The Hitch Hiker

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...I was thinking of a Ubolt with a larger, fender washer welded to the ends...

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A U-bolt of the correct proportions could easily be produced out of flat material and bent into shape. The problem with all of these tethers is the sharp and constantly changing angles of the carabiner/HH interface. Add to that the lack of room and the need for the carabiner to have full mobility and the solution is a challenging problem.
Maybe something like this?

Dave



DSMc
the only issue I see with the set up you are showing is the way the rope exits the bottom and when tending will pull up against the HH body and not the Oxan Biner as designed and may cause binding or added effort. also it is causing you to have the HH face the opposite direction than intended as well.
Thoughts?

Scrat

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The Hitch Hiker tends slack surprisingly well from this direction. Any outward angle with tension, if the hitch is properly adjusted, will cause the HH to slide up the rope. I have never developed the habit of pulling up on the tail preferring instead finding ways to use that weight instead of lifting it.

It is simple, however, to flip the HH on the bridge ring after lanyarding in and, thus, reorienting it in the original manner, after the initial ascent, for working the tree.

Dave
 
Yes, I think it might work, but you would still need to change the way the rope goes through the carabiner for the best function.
 
Bing
I run a swivel on my brigde and I believe it would assist.

DSMc
What ever happened to the polyethelene loop you were using, I thought that was a great solution. Please update us on it.

Scrat
 
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...DSMc What ever happened to the polyethelene loop you were using, I thought that was a great solution. Please update us on it.Scrat

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The poly loop does work well and is a good option as are some of these other loops that are being posted. The possibility of a center attachment and determining if it has merit is just me being me.

Dave
 
Might try putting a fixe type pulley on the lower end of the carabiner to redirect the tail, that way you can take out slack with your hand when you want to and keep the HH orientation in the photo.
-AJ
 
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The Hitch Hiker tends slack surprisingly well from this direction. Any outward angle with tension, if the hitch is properly adjusted, will cause the HH to slide up the rope. I have never developed the habit of pulling up on the tail preferring instead finding ways to use that weight instead of lifting it.

It is simple, however, to flip the HH on the bridge ring after lanyarding in and, thus, reorienting it in the original manner, after the initial ascent, for working the tree.

Dave

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I agree Dave. I have no problem running the HH in the "opposite direction". In fact when I was using my Croll to self tend the the HH, this was the way that I would have it setup.

The top of the Croll would push up on the bottom of the HH biner and self-tend it.

Once I reached my PSP, I would have to changeover, this was the only disadvantage that I found.
 
I just started Hitchhiking and I love it! But it hasn't completely eliminated my previous climbing systems, just another great tool to have in the gear bag for those times when it will work the best.

In Dave's photo above, with the U-bolt type device riding inside the channel of the HH, wouldn't that change the diameter of the biner, thus also changing how the biner interfaces with the rope? Maybe too much remaining friction on descents?

Lots of great info in this thread, thanks to all who are pioneering and sharing their experiences.
 
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...In Dave's photo above, with the U-bolt type device riding inside the channel of the HH, wouldn't that change the diameter of the biner, thus also changing how the biner interfaces with the rope? Maybe too much remaining friction on descents?...

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Congratulations on the the HH. I think you will find the more you use it, the more it will reveal its potential.

In regards to the increased diameter from the tender being between the carabiner and rope, there are somethings to note. It will make for less room and reduced carabiner travel but so far I have not found it to be a problem. It will still work with the fattest rope I use, which is Vortex. I did some experiments with some much fatter bushings and similarly, found no problems. It seems only a small amount of the friction is being absorbed by the Dogbone and carabiner, most going instead to the flat aluminum bar. I have not yet had a chance to test this particular item on a really long fast descent, so will refrain from saying there is no issue, but I do not expect any. Time will tell.
 
Dave, I'm sure you've thought this all out, but I'd hate to see that bushing roll on descent and put the eye tab in a position to compromise the climb line.

If anyone can get it done right, I'm sure YOU'LL get it dialed in.
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Thanks for the heads up. That was very astute. The tab does alter the feel to some extent but nothing dangerous. I am also working with another center mounted clip-in point that is tab-less.

Dave
 
DSMc, when you say the tab alters the feel, what characteristics do you get?

I found that every once in a while I'd be stuck, even after breaking the hitch, until the lower 'biner began to release. Why the delay...I didn't spend enough time to discover. My guess is the climb line was soft enough for the 'biner to really grab onto, and I'm probably #220 with all my gear on.
 
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...I found that every once in a while I'd be stuck, even after breaking the hitch, until the lower 'biner began to release...

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This is a real good reminder for all, to not be trying crackpot ideas you see on the Internet, until someone with less to lose has a chance to find potential flaws.

I found just what you describe, without the getting stuck part, most likely due to the fact that my climbing weight is much less. Unlike the bushings I tried, the tenders grip does change, depending on the orientation of the tab. On descent, if the tab is not on a tether, it will rotate down and increase the contact patch with the result of more grip. For me that was just a variability in grip, for you it caused a jam, interesting.
Like I said, I am working on ways to prevent this but in the end, it may or may not work, or be an improvement over an outside attached loop tether.

Dave
 
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I found that every once in a while I'd be stuck, even after breaking the hitch, until the lower 'biner began to release.

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Oceans, take a really good look at the bottom slot of the HH, at the surface that the biner slides on. It should be smooth so the biner can slide on it so as to release the grab. This is the reason the cheek plates are tool steel as that area sees a huge amount of wear. I made a HH out of aluminum and that surface deformed the first day I used it and acted like you are describing. Check yours out and see if there is a small "dent" were the biner will be when loaded.
 
No you cant see the surface in that pic. And no the "dent" or maybe indent shoulnt be there. In your picture the furthest right slot that you can see the back of the straight line against the white is the surface in question but the flat surface that is actually a 7 degree angle cut to match the angle of the biner. When you release the hitch the rope should push the biner up and release the pinch, the biner should slide freely on that surface. If however the surface has peened in it could stick the biner causing the hesitance to move. I personally have never seen a tool steel one do this but thought it was worth checking....
 
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Dave, but I'd hate to see that bushing roll on descent and put the eye tab in a position to compromise the climb line.

I

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That's exactly what I was just thinking.
Also. when in descent, the clip will roll into the HH so is it then difficult to get it back out to clip the chest harness on? Especially if wearing gloves.

It strikes me that a modified version will be exactly as it is in the photo but with two tabs/flanges on the end to stop it rolling into the HH.

What do you think?
 
I have been climbing with the hitch hiker a bit and find it is flattening my rope a fair bit when used SRT. I have only used it on half inch New England safety blue variations. Anyone have rope flattening issues? Any recommendations for a rope that does not flatten as much when used in the hitch hiker?
 
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