Ropetek hitch hiker

[Seedling345]

I was lookin at this on trees stuff can some one tell me why this is better than a vt with a micro it seems like the same concept at triple the price of a basic vt pully combo I searched for a thread but all of them seem to have stopped in 2013 I just started using the vt and love it by the way. But what is so special about this ropetek system


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[treesmith]

I use mine as a chest ascender for srt access, the main benefit being that unlike a croll or similar, you can descend in an emergency, thought it was a little bulky/clunky for ddrt work positioning etc, zigzag works better for me.
One major benefit is the ability to use it srt and quick change to ddrt though I never tried it properly, others love it.

 

[RajElectric]

I use the HH for working the tree SRT.......

 

[Seedling345]

Would you both say it is worth trying out or is my vt pullie sufficient enough I'm even finding that I miss my blakes hitch just because I can ascend way faster with the thrust technique I don't have ascenders or anything just brute force any way to fix my problem with the ascending on a vt I thought of maybe buying a short E2e to connect one side of it to my caribeaner and the other side to my floating d's to give me the extra room to slide the hitch up then just take it off when I'm where I want to be.. Any thoughts????


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[treesmith]

For ddrt I find the zigzag is brilliant, consistent and secure never used srt other than for tall tree access

 

[NWCLIMBER]

I was lookin at this on trees stuff can some one tell me why this is better than a vt with a micro it seems like the same concept at triple the price of a basic vt pully combo I searched for a thread but all of them seem to have stopped in 2013 I just started using the vt and love it by the way. But what is so special about this ropetek system


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The hitch hiker adds friction, which is needed to descend climbing SRT. If your going to use SRT for more than just your ascent, you will want the HH or get the rope wrench to add to your prusik/pulley system.


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[Nish]

Yes, the beauty of the HH and other "hybrid" devices (rope wrench, unicender, rope runner...), is that you can also descend on the fixed (single) line without any change over of equipment. This is wonderful if you've ever worried about disturbing a hornet's on your ascent. Likewise, when you choke your line to a limb or spar, you are also able to descend on that same line immediately--with any readjustment--if the need should arise. Even if you should sever an arm, with these devices you only need one hand to descend, from start to finish.

 

[7highclimber7]

Would you both say it is worth trying out or is my vt pullie sufficient enough I'm even finding that I miss my blakes hitch just because I can ascend way faster with the thrust technique I don't have ascenders or anything just brute force any way to fix my problem with the ascending on a vt I thought of maybe buying a short E2e to connect one side of it to my caribeaner and the other side to my floating d's to give me the extra room to slide the hitch up then just take it off when I'm where I want to be.. Any thoughts????


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It is 100 percent worth trying out. Even if you don't work the tree SRT, you can just ascend to your high tie, then switch over to ur comfortable working system. All you would need to purchase is a boot cam.


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[jtc16]

If you have enough rope- when you get to the top add a prusik just below tip then take the tail from under your hitch hiker and put it through a pulley and clip that to the prusik. Keep the new tail close to you with a biner so you don't lose it. Now you can walk out on a limb with just as much if not more ease than regular ddrt and you can pull your self back two handed as the hitch hiker self tends in this method. It's a 3:1 mechanical advantage, so easy to pull yourself up too (compared to normal ddrt hip thrusting).

I bought the hitch hiker to ascend easier thinking I would then switch over to ddrt or learn how to work using just the hitch hiker srt. Tried this 3:1 method today after learning it from a youtube video and it is so good the video didn't do it justice. I can't imagine ever needing ddrt again now that I know this.

 

[greengreer]

I am a recent srt convert via the hh2. I cannot emphasize how much better it is. The only time I have used ddrt since has been on spikes where there was no way to set a top rope. Crane work until the spar would also be ddrt.
The hitchhiker is easy to set up, but I prefer to leave it on the rope most of the time. If you are already on hitchclimber setup the checkout the rope wrench too. I like the hh2 over the wrench for compactness and seamless srt/ddrt changeover.
My one complaint thus far is it's not as smooth tending slack, but I think this can be dialed in with different rope and hitch cord combos.
Do yourself a huge favor and piece together a ropewalker system. A foot ascender is a must and paired with a saka or haas you will be flying up the line. You can make your own knee ascender and save some bucks, they're pretty straight forward.
As far as setting a 3:1 for limbwalks, etc, an ascender in place of the prussic works great and is a bit quicker on and off. I just clip a biner thru my knee ascender.
Short climbs can be done with just a foot ascender.
Don't forget you will want a way to tend the hitchhiker or other multicender. I use a "buff" and a small biner around my neck. Quick, easy, and best of all cheap.