people like you.. they take the time the dedication the intelligence of seeing it a different way and videotaping it for all of us to learn. you sir are a rare man and I'm subscribing to your channel.
My intention here was a conservative and rugged design for the bridge. I don't adjust my bridge much except before a climb. When Hitch climbing, i get my short bridge as snug as a loose belt and this has been working great.
Hey John, just wanted to let u know that I use my Kestrel Flex with the double strand 8mm Oplux on my one climbing line & my bridge that came with the saddle is attached to the other co-dominant part of the 🌳 I'm cutting that is a real red oak spreader. 20 feet between my unions with rigging lines also up there. The ability to just loosen up one climbing line to transfer the weight to the other one while staying connected to both has worked 👍. Hope your weather is cooler there & take care.
Hey John, I don't know how many times I have watched this video (as I watch all of your videos many, many, many times). I think my wife knows you and Nate Sellars (Average Jack Archery) by the amount of times she sees me watching. Especially when she comments, "didn't you already watch that". The more I watch, the more I learn. I found some 7 mm Sterling cord ( I had previously used as a rope mod on my beast sticks) and for as cool as you make it look on the video...it is awesome tied on my saddle. I guess I be making a trip to HD for a small chain section. Thank you!
If you adjust your bridge often, it definitely adjusts easier WITH a smooth surfaced Delta link at the bending point instead of the friction of a your bridge loop. I currently have one of my bridges with the link and one without. 'Appreciate your comments, which are my reward, so thank you. Glad i am helping. I am also having fun.
Thanks, John for this video. I have been wanting this functionality since I have been unsatisfied with my prussic based bridge. You always seem to be 'right on time' with your videos!
John I’m a fan. Been waiting for diy adjustable bridge. Love this and in conjunction with JRB climbing hitch. Currently running old (very) foot portion of climber to ascend descend with my saddle. The second line is tethered to the foot section preventing that from falling. Ultra light quiet safe and allows me to alternate sit stand on long sets.
Ok brother, just make sure u gotta plan for everything. Buddy of mine had a climber bottom collapse and he was stuck on his seat a long time til help came. We all should have a rope and rappel plan. Can ask me questions on Facebook or via website. Plenty of people wanna sell ya something... I am just here to help.
@@jrbtc thanks do have figure 8 and 32’ of climb rated rappel rope and have trimmed my tree and safely rappelled down. I evaluate risk and if too great i build a fail safe or I don’t do it. Hope your buddy recovered from the suspense ordeal. When I first bought mine I missed the instructions to tether the 2 pieces. Tore my legs up shimmy down to the foot part.
Thank you John you never cease to amaze me with your amazing skills in a world of knots! This is a wonderful adjustable bridge I will play around because I do definitely change my bridge length often! I've been Srt'ing most of the season and while I climb, I shorten my bridge and then once i'm at hunting height I struggle to loose or give my bridge slack because the swabish hitch is tight and requires 2 hand to loosen ! In that case I've had to take another step to put out my lineman belt around tree so i can loosen the bridge with 2 hands . So with this adjustable bridge i don't feel the need to do all that and should easily loosen bridge with one hand. Thanks again for this great brilliant idea! Will definitely keep you informed how well this goes for me!
My tethering bridge is way too long and it's very hard to adjust and not only that I don't want to adjust it because I want it set for a more permanent tether position when I get to maximum height and stay. But I also need a bridge while I'm climbing that is shorter which will be safer. I really appreciate you making this video. Thank you.
That's appreciated. I also would rarely adjust my long bridge, but I do adjust my short bridge and use this design... if ya adjust it frequently, consider a delta link on the side that adjusts. It's just easier and causes no unnecessary wear on your bridge loops.
liking your climbing system , but I climb to hunt, and obviously you do too, anxious to see how you make the transition to a relaxed and ready set up for hunting and shooting,
A delta link or screw link is smaller, that's all. A locked carabiner is fine, but may double the size. And if you run it really short, and are turning all the way to the left or right, it just increases the possibility of the Blake's hitch contacting our main Carabiner on our Bridge. But you can use whichever works best for your system.
It's like u took a feather & tickled my brain. I have that same saddle u r wearing ➕ I have others. One of the others has a bridge on it which I took off. This saddle I think was designed for those that want a light system with little metal but then carry several steps or climbing sticks with them which just adds to the weight situation. I just didn't feel comfortable using a climbing rope system with that single 8mm Oplux. The right side of the bridge was connected to a Sterling 6mm hitchcord that was 42" long tied right onto the right saddle mesh loop with 2 double fisherman's knots. That 6 loop English prusik had just a 6' Oplux running through the prusik with a figure 8 @ the end. Then when u r @ stand height u take a 8.5' Oplux Kiss system & connect it to the bridge b4 u remove the linemans belt. On that 6mm prusik u have a poor man's ascender on it to control your bridge length. I just put an adjustable 11.4 mm Samson Predator that I made so I could climb with it. That bridge is very similar to the original bridge that came with my Aerohunter Kestrel Flex. The hitch was a 9mm eye to eye. I now own one 6' Oplux & 4 Oplux 8.5'. I have several chain links on my farm over the years that I took down this last year. They were held together with padlocks that r frozen in time. Thank you for this new bridge since it allows me to use some items that r either in a mesh saddle hanging up or in a 🪣 in my basement. Can't wait to start climbing in March & doing presets. 🤚
It's a strong, high quality cord, but to the best of my ability to research the topic, a bridge is typically made of a flexible, traditional fiber. The Nylon/Technora combination is strong but a bit stiffer than Nylon. It will take wear and bend in the same spot and will also be a bit more difficult to get your Blake's hitch to bind. And so, i wouldn't recommend it. If you were to try any cord, the first thing to try is a simple Blake's hitch to make sure you can set it. Not all ropes and cords bend well enough to do so.
For my stationary doubled rope system, I have several systems varying from 75 to 100ft. 80 ft is is a good number and means that you can climb any tree with a tree crotch up to 40 ft tall. I realize that you only might want to climb to 20 ft. But if the forest is mature and there are no low crotches, this will help. I never regret carrying too much. But every once in awhile 75 ft is not enough for me. More info: jrbtreeclimbing.com/
@@jrbtc Thank you. I really appreciate the reply. I've been one sticking but obviously that is an extremely flawed climbing method as there are multiple times per climb where the girth hitch is well below your waist. Your method is exactly what I've been looking to add. Now to find 100 ft of canyon elite somewhere lol
@@coolasafan1029 there are some references on my website. If you are building a stationary doubled rope system, I recommend 8 mm. jrbtreeclimbing.com/content/jrb-climbing-system/
If you're on Facebook, find me at JRB Tree Climbing Group. I answer questions there, and can arrange a conversation or video chat. I will announce any places where I might be headed.
John, apologies if I missed it - but what is the advantage of this bridge over a simple rope bridge with prusik and paracord tender? Both metal-free and one-handed operation
Good question... ok off the top of my head: 1. If you want to replace your bridge, with that design, you would need to buy 3 things: a rope, prussik and tender... instead of one piece of cord. Knowing exactly what to get, meaning the best rope and the best hitch cord or prusik Loop... well it's actually a more complex system because there is uncertainty even before we've started to build it. 2. Your life depends on 2 of those 3 things. I am seeking to minimize the number of things on that list: one piece of cord, closed in a bend. 3. A prussik is always going to be much longer up the one side of the bridge, often too long, and restricting a full turn to the one side. This is extremely compact. Big advantage here. 4. In order to make your prussik bridge longer, you need to have it engaged and have the perfect amount of weight in it... just enough so that you can break the prusik and control how much slack comes into the bridge. If there is NO load on the bridge, ya can't get slack in without 2 hands. I realize that this feature is not necessarily needed by everyone, but I do need it when I am using my system for certain climbing applications. 5. Tenders are messy. I understand why we use em, but I don't like using them for anything, and have better solutions for every situation where i need something tended. 6. The prusik system needs that stopper. What if your stopper worked loose... would ya notice it? I like how this is foolproof. 7. This costs $10. 8. Lastly, If you like a friction hitch on your Bridge, that's great, but I would encourage you to check out some other hitches. The prusik holds but is not one i recommend here.
I prefer 7. As far as I know, Sterling doesn't recommend their standard 6mm for Life Safety applications. I am not saying it wouldn't work or that it's not strong enough. I'm just saying that it's not an application where I would skimp
@@ronaldcramer5371 I realize you prefer a yes/no answer but I can't give your one. The manufacturer would say no. But do the math: a good rule of thumb is that we want our life safety system to be 15x stronger than the load on it. In a JRB doubled stationary rope system, you are putting roughly 100lb per side, target 1500. The cord strength is 1843. Your load is balanced on the 2 strands exiting the hitch (doubling the overall strength) but one side has a bend, cutting it back in half again, roughly back to the 1800 number. By my math, it's good and i have climbed on this combination. I just prefer something even stronger and better performing. I would not use it for a single rope system though, because we will not hit the 15x Target with our full weight on one rope and hitch
people like you.. they take the time the dedication the intelligence of seeing it a different way and videotaping it for all of us to learn. you sir are a rare man and I'm subscribing to your channel.
Thats a tall compliment and it's appreciated.
I think its gonna take 5 or 6 views of you're whole system to get everything. if I have a question, please don't be mad. I really like it.
Really good, John. Great illustration. Gonna put all to use as my new Teuf. 9mm Canyon Elite comes in!! Thanks!!!
My intention here was a conservative and rugged design for the bridge. I don't adjust my bridge much except before a climb. When Hitch climbing, i get my short bridge as snug as a loose belt and this has been working great.
Hey John, just wanted to let u know that I use my Kestrel Flex with the double strand 8mm Oplux on my one climbing line & my bridge that came with the saddle is attached to the other co-dominant part of the 🌳 I'm cutting that is a real red oak spreader. 20 feet between my unions with rigging lines also up there. The ability to just loosen up one climbing line to transfer the weight to the other one while staying connected to both has worked 👍. Hope your weather is cooler there & take care.
Hey John, I don't know how many times I have watched this video (as I watch all of your videos many, many, many times). I think my wife knows you and Nate Sellars (Average Jack Archery) by the amount of times she sees me watching. Especially when she comments, "didn't you already watch that". The more I watch, the more I learn. I found some 7 mm Sterling cord ( I had previously used as a rope mod on my beast sticks) and for as cool as you make it look on the video...it is awesome tied on my saddle. I guess I be making a trip to HD for a small chain section. Thank you!
If you adjust your bridge often, it definitely adjusts easier WITH a smooth surfaced Delta link at the bending point instead of the friction of a your bridge loop. I currently have one of my bridges with the link and one without. 'Appreciate your comments, which are my reward, so thank you. Glad i am helping. I am also having fun.
Thanks, John for this video. I have been wanting this functionality since I have been unsatisfied with my prussic based bridge. You always seem to be 'right on time' with your videos!
Glad to assist!
Amazing! Just what I have been looking for. Thanks for sharing. 👍
John I’m a fan. Been waiting for diy adjustable bridge. Love this and in conjunction with JRB climbing hitch. Currently running old (very) foot portion of climber to ascend descend with my saddle. The second line is tethered to the foot section preventing that from falling. Ultra light quiet safe and allows me to alternate sit stand on long sets.
Ok brother, just make sure u gotta plan for everything. Buddy of mine had a climber bottom collapse and he was stuck on his seat a long time til help came. We all should have a rope and rappel plan. Can ask me questions on Facebook or via website. Plenty of people wanna sell ya something... I am just here to help.
@@jrbtc thanks do have figure 8 and 32’ of climb rated rappel rope and have trimmed my tree and safely rappelled down. I evaluate risk and if too great i build a fail safe or I don’t do it. Hope your buddy recovered from the suspense ordeal. When I first bought mine I missed the instructions to tether the 2 pieces. Tore my legs up shimmy down to the foot part.
Thank you John you never cease to amaze me with your amazing skills in a world of knots! This is a wonderful adjustable bridge I will play around because I do definitely change my bridge length often! I've been Srt'ing most of the season and while I climb, I shorten my bridge and then once i'm at hunting height I struggle to loose or give my bridge slack because the swabish hitch is tight and requires 2 hand to loosen ! In that case I've had to take another step to put out my lineman belt around tree so i can loosen the bridge with 2 hands . So with this adjustable bridge i don't feel the need to do all that and should easily loosen bridge with one hand. Thanks again for this great brilliant idea! Will definitely keep you informed how well this goes for me!
My pleasure Billy. If you adjust it alot, you may want to go with the delta link, and feel free to let me know how it goes.
My tethering bridge is way too long and it's very hard to adjust and not only that I don't want to adjust it because I want it set for a more permanent tether position when I get to maximum height and stay. But I also need a bridge while I'm climbing that is shorter which will be safer. I really appreciate you making this video. Thank you.
That's appreciated. I also would rarely adjust my long bridge, but I do adjust my short bridge and use this design... if ya adjust it frequently, consider a delta link on the side that adjusts. It's just easier and causes no unnecessary wear on your bridge loops.
Loving the videos great job 👏 👍 👌
Having an adjustable bridge has benefits especially comfort for sits.
I just built my adjustable bridge,it is easier than it looks. I like it already and can't wait to use it.
If ya will adjust often, use a delta link cuz its smoother.
@@jrbtc I don't adjust often,thanks for the tip though and all the rest of the information you make available.
liking your climbing system , but I climb to hunt, and obviously you do too, anxious to see how you make the transition to a relaxed and ready set up for hunting and shooting,
i love it😃 good job
Why use a delta link instead of a carabiner at 3:30?
A delta link or screw link is smaller, that's all. A locked carabiner is fine, but may double the size. And if you run it really short, and are turning all the way to the left or right, it just increases the possibility of the Blake's hitch contacting our main Carabiner on our Bridge. But you can use whichever works best for your system.
It's like u took a feather & tickled my brain. I have that same saddle u r wearing ➕ I have others. One of the others has a bridge on it which I took off. This saddle I think was designed for those that want a light system with little metal but then carry several steps or climbing sticks with them which just adds to the weight situation. I just didn't feel comfortable using a climbing rope system with that single 8mm Oplux. The right side of the bridge was connected to a Sterling 6mm hitchcord that was 42" long tied right onto the right saddle mesh loop with 2 double fisherman's knots. That 6 loop English prusik had just a 6' Oplux running through the prusik with a figure 8 @ the end. Then when u r @ stand height u take a 8.5' Oplux Kiss system & connect it to the bridge b4 u remove the linemans belt. On that 6mm prusik u have a poor man's ascender on it to control your bridge length.
I just put an adjustable 11.4 mm Samson Predator that I made so I could climb with it. That bridge is very similar to the original bridge that came with my Aerohunter Kestrel Flex. The hitch was a 9mm eye to eye.
I now own one 6' Oplux & 4 Oplux 8.5'. I have several chain links on my farm over the years that I took down this last year. They were held together with padlocks that r frozen in time.
Thank you for this new bridge since it allows me to use some items that r either in a mesh saddle hanging up or in a 🪣 in my basement. Can't wait to start climbing in March & doing presets. 🤚
Hey John what are you thoughts on using Sterling 6mm TRC for this bridge it is posted as having a MBS Rating (lb): 3,484 and a caribiner
It's a strong, high quality cord, but to the best of my ability to research the topic, a bridge is typically made of a flexible, traditional fiber. The Nylon/Technora combination is strong but a bit stiffer than Nylon. It will take wear and bend in the same spot and will also be a bit more difficult to get your Blake's hitch to bind. And so, i wouldn't recommend it. If you were to try any cord, the first thing to try is a simple Blake's hitch to make sure you can set it. Not all ropes and cords bend well enough to do so.
@@jrbtc Great advice Thank You
Hey John! Sorry if I missed it, but what length of rope are you using for your main line?
For my stationary doubled rope system, I have several systems varying from 75 to 100ft. 80 ft is is a good number and means that you can climb any tree with a tree crotch up to 40 ft tall. I realize that you only might want to climb to 20 ft. But if the forest is mature and there are no low crotches, this will help. I never regret carrying too much. But every once in awhile 75 ft is not enough for me. More info:
jrbtreeclimbing.com/
@@jrbtc Thank you. I really appreciate the reply. I've been one sticking but obviously that is an extremely flawed climbing method as there are multiple times per climb where the girth hitch is well below your waist. Your method is exactly what I've been looking to add. Now to find 100 ft of canyon elite somewhere lol
@@coolasafan1029 there are some references on my website. If you are building a stationary doubled rope system, I recommend 8 mm.
jrbtreeclimbing.com/content/jrb-climbing-system/
@@jrbtc Cant thank you enough. That website is worth its weight in gold. Thanks for all the effort
do you do personal training on your system?
If you're on Facebook, find me at JRB Tree Climbing Group. I answer questions there, and can arrange a conversation or video chat. I will announce any places where I might be headed.
John, apologies if I missed it - but what is the advantage of this bridge over a simple rope bridge with prusik and paracord tender? Both metal-free and one-handed operation
Good question... ok off the top of my head:
1. If you want to replace your bridge, with that design, you would need to buy 3 things: a rope, prussik and tender... instead of one piece of cord. Knowing exactly what to get, meaning the best rope and the best hitch cord or prusik Loop... well it's actually a more complex system because there is uncertainty even before we've started to build it.
2. Your life depends on 2 of those 3 things. I am seeking to minimize the number of things on that list: one piece of cord, closed in a bend.
3. A prussik is always going to be much longer up the one side of the bridge, often too long, and restricting a full turn to the one side. This is extremely compact. Big advantage here.
4. In order to make your prussik bridge longer, you need to have it engaged and have the perfect amount of weight in it... just enough so that you can break the prusik and control how much slack comes into the bridge. If there is NO load on the bridge, ya can't get slack in without 2 hands. I realize that this feature is not necessarily needed by everyone, but I do need it when I am using my system for certain climbing applications.
5. Tenders are messy. I understand why we use em, but I don't like using them for anything, and have better solutions for every situation where i need something tended.
6. The prusik system needs that stopper. What if your stopper worked loose... would ya notice it? I like how this is foolproof.
7. This costs $10.
8. Lastly, If you like a friction hitch on your Bridge, that's great, but I would encourage you to check out some other hitches. The prusik holds but is not one i recommend here.
If I made that bridge with 6mm sterling accessory cord would it be strong enough? I weigh 186.
I prefer 7. As far as I know, Sterling doesn't recommend their standard 6mm for Life Safety applications. I am not saying it wouldn't work or that it's not strong enough. I'm just saying that it's not an application where I would skimp
Is it adequate for the ascender hitches?
@@ronaldcramer5371 I realize you prefer a yes/no answer but I can't give your one. The manufacturer would say no. But do the math: a good rule of thumb is that we want our life safety system to be 15x stronger than the load on it. In a JRB doubled stationary rope system, you are putting roughly 100lb per side, target 1500. The cord strength is 1843. Your load is balanced on the 2 strands exiting the hitch (doubling the overall strength) but one side has a bend, cutting it back in half again, roughly back to the 1800 number. By my math, it's good and i have climbed on this combination. I just prefer something even stronger and better performing. I would not use it for a single rope system though, because we will not hit the 15x Target with our full weight on one rope and hitch