Best Tree stand safety harness

[deezs]

Black Diamond Vario and lifelines for me, really like the rock climbing harness over the traditional safety harness

 

[fwafwow]

Black Diamond Vario and lifelines for me, really like the rock climbing harness over the traditional safety harness

Agreed. It's not without a tradeoff (some complain about the tether being under your arm), but to me it's like night and day. I wish I had made the switch a long time ago.

 

[fwafwow]

I’m ready to make the switch to a rock climbing harness, but get confused about what is exactly needed to stay connected from the ground up to the platform. Is it just a climbing rope? Or would a lineman’s rope be needed as well?

I agree with @N2TRKYS about the lifeline and dedicated stands. For other stands, how you get up the tree and what precautions you take (how and to what extent you are connected, and if there is a redundancy) opens up a bit of a can of worms, and some debate IMHO. I've read on another forum (saddlehunters.com) that many are fine with just a lineman's belt and then use a tether at the top of the tree (and this may vary if you are using sticks). After I purchased my RC harness, I went down a rabbit hole and I decided against sticks or other methods, and I'm teaching myself the JRB Climbing Method - which is a way to use a rope to climb the tree and be tied in the entire time.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Agreed. It's not without a tradeoff (some complain about the tether being under your arm), but to me it's like night and day. I wish I had made the switch a long time ago.

I have put my tether over my shoulder, too.

 

[dtrkyman]

I use a rock climbing harness. I attach a rope with a prussic while climbing to stay attached all the way up, do not have any set stands. When I did they all had lifelines.

 

[deezs]

Agreed. It's not without a tradeoff (some complain about the tether being under your arm), but to me it's like night and day. I wish I had made the switch a long time ago.

I have put my tether over my shoulder, too.

This year I started putting the harness on against my base layers, then I put my hunting bibs on and attach the lifeline out the front of the bibs through the zipper. My bibs have two zippers so I can match the zippers to where the lifeline attaches.