so strong, I use them for so many things.... I like rope a lot more than webbing, but I still bring some web slings with me everywhere

 

[islandarb]

Michóacan on shorty tether 10mm epi 28" and 11.7 Jambo rope. Smooth as silk.

 

[SomethingWitty]

I’ve used a tubular belay device for long descents, the ATC Sport, but have switched to a carabiner brake bar for faster and easier installation.

Tsk tsk. Side loading 7075 (or whatever high-grade aluminum they are) carabiners with a piece of small diameter wood. You should be ashamed for promoting such antiquated and unsafe work practices.

On a serious note, how'd you make that? I saw the metal sleeve. Unless it is really thin, it looked like it would take some machine work to make it sit so snugly against the wood.

Edit: it looks like a tube. I hadn't seen it for a while. Still pretty cool, but less mystical.