# 1st attempt at DIY lineman's belt/safety rope. Need advice (See pics)



## NYSBowman (Aug 21, 2012)

Decided to make my own lineman's belts/safety rope to use when climbing with Muddy sticks. Came out pretty decent, but I'm not completely happy with it. 

This is what one of the lineman belts looks like. Carabiners are climbing grade. Static line= 7/16' Prussic line=not sure of size (lableled Prussic line @ EMS store)









Used an overhand knot to tie the Prussic rope...and used "rope clamp"(under electrical tape)









Need some advice on how to improve on my "less than stellar" setup.

How long should the loop be coming from the prussic knot? My current prussic holds very well, but I'm suspect of it's length.

How long of a prussic rope do I need to make a prussic rope(using double fisherman's knot)? I copied the knot from my HSS safety rope which is not optimum

Should I be using a diff knot than the "double overhand" that I used at the end of the lineman belt? I'll be clipping carabiner to this loop and then to lineman loop on safety harness.


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## machine932 (Sep 12, 2013)

you should use a figure eight knot (IMO) and prussic loop length should not matter you can always ass a wrap or two to shorten the loop for comfort (IMO)

Hope this helps


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## NYSBowman (Aug 21, 2012)

I should use a figure eight knot where?


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## OhWell (Aug 21, 2013)

NYSBowman said:


> I should use a figure eight knot where?


Probably on your loops but that will hold as well in this application. I prefer a Blake's hitch to the Prusic, it is less bulky and holds better.


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## NYSBowman (Aug 21, 2012)

Just changed the overhand knot to a figure eight follow through. Damn rope is stiff as heck and difficult to make knots.









Should I have used dynamic rope instead of the static line? Is 7/16" line too heavy?

I'd like to keep this setup as streamlined(yet strong) as possible.


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## machine932 (Sep 12, 2013)

is the rope used to climb a tree or stop a fall. if its for a fall you would want some dynamic rope or something to adsorb the shock of a fall. the rope you have (11mm) is used for caving etc so it is extra thick for wear and tear. you could probably use a 7-9mm diameter rope. do you have a climbing store local they should sell it in bulk as well as advise you on the rope you should use 

L


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## NYSBowman (Aug 21, 2012)

I have an Eastern Mountain Sports near me. That's where I bought current rope. The guy I dealt with(by his own admission) wasn't well versed in climbing rope etc

I'm trying to come up with a double lineman belt setup(the 2nd belt will be used when/if I have to climb past limbs etc)...where one of the belts will also serve as a choker style safety rope(fall arrest rope) once I'm in my stand.


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## Reelescape1 (Feb 3, 2013)

No expert here but mine looks very much like the blue line pictured. It slides easily when gripped directly over the wrap and grips the black tightly any other way. I feel confident mine will catch me. It's quiet also. Mines close to the metal ladder and it could easily hit it, making noise, if it were longer.


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## NYSBowman (Aug 21, 2012)

Reelescape1 said:


> No expert here but mine looks very much like the blue line pictured. It slides easily when gripped directly over the wrap and grips the black tightly any other way. I feel confident mine will catch me. It's quiet also. Mines close to the metal ladder and it could easily hit it, making noise, if it were longer.


Yeah...my Prussic works perfectly. I was just wondering if the loop was a bit on the short side.

I think I'm going to make up another rope-style tree strap.....but with 2 Prusiks. One for fall arrest.....and another one to act as a rescue loop. I'm going to make the Prusik ropes with the double fisherman's knot rather than the ugly overhand knot setup I currently have.


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## machine932 (Sep 12, 2013)

FYI you don't want to try to climb dynamic rope you can but it's hard, And you DON'T ever want to take a fall on static line.

L


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## NYSBowman (Aug 21, 2012)

machine932 said:


> FYI you don't want to try to climb dynamic rope you can but it's hard, And you DON'T ever want to take a fall on static line.
> 
> L


From what I've read, a dynamic rope is best for fall arrest....but a static line for a very short fall isn't an issue.

Going to continue to use my HSS tree strap til I get my DIY strap setup complete.


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## b0w_bender (Apr 30, 2006)

NYSBowman said:


> From what I've read, a dynamic rope is best for fall arrest....but a static line for a very short fall isn't an issue.
> 
> Going to continue to use my HSS tree strap til I get my DIY strap setup complete.


Based on my research and it is significant, the above statement is correct. Because you are likely to fall less than a couple of feet when using a tree stand static rope is fine. the Dynamic is best when you have an extended fall because the elasticity of the rope helps to absorb the energy of the fall and cushion the blow a bit when you hit the end. Most folks I've talked to and info I've read recommend static for tree stand safety systems because the expected fall is a very short distance. You'll also notice that the vast majority of the harnesses that are on the market have shock absorption built into them to deal with the the fall energy precisely because the commercial tree stand ropes on the market are static. I'm certainly open for correction on this but I'll want you to provide some expert sources to change my mind. 

There is a lot of disinformation on this particular topic so having an expert source on this and preferably backed up with some scientific testing confirmation would be nice.


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## NYSBowman (Aug 21, 2012)

The reason I'm leaning toward continuing to use static vs dynamic rope...is because the tree strap is going to pull double-duty as my 2nd lineman belt(used when I'm climbing around obstacles, etc and have to disconnect my main lineman belt).

One major thing that I learned on my first practice climb in my yard....is that my safety harness WILL put quite a bit of pressure on my femoral arteries if I'm hanging from it. Going to make sure I have rescue loops within in easy reach.


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## snowshovler (Oct 15, 2011)

After you get set in the stand, "set" the prussic so it cannot slide. This will limit the fall to almost nothing and prevent the knot from sliding with the potential to not grab at all or to melt through and you will hit the ground. Use the prussic to keep any fall to an absolute minimum. I have climbed for decades and even a short fall, say 2', can impart enough shock to injure your back. The longer the fall the more energy is generated and must be absorbed either by your skeleton or the system. If you are injured and hanging in a harness, self rescue is difficult. Climbing a rope via prussic is a PIA and you should try it under controlled conditions to be sure you can reach everything and set it up before your legs go numb. A fall is unintended and never straight forward. You might flip over, swing around and disorient yourself or get whacked by a branch. All of which will make your self rescue more difficult. Most prussic cords are about 1/2 the diameter of the climbing rope and ties together with a grapevine knot or retrace figure eight so the know is inline with the cord which is much sleeker and also stronger.


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## hosmerunited (Feb 18, 2013)

Can you show a pic with you using this with your harness. At work with the positioning belt like this we have another part on it that is used to change lenght of rope and is only to be used to while we take our pole strap off to climb over items on the power pole.


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## Capt'n D (May 15, 2007)

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2307342


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