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LoneWolf Straps

Liv4Rut

Active Member
Anyone have an idea how often you should replace your Lonewolf Straps? I am going on my 4th season with mine and am starting to wonder. I know safety harnesses are 5 years and so are the straps on gorilla treestands. I guess I am becoming more safety conscious since I primarily hunt two hours away by myself. I guess its a scary thought knowing nobody could find you. :)
 
My straps are on their 5th season and they seem fine? Are yours really worn or are you just contemplating?

Why are you supposed to replace a safety harness after 5 years? They never have any weight or anything put on them? I know mine doesn't at least?
 
Muddy,

The straps are starting to get a little frayed but I am more worried about the actual spring in buckle failing. Prior to Lonewolf, I used to use strap on treesteps and those buckles definitely started to fail after a couple of years. I have had regular cinch straps fail as well, that is why I asked.

As far as safety harnesses go, if you actually read the owners manual of a hunters safety system it says to replace them every five years or they won't guarantee that they will work. I honestly would think it would be fine, but who knows.
 
You better watch them close, I've had two wear out / damage from normal use. I noticed them slipping while hanging a stand, fortunately before I put a foot on it!
Both happened to be the ones I used for the stand. I now use constrictor ropes for the sticks.
 
I guess I'd just keep my eye on the springs and straps because honestly, a brand new one could pop in a freak accident just like an older one. There really is no way to look inside the LW cinchers though is there? What do the new straps cost? $15 a pop or something?

My guess on the HSS is that they had to simply come up with a number of years for a guarantee that both made sense and still got them some resaleability. 5 years, nice straight number. I don't see how a safety harness would "go bad" especially with all the plastic fibers.
 
I've had mine for two seasons and already notice considerable wear on the outter edges of the straps... Not slipping yet but I have thought about it too.
 
Do you guys do anything to quiet the buckles? Sorry to change subject. We used the Lone Wolfe a great deal down in KS. It is a far superior stand in regards to getting in super small trees. The noisy buckles were my main gripe. The stand is growing on me.:way:
 
DOR,

I don't do anything to quiet the buckles. I never have any noise with them. I bring the stick up the tree with the strap in my pocket. I put the stick where I want it and then attach the buckle end first and then pull it against the tree so that I am holding the strap and tree with my right arm. Then I reach around with my left hand put on the other loop then cinch tight. I never have the buckle hit the stick which makes noise. You definitely do not want to climb the tree with the strap already on the stick or you will make noise if your not careful.
 
Do you guys do anything to quiet the buckles? Sorry to change subject. We used the Lone Wolfe a great deal down in KS. It is a far superior stand in regards to getting in super small trees. The noisy buckles were my main gripe. The stand is growing on me.:way:

I put mole skin on mine and it worked fairly good.

Now I am switching to UCR's because my straps are getting older and its not much more for the UCR's.
 
Hope you don't mind some other discussion Liv cause otherwise, I'm hijacking here. I feel like the straps could be a little longer. I had 2 trees today that I tried to set up in and I missed getting around them by several inches. Has anybody extended their straps at all? And for the guys using the constrictor ropes, do they have more length? Anybody have a pic of one of them?
 
UCR's

The guy makes them to any length you want. Im getting 10 ropes 8 feet long for 128.50 to my door.

LW replacement straps are 9.95 plus shipping and they are 5' long.


Here is more info on AT. His prices have changed alittle from what on the thread. The standards are 7 foot at 11.50, and .75 for each extra foot.

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=666805
 
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Jeff I am using the UCR's. You can stop by anytime and see what you think. I am going to make my own if I can find the right rope. Also you can buy extensions for your LW straps.. Boyd sales them at Buck Hollow Sports.
 
I have the extensions for the LW straps. They come in very handy. I typically throw 4 or 5 of them in the bottom of my badlands and never use them but when I do need them they are handy!!
 
The only noise I have had with the buckles is in hauling the stand. That was until I found that if you looped the strap on the button the opposite way, it rolled the buckle to the out side not the inside.
I do spray my stand and buckles with pick up bed liner (Rattle can stuff) that helps a bit to off set my clumsiness.
 
I'll spend whatever it costs and keep them up. I'll also spend an additioanal $5 per tree for ratchet straps from a hardware store- double covered if one fails.

I spent over $100,000 falling from a stand (ok, insurance covered MOST) & I know another guy who stepped into a stand with old strap that failed, he's now paralyzed. Don't mess around, replace and add more straps.
 
with these UCR things- read up on link, is there a way to buy them and rig them up- say 30' to my treestand, basically a climbing rope you're always attached to (other method - which was mentioned - is the prussic knot). I have about 60 stands that average 25-34' high, this will be expensive BUT I DO NOT CARE. Any thoughts or does anyone know if I could do that with them?
 
Skip,
I just ordered some of these per the above recommendations so I'm no expert on them yet but I did see one of Mike's and as I remember, it's more of a rope through a rope sort of philosophy. Reminds me more of a "chinese finger" if you've seen one. So unless I'm mistaken, you'd have to make a loop to come back through the acceptance hole which is where you get the cinch factor on the UCR's. Guess you could get a shorter one and just attach to the harness and then put it through a long climing rope that goes down to the ground maybe?

What you're talking about makes more sense, a prussic. You could simply buy some climbing rope in bulk and put a prussic on it to attach your harness caribiner through the prussic loop and slide the prussic up/down with you as you climb. You're concerned with the climb up and down right?

They also make a system that has a spring loaded spool on it that you can put above your treestand. Spendy but that might be the cat's meow because in the event of a fall, you can lower yourself slowly as I understand it. Not sure of a link but a buddy of mine has one and loves it. But for 60 stands, not really in the cards.
 
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